Practical Theology, with its emphasis on praxis, is a natural ally of Liberation Theology. Liberation Theology, after all, is rooted in “the interruption of those who suffer” (2). Rebecca S. Chopp is a skilled interpreter of Liberation Theologies, bring practical theological skills to bear on this critical perspective.

Chopp boldly states:

Any reflection on God—the God who creates, redeems, and liberates history—must today be interrupted by God who freely chooses to be with the victims of history. (6)

After two chapters which survey Latin American Liberation theology and the rise of German Political theology, Chopp spends the heart of this book interpreting four leading voices in Liberation theology: Gustavo Gutiérrez, Johann Baptist Metz, José Miguez Bonino, and Jürgen Moltmann. These chapters alone are worth the price of admission. Chopp deftly and critically surveys each liberation perspectives, providing a helpful overview of each theologian for further reading.

In the final two chapters, Chopp presents an addition to H. Richard Neibuhr’s typology of relating Christ and culture: “Christ Liberating Culture” (131).

Christ liberates culture as the transformative revelation of God’s freedom in history; Christianity is the way of following or imitating Christ in liberating activity in the world. The model for the new relation of Christianity and culture is Christ liberating culture, a model that is formed and transformed by suffering, praxis, and liberation. (131)

At 34 years since publication Praxis of Suffering is an old book now. Old, but valuable. Christians, in my tradition especially, should take Chopp’s emphasis on praxis seriously and explore how our Pentecostal traditions, influenced by prosperity theology, are interrupted by the voices of those who suffer.

Chopp, Rebecca S. The Praxis of Suffering: An Interpretation of Liberation and Political Theologies. Orbis, 1986.