| References to mysticism appear frequently in Latin American theology of liberation, a theology many critics have argued is characterized by political reductionism. This dissertation offers a comprehensive study and systematic explanation of what Latin American theologians mean when they associate their theology of liberation with Christian mysticism.;The mysticism of liberation originates in a new spirituality born of new experiences of God on the part of the poor and those struggling in solidarity with them. The spirituality of liberation sweeps past an interiorized exercise of Christian devotion to include the full integration of liberation commitments and contemplative encounter with God.;The mysticism of liberation, according to theologians Gustavo Gutierrez, Leonardo Boff, Segundo Galilea, and Victorio Araya, is a synthesis of mystical and political elements. Practical commitments become places of encounter with God. Union with God is, simultaneously, a union with others. Spiritual itineraries are woven into a social and political fabric. The path toward perfection involves personal, social and political transformations. Divine encounter empowers the political construction of the eschatological kingdom of God.;Key elements of the mysticism of liberation are found to be continuous with the Christian mystical tradition, in the mysticism of Scriptures, Desert Fathers, medieval mystics St. Francis and Meister Eckhart as well as the great Spanish mystics. Central themes are also located in modern theories of mysticism which operate on similar practical and prophetic axes. The mystico-political synthesis at the wellspring of Latin American theology of liberation demands that it be read as mystical theology no less than as political theology.;A coherent mystical theory of encounter with God is defined, distinguished by the fact that an encounter with God which can be called mystical takes place in and through political activity. The full theory supports a new reading of liberation texts and an appreciation of the new directions which liberationist thought is taking in a post-Marxist world. Indeed, realization that spirituality and mystical encounter are not optional "little sisters" of theology, but rather full partners, offers to teach many things to any theology striving for new kinds of unity between thought and action. |
