Doing Political Theology in the Time of Violence: Unmasking Violence with René Girard and Walter Wink

Helen Romero

Doing Political Theology in the Time of Violence

Unmasking Violence with René Girard and Walter Wink

Authors

Helen Romero St. Paul University Iloilo

Keywords:

mimetic desire, violence, nonviolent resistance, engaging powers, René Girard, Walter Wink, St. Bonaventure

Abstract

This paper examines René Girard’s mimetic theory and uses it to surface the nonviolent resistance offered by Jesus to counter the violence that is waged by certain groups of people who use the sacred texts to perpetuate and legitimize their acts of violence. I use Bonaventure’s journey toward God as a lens to explicate how Girard’s conversion deepens his concept of mimetic desire. Toward the later part of this paper, I proposed pairing Girard’s mimetic theory with the framework of Walter Wink in engaging powers through nonviolent resistance. Mimetic desire could only be countered by desiring God whose presence and language is love, and whose ways are humble, just, and nonviolent as exemplified and lived by Jesus.

Author Biography

Helen Romero, St. Paul University Iloilo

Helen C. Romero holds a master’s degree in Public Communication from Fordham University, New York City and master’s degrees in Theological Studies (MTS) and Ministry in a Multicultural Church (MAMC) at the Franciscan School of Theology- Graduate Theological Union (FST-GTU), Berkeley, California. She is currently a doctoral student in theology at the St. Vincent School of Theology, Quezon City, Philippines. She directs the communication and marketing unit of St. Paul University Iloilo and teaches Communication courses at the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education.

Doing Political Theology in the Time of Violence: Unmasking Violence with René Girard and Walter Wink