Paul as Paradigm for Praxis: Paul Farmer’s Contribution to Liberation Theology
Annah Kuriakose, MD, MTS, MA, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ
In any sincere study of the late global health pioneer Dr. Paul Farmer, Fr. Gustavo Gutiérrez will figure prominently. It is no secret how centrally the latter’s theology of liberation informed the former’s reimagination of medical care to the world’s destitute. While both men share a similar degree of renown in their respective fields—liberation theology is deeply indebted to Gustavo, and global health has changed forever because of Paul—the interlocution of their disciplines has also been a subject of interest to many. I contend that while liberation theology was the foundation of Paul’s vision, he, in turn, serves as a model for liberation theologians as well.
Global health is a uniquely appropriate field through which to view the task of liberation. In the Christian faith, God’s premium on life is evident within Scripture, and as global health care is invested primarily in the prevention of disease, disability, and premature death, it ought to be an uncontested realm for the Christian’s concern.
Furthermore, as with all systems, the (materially) poor are the most directly impacted when it fails. Paul has commended the 1995 World Health Organization report’s emphasis on making the explicit, if obvious, connection between life and poverty: “The world’s most ruthless killer and the greatest cause of suffering on earth is extreme poverty.” The poor, who are centered in liberation theology, must then also be centered in global health care. Drawing on the work of Johann Galtung, Paul has also cited structural violence, which ultimately manifests as “unequal power and consequently as unequal life chances,” as the reason for disproportionate morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases like tuberculosis and AIDS in countries without access to high-quality health care. As he was known to say, “tuberculosis made its own preferential option for the poor,” referring to the Catholic principle on which liberation theology is based. For people to die of diseases that are “completely preventable with tools available to the fortunate few” is overt structural violence, and the circumstances which allow this demand liberation for the poor.
In this way, global health, the field which forefronts life for all people, is a major theological window through which liberation can be examined. Total health means liberation (from death, disease, hunger, pain, etc.) and total liberation means health (of body, mind, spirit, etc.). The most basic satisfaction of life must be its initial preservation—only from here is flourishing even possible. This paper will examine how Paul Farmer’s life and work are practical paradigms for doing liberation theology in four ways: a) intentional pursuit of interdisciplinarity, b) moral clarity, c) commitment to embeddedness, and d) parallel intervention and prevention. By expounding on Gustavo’s articulation of the liberationist imperative to each of these, I will highlight how Paul serves as an archetype for them.
Global health is a uniquely appropriate field through which to view the task of liberation. In the Christian faith, God’s premium on life is evident within Scripture, and as global health care is invested primarily in the prevention of disease, disability, and premature death, it ought to be an uncontested realm for the Christian’s concern.
Furthermore, as with all systems, the (materially) poor are the most directly impacted when it fails. Paul has commended the 1995 World Health Organization report’s emphasis on making the explicit, if obvious, connection between life and poverty: “The world’s most ruthless killer and the greatest cause of suffering on earth is extreme poverty.” The poor, who are centered in liberation theology, must then also be centered in global health care. Drawing on the work of Johann Galtung, Paul has also cited structural violence, which ultimately manifests as “unequal power and consequently as unequal life chances,” as the reason for disproportionate morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases like tuberculosis and AIDS in countries without access to high-quality health care. As he was known to say, “tuberculosis made its own preferential option for the poor,” referring to the Catholic principle on which liberation theology is based. For people to die of diseases that are “completely preventable with tools available to the fortunate few” is overt structural violence, and the circumstances which allow this demand liberation for the poor.
In this way, global health, the field which forefronts life for all people, is a major theological window through which liberation can be examined. Total health means liberation (from death, disease, hunger, pain, etc.) and total liberation means health (of body, mind, spirit, etc.). The most basic satisfaction of life must be its initial preservation—only from here is flourishing even possible. This paper will examine how Paul Farmer’s life and work are practical paradigms for doing liberation theology in four ways: a) intentional pursuit of interdisciplinarity, b) moral clarity, c) commitment to embeddedness, and d) parallel intervention and prevention. By expounding on Gustavo’s articulation of the liberationist imperative to each of these, I will highlight how Paul serves as an archetype for them.