AN ANALYSIS OF LIBERATION THEOLOGY

J. Luis Dizon

SMC 208 Y1Y

Submitted to: Fr. Dan Donovan

2 April 2015

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Liberation Theology is one of the most interesting movements to come out of Third World

Christendom. It is interesting because it provides a window into how the economic and

political climate of the countries where it spreads affects the theological discourse there,

both among Protestants and Roman Catholics. It has also provoked considerable debate

among more traditionally-minded Christians because of its importations of Marxist ideas

into Christian theology, something that was particularly controversial during the Cold War

era when Marxism was seen as the chief oppressor of Christianity.

Because of these reasons, I have undertaken to conduct research into Liberation

Theology as it has been put forward by Gustavo Gutiérrez and other proponents. Analysis of

its key concepts will be presented, along with responses to the movement by other

theologians who are more critical of Liberation Theology. What emerges is a picture of a

method of doing theology that is to be lauded for its concern for the real life socio-economic

and political problems of the people living in third-world countries and how the Christian

gospel relates to their problems. At the same time, the movement may be justly criticized for

its less than adequate solutions to the problems that it addresses.

Analysis

One of the important contributions of Liberation Theology is the importance that it

gives to the real life situations of the people who are touched by it. As Liberation Theology

takes seriously the biblical themes of liberation, it has positioned itself to answer the

problems of poverty and social injustice that plague third-world countries, beginning with

Latin America and spreading from there to the rest of the developing world.

Gutiérrez connects the necessity of social involvement to Jesus’ command to become

salt and light to the world (Matthew 5:13-16). He connects this to the necessity of act on

behalf of our fellow man:

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Disciples are therefore called upon to bear witness through concrete
actions. . . . “Just so”—marked by the identity and visibility of true disciples—
their conduct is to shine before others. “Good deeds” refer to concrete behavior
that is in accord with God’s will; they refer especially to works of mercy, a
classical list of which is given in Matthew 25:31-46. 1

One important key to Liberation Theology’s social dimension is the concept of “Preferential

Option for the Poor.” This idea has become very popular among Roman Catholic

theologians in the Third World. It has begun to gain adherents among North American

theologians as well. For example, there is Canadian theologian and social activist Ronald

Sider, who summarizes his theology as such:

The emergence of theologies of liberation -- whether black, feminist or Latin

This is closely tied to a Marxist analysis of economics and history, which characterizes most

forms of Liberation Theology to varying degrees. 3 This is exemplified by José Miranda’s

statement: “Communism is obligatory for Christians.”4 The idea of a poor-centred approach

to theology can take on extreme forms. For example, Enco Gatti asserts that the poor are “in

every way the most qualified for receiving the Saving Word. They are the ones that have the

best right to that Word; they are the privileged recipient of the Gospel.” 5 More conservative

Liberation Theologians such as Ronald Sider reject the idea that “the poor and oppressed

are, because they are poor and oppressed, to be idealized or automatically included in the
1
Gustavo Gutiérrez, “Excerpts from Essential Writings,” in Essential Writings, ed. James B. Nickoloff
(Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1996), 179.
2
Ronald J. Sider, “An Evangelical Theology of Liberation,” Religion-Online (Accessed 30 March 2015),
http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1757
3
Joseph Boot, The Mission of God: A Manifesto of Hope (St. Catharines, ON: Freedom Press, 2014.), 181.
4
José Porfirio Miranda, Communism in the Bible (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1982), 8.
5
Enco Gatti, Rich Church-Poor Church (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1974), 43. Cited by Ronald H. Nash
in Social Justice and the Christian Church (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1990), 162-163.

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church.”6 This is because the poor also sin against God, and must repent of such sins. But

more often than not, they are the recipients of others’ sins, and their own sins are brought

about by such sinful circumstances. To again quote Sider: “God cares equally about the

salvation of the rich and the poor.”7

Another one of the great strengths of Liberation Theology is its flexibility when it

comes to application in different socio-political contexts. A notable example of this is the

variation of Liberation Theology put forward by Palestinian Christian theologians such as

Naim Ateek. In Justice, and Only Justice, he appeals to the biblical theme of “liberation” to

create a theological paradigm by which to asses and put forward solutions to the Arab-

Israeli conflict. He laments the fact much of the Church in the West has been held captive by

a militaristic pro-Zionist ideology, rooted in a novel interpretation of endtime events, and

seeks to replace this with a hermeneutic that is more supportive of justice for the oppressed

(in this case, Palestinian Arabs). 8 He reminds the church that it is her responsibility to act as

a prophetic voice that analyzes and interprets events theologically, bringing the mind of

Christ to bear upon them, as well as a responsibility to act as a catalyst of peace and

reconciliation.9

In all this, Liberation Theology attempts to balance the spiritual and material

dimensions of life. Sider cautions against what he sees in many strands of Liberation

Theology as “an inadequate ecclesiology, especially the tendency to blur the distinction

between the church and the world.” 10 Contrasted with this, Gutiérrez affirms the necessity of

the spiritual. He rejects the idea that the Christian life “finds its almost exclusive

6
Sider, “An Evangelical Theology of Liberation,” Religion-Online.
7
Ibid.
8
Naim Stifan Ateek, Justice, and Only Justice: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation (Maryknoll, NY:
Orbis Books, 1989), 77-81.
9
Ibid., 151-152.
10
Sider, “An Evangelical Theology of Liberation,” Religion-Online.

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manifestation in commitment to and solidarity with others.” 11 He recognizes that reducing

the faith to material liberation is an error, and causes us to lose the full meaning of such

practices as prayer, celebration and the study of God’s word, and stresses the necessity of

keeping both the spiritual and the material together 12

Criticism

While Liberation Theology has many positive traits to commend it, there are other

traits that are a source of criticism from both theological and economic angles.

From a theological angle, Liberation Theology’s reliance on Marxism is troubling for

traditional Christians, given Marx’s attitude towards religion. The Communist Manifesto,

derides those who attempted to Christianize Socialism, stating that “Nothing is easier than

to give Christian asceticism a Socialist tinge.” 13 Marx said that Christian Socialism “is but the

holy water with which the priest consecrates the heart-burnings of the aristocrat.” 14 This

Marxist reliance also becomes a problem if adherents come to regard Christianity as

secondary and incidental to the mission of liberation—a problem found among many

Liberation theologians. This is why Ateek, in formulating his theology of liberation, refrains

from rooting his formulations in Marxist analysis, stating that Marxist influence “leaves

such theologies open to criticism and even makes them taboo.” 15

Also, Liberation Theology’s idea of “liberation” is based on what may be deemed an

idiosyncratic reading of certain texts. The prime example is the story of Exodus. Some

Liberation Theologians reduce the Exodus story to merely liberation from oppression.

However, as Sider reminds us, it is also where God fulfills His promise to Abraham to call

11
181.
12
Ibid.
13
Engels, Friedrich and Karl Marx, The Communist Manifesto (Penguin Books, 2011), 246.
14
Ibid., 247.
15
Ateek, Justice, and Only Justice, 6.

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out a special people. Furthermore, what is missed in this interpretation is the typological

pointing forward of the Exodus to salvation in Christ, 16 as well as the fact (based on Exodus

12:37-38) that even some of the Egyptian “oppressors” went out with the Hebrews to the

promised land.17

From an economic angle, Liberation Theology is criticized for its reliance on Socialist

economics to alleviate the suffering of the poor, irrespective of Socialism’s problems. Novak

suggests that this may be due to “Latin American antipathy toward commerce—antipathy

rooted both in an aristocratic culture and in traditional Latin Catholicism.” 18 He observes

that in its disdain for European and North American civic values (a.k.a the “Protestant Work

Ethic”), Liberation Theologians turn a blind eye to flaws in the Latin American ethos that

prevent the cultivation of practical virtues and entrepreneurialism that may otherwise

alleviate the socio-economic problems.19

Also, creates a tendency to blame North America for all of the South’s socio-

economic problems, even though many of these problems preceded any relationship

between the Americas. The two continents were on equal footing in the 19 th century. The

difference in prosperity today stems from difference in work ethic. Novak writes: “Latin

America is responsible for its own condition. It had beginnings very like those of North

America. The system established there has not, on the record, been as successful as many

would now like it to become.”20 At its worst, this tendency may actually push some

adherents to push for violence as a means of redistributing resources, such as Miranda’s

16
Boot, The Mission of God, 183.
17
Ibid., 185.
18
Michael Novak, The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism (Lanham MD: Madison Books. 1991), 289
19
Ibid., 288-291.
20
Ibid., 301. This is not to say there aren’t legitimate criticisms of North American economic intervention
in the South. Even pro-Capitalist theologians such as Nash accept such criticisms (cf. Social Justice and
the Christian Church, 159-160). The point here is not to give this criticism undue weight, such that it
ignores flaws in the Latin American ethic itself.

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claim that “no one can take the Bible seriously without concluding that according to it, the

rich, for being rich, should be punished. . . . there is no legitimate fashion of acquiring

differentiating wealth”21 He states that those who have wealth are guilty of murder, and that

violence against them “is not only permitted, it is commanded, by the one true God. The

human community has to defend itself from its attackers.” 22

Ultimately, Liberation Theologians must deal with the flaws in the economic ideas

being espoused. As Novak argues, the push for Socialism may bring about equality and

assistance for the poor, but at the cost of economic stagnation and deprivation of liberties,

which ultimately leads to more of the very poverty that Liberation Theology seeks to

eradicate.23

Conclusion

Poverty and corruption remain the most pressing issues facing the Third World

today, and Liberation Theologians should be commended for calling Christians’ attention to

these problems and attempting to provide Biblical solutions to these issues. That being said,

their approach to theology and social theory should not be considered the last word on the

question of how Christianity addresses the world’s social ill, but rather serve as source of

dialogue for those who wish to address these social ills theologically. Liberation Theology

has potential, if it is to become more flexible in its economic and social analyses rather than

holding steadfastly to Marxist methodology.

21
Miranda, Communism in the Bible, 24.
22
Ibid., 74.
23
Novak, The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism, 297.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ateek, Naim Stifan. Justice, and Only Justice: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation.
Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1989.

Engels, Friedrich and Karl Marx. The Communist Manifesto. Penguin Books, 2011.

Boot, Joseph. The Mission of God: A Manifesto of Hope. St. Catharines, ON: Freedom
Press, 2014.

Brown, Robert McAfee. Gustavo Gutiérrez: An Introduction to Liberation Theology.

Gutiérrez, Gustavo. “Excerpts from Essential Writings.” In Essential Writings (ed. James B.
Nickoloff). Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1996.

Miranda, José Porfirio. Communism in the Bible (trans. Robert R. Barr). Maryknoll, NY:
Orbis Books, 1982.

Nash, Ronald (ed.). Liberation Theology. Milford, MI: Mott Media, 1984

Nash, Ronald. Social Justice and the Christian Church. Lanham, MD: University Press of
America, 1990

Novak, Michael. The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism. Lanham MD: Madison Books. 1991.

Sider, Ronald J. “An Evangelical Theology of Liberation.” Religion-Online. Accessed 30