Liberation Theology In Latin America Essay
Between Liberation and Prosperity: the Political-Economic Ideologies in Latin American Theology
Over the past 50 years, theology in Latin America has oscillated between liberation and prosperity theology. This movement reflects a polarization between the “option for the poor”, that began with liberation theology in the 1960’s; and the “option for the rich” during the early 1990’s, which supported a neoliberal model after the collapse of the communist alternative. Theology in Latin America has been vulnerable to the political and economic agendas of Latin American government. The thesis of this paper is that Latin American theology has aligned itself to either the Marxist or neoliberal capitalist political and economical ideologies of the …show more content…
Unfortunately Latin American theology while seeking to use theology to impact economic realities continually reinforces the unjust economic system.
Unless Latin American theology begins with biblical theology and not political or economical agendas, Christianity will always be in service of ideology. Latin American theology should neither choose Marxism or capitalism; neither liberation nor prosperity theologies. Theologians in Latin America need a biblical perspective on “renunciation ethics”, centered on the cost of discipleship and on the coming of God’s kingdom that radically changes reality.[17]
According to Padilla, the gospel is the proclamation of an event that affects reality in its totality; in Christ his kingdom has invaded history. The kingdom is expression of God’s lordship over all life, it is both a present reality and future hope.[18] The kingdom of God is not a “system out of the system” and it is not experienced outside the reality of the world. The challenge for Latin American theologians is to fight for a church that lives the way of the kingdom of God in the “kingdom of man”, as incarnate body of Christ, living as the word of God in a broken
Over the past 50 years, theology in Latin America has oscillated between liberation and prosperity theology. This movement reflects a polarization between the “option for the poor”, that began with liberation theology in the 1960’s; and the “option for the rich” during the early 1990’s, which supported a neoliberal model after the collapse of the communist alternative. Theology in Latin America has been vulnerable to the political and economic agendas of Latin American government. The thesis of this paper is that Latin American theology has aligned itself to either the Marxist or neoliberal capitalist political and economical ideologies of the …show more content…
Unfortunately Latin American theology while seeking to use theology to impact economic realities continually reinforces the unjust economic system.
Unless Latin American theology begins with biblical theology and not political or economical agendas, Christianity will always be in service of ideology. Latin American theology should neither choose Marxism or capitalism; neither liberation nor prosperity theologies. Theologians in Latin America need a biblical perspective on “renunciation ethics”, centered on the cost of discipleship and on the coming of God’s kingdom that radically changes reality.[17]
According to Padilla, the gospel is the proclamation of an event that affects reality in its totality; in Christ his kingdom has invaded history. The kingdom is expression of God’s lordship over all life, it is both a present reality and future hope.[18] The kingdom of God is not a “system out of the system” and it is not experienced outside the reality of the world. The challenge for Latin American theologians is to fight for a church that lives the way of the kingdom of God in the “kingdom of man”, as incarnate body of Christ, living as the word of God in a broken