Freedom and Existence: The Existentialism of Juan Luis Segundo's Liberation Theology

Is theology a dead corpse or living organism? For Uruguayan Jesuit Juan Luis Segundo (1925-1996), theology is dynamic. Freedom and existence for central themes. Segundo believed that theology should be transformative in human lives. For a theology to be transformative, there must be a connection to existence. That is, it must be existential. Yet most scholars have overlooked this assumption in critical analyses of liberation theology. This __prima facie__ connection to existence is distinguishable from existentialism as a school of philosophy. By showing the significant existential dimension to Segundo's theology, assessing his work and contribution to twentieth-century theology relates to freedom, ecumenism, the role of faith in society, and the relationship between faith and ideologies.