The World Come of Age : An Intellectual History of Liberation Theology

"On November 16, 2017, Pope Francis tweeted, "Poverty is not an accident. It has causes that must be recognized and removed for the good of so many of our brothers and sisters." With this statement and others like it, the first Latin American pope was associated, in the minds of many, with a stream of theology that swept the Western hemisphere in the 1960s and 70s, the movement known as liberation theology. Born of chaotic cultural crises in Latin America and the United States, liberation theology was a trans-American intellectual movement that sought to speak for those parts of society marginalized by modern politics and religion by virtue of race, class, or sex. Led by such revolutionaries as the Peruvian Catholic priest Gustavo Gutiérrez, the African American theologian James Cone, or the feminists Mary Daly and Rosemary Radford Ruether, the liberation theology movement sought to bridge the gulf between the religious values of justice and equality and political pragmatism. It combined theology with strands of radical politics, social theory, and the history and experience of subordinated groups to challenge the ideas that underwrite the hierarchical structures of an unjust society. Praised by some as a radical return to early Christian ethics and decried by others as a Marxist takeover, liberation theology has a wide-raging, cross-sectional history that has previously gone undocumented. In The World Come of Age, Lilian Calles Barger offers for the first time a systematic retelling of the history of liberation theology, demonstrating how a group of theologians set the stage for a torrent of new religious activism that challenged the religious and political status quo." On November 16, 2017, Pope Francis Tweeted, Poverty Is Not An Accident. It Has Causes That Must Be Recognized And Removed For The Good Of So Many Of Our Brothers And Sisters. With This Statement And Others Like It, The First Latin American Pope Was Associated, In The Minds Of Many, With A Stream Of Theology That Swept The Western Hemisphere In The 1960s And 70s, The Movement Known As Liberation Theology. Born Of Chaotic Cultural Crises In Latin America And The United States, Liberation Theology Was A Trans-american Intellectual Movement That Sought To Speak For Those Parts Of Society Marginalized By Modern Politics And Religion By Virtue Of Race, Class, Or Sex. Led By Such Revolutionaries As The Peruvian Catholic Priest Gustavo Gutiérrez, The African American Theologian James Cone, Or The Feminists Mary Daly And Rosemary Radford Ruether, The Liberation Theology Movement Sought To Bridge The Gulf Between The Religious Values Of Justice And Equality And Political Pragmatism. It Combined Theology With Strands Of Radical Politics, Social Theory, And The History And Experience Of Subordinated Groups To Challenge The Ideas That Underwrite The Hierarchical Structures Of An Unjust Society. Praised By Some As A Radical Return To Early Christian Ethics And Decried By Others As A Marxist Takeover, Liberation Theology Has A Wide-raging, Cross-sectional History That Has Previously Gone Undocumented. In The World Come Of Age, Lilian Calles Barger Offers For The First Time A Systematic Retelling Of The History Of Liberation Theology, Demonstrating How A Group Of Theologians Set The Stage For A Torrent Of New Religious Activism That Challenged The Religious And Political Status Quo. Part I. Origins. Religion And Cultural Crisis -- The Political Is The Total -- The Irony Of America -- Part Ii. Reconstructions. Liberatory Sensibilities -- New Foundations -- The Vitalism Of Religion -- Part Iii. Elaborations. A Salvific Social Order -- Secularizing Religion -- The Feminine Principle -- A Culture Of Solidarity -- Part Iv. Reverberations. A Tenuous Consensus -- A New Orthodoxy. Lilian Calles Barger. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "The World Come of Age offers a cultural history of ideas that culminated in a radical political theology forwarded by the first generation of liberation theologians. Representing those marginalized by modern politics and religion due to race, class, or sex status, liberationists built a trans-American intellectual movement. Lilian Calles Barger sets the stage in the 1960s and 1970s, as black theologian James Cone, Catholic priest Gustavo Gutiérrez, and feminists Mary Daly and Rosemary Radford Ruether led the way in bridging the gulf between the religious values of justice and equality and political pragmatism. Sharing a heightened awareness of oppression with Latin American revolutionaries, Black Power and women’s liberation movements, and a Third World consciousness, liberationists honed their theo-political impulses. They unmasked the ideas that underwrote the white/black, male/female, rich/poor ordering of the world, not only within given societies but between the political and economic center and the periphery of the modern world. Questioning the religious/political divide with its privatized religion, they reconstructed thinking about God’s relationship to the world. Combining strands of radical politics, social theory, theological antecedents, and the history and experience of subordinated groups, they challenged the legitimating role of theology that dominated the mid-twentieth century. Liberationists secularized the meaning of Christian salvation combined with enlightened notions of freedom into an integral liberation and sought to recover a religious vitalism to instigate social action. The World Come of Age demonstrates how, by redefining the theo-political public space, liberation theologians set the stage for the subsequent torrent of religious activism across the ideological spectrum" -- University Press Scholarship Online On November 16, 2017, Pope Francis tweeted, "Poverty is not an accident. It has causes that must be recognized and removed for the good of so many of our brothers and sisters." With this statement and others like it, the first Latin American pope was associated, in the minds of many, with a stream of theology that swept the Western hemisphere in the 1960s and 70s, the movement known as liberation theology.Born of chaotic cultural crises in Latin America and the United States, liberation theology was a trans-American intellectual movement that sought to speak for those parts of society marginalized by modern politics and religion by virtue of race, class, or sex. Led by such revolutionaries as the Peruvian Catholic priest Gustavo Gutiérrez, the African American theologian James Cone, or the feminists Mary Daly and Rosemary Radford Ruether, the liberation theology movement sought to bridge the gulf between the religious values of justice and equality and political pragmatism. It combined theology with strands of radical politics, social theory, and the history and experience of subordinated groups to challenge the ideas that underwrite the hierarchical structures of an unjust society.Praised by some as a radical return to early Christian ethics and decried by others as a Marxist takeover, liberation theology has a wide-raging, cross-sectional history that has previously gone undocumented. In The World Come of Age, Lilian Calles Barger offers for the first time a systematic retelling of the history of liberation theology, demonstrating how a group of theologians set the stage for a torrent of new religious activism that challenged the religious and political status quo. A trans-American cultural history of ideas of how in the 1960s and 70s the first generation of liberation theologians conceptualize a radical political theology. Representing those marginalized by modern politics and religion due to race, class, or sex status liberationists redefined the theo-political space and set the stage for new expressions of religious activism.