Historic and Contemporary Influences on Reading the Bible with the Poor: Liberation Theology and Poor People's Movements

Abstract

Reading the Bible with the Poor is a methodology of biblical study rooted in liberation theology and hermeneutics. Leaders within the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival are utilizing this methodology as a tool for organizing the movement to end poverty. This paper will explore the literature of the Reading the Bible with the Poor methodology with emphasis on the influences from contextual biblical study and liberation theology, especially in South Africa and Latin America, as well as social movements of the poor and dispossessed in the United States. Additionally, the paper will include reflections from one author, who is a practitioner of this methodology of biblical reading, on its use as an emancipatory adult education program within the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. The analysis and reflections can inform other adult education movements rooted in struggles for liberation and revolutionary critical pedagogy.