Discerning Providence: How the Reign of God in Liberation Theology Explicates Divine Struggle as a Feature of Providence

Abstract

Recently there has been rising interest in the doctrine of providence with a number of significant texts being published in English. In general, these and past treatments consolidate established discussions (such as those concerning divine action and causality, human and divine agency and the problem of suffering) rather than engaging liberative theologies of any variety. This article aims to demonstrate how liberative theologies can extend the scope of the study of this doctrine in fruitful ways. In particular, it demonstrates the potential of Jon Sobrino's explication of the Reign of God to reframe explorations of providence around opposition to God's will (described as the anti‐Reign) and the corporate nature of discernment, suggesting that providence is revealed in concrete connection to anthropology and sin in the real world. This reorients reflections on providence towards the theo‐political and practical resistance to the anti‐Reign and participation in the Reign of God in the present reality.