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jmays's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Wonderful, foundational book that spawned an entire discipline of Christian theology— well worth a read, especially for Christians who care about justice!
jedwardsusc's review
5.0
Challenging on every level--intellectually, spiritually, politically, and practically.
I especially love that, after 300 pages of deep analysis, Gutiérrez ends by saying, "To paraphrase a well-known text of Pascal, we can say that all the political theologies, the theologies of hope, of revolution, and of liberation, are not worth one act of genuine solidarity with exploited social classes."
I especially love that, after 300 pages of deep analysis, Gutiérrez ends by saying, "To paraphrase a well-known text of Pascal, we can say that all the political theologies, the theologies of hope, of revolution, and of liberation, are not worth one act of genuine solidarity with exploited social classes."
rubiscodisco's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.5
Well, this book certainly expanded my horizons and was informative, so I did like it. But then again, theology is one of my special interests (ironic as a nonbeliever, really, but that's neither here nor there).
I would say though that Gutierrez has a repetitive way of returning and returning again to one theme which becomes tedious as you read further and further into the book. He seems to have exhausted every permutation of a chapter or section header titled with words that include "liberation", "theology", "historical", and "salvation", and if not, he has at least exhausted me.
But, over the course of the text, he slowly pushes christian concepts such as Salvation, Sacrament, and the Kingdom of God into a cohesive interpretation which orients christianity towards the goal of liberation of the poor, disempowered, and colonized, against the bourgeoisie, the current political rulers, and the colonizers.
On the topic of prophecy, for example, he makes the elegant argument that biblical prophets make pronouncements that both decry the material state of affairs of their specific present (think of Isaiah making specific denouncements against the specific political situation of his time), but dimly portend a utopian future that is a radical break from the current socio-political and economic structure, achieved by the intervention of God. This is meant to model the prophetic role of the Church in its role of standing in solidarity with the liberation of the poor.
In any case he makes some very good points that I can't possibly fit into this review, and overall he is quite persuasive.
However, while for the most part I agree with the goals of the book, there are several times where I thought that the arguments put forth to make its case are weak. Without going into too much detail, there are just some facts about the structure and doctrine of the Catholic Church which are irreconcilable with the kind of Church Gustavo Gutiérrez wants it to become, so his attempts to reconcile them are not up to par.
I would say though that Gutierrez has a repetitive way of returning and returning again to one theme which becomes tedious as you read further and further into the book. He seems to have exhausted every permutation of a chapter or section header titled with words that include "liberation", "theology", "historical", and "salvation", and if not, he has at least exhausted me.
But, over the course of the text, he slowly pushes christian concepts such as Salvation, Sacrament, and the Kingdom of God into a cohesive interpretation which orients christianity towards the goal of liberation of the poor, disempowered, and colonized, against the bourgeoisie, the current political rulers, and the colonizers.
On the topic of prophecy, for example, he makes the elegant argument that biblical prophets make pronouncements that both decry the material state of affairs of their specific present (think of Isaiah making specific denouncements against the specific political situation of his time), but dimly portend a utopian future that is a radical break from the current socio-political and economic structure, achieved by the intervention of God. This is meant to model the prophetic role of the Church in its role of standing in solidarity with the liberation of the poor.
In any case he makes some very good points that I can't possibly fit into this review, and overall he is quite persuasive.
However, while for the most part I agree with the goals of the book, there are several times where I thought that the arguments put forth to make its case are weak. Without going into too much detail, there are just some facts about the structure and doctrine of the Catholic Church which are irreconcilable with the kind of Church Gustavo Gutiérrez wants it to become, so his attempts to reconcile them are not up to par.
ratrug's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
This book was enlightening and taught me a lot that I will take away into my own life, even as an atheist.
The emphasis on communion throughout, to me, remains clear and focussed on the core tenet of Christianity. Practical theology is something I hope to read a lot more of in the future.
The key chapters for me were Conversion to the Neighbour; Faith, Utopia, and Political Action and Christian Brotherhood and Class Struggle.
I found the first half of this book an immensely challenging read, and if I’m honest I’m not sure how much I fully gained from it. After taking a break about halfway through and reading some more basic texts around the topic, I was able to return to the latter half and gain a lot more.
Gutierrez’s writings on utopia were certainly the most enlightening for me, and definitely gave me some food for thought as to the relationship between faith, church, and state politics, but much remains unclear.
Accepting Catholic Christianity, I would go with Gutierrez the majority of the way - unfortunately I am in favour of secularism. Understanding how to conjoin this theology with a secular ideology is difficult, but I will read on secular theology, which was mentioned a few times throughout this book, to attempt to clarify for myself.
The emphasis on communion throughout, to me, remains clear and focussed on the core tenet of Christianity. Practical theology is something I hope to read a lot more of in the future.
The key chapters for me were Conversion to the Neighbour; Faith, Utopia, and Political Action and Christian Brotherhood and Class Struggle.
I found the first half of this book an immensely challenging read, and if I’m honest I’m not sure how much I fully gained from it. After taking a break about halfway through and reading some more basic texts around the topic, I was able to return to the latter half and gain a lot more.
Gutierrez’s writings on utopia were certainly the most enlightening for me, and definitely gave me some food for thought as to the relationship between faith, church, and state politics, but much remains unclear.
Accepting Catholic Christianity, I would go with Gutierrez the majority of the way - unfortunately I am in favour of secularism. Understanding how to conjoin this theology with a secular ideology is difficult, but I will read on secular theology, which was mentioned a few times throughout this book, to attempt to clarify for myself.
davehershey's review against another edition
5.0
Who Should Read this Book – People who are interested in theology, especially those who have a desire to learn from writers outside the white, European tradition.
What is the Big Take-Away from this Book – God created humans as holistic creatures encompassing both body and soul so theology must not limit itself to so-called spiritual questions but also examine questions of nature, society, politics and economics. To do this well in America, American Christians like me need to read authors from outside our context.
And a Memorable Quote: “Consequently, when we assert that humanity fulfills itself by continuing the work of creation by means of its labor, we are saying that it places itself, by this very fact, within an all embracing salvific process. To work, to transform this world, is to become a man and to build the human community; it is also to save. Likewise, to struggle against misery and exploitation and to build a just society is already to be part of the saving action, which is moving towards its complete fulfillment. All this means that building the temporal city is not simply a stage of ‘humanization’ or ‘pre-evangelization’ as was held in theology until a few years ago. Rather it is to become part of a saving process which embraces the whole of humanity and all human history. Any theological reflection on human work and social praxis ought to be rooted in this fundamental affirmation” (91)
This is a key work in liberation theology. Gutierrez writes from his context as a Roman Catholic in Latin America. Thus, Catholic councils and theologians loom large. These were, for me, the least interesting parts of the book, and perhaps the most dated already. But when Gutierrez turns his focus to theology, he transcends his own context.
When I was in seminary we learned theology and then we took some time to study contextual theologies. Theology was the tradition of the church from early church councils to medieval scholastics to Reformers then on to modern theologians wrestling with a growing post-Christian context. Then we turned to black liberation theology, or Latin American liberation theology, or feminist or LGBTQ or whatever and it was often noted that these contextual theologies began with their experience.
To be fair, my seminary was quite open-minded and our professors recognized that all theology is rooted in some context. There is no pure theology. Over the years, I’ve learned to love and learn from all sorts of people. Gutierrez taught me a lot in this book. That’s what I mean by saying he transcends his own context. As he wrote about the situation in Latin America, I saw much overlap with the situation in North America. When he began developing a holistic, full-fledged theology that included both spiritual and material realities and concerns, I saw much in there that we Christians need to learn in the USA.
When I observe the Christian atmosphere here in the USA, I truly wonder if Christianity has actually ever taken root here (I’m reminded of a David Bentley Hart quote that asks that question). We say we’re Christian but we’ve made faith into mere belief, something right at home in our capitalist, consumerist, individualist society. I mean, a large portion of Christians I know would probably see I read a book on “liberation theology” and think I’m some kind of socialist because they’re more shaped by Rush, Beck, Hannity and those guys than anything distinctly faith-centered.
I’m not saying I have it all figured out; on my best days I am just as consumerist and individualist as the next guy. I am saying that we’d all do better off, if we believe in the universal church, learning from folks like Gutierrez. Theologians and Christians from other contexts - global and historical - have their own blind spots but at least they’re probably different than the blind spots we have in the US. For illuminating my blind spots, I am grateful.
What is the Big Take-Away from this Book – God created humans as holistic creatures encompassing both body and soul so theology must not limit itself to so-called spiritual questions but also examine questions of nature, society, politics and economics. To do this well in America, American Christians like me need to read authors from outside our context.
And a Memorable Quote: “Consequently, when we assert that humanity fulfills itself by continuing the work of creation by means of its labor, we are saying that it places itself, by this very fact, within an all embracing salvific process. To work, to transform this world, is to become a man and to build the human community; it is also to save. Likewise, to struggle against misery and exploitation and to build a just society is already to be part of the saving action, which is moving towards its complete fulfillment. All this means that building the temporal city is not simply a stage of ‘humanization’ or ‘pre-evangelization’ as was held in theology until a few years ago. Rather it is to become part of a saving process which embraces the whole of humanity and all human history. Any theological reflection on human work and social praxis ought to be rooted in this fundamental affirmation” (91)
This is a key work in liberation theology. Gutierrez writes from his context as a Roman Catholic in Latin America. Thus, Catholic councils and theologians loom large. These were, for me, the least interesting parts of the book, and perhaps the most dated already. But when Gutierrez turns his focus to theology, he transcends his own context.
When I was in seminary we learned theology and then we took some time to study contextual theologies. Theology was the tradition of the church from early church councils to medieval scholastics to Reformers then on to modern theologians wrestling with a growing post-Christian context. Then we turned to black liberation theology, or Latin American liberation theology, or feminist or LGBTQ or whatever and it was often noted that these contextual theologies began with their experience.
To be fair, my seminary was quite open-minded and our professors recognized that all theology is rooted in some context. There is no pure theology. Over the years, I’ve learned to love and learn from all sorts of people. Gutierrez taught me a lot in this book. That’s what I mean by saying he transcends his own context. As he wrote about the situation in Latin America, I saw much overlap with the situation in North America. When he began developing a holistic, full-fledged theology that included both spiritual and material realities and concerns, I saw much in there that we Christians need to learn in the USA.
When I observe the Christian atmosphere here in the USA, I truly wonder if Christianity has actually ever taken root here (I’m reminded of a David Bentley Hart quote that asks that question). We say we’re Christian but we’ve made faith into mere belief, something right at home in our capitalist, consumerist, individualist society. I mean, a large portion of Christians I know would probably see I read a book on “liberation theology” and think I’m some kind of socialist because they’re more shaped by Rush, Beck, Hannity and those guys than anything distinctly faith-centered.
I’m not saying I have it all figured out; on my best days I am just as consumerist and individualist as the next guy. I am saying that we’d all do better off, if we believe in the universal church, learning from folks like Gutierrez. Theologians and Christians from other contexts - global and historical - have their own blind spots but at least they’re probably different than the blind spots we have in the US. For illuminating my blind spots, I am grateful.
rifow1's review against another edition
5.0
One of the greatest works of theology I have ever had the privilege of reading. Gutiérrez manages to shine new light on how the church and state should interact in our understanding of our role in the present act of sanctification. For a book that is now 50 years old - there is still so much that the modern church must understand from this work of theology.
shakeel_nurmahi's review against another edition
4.0
A key and important book in 20th century theology. Deeply challenging. Offers powerful insight it to what liberation in Jesus means, and what a life following Jesus should look like. A real challenge to those of us here in the western church.
tdwightdavis's review against another edition
5.0
A brilliant treatment and an attempt at reorienting theology to be a discipline that speaks and acts with the oppressed in history for the sake of liberation. God is fundamentally for the oppressed and will liberate history through the oppressed. This reading flips on its head classic Western conceptions of power and authority in a helpful and challenging way.
lukenotjohn's review against another edition
4.25
I've been reading theologians associated with liberation theology for the past six years, and it wasn't until this point that I began to engage with one of the forefathers of it all. Early on, it was striking to me how distinctive Latin American liberation theology was from the predominantly African American strand I've grown much more familiar with. Within Gutiérrez's context, race is almost never mentioned and class is at the core of each argument and point. This obviously makes perfect sense for the context this was written from, and doesn't erase the critical reality that Gutiérrez is a Peruvian man himself, but there was still something that felt fresh about reading such a class-focused take on liberation theology for me.
What was also striking early on was the relative orthodoxy Gutiérrez remains rooted within. He does such a compelling and even beautiful job of continually bridging alleged ideological divides to explain that what he's arguing for isn't a break from faithful communion with God but rather a greater fulfillment of that. I've read a number of theologians whose writing comes across brilliant and academically adept yet sterile and detached from the subject at hand -- I was really struck by the way Gutiérrez consistently demonstrated scholarly excellence as well as a deeply moving sense of passion and vitality and adoration for the God he is writing so fervently about. It's just so clear to me that he genuinely believes with his whole heart what he is introducing and advocating for here.
The only thing that kept this from being a five-star read for me was my own biases against historical writing. Although I can absolutely see how necessary it was for him to thoroughly explicate on the context he is writing from and I did learn a lot from the first half of the book that almost entirely focuses on doing that, it wasn't enjoyable for me to read through. He does a good job of using an onslaught of scholars, but his voice gets lost amidst theirs and I found myself wanting to skim through until he was back at the center. With that said, the second half of the book ranges from terrific to downright breathtaking. He has an exceptional mix of relevant hermeneutical exegesis, exploration and expansion of other concepts in his field, and independent theological rumination. What I appreciated most, and what I found to be most central to his writings, was the emphasis on praxis that sits at the heart of everything he is saying. I love that his hope is not to add fodder to the abstract discussions of armchair theologians but rather to open eyes and catalyze hearts towards the enfleshed action of what he's presenting -- something relatively rare, and deeply appreciated.
What was also striking early on was the relative orthodoxy Gutiérrez remains rooted within. He does such a compelling and even beautiful job of continually bridging alleged ideological divides to explain that what he's arguing for isn't a break from faithful communion with God but rather a greater fulfillment of that. I've read a number of theologians whose writing comes across brilliant and academically adept yet sterile and detached from the subject at hand -- I was really struck by the way Gutiérrez consistently demonstrated scholarly excellence as well as a deeply moving sense of passion and vitality and adoration for the God he is writing so fervently about. It's just so clear to me that he genuinely believes with his whole heart what he is introducing and advocating for here.
The only thing that kept this from being a five-star read for me was my own biases against historical writing. Although I can absolutely see how necessary it was for him to thoroughly explicate on the context he is writing from and I did learn a lot from the first half of the book that almost entirely focuses on doing that, it wasn't enjoyable for me to read through. He does a good job of using an onslaught of scholars, but his voice gets lost amidst theirs and I found myself wanting to skim through until he was back at the center. With that said, the second half of the book ranges from terrific to downright breathtaking. He has an exceptional mix of relevant hermeneutical exegesis, exploration and expansion of other concepts in his field, and independent theological rumination. What I appreciated most, and what I found to be most central to his writings, was the emphasis on praxis that sits at the heart of everything he is saying. I love that his hope is not to add fodder to the abstract discussions of armchair theologians but rather to open eyes and catalyze hearts towards the enfleshed action of what he's presenting -- something relatively rare, and deeply appreciated.
alexanderp's review
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
One of the best books of theology I have ever read and one that I will continue to re-read in the months and years ahead. Gutiérrez has given me so much to chew on--I have never been so convicted.