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A Theological Understanding of Power for Poverty

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A Theological Understanding of Power for Poverty A THEOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING OF POWER FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN THE PHILIPPINES WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO US-BASED FILIPINO PROTESTANTS IN TEXAS A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary Wilmore, Kentucky In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation Committee Dr. Gregg Okesson, Mentor Dr. Stephen Offutt, Reader By Yohan Hong April 2019 ABSTRACT This study calls attention to the sense of powerlessness of everyday people in the Philippines, and to the missional agency of US-based Filipino Protestants for the transformation of the Philippines. This research has been a journey to discover what kind of power is in play, how the fallen powers can be named and made visible, and then ultimately the ways through which power should be restored. In this process, I referred to the voices, perceptions, stories, and insights of US-based Filipino Protestants in Texas, in order to explore the causes of powerlessness. Through literature review and ethnographic research, two major causes of powerlessness are discovered: structural evil and social imaginary. On one hand, the sense of powerlessness is caused and perpetuated by structural evil. Given the context of the Philippines, structural evil is represented by oppressive and corruptive political power structures (the patrimonial oligarchy, patron-client relations, elitism, and a cacique democracy), and exploitative economic power structures (booty capitalism and neo-patrimonialism). On the other hand, the sense of powerlessness functions at some mythic level in relation to social imaginary. In this study, two different Filipino cultural values, Bahala na and Utang na loob, are investigated as the factors that cause and perpetuate a sense of powerlessness. Furthermore, this study explores Filipino American Protestants as the potential agents for transformation. The missional agency of Filipino American Protestants has been seldom investigated in the academia of Diaspora Missiology and Intercultural Studies. This study analyzes their missional agency through seven case studies in light of Diaspora Missiology, that is, mission through diasporas and mission by and beyond diasporas. In this study, Filipino American Protestants are suggested as the contemporary form of the ladinos who functioned as not only cultural broker but also cultural changer throughout the colonial history of the Philippines. The only differences between Filipino American Protestants and the ladinos lie in geographical location and religious orientation. Filipino American Protestants understand power theologically, are inspired, and motivated by their Protestant faith for the transformation of the Philippines. This research provides five missiological implications. First, a sense of powerlessness should be understood in a holistic way. Second, sociological methods used in this study offer crucial insight into how to observe, interpret, and analyze the context of everyday people in the Philippines. Third, this study illuminates the significance of a theological understanding of power. Fourth, this study encourages the churches’ engagement in the public arena. Fifth, this study investigates and analyzes the missional agency of Filipino American Protestants who have been rarely spotlighted as change agents for the Philippines in the academia of missiology and intercultural studies. DISSERTATION APPROVAL SHEET This dissertation, entitled A THEOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING OF POWER FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN THE PHILIPPINES WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO US-BASED FILIPINO PROTESTANTS IN TEXAS Written by Yohan Hong And submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy has been read and approved by the undersigned members of the Faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary _________________________________ Dr. Gregg Okesson, Mentor _________________________________ Dr. Stephen Offutt, Reader April 2019 Copyright April 2019 Yohan Hong All rights reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY................................1 Statement of the Problem ..................................................................................................................... 5 Research Questions ............................................................................................................................... 6 Delimitations ......................................................................................................................................... 7 Definition of Key Terms ....................................................................................................................... 9 Filipino American Immigrants .......................................................................................................... 9 Everyday People ................................................................................................................................ 10 Powerlessness .................................................................................................................................... 11 Structural Evil ................................................................................................................................... 12 Social Imaginary ............................................................................................................................... 13 Colonialism ........................................................................................................................................ 13 Transformation .................................................................................................................................. 14 The Protestant Church ..................................................................................................................... 15 Research Methodology (Data Collection) ........................................................................................ 16 Ethnographic Interview ....................................................................................................................16 Library/Academic Research ............................................................................................................19 Analytical Framework (Data Analysis) .............................................................................................19 Theoretical Framework ....................................................................................................................... 22 Transformational Development ...................................................................................................... 22 Public Theology ................................................................................................................................ 24 Significance of the Study .................................................................................................................... 27 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 29 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.............................................................................................. 30 Power Theories ..................................................................................................................................... 30 Power-over and Power-to by Christine F. Hinze ......................................................................... 32 i Subordination (Power-over) ......................................................................................................... 32 Max Weber .................................................................................................................................. 32 Karl Marx ................................................................................................................................... 34 Effective Capacity (Power-to) ..................................................................................................... 37 Michel Foucault .......................................................................................................................... 37 Hannah Arendt ............................................................................................................................ 39 Anthony Giddens ........................................................................................................................ 42 Power-over, Power-to, Power-with, and Power-within by Duncan Green ............................... 44 Unilateral Power (Power-over) and Relational Power (Power-with) by Robert Linthicum... 47 Power and Poverty ............................................................................................................................... 49 Power and Poverty in the Philippines ............................................................................................... 54 Powerlessness of Filipinos in the Philippines .................................................................................
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