Abstract

The relation between insurrectionist ethics and Christian theologies of liberation has been largely unexplored. In this chapter, I argue that “theologizing” insurrectionist ethics is in fact vital to this moral philosophy’s bearing fruit in liberatory praxis. I begin by discussing Harris’s reading of David Walker, then review other related figures, centering the religious dimensions of their insurrectionist project. While acknowledging that Christianity is by no means the sole vehicle of an insurrectionist ethos, I contend that such an ethos wants a religious aspect, if it is to achieve its intended aims. At the same time, interpreting the inter-American tradition of liberation theology through the lens of insurrectionist ethics clarifies that tradition’s central claims and their implications for action. In turn, the continuity of ends and means between insurrectionist ethics and liberation theologians provides common ground upon which to foster activist coalitions.