Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
If economic elites use religion as the
“opiate of the masses,” Liberation
Theology is the opposite. Libera-
tion Theology is a politicized view of
Christianity popular among the world's
poor and those trying to inspire the
poor to fi ght for economic justice.
Liberation theologians preach that
every person is created in God's
image, and God intended them to have
dignity. They say economic injustice
and structural poverty are an af ront
to God, and it is right for the down-
trodden to mobilize and fi ght for their
God-given rights now rather than
docilely wait for heavenly rewards.
Liberation Theology has easy-to-
trace roots. In 1959, the success of
the Cuban Revolution inspired revolu-
tionary movements throughout Central
America. In 1965, Vatican II encour-
aged the faithful to take their religion
a little more personally. In 1968, the
Catholic bishops of Latin America met
at Medellín (in Colombia). They called
for Christians to live out the gospel and
encouraged them to fi nd dignity while
on earth. Although it didn't have a
name yet, this was Liberation Theology.
The movement was oi cially born in
1972, when Gustavo Gutiérrez published
A Theology of Liberation
. The 1970s
saw the rise of the fi rst Christian Base
Communities, which incorporated this
take on Christianity into their daily lives.
In these Liberation Theology-driven bar-
rios, resurrection is the responsibility of
the community. When one is killed, he
or she lives on in the community.
As it was in feudal Europe, the
power centers in Central America have
been the military, the landowners,
and the Church. After Vatican II and
the bishops' conference at Medellín,
the Church decided to embrace
Jesus' “preferential option” (or spe-
cial concern) for the poor. When this
happened, the old alliance (state,
church, and land-owning elites)—which
had so ef ectively kept the people
down—began breaking apart. Revolu-
tion followed.
Liberation Theology was serious
stuf , and the US took note. President
Nixon dispatched future Vice President
Nelson Rockefeller to Latin America to
fi nd out exactly what it was. He helped
establish an American Cold War stance
that considered this politicization of
Christianity (with its Marxist underpin-
nings) a direct challenge to American
interests in Central America.
From this point on, the story of El
Salvador's struggle became a story of
martyrs. First, politically active peas-
ants were killed. From the 1970s on,
Church leaders were targeted. “Be a
patriot…kill a priest” was a bumper
sticker-like slogan popular among El
Salvador's national guard.
The 1980s was the golden age of
Liberation Theology. But, while it gave
hope to millions of previously hope-
less people, the movement also had
many critics. Mingling religious author-
ity with social, political, and even
military power, Liberation Theology
could lead to armed revolution. And it
had a potentially corrupting infl uence
on local charismatic priests, who cre-
ated a cult of personality to empower
themselves and their followers. Still,
lacking an equally uplifting alternative,
many people see Liberation Theology
as the only viable option for people
dissatisfi ed with what they consider
