Do we have to historize theological concepts like salvation? Yes and no. We have to indeed historize the experience of salvation here on earth. But salvation is not reduceable to this world. Salvation belongs to already-and-not-yet dynamism of our life. We experience it in its fullness in the life to come. In this sense salvation stays always in the coming. Salvation , thus, stays within and beyond our history. All history is history of salvation but it is not reducible to narrow this worldly history. Salvation history extends beyond human history. Salvation history is God’s love in human history. Salvation is made flesh to us humans in human history. Hence, we have to discern how salvation becomes flesh in time and space otherwise populisms might also be absorbed as salvation where they only mask liberation. Populisms are in vogue in politics. The relationship between liberation through salvation and promise of liberation by populisms remains unexamined. The role of religion in the rise and growth of populism today is not scrutinized. Populism of the BJP mixed with Hindutva thrives in India. Similar populisms are said to be thriving in south America and other parts of the world.
Liberation theology has always been a political theology and we have the challenge to explore how it is sometime intertwined with populisms. We require this scrutiny in India as the right-wing populism in India is viewed as some kind of liberation by the majority community. This examination may become a rich tribute to Gustavo Gutierrez , father of liberation theologians who recently passed away. Liberation theology enables us to make faith a lived experience. There is a thin line between genuine faith generated liberation and populisms. Hence, an examination of this difference is profoundly important. Liberation theology that developed in Latin America has been viewed as Marxism under the guise of a religion. But its relation with populism is surprisingly understudied. Some scholars indicate that it is populisms that brought about the growth of liberation theology and not the other way round. It is in this direction that some critical thinkers have sought to trace the echo of populism in Ignasio Ellacuria’s concept of ‘ the crucified people ‘ which was further developed by his Jesuit colleague , Jean Sobrino. The notion of ‘ the crucified people’ becomes a lens and tool in the hands of both liberation theologians as well as Populist ideologues. Theological overtones of crucified people and it links to populism have led me to think with the unchosen people of God. These unchosen people are those that are left out and even demonized by the reigning populists. In India they are the Christians, Muslims, Dalits , Tibals , Children and the women. When the suffering of people becomes an ideology , it is populism. We can see how suffering has become necessary sacrifice so that a elite can have good life.
It does not mean that the notion of crucified people has fully become ideological. It does have its theological underpinnings. I have chosen the unchosen people of God because it does enable us to squeeze out theological overtones and overcodings and apophatize it in manner that it embraces the suffering people. Although the notion of unchosen people is far from theological cataphatics , it is also vulnerable of being reduced to populist ideology. The way I use the term is of course to embrace the victims of the right as well as left wing populisms. There are populisms of the right as well as those of the left. We are concerned with the populism of the right because it afflicts our country. Vatican II was an updating of the theology in the Catholic Church. Perhaps, we need a new updating of theology due to the rising global crisis of democracy. It is within this hermeneutics of aggiornamento that this notion of the unchosen people of God may help us to see God at work with people unchosen by Populisms of our times. The unchosen people as people unchosen by Populisms are truly ‘crucified people’ and may enable us to render the Church of the poor and the Church of mercy become flesh to the victims of the rising populisms. It has the power to enable us to discover the Church of the poor and the Churchi for the poor. Within this church of mercy and the poor, salvation offered in Christ is made flesh but experienced in its fullness in the life to come. The notion of the unchosen people of God does contest elitisization of a few as well as marginalization and exclusion of a great number of people by the politics and the market order of today. Neo-liberalization sacralizes the market and sacrifices the poor on its altar. We have the challenge to contest this idolatry of neoliberal economy.
We in India can see a marriage of neoliberal economy with the right-wing politics of Hindutva. It creates people unchosen by it. The unchosen people of God to me are those that are unchosen by the right-wing Hindutva and the market alliance. In fact, the market alliance with the right-wing Hindutva excludes most Indians. Even the majority people who seem to be under an illusion that its time has come and under the rule of BJP are suffering alienation of poverty and joblessness. They too belong to the unchosen people of God while they co-opt with the market driven Hindutva forces to rule our country . From the christen lens , we may call these excluded Indians ( the unchosen Indians) as the crucified people of God. We can see that they share in the suffering and oppression of Christ. Ellucuria teaches that crucifixion did not just occurred in the 1st century. Jesus is still being crucified in the suffering and the oppressed people everywhere. The crucified people are the repressed , condemned, marginalized , oppressed and suffering people of today. Crucified are the disfigured people ( the suffering servant of Isaiah). The crucified people or the unchosen people interrogate the false victimhood of their oppressors. Thus, the unchosen people of India contest the mask of victimhood of Hindutva forces. They suffer and their marginalization today cries loud as we come to notice how in the name of being victims of the past the Hindutva forces are creating new victims. The unchosen people of India enable us to see reality. They offer us light to understand that the right-wing populism that is reigning today is continuation of oppression. It is this light that can draw us on the path of emancipation. The unchosen people are truly chosen people. This is paradoxical. This is why we may call them the unchosen people of God. The notion of unchosen people of God although embraces those people excluded by the market and right and left wing populisms. But it can also interrogate the arrogance of the people who pride in their being elected by God. Hence, the notion is emancipating both within and outside the visible boundaries of the church. The chosen and the unchosen people of God are de-distantiated. They belong together in the divine milieu.
