Overview

“It would be difficult to name another theological book these past five decades that has been more influential, has inspired more believers and non-believers alike to think differently about the Christian faith, and has engendered so much controversy.” So begins Michael E. Lee’s introduction to this 50^th anniversary edition of the classic work that signaled a new style of doing theology.

The theological project launched in this book was, as Fr. Gutiérrez wrote, “based on the gospel and the experiences of men and women committed to the process of liberation in the oppressed land of Latin America.” It was “born of the experience of shared efforts to abolish the current unjust situation and to build a different society, freer and more human.” Yet its influence was quickly felt around the world, inspiring numerous offshoots, as well as provoking critical reactions, both inside and outside the Church.

A Theology of Liberation has won wide acclaim as one of the most influential works of Christian theology of the last century. Yet Gutiérrez himself concluded the book by noting that any theology of liberation “is not worth one act of genuine solidarity with exploited social classes. They are not worth one act of faith, love, and hope committed . . . in active participation to liberate humankind from everything that dehumanizes it and prevents it from living according to the will of God.”

Gustavo Gutiérrez (1928-2024) a Peruvian priest and Dominican theologian, was widely regarded as the father of liberation theology. His groundbreaking work, A Theology of Liberation, was published in 1971 (in English 1973), and it inspired a whole library of books from Latin America, and in time from around the world. His many works (all translated by Orbis Books) include We Drink from Our Own Wells, The Power of the Poor in History, On Job, The Truth Shall Make You Free, and The God of Life. Fr. Gutiérrez served for many years as a parish priest in Rimac, Peru. He also taught at many universities, and served as Cardinal John O’Hara Professor at the University of Notre Dame. His many honors, included induction into the Peruvian Academy of Language, the Legion of Honor from the French government, and the Prince of Asturia award in Spain. Upon his death he was recognized by Pope Francis as “A man of the Church who knew how to be silent when he had to be silent, who knew how to suffer when it was his turn to suffer, who knew how to carry forward so much apostolic fruit and so much rich theology.”

Cover photo: Joseph Vail, MM; sculpture by Peruvian artist Edilberto Merida

Cover design: Ponie Sheehan

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