Christian base communities
Encyclopedia
Christian Base communities are autonomous religious groups often associated with Liberation Theology
. The 1968 Medellín
, Colombia
meeting of Latin American Council of Bishops played a major role in popularizing them.
Created in both rural and urban areas, the Christian
Base Community, organized often illiterate peasant
s and proletarians into self-reliant worshiping communities through the tutelage of a priest or local lay member. Because established Christian parishes with active priests were often miles away and because high level church officials rarely visited even their own parishes these "base communities" were often the only direct exposure to the church for people in rural areas or those for whom a "local" church may be miles away. Thus, the base community was significant in changing popular interpretations of Roman Catholicism for multiple reasons. Initially, their very structure encouraged discussion and solidarity within the community over submission to church authority and, as their very name suggests, made power seem to flow from the bottom or base upward. The influence of liberation theology meant that discussions within the church were oriented toward material conditions and issues of class interests. Through this process of consciousness raising, evangeliszation turned into class consciousness.
Other Base Communities came into existence in the East Bloc, but with a different theological emphasis. They did not subscribe to Liberation Theology, as they were being persecuted by Marxists themselves.One of the best-known groups was Father György Bulányi's "Bokor" (Bush) movement, which sought to save the teachings of the Christian Church and resist the increasing persecution by the Communists. The movement's ideals were simple, namely to express Christian love in three ways, giving; service and non-violence. Bulányi was jailed for life by the Communist régime of Mátyás Rákosi in 1952, and was amnestied in 1960. However, he was not allowed to work as a priest. He continued to start small base communities illegally, and wrote illegal samizdat articles.
They are in some ways similar to Western cell groups (small groups), a notable component of many Pentecostal and some Protestant churches. Base Christian communities believe in helping people whose lives have been destroyed. Over 120,000 new churches have been set up to help the poor. The Base Christian communities follow the word of God and stand by the poor, they believe in helping the helpless. The Base Christian communities work to fulfill Christ's purpose to proclaim good news to the poor, tell them of hope, and to remind all people that there is always someone loving them somewhere, and that they still have a chance in life.
A Base Christian community is a group of people who join together to study the Bible
, and then act according to social justice
oriented from of Christianity especially popular among the third world and the poor.
Weigel,G. The Final Revolution: The Resistance Church and the Collapse of Communism.
http://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bul%C3%A1nyi_Gy%C3%B6rgy
http://bokorportal.hu/alapito.php
Liberation theology
Liberation theology is a Christian movement in political theology which interprets the teachings of Jesus Christ in terms of a liberation from unjust economic, political, or social conditions...
. The 1968 Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
meeting of Latin American Council of Bishops played a major role in popularizing them.
Created in both rural and urban areas, the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Base Community, organized often illiterate peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
s and proletarians into self-reliant worshiping communities through the tutelage of a priest or local lay member. Because established Christian parishes with active priests were often miles away and because high level church officials rarely visited even their own parishes these "base communities" were often the only direct exposure to the church for people in rural areas or those for whom a "local" church may be miles away. Thus, the base community was significant in changing popular interpretations of Roman Catholicism for multiple reasons. Initially, their very structure encouraged discussion and solidarity within the community over submission to church authority and, as their very name suggests, made power seem to flow from the bottom or base upward. The influence of liberation theology meant that discussions within the church were oriented toward material conditions and issues of class interests. Through this process of consciousness raising, evangeliszation turned into class consciousness.
Other Base Communities came into existence in the East Bloc, but with a different theological emphasis. They did not subscribe to Liberation Theology, as they were being persecuted by Marxists themselves.One of the best-known groups was Father György Bulányi's "Bokor" (Bush) movement, which sought to save the teachings of the Christian Church and resist the increasing persecution by the Communists. The movement's ideals were simple, namely to express Christian love in three ways, giving; service and non-violence. Bulányi was jailed for life by the Communist régime of Mátyás Rákosi in 1952, and was amnestied in 1960. However, he was not allowed to work as a priest. He continued to start small base communities illegally, and wrote illegal samizdat articles.
They are in some ways similar to Western cell groups (small groups), a notable component of many Pentecostal and some Protestant churches. Base Christian communities believe in helping people whose lives have been destroyed. Over 120,000 new churches have been set up to help the poor. The Base Christian communities follow the word of God and stand by the poor, they believe in helping the helpless. The Base Christian communities work to fulfill Christ's purpose to proclaim good news to the poor, tell them of hope, and to remind all people that there is always someone loving them somewhere, and that they still have a chance in life.
A Base Christian community is a group of people who join together to study the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, and then act according to social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
oriented from of Christianity especially popular among the third world and the poor.
Weigel,G. The Final Revolution: The Resistance Church and the Collapse of Communism.
http://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bul%C3%A1nyi_Gy%C3%B6rgy
http://bokorportal.hu/alapito.php