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Liberation Theology and Christian Radicalism in Contemporary Latin America

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2009

Michael Dodson
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Extract

For the past decade and a half, Latin American Catholicism has been a focal point of extraordinary religious change and political activism. Although the first visible signs of religious renewal in the traditionally conservative Latin American church did not appear until the early 1960s, a mere decade later, in 1972, Christians for Socialism had held an international meeting of radical Christians in Santiago, Chile. Today, Latin American bishops and Christian base communities throughout the continent are deeply involved in the struggle to preserve human rights against the encroachments of authoritarian regimes. One of the most controversial aspects of the changing Latin American church has been the emergence of organized movements of Christian radicals who sought to use religion as a base from which to transform society through political action. Sizeable priest movements of the left appeared in such countries as Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru, where they had a notable impact on national politics. Acting from the premise that Christian faith must be linked to social action to be meaningful, radicalized Christians joined a dialogue with Marxism, denounced social injustices, provided leadership to politically marginal groups and struggled to change the very nature of the Latin American Catholic Church. The rationale and justification of such action was provided in the collection of writings known as the theology of liberation.

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Articles
Information
Journal of Latin American Studies , Volume 11 , Issue 1 , May 1979 , pp. 203 - 222
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Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1979

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References

1 Examples of early attempts to assess the changing Catholic Church in Latin America are: Considine, John J. (ed.), Social Revolution in the New Latin America (Notre Dame, Indiana, 1965);Google ScholarConsidine, (ed.), The Religious Dimension in the New Latin America (Notre Dame, Indiana, 1966);Google ScholarD'Antonio, William V. and Pike, Fredrick B. (eds.), Religion, Revolution and Reform: New Forces for Change in Latin America (New York, 1964);Google Scholar and Houtart, François and Pin, Emile, The Church and the Latin American Revolution, trans. Barth, Gilbert (New York, 1965).Google Scholar

2 Major authors and works in the theology of liberation are: Assman, Hugo, Teología desde la praxis de la liberación (Salamanca, 1973),Google ScholarBuntig, Aldo J. and Bertone, C. A., Hechos, doctrinas sociales y liberación (Buenos Aires, 1973);Google ScholarDussel, Enrique, Cammos de liberación latinoamericana Vols. I and II (Buenos Aires, 1975);Google ScholarGutiérrez, Gustavo, A Theology of Liberation (Maryknoll, N.Y., 1973);Google ScholarLaje, Enrique J., , S.J., Iglesia y liberación (Buenos Aires, 1975);Google ScholarSegundo, Juan Luís, Liberación de la teología (Buenos Aires, 1975).Google Scholar

3 Recent major works on religion and social change in Latin America are: Bruneau, Thomas, The Political Transformation of the Brazilian Catholic Church (Cambridge University Press, 1974);Google Scholarde Kadt, Emanuel, Catholic Radicals in Brazil (Oxford University Press, 1970);Google ScholarDrekonja, Gerhard, ‘Religion and Social Change in Latin America’, in Latin American Research Review, Vol. 6 (Spring, 1971);Google ScholarLevine, Daniel and Wilde, Alex, ‘The Catholic Church, “Politics”, and Violence: The Colombian Case’, The Review of Politics, Vol. 39 (04 1977);CrossRefGoogle ScholarSmith, Brian, ‘Religion and Social Change: Classical Theories and New Formulations in the Context of Recent Developments in Latin America’, Latin American Research Review, Vol. 10 (Summer, 1975);Google ScholarVallier, Ivan, Catholicism, Social Control and Modernization in Latin America (Englewood Cliffs, 1970).Google Scholar

4 A very thoughtful and probing exception is: Sanks, T. Howland and Smith, Brian, ‘Liberation Ecclesiology: Praxis, Theory, Praxis’, Theological Studies, No. 38 (03. 1977).CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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7 Vivid personal accounts of this experience can be found in Díez-Alegría, José María, Yo creo en la esperanzal (Bilbao, 1972);Google ScholarMugica, Carlos, Peronismo y cristianismo (Buenos Aires, 1973);Google ScholarLlorens, José M., S.J., Opción fuera de la ley (Mendoza, 1972).Google Scholar

8 The political theory of liberation theology is treated at much greater length in Dodson, M., ‘Religious Innovation and the Politics of Argentina: A Study of the Movement of Priests for the Third World’, Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation. Indiana University, 1974. See especially Chap. 3.Google Scholar

9 González, ‘Del desarrollo a la liberación’, p. 38.

10 Assman, Hugo, ‘El aporte cristiano al proceso de liberación de América Latina’, Contacto, 8, No. 2 (06 1971), 14.Google Scholar

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12 Cardoso, in Bonilla and Girling, Structures of Dependency, p. 8.Google Scholar

13 Ibid, p. 9.

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15 See Michael Dodson, ‘Religious Innovation and the Politics of Argentina’.Google Scholar

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17 Cardoso, ‘Imperialism and Dependency in Latin America’, p. 11.Google Scholar

18 Ibid.

19 Ibid, p. 13.

20 Roggi, Luís, ‘La realidad del Tercer Mundo’, Enlace, 1, No. 7 (14 10 1969), 1.Google Scholar

21 Gera, Lucio, ‘La Misión de la iglesia y del presbítero a la luz de la teología de la liberación’, PASOS (14 Aug. 1972), 8.Google Scholar

22 For more detailed treatment of this point, see particularly Avineri, Shlomo, The Social and Political Thought of Karl Marx (Cambridge, 1965), pp. 61 ff.;Google ScholarMarcuse, Herbert, Reason and Revolution: Hegel and the Rise of Social Theory (New York, 1941), pp. 312 ff.;Google Scholar and Plamenatz, John, Man and Society: A Critical Examination of Some Important Social and Political Theories from Machiavelli to Marx, Vol. 2 (London, 1963), p. 314 ff.Google Scholar

23 Stavenhagen, Rodolfo, ‘Seven Fallacies about Latin America’, Petras, James and Zeitlin, Maurice (eds.), in Latin America: Reform or Revolution? (New York, 1968), p. 29.Google Scholar

24 Bono, Agostino, ‘Life “Bitter” for Priests in Argentina’, National Catholic Reporter (Sept. 1972), p. 55.Google Scholar

25 Mugica, Carlos, Peronismo y cristianismo (Buenos Aires, 1973), pp. 29–44.Google Scholar

26 Concatti, Rolando, ‘Nuestra opción por el Peronismo’, Cristianismo y Revolución, 4 (09 1971), 29–30.Google Scholar

27 The Montoneros and the Juventud Peronista, or Peronist Youth, were two of the more militant, leftist elements in the broad Peronist movement. The former was an armed group engaged in guerrilla actions, while the latter was extremely active in organizing such lower class groups as the shanty-town dwellers. Both of these groups were pushed rapidly toward the periphery of Peronism during the brief period of Peron's presidency and the General moved increasingly to the right of the political spectrum.Google Scholar See, for example, Ciria, Alberto, ‘Peronism Yesterday and Today’, Latin American Perspectives, 1, No. 3 (Fall, 1974), 21–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

28 In late 1975, the Third World Priest Movement appeared to be making a comeback under the new name, Christians for Liberation. See, ‘Vuelven los tercermundistas’, La Opinión, Año V, No. 1383 (30 Dec. 1975), 12. The military coup of March 1976, however, seemed to stall this resurgence of religious radicalism.Google Scholar