The poor are just not fortunate in life. This unfortunate state is shown in all of life including religion. Easter is suppose to be the vindication of powerlessness and weakness, but the world still turn it to another symbol of oppression. Thereby, denying the poor of hope and sending them to a state of eternal despair. When Jesus died on Good Friday, it was the powerful oppressors and the powerful rich that join hands to killed Him so as to maintain economic and political status quo. His death brings hope to the poor that God has paid the price for sin. The consequence of sin is at the heart of the problem that create their condition in all its aspects. By this, Jesus died to give the poor a certain hope that God will save them. Save them from their spiritual condition, as well as their economic and political condition. They are no more slaves to either sin, the world system, other human beings, Satan, or even themselves. They are free, and they are to serve God just as that was the original purpose of their creation. God saves them by loving them, and now they are to live their lives paying the debt of love which cannot be finished. And to love is to realize one's highest joy and fulfilment. But today, easter event is used to tell the poor that Jesus died so that they will be made powerful. Powerful enough to have others cower away at their presence. What a pity to believe that Jesus deal away with the old oppressors so as to establish a new class of oppressors. Jesus died to give hope to all men - to give the poor a reason to hope in God, and to dissuade the rich from hoping in their riches and power. For salvation belongs to God.

Good Friday

The Idea of Theology from the Grassroots

Kwame Bediako has championed the idea of theology in Africa done from the grassroot. In his book "Jesus in Africa", he showed how people in Africa who cannot read and are not educated, have sound theology that has been made contextually meaningful. This can be heard in the songs they sing and in their conversation.
Theology cannot remain a conversation between professionals trained in the seminary. It has to have a place in the hearts and minds of the men and women who professed to be followers of Jesus Christ and who week after week come to our churches to fellowship and worship. In essence, theology has to have hands to work, feet to walk, mouths to speak, minds to think, and people to put it to work.
Theology from the grassroots has to do with the understanding of the masses concerning the faith they believed in. They need to express this faith. How do they express it?