1

Book Review:
A Theology of Liberation

By

Gustavo Gutiérrez

Debi van Duin

For

TS6102N Christian Theology in the Third World

Presented to Dr. Robert Dean at Providence Theological Seminary

In partial fulfillment of the pre-requisites
for M.Div. Equivalence

July 14, 2019

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Gustavo Gutiérrez, Peruvian-born priest and theologian, wrote A Theology of

Liberation1 with the objective of inciting broad institutional reforms within the Catholic Church

regarding specific policies and programs. His radical ideas incited a worldwide movement that

became the foundation for liberation theology. Gutiérrez was introduced to the Dominican and

Jesuit ideologies when he studied in the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, Catholic

University of Leuven, Belgium and in Lyon in France.  Gutiérrez’s time in Europe prompted him

to consider the receptiveness of the Catholic Church to the modern world as influenced by Hans

Küng, Karl Rahner, Edward Schillebeeckx, and Johann Baptist Metz. But Protestant theologians

such as Karl Barth and social scientists such as François Perroux also prompted development of

his concepts.2  These are concepts that Gutierrez, on his return to South America, formed in

conjunction with education activist/philosopher Paulo Freire, whose 1971 Pedagogy of the

Oppressed also explored a preferential option for the poor and the concept of praxis.3 Gutiérrez

states the goal of his book as being, “…to reconsider the great themes of the Christian life within

this radically changed perspective and with regard to the new questions posed by this

commitment.” 4

In part one, Gutiérrez contrasts traditional and contemporary interpretations of theology

as either contemplative or activist. Liberation theology, in Gutiérrez own words, is “[A] kind of

theology, arising from concern with a particular set of issues [that] will perhaps give us the solid

1
First published 1971 in Spanish as Teología de la liberación.
2
"Liberation theology." In The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide, edited by
Helicon. Helicon, 2018.Retrieved 9/11/2019 https://search.credoreference.com/content/topic/liberation_theology
3
Freire, Paulo; Macedo, Donaldo (1 September 2000). Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 30th Anniversary Edition.
Translated by Ramos, Myra Bergman (30th Anniversary Ed.). Continuum. 
4
Gustavo Gutiérrez, A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics, and Salvation, 15th anniversary ed., trans. Caridad
Inda and John Eagleson (Maryknoll: Orbis, 1988; 1st ed., Maryknoll: Orbis, 1973). Originally published as Teología
de la liberación: Perspectivas (Lima: CEP, 1971). xiii.
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and permanent albeit modest foundation for the theology in a Latin American perspective which

is both desired and needed”5 He reasons that:

The theology of liberation offers us not so much a new themes for reflection as a new
way to do theology. Theology as critical reflection on historical praxis is a liberating
theology, a theology of the liberating transformation of the history of humankind and also
therefore that part of humankind – gathered into ecclesia – which openly professes Christ.
This is a theology which does not stop with reflecting on the world, but rather tries to be
part of the process through which the world is transformed.6

While, Gutiérrez is clearly a knowledgeable and well-read scholar, it is difficult not to feel

scepticism in regard to his theological ideas; is he fitting learned theology into his context or

fitting the context into his theology? If it is the former then that directly impacts his scholarly

credibility.

Gutiérrez concludes, from his thoughts in this chapter, three approaches to the process of

liberation. First of all, he believes that the term liberation, “expresses the aspirations of

oppressed peoples and social classes, emphasizing the conflictual aspect pf the economic, social

and political process which puts them at odd with the wealthy nations and oppressive classes.”7

He contrasts this with the term development, which he believes, “finds its true place in the more

universal, profound, and radical perspective of liberation.”8 Gutiérrez then likens liberation to a

contextual and dynamic understanding of social changes in history. Lastly, he addresses how

development is affected by a theological process wherein Christ is seen as, “the one who brings

us liberation. Christ the Saviour liberates from sin, which is the ultimate root of all disruption of

friendship and of all injustice and oppression.” He then clarifies his view stating that there are,

“…three levels of a single complex process, which finds its deepest sense and its full realization

5
Ibid. 11
6
Ibid. 12
7
Ibid. 24
8
Ibid. 24
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in the saving work of Christ.”9 In this way he hopes to avoid the problems of idealist or

spiritualist approaches which he scathingly dismisses.

Gutiérrez, in part two, outlines socially relevant tasks for Christianity, especially in Latin

America and other developing world areas, such as the Africa and Asian contexts. He suggests

specific courses of action for the ministerial positions in the church and for laypersons. Two key

statements concern the idea Metz poses in rhetorically asking; “Is not the Church also the

world?...” “The Church is of the world: in a certain sense the Church is the world: the Church is

not non-world.”10 This has fraught consequences in how we view human action of world and

Church in history, to which, Gutiérrez responds, “…to participate in the process of liberation is

already, in a sense, a salvific work.”11

The third section is a closer examination of Latin American options, providing political

as well as economic explanations of poverty and the related need for more directly applied

remedies to alleviate the poor’s practical as well as spiritual problems. Some of the theologico-

pastoral questions posed by Gutiérrez in this chapter are particularly pertinent to the context of

the Latin American Church: What is the meaning of faith in a life committed to the struggle

against injustice and alienation? What is the place of personal and community prayer? What is

the meaning of Christian participation in the historical and conflictual Latin American reality?

How should the Latin American Church deal with the divisiveness caused by the process of

liberation?12

The fourth portion brings the discussion back around to the theological issues, expanding

on the Vatican II recommendations and addressing specific spiritual dimensions of activism as

9
Ibid. 25
10
Ibid. 46
11
Ibid. 46
12
Ibid. 74/75 paraphrased.
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they support the concept of salvation. But the meaning of salvation has been expanded so that it

now includes liberation from social subjugation, from personal bondage and from sin. Salvation

is more than pardon of sin and reunion with God; it is transformation and fulfilment of the

present life13 and deliverance of society.14 While, “the church has two missions: evangelization

and the inspiration of the temporal sphere.”15 Again to reiterate, Gutiérrez believes that, “to

participate in the process of liberation is already in a sense, a salvific work; it is a building of a

new society,16 in which there is presumably a re-merging of Church and state?

Gutiérrez’s book is a long hard read. Ploughing through the theological depths, sorting

Catholicism from Marxism and socialism from capitalism, it requires an impressive degree of

theological scholarship and political expertise to do it adequate justice. In all truth, I have neither

of those so although I am not unfamiliar with Liberation theology from my BA in Missions, it

was really difficult to pick out the salient points. I think Liberation theology may just be what

Jesus was aiming at but apparently not in any way the Jewish people wanted or recognised. Marx

himself admitted to using Biblical ideology in forming his political philosophy. So many of the

ideas Gutiérrez espouses have biblical parallels and yet, there has been a very real spiralling

danger of countenancing the use of violence. I do not believe that is what Gutiérrez ever

envisioned nor sanctions. I truly believe he is a visionary and has pure motivation, and an

impressive interpretation of biblical hermeneutics but people are still, and perhaps always will

be, too chaotic, egocentric and venal to be able to implement his ideal. Gutiérrez concludes:

Only by rejecting poverty and by making itself poor in order to protest against it can the
Church preach something that is uniquely its own: “spiritual poverty,” that is, the
openness of humankind and history to the future promised by God. Only in this way will
the Church be able to fulfill authentically - and with any possibility of being listened to

13
Ibid. 83-85
14
Ibid. 143, 217
15
Ibid. 37
16
Ibid. 46, 141
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-its prophetic function of denouncing every human injustice. And only in this way will it
be able to preach the word which liberates, the word of genuine fellowship. Only
authentic solidarity with the poor and a real protest against the poverty of our time can
provide the concrete, vital context necessary for a theological discussion of poverty. The
absence of a sufficient commitment to the poor, the marginalized, and the exploited is
perhaps the fundamental reason why we have no solid contemporary reflection on the
witness of poverty. For the Latin American Church especially, this witness is an
inescapable and much-needed sign of the authenticity of its mission.17

Idealism at its best. He is not wrong. I think that if the entire world had their hearts changed by

God’s redeeming power then he has a point to make, unfortunately it is not going to happen. We

want and need visionaries, but we also crucify them.

17
Ibid. 173