Liberation theology is a school of Roman Catholic thought which teaches that a primary duty of the church must be to promote social and economic justice. In this book, Christian Smith explains how and why the liberation theology movement emerged and succeeded when and where it did.
The story of Latin American evangelicals doing theology is mostly unknown. In the 1970s there was an important development with the formation of the Latin American Theological Fraternity (FTL). This group spearheaded the theological production in Latin America, marking the beginning of a critical stage in the history of evangelicals in the region. This book deals with the reception history in North America of the FTL and its program. Interamerican theological dialogue is documented and analysed.
A major voice in liberation theology and once silenced for a year by the pope for his outspoken views, Leonardo Boff here presents a collection of his controversial essays attacking poverty and political persecution. As a Brazilian, Boff is witness to, and active in, the liberation movement within the Catholic Church in Latin America. He claims that the Church there is redefining itself as a modern, populist movement. It is [in Latin America], writes Boff, that the Church of the future is being molded. There are more Catholics in Latin America than on any other continent. Soon more than half of the members of the Church will live here. European countries, with their demographic decline and meager religious creativity - their theology, liturgy, and pastoral ministry consisting almost entirely of syntheses of material drawn from the past - are gradually losing their universal relevance . . . It is in Latin America that the Church's principal new challenges are appearing. What is the relationship between the gospel and the liberation of the oppressed? How can Christian love be reconciled with participation in the wild class struggle taking place around us? How can Christianity help overcome the relations of international injustice prevailing in the unequal relationships between rich countries and poor ones? Advocating a sympathetic but critical relationship between liberation theology and Marxism, Boff claims that historical materialism is the social - scientific method conducive to liberation theology. He also discusses the political dimension of faith, the Church's role in the struggle for human rights, the nature of the popular Church, the rights of the poor and the oppressed, and the kind of future they may anticipate. Boff's bold reflections on these and other issues make vital reading for anyone concerned with faith and justice in today's world.
Jon Sobrino's latest book takes its starting point from tragedy and violence: a devastating earthquake in El Salvador, the terrorist attacks of September 11, and the subsequent bombing of Afghanistan. The topic of suffering and death has traditionally raised questions about the nature and existence of God. But for Sobrino the primary question is addressed to ourselves: Who are we human beings? What does it mean to be human in a world of inequality, injustice, and barbarism? In examining the cruelty of history from the standpoint of the victims, Sobrino finds a challenge not just to find meaning, but to answer a call to personal conversion, structural change, compassion, and solidarity. Ultimately, Christian faith finds hope in the cross--a cross borne not only by Christ, but by Romero, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the poor: "Because of that hope, no matter how hard it is to live through catastrophes, terrorism and barbarity, we cannot rule out the possibility of resurrection."
This landmark work constitutes a complete historical, sociological, and political view of religion as a cultural expression in Latin America. Parker shows how, beginning with the arrival of the conquistadors, religion has played a transcendent role in shaping the national cultures of the region, particularly its popular cultures, and continues to do so. Parker argues that while capitalistic modernization and urbanization do lead to secularization, this process is not linear or progressive. Secularization in Latin America does not destroy its religious fabric but rather transforms it, accentuating its pluralistic character. Christianity, and particularly Roman Catholicism, has influenced Latin American identity and culture most profoundly. But it has by no means been the sole influence, nor has Christianity itself remained unchanged in the process. As a product of history and capitalistic modernization, the trait of religion that emerges most clearly is that of cultural and religious pluralism.
The articles in this issue of the Journal of Latin American Theology focus on history, mission, politics, migration, and worship. Luis Tapia Rubio discusses the colonial nature of Bartolome de Las Casas's sixteenth-century mission in Latin America and sits with the disturbing question of whether or not it is possible for Christian mission to be anything but colonial. Valdir Steuernagel summarizes key points from the Lausanne Congresses on World Evangelization and diagnoses current challenges leading up to Lausanne IV in September 2024. Dario Lopez R. illustrates the antidemocratic nature of fundamentalist evangelicals active in Latin American politics through the case study of the 2021 presidential elections in Peru. Milton Mejia discusses the same political phenomenon but in the context of Colombia's decades-long armed conflict. His case study is the 2016 referendum on the peace agreement, which evangelical opposition helped tip the balance to reject. Mariani Xavier seeks to "humanize" immigrants by highlighting five biblical insights on immigration and then outlining action steps for Christians to put these biblical insights into practice. Fabio Salguero Fagoaga diagnoses one reason that Christians fail to offer robust hospitality to immigrants and refugees: aporophobia, or discrimination against the poor. The book reviews in this volume approach these same themes from different perspectives, as the film review and theopoetry do from the posture of worship.