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A review by lukenotjohn
A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics, and Salvation (Revised by Gustavo Gutiérrez, Gustavo Gutierrez
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.