Saturday, October 14, 2006

Popular Baptists?

I just finished reading Roberto S. Goizueta’s Caminemos Con Jesus: Toward a Hispanic/Latino Theology of Accompaniment. It is a good work with a lot to glean. One of the points that Goizueta makes is the influence of popular Catholicism. The terms itself is interesting because it suggests that there is a different Catholicism then just “popular Catholicism” (PC). PC is what is practiced by the people, it is the rituals and customs that are particular to a group.
I wonder if there is a “Popular Baptists.” Actually, I fear that there is a “popular Baptists.” My impression is that the “popular Baptist” movement consists of a herd of people waving their arms in the air, voting the way that Dobson or Falwell suggests and loving the bible more than they love Jesus. I am a Baptist that believes in soul freedom, in dissent, in church autonomy, in the authority of scripture (but never over the authority of Christ) and so on and so on. I am probably not a “popular Baptist” for a lot of reasons. When I consider Goizueta’s idea of PC I wonder if I should stop calling myself a Baptist. It seems to me that PB have gone to far from the original, basic ideas of the Baptist movement, so either they have stopped being Baptist, or I can no longer be understood as a Baptist. The difference is that Goizueta’s PC still have a connection with the greater tradition of Catholicism. My gut feeling is that part of my role is to call the PB back to the greater tradition of the Baptist movement (which suggests that we do have a tradition). It is a cause that will no doubt end up in martyrdom, but what else do I have to do?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I would imagine that by Popular Catholicism, he is refering to Catholicism as found in the United States. If this is the casem then one should remember that American Catholics make up only 5% of the worldwide Catholic Church and have little influence on the Church at large.

I find the concept of a Hispanic theology interesting as theologies usually belong to faiths (churchs) and not racial groups.

While Mexicans may revere Our Lady of Guadalupe more than the Black Madonna, the theology in both cases is the same. The practice or implementation of the theology may appear different, but, at its core, the theology is the same.

Best wishes for success on your PhD...

- Timothy