Paolo Cugini
The hermeneutics of theology
of the margins represents one of the most vibrant currents in contemporary
reflection, shifting the center of theological truth from the center (academic,
Eurocentric, institutional) to the "periphery" as a place of
revelation. The fundamental assumption is that God reveals himself not in
power, but in vulnerability. The margin is not only a place of exclusion, but a
privileged hermeneutical space. Gustavo Gutiérrez, considered the father of
liberation theology, introduced the idea that theology is a secondary act. The
primary act is the practice of solidarity with the poor. For Gutiérrez, the
margin is the necessary starting point for a correct reading of Scripture. In
the United States, theology of the margins has taken on specific cultural
connotations, analyzing the condition of those who live between two worlds. In
his seminal work, Galilee and the Mexican-American Promise ,
Elizondo reinterprets the figure of Jesus starting from his identity as a
Galilean, a frontier region and a mixed race. The margin thus becomes the place
where the new people of God is born.
Ada María Isasi-Díaz, founder
of women's theology, emphasized how Hispanic women live on a triple margin
(gender, class, and ethnicity). Her hermeneutics draws on the concept of
lo cotidiano (everyday life) as a theological source. A radical
evolution of the hermeneutics of the margins involves questioning sexual and
social norms.
Marcella Althaus-Reid, with
her Indecent Theology, challenged clean, bourgeois interpretations of
Christianity. Althaus-Reid proposes a hermeneutic that draws on the experiences
of marginalized bodies (sex workers, LGBTQ+ people), arguing that God manifests
himself precisely where official theology feels shame. The most recent
development today concerns the "decolonization" of the mind and
faith. Kwok Pui-lan is an Asian theologian who uses postcolonial hermeneutics
to analyze how the Bible has been used as an instrument of power. She proposes
a diagonal reading, giving voice to those silenced by great religious empires.
The application of these hermeneutics to specific biblical passages radically
transforms the perception of the text, transforming stories of subjugation into
narratives of liberation and resistance. Mujerista theology (from Hispanic
women in the US) does not seek grand dogmas, but the presence of God in
everyday survival. The reference passage is Hagar (Genesis 16 and 21).
Traditionally, Hagar is seen as Sarah's problematic slave. Ada María Isasi-Díaz
and other women's theologians interpret Hagar as the true protagonist: she is
the first person in the Bible to give a name to God (El-roi, "the God who
sees me"). The margin here is the solitude of the desert. For marginalized
women, Hagar represents God, who is not in Abraham's palace (the center), but
who encounters the woman fleeing violence in the desert (the periphery).
Salvation is not an abstract promise, but the water that allows one to survive
another day.
Queer theology doesn't simply
include LGBTQ+ people, but uses queering as a method to
destabilize fixed and binary interpretations. The reference passage is Acts
8:26-40. The eunuch is a boundary figure: he is a foreigner (Ethiopian) but
devout, and he is sexually non-conforming, according to the criteria of the
time (excluded from the temple according to Deuteronomy). Marcella Althaus-Reid
and Patrick Cheng interpret this episode as a radical breaking down of margins.
The eunuch asks, " What prevents me from being
baptized?" Philip's response is the elimination of the bodily
barrier. The queer body, previously marked as lacking or impure, becomes the
site of a new belonging that transcends biology and social norms. In both
cases, the method follows these steps:
a. Suspicion:
Ask yourself why the classical interpretation ignores the bodies or the
suffering of those on the margins.
b. Identification:
The marginalized reader recognizes himself in the excluded biblical character.
c. Claim:
The margin is declared a sacred place of revelation, often more authentic than
the religious "center."
The exploration of the figure
of Jesus as a marginal subject and its translation into liturgical practice
represent the beating heart of mujerista and queer theologies, where the body
and everyday experience become the center of worship. From these perspectives,
Jesus is not a dogmatic abstraction, but an individual historically and
socially situated on the margins. Virgilio Elizondo reinterprets Jesus as a
cultural mestizo. Being from Galilee, Jesus lived in a frontier area, despised
by the religious center of Jerusalem. This geographical marginality is what
allows him to speak a language of universal inclusion. Marcella Althaus-Reid
proposes a Jesus who breaks the mold of bourgeois decency and heteropatriarchal
norms. Jesus is the one who touches the impure, eats with sinners, and
challenges the laws of the traditional nuclear family. His body on the cross is
the marginalized body par excellence: naked, vulnerable, and nonconformist. Ada
María Isasi-Díaz emphasizes how Jesus consistently validated the authority of
marginalized women (such as the Samaritan woman or the woman with the
hemorrhage), making them integral partners in his mission.
Liturgy is no longer seen as a
rigid ceremony, but as a communal action that celebrates resistance and life.
Liturgies of Healing and Relationship: Feminist and queer theologies have
developed grassroots forms of worship, grounded in a community of equals. This
gives space to gestures of mutual care, blessings of non-traditional couples,
or rituals that honor bodies that have suffered violence. For mujerista
theology, simple everyday acts—cooking, caring for others, resisting
injustice—acquire sacramental value. Liturgy transcends the church to sanctify
the struggle for survival of oppressed peoples. A queer liturgy celebrates a
fluid and unstable God who disrupts religious expectations. Songs and prayers
serve not to control morality, but to liberate desire and divine grace from
totalitarian theologies.
