Searching for God # 79

Hillman’s phrase ‘salvation ideology’ prompts one to pause. The deliberate evisceration of democracy by the current world powers, especially the U.S. and Russia and China, with supporting roles for Netanyahu and Kim Jong Un, Orban and perhaps others, leaves the world facing existential threats from political and environmental forces. And, prior to those two, for the past three-quarters of a century, humanity has faced the spectre of annihilation from atomic and nuclear weapons.

On one level, it might seem less than surprising if, under such circumstances,   individuals might retreat into a kind of ‘personal, narcissistic, somewhat narrow and certainly (in the immediate) more ‘accessible’ kind of salvation. Such a perspective is likely to pursue their personal ‘salvation’ through therapy, spas, pharmaceuticals, travel, as well as hard work and competition for the highest rung on the ladder of success each can envision. With all of those extrinsic pathways, and an accompanying mind-set that politicizes and reinforces such personal, private, psychic ‘needs’ in a capitalist, advertising-swamped culture, where everything is morphed into a brand, selling what the public ‘needs’ is not only justified but idolized. And buying is measured in billions if not trillions of dollars.

Some certainly would have to get very rich where everyone is drowning in seductive advertising, as well as manipulative technology that seeks more and more ‘attention’ and predictable ‘addiction’. And such a scene is not restricted to pre-teens, or young adults, or even the largest segment of the ‘bell curve’ in market analysis, 25-45. Extrinsic, literal, empirical, scientific and measurable reality, like a giant magnet drawing millions into its orbit, normalizing itself with more and more spending and acquiring and competing and  more and more spending and acquiring and competing, renders itself in an obsessive-compulsive picture of swarming ant in the short story of Leningen and the Ants.  A plantation owner in the Brazilian forest attempts to ward off a plague of soldier ants, only to escape death, ‘somewhat streamlined’ through ant-inflicted injuries.

Herd immunity is a target for inoculations against various viruses to be effective among a target population. Such herd immunity is being threatened by anti-vaccine skeptics, while paradoxically, the unconscious rush to a different kind of ‘herd,’ one that silently and complicitly succumbs to the brash, highly sexualized, increasingly risky gambling opportunities of the advertising/propaganda machine fed by tabloid press and salacious news stories, explodes. Special effects, avatars, movies and television shows saturating the entertainment networks, which themselves have exponentially erupted, in another phase of the mogul-controlled, dominated and increasingly politicized (pro trump-cult) media imperialism, generate a media-image-message-mind-control blitzkrieg of war-like dimensions.

And while ‘creative artists’ find innovative and challenging opportunities to design, create and tell stories, the general public, not having been either prepared nor having developed a discerning media literacy, (having either forgotten or abandoned what little original literacy they may have picked up in secondary school, scramble both to find stories that ‘touch’ their lives in a meaningful way, without having to resort to more and more of various iterations of violence.

One furniture company has now taken to selling “laziness” as a way to link the social pressure their demographic is experiencing with their product line and company name.

While spas and retreat centres proliferate, around the world, (ads to purchase a share of a South Pacific island appear regularly on social media) church pews lie idle, or their sanctuaries have been transformed into some different use such as community centres, arts centres, literal sanctuaries for refugees and immigrants…and the traditional business of ‘theology’ clings to life-support in a social, political, corporatist, militarist-pharmaceutical-insurance Intensive Care Unit.

Create enough deep and profound misery, desperation, despair, loneliness, unemployment, hopelessness, spreading medical diseases once considered defeated by vaccination, political anarchy, and a completely recognizable and indisputable un-reality by those in power, and then ride the wave of ‘sloshing cash’ to the slot-machines, to the casinos, to the drug companies/cartels, both legitimate and illicit, internet ‘caves’ of finger-tip gaming, gambling and private and personal self-induced isolation (think Incels: (from https://plan-uk.org): Incels is short for involuntary celebates. They are individuals, mostly heterosexual men, who feel unable to form romantic or sexual relationships. What started as an online subculture has grown into a movement linked to misogyny, rising violence and gender inequality. Incels think they can’t form sexual or romantic relationships. They blame this on their looks, how they see social structures. Core elements include:

Ø Fatalism about dating (the view that it is predetermined they will never date

Ø Resentment toward women who are seen as shallow or manipulative

Ø Hostility toward men who are perceived as more attractive or successful with women

The 80/20 rule is a well-known theory also known as the Pareto principle. It was created by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. He theorized that roughly 80% of consequences come from 10% of causes. In 1906, he observed that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by just 20% of the population. Incels distort this idea to claim that 80% of women are attracted to the top 29% of men. These are the men seen as the ‘best looking’ or who have classic masculine traits-the ‘Chads’ . This has no basis in reality or research.

Dividing men from other men, by men themselves, for example, on homophobia, and dividing women from other women, by women, on such bases as degrees of and commitment to feminism could be considered another symptom of the personal, private, ideological divide that pervades throughout this North American culture. Ideology has become personal identity….when, ideology is not and never will be identity.

This delusion, however subtle and inconspicuous, nevertheless operates in a highly and angrily divided culture, especially one in which devious, nefarious, heinous and despicable politics has become normalized. Isolation, alienation, abandonment and separation, along with the hopelessness taken together, these dynamics generate, is another way of describing a psychic identity, It is not a difficult task to connect the dots between an isolated individual grasping an ideology or some facsimile of an ideology, and conflict both identity and ideology.

Where is theology in this cauldron of identities and ideology? Starting with the premise and fact that immediacy has fully eclipsed eternity, and fear has eliminated hope, and anger has shoved compassion and empathy to the sidelines (of the weak), and the churches’ halting and intermittent interventions into the political and economic debate, there is an argument that the churches have withdrawn too far from the public square.

In Canada, years ago, when the economic conditions were quite cloudy and Catholic bishops, as a group with a single unified voice, put out a position paper that both pushed back on and made proposals for the government’s policies. And the line I recall in rebuttal ran something like, “You theologians know nothing about economics so stay in your own lane!” And this occurred in a nation which has an established “state” church, The Roman Catholic church, not in a legal or formal way but certainly in a general public perception.

There is a clear and inescapable time perception between the pace of change in the current cultural environment and the traditional, historic ‘pace’ to which the churches have subscribed. The culture is moving at warp speed, while the church is literally and metaphorically ‘out of breath’ just trying to stay abreast of the changes. Indeed, for centuries, one of the staples of Christian theology was based on the concept of a never-changing, totally dependable, ever-present and always-loving God. The scriptural stories about, around and foreshadowing  a future, are generally considered, taught and ritually remembered as stable, authentic and granite in both content and method. The rhythm and demonstrable evidence of change in nature, both in the wild and within the human sphere, is not a subject that attracts much attention theologically.

Political philosophy, as it applies to Christian theology is rarely if ever considered relevant and applicable to the work of the church in its teaching as well as in its pastoral care delivery. The Liberation Theologians of Latin America, however, witnessing extreme poverty, and reflecting on the theology that seemed more supportive of state policies that insured that poverty began taking their bibles into the fields where the women were harvesting various crops. Viewing God as liberator of the poor and oppressed, it focuses on changing the world rather than just understanding it. It has been criticized by some as being Marxist. Some key proponents include names like Gustavo Gutierrez, Leonardo Boff, and Jon Sobrino. Pope Francis was one who supported the spirit of Liberation Theology.

From the website, thenation.com, in a piece entitled, Pope Francis Upheld the Spirit of Liberation Theology, April 21, 2025, by Greg Grandin, we read:

More than torture and murder  contained liberation theology. The Vatican, headed by Pope John Paul II, refuted its core beliefs. To portray Christ as a ‘political figure, a political figure, z revolutionary,’ the pope said in 1979, violates Church catechism.

From InTheseTimes.com, we read:

In 1984, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican office tasked against heresy—condemned liberation theology for its Marxist influences; two years later the office clarified that Christian theology of liberation was possible and necessary, but requires spiritual salvation. The late Pope Francis, the first Latin American pope, simply emphasized a ‘theology of the people’ in solidarity with the poor and oppressed.

In Pope Francis’ own words from same source:

Solidarity, this word that frightens the developed world. People try to avoid saying it. Solidarity to them is almost a bad word. But it is our word! Serving means recognizing and accepting requests for justice, and hope, and seeking roads tougher, real paths that lead to liberation. (Pope Francis)

The piece continues:

During his papal inauguration, Pope Leo XIV called for an end to global violence and hatred, indicating a continuation of Francis’ advocacy for social justice and the poor. He also connected a ‘lack of faith’ with ‘appalling violations of human dignity’.’ In today’s world, where far-right movements are gaining ground globally-often dressing up nationalism and authoritarianism in religious language—liberation theology offers a framework for reclaiming faith as a source for justice. It reminds us that faith isn’t just what we believe, but what we do, who we stand with and who we stand against.

Without the imprimatur of the Vatican, nor the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop Desmond Tutu (an Anglican) sounds similar notes, and worked diligently advocating for international sanctions and disinvestments to pressure the white apartheid government in South Africa to help being about the end of the oppression of Black South Africans. Was Tutu a revolutionary?  For some, probably yes. For others, a strong voice for liberation.

A letter signed by all 154 Bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States, dated February 2, 2026, reads in part:

We, the undersigned bishops of The Episcopal Church, write today out of grief, righteous anger and steadfast hope.

What happened a week ago in Minnesota and is happening in communities across the country  runs counter to God’s vision of justice and peace. The crisis is about more than one city or state- it’s about who we are as a nation. The question before us is simple and urgent: Whose dignity matters?...

We call on Americans to trust their moral compass-and to question rhetoric that trades in fear rather than the truth. As Episcopalians, our moral compass is rooted firmly in the Gospel of Jesus Christ….We call on people of faith to stand by your values and act as your conscience demands. We urge the immediate suspension of ICE and Border Patrol operations in Minnesota and in any community where enforcement has eroded public trust. Because the rule of law is weakened, not strengthened, when power is exercised without restraint…..Safety built on fear is an illusion. True safety comes when we replace fear with compassion, violence with justice ad unchecked power with accountability. That’s the vision our faith calls us to live out-and the promise our country is meant to uphold.

Although our fingerprints may be all over this next statement, hinting broadly where we ‘come down,’ it is necessary to say it forthrightly:

It is not only ICE and Border Patrol that are out of control in the United States. Indeed, the gap between the have’s and the have-not’s is widening by the hour. Attacking alleged drug cartels in the Caribbean, rather than addressing the desperate conditions in which millions of Americans are being forced to live, is like lancing a boil when the patient has stage 4 cancer. Root causes, economic and political abuse of power and the decimation of the very concept of human dignity, not only in Minneapolis and other cities under siege, is evident in the rising numbers of homeless, of the rising numbers of people whose health care is unaffordable, the rising number of people who have given up hope for themselves and their families….these less visible and perhaps less troublesome, given that they have no voice, no public advocate, and the spectre of the miniscule social programs that once gave a little hand-up being decimated by a budgetary bill that robs those programs to pad the pockets and investment portfolios of the very wealthy. America is now clearly, obviously, blatantly and unabashedly copying the oligarchy of the Russia the president is fawning to emulate.

Liberation Theology, even in the space where the lives and fortunes of those Christian clerics and laity whose courage moves them in this direction is a  spiritual discipline for which the United States may will be pining unconsciously.

Liberation, with Jesus as liberator, and even as revolutionary, may be required for the profound levels of oppression, cynicism, skepticism and outright violence to be brought to heel. And, where would such an approach to Christian theology garner more public attention  than from the networks of the American mass media?