The Future of Liberation Theology envisions a radical new direction for Latin American liberation theology. One of a new generation of Latin American theologians, Ivan Petrella shows that despite the current dominance of 'end of history' ideology, liberation theologians need not abandon their belief that the theological rereading of Christianity must be linked to the development of 'historical projects' - models of political and economic organization that would replace an unjust status quo. In the absence of historical projects, liberation theology currently finds itself unable to move beyond merely talking about liberation toward actually enacting it in society. Providing a bold new interpretation of the current state and potential future of liberation theology, Ivan Petrella brings together original research on the movement, with developments in political theory, critical legal theory and political economy to reconstruct liberation theology's understanding of theology, democracy and capitalism. The result is the recovery of historical projects, thus allowing liberation theologians to once again place the reality of liberation, and not just the promise, at the forefront of their task.

There is a notion amongst some academics that Latin American Liberation Theology has had its day, a dream killed off by the Nicaraguan and Salvadoran revolutions, the 1989 demise of socialism and the "end of history" claims of the champions of capitalism. However in this book Petrella proves this to be an ill-conceived notion, and shows that this theology can be reinvented to bring its preferential option for the poor into the real world. The actualisation of historical projects is possible by adopting the methods developed by the Brazilian champion of critical legal studies, Robert Unger. Doing so will entail the rejection of these theologians' unitary concepts of a despised and rejected capitalism and a canonized and accepted socialism. Petrella argues for a reconstruction of these concepts and those of democracy and property too. He closely analyses the differences in democracy and capitalism as practised across the USA and Europe in support for the reconstruction of these concepts bringing about far-reaching suggestions for the future of liberation theology.

The International Institute of the University of Michigan presents the full text of the article entitled "The Future of Liberation Theology," written by Daniel H. Levine. The article was published in the Winter 1995, volume 2, number 2 issue of "The Journal of the International Institute." The article discusses liberation theology and liberation movements in Latin America.

: The nexus and logic of Gustavo Gutiérrez's theology / Curt Cadorette -- Gustavo Gutiérrez : a friend of Nicaragua / César Jerez -- Gustavo Gutiérrez and the originality of the Peruvian experience / Stephen Judd -- In honor of Gustavo Gutiérrez / Penny Lernoux -- Gustavo Gutiérrez, the person and the message : memories of an encounter / Teresa Okure -- Gustavo Gutiérrez : a historical sketch / Sergio Torres. - Women and the theology of liberation / Ana Maria Bidegain -- Love and social transformation in liberation theology / José Miguez Bonino -- Taking African history seriously : the challenge of liberation theology / Marie J. Giblin -- The logic of the Christian response to social suffering / Roger Haight -- Paganism and the politics of evangelization / Nicholas Lash -- Theol.

David Tombs offers an accessible introduction to the theological challenges raised by Latin American Liberation and a new contribution to how these challenges might be understood as a chronological sequence. Liberation theology emerged in the 1960s in Latin America and thrived until it reached a crisis in the 1990s. This work traces the distinct developments in thought through the decades, thus presenting a contextual theology. The book is divided into five main sections: the historical role of the church from Columbus’s arrival in 1492 until the Cuban revolution of 1959; the reform and renewal decade of the 1960s; the transitional decade of the 1970s; the revision and redirection of liberation theology in the 1980s; and a crisis of relevance in the 1990s. This book offers insights into liberation theology’s profound contributions for any socially engaged theology of the future and is crucial to understanding liberation theology and its legacies. This publication has also been published in paperback, please click here for details.

In 1988, many of the world's leading theologians gathered at Maryknoll to honor Gustavo GutiŽrrez, the father of liberation theology. The occasion marked the twentieth anniversary of the Medell'n conference, GutiŽrrez's sixtieth birthday, and publication of a new edition of his enduring classic, A Theology of Liberation. The resulting volume, The Future of Liberation Theology, included over fifty papers presented at that historic gathering. Expanding the View takes key essays from that landmark volume and makes them available for the first time in paperback. From the wealth of material, essays were selected to provide the most comprehensive overview of critical thinking on liberation theology--both its past developments and the challenges it faces in the future. Among the issues addressed: the ways liberation theology has grown and developed in its treatment of popular religion, Marxism, and women's issues, and the contribution of liberation theology to interreligious dialogue, Catholic social teaching, and the struggle for human rights. Critical questions are raised about the future possibilities of liberation theology. Above all, many of the contributors assess the significance of this theology from the Third World for Christians living in the affluent First World. Ideal for classroom use, and essential reading for everyone interested in this vital movement, this volume includes GutiŽrrez's own Expanding the View, which introduces the fifteenth anniversary edition of A Theology of Liberation. Contributors include: Elisabeth Schÿssler Fiorenza, Aloysius Pieris, Arthur McGovern, Franiois Houtart, Harvey Cox, Edward Schillebeeckx, Rosemary Ruether, Penny Lernoux, Leonardo Boff, Johann Baptist Metz, Gregory Baum, JosŽ M'guez Bonino, Pablo Richard, Robert McAfee Brown, and Maria Clara Bingemer.

Liberation theology has become an essential component of almost every major debate over Latin America today. It has changed the face of political life in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Haiti; contributed to the rise of “people power” in the Philippines; even played a role in the growing discontent of debt-plagued Brazil. Now, using the plainspoken approach that made his Inside Central America the indispensable book on current affairs in the region, Phillip Berryman traces the origins, spread, and impact of liberation theology. He shows how its proponents have radically reinterpreted basic Biblical themes (such as the Creation and the Exodus) from the perspective of the poor and isenfranchised. By not asking “What must I believe?” but rather “What is to be done?” they make a direct connection between religious beliefs and political life.