“Priests are obliged to be turbulent” : The continuing relevance of Charles Villa-Vicencio’s liberative Methodist theology

Abstract

Charles Villia-Vicencio's theology developed in the context of the struggle against Apartheid is interpreted as a transposition of key themes from the Methodist theological tradition into a liberative key. This is takes place through Villa-Vicencio's expansion of the notion of salvation and his affirmation of the preferential option for the poor. The article exams the significance of this in relation to the themes of grace and responsibility, the renewal of the church, and resistance to oppression. It argues that this transposition continues to have significance for contemporary Methodist theology and needs to be critically and constructively recovered.