A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics, and Salvation by Gustavo Gutiérrez (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 625 New Testaments are radically Marxist, it would be more nearly accurate to say, with Barbara Ward, that Marx was the last of the great Jewish prophets. Mr. Petulla seems to feel that religious values of themselves are inadequate to furnish significant interpretation of man's role in " the construction of the world. " The great early theologians are accused of failing " to include provisions for social change in the temporal order." (p. 10) One wonders what Mr. Petulla would make of the text of St. Thomas which reads: " The world was made to be man's dwelling. Therefore it should benefit man ... Man has some likeness to the universe, wherefore he is called a little world. Hence man loves the whole world naturally, and consequently desires its good. Therefore, that man's desire be satisfied the universe must needs... be made better." The renewal of the world after the Last Judgement is made to serve as an inspiration to man to change the world now: St. Thomas insists that politics is concerned not only with " government " of the status quo but with creating a perfect society by continually renewing its structures. (Chapter XIII, On the Rule of Princes) St. Augustine, to whom Mr. Petulla imputes the view that " the history of the earthly city will never improve, " called upon men to care for and to distribute earthly goods in imitation of " that most just Disposer of all the adjuncts of temporal peace-the visible light, the breathable air, the potable water, and all the other necessaries of meat, drink, and clothing. " " Alienation, " " liberation, " and " praxis " have very special meanings in Marx. They cannot be transferred in a simplistic fashion to Christian political theology. University of Santa Clara Santa Clara, California CHARLES N. R. McCoY A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics, and Salvation. By GusTAVO GuTIERREz. Translated and edited by Sister Caridad lnda and John Eagleson. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1973. Pp. 308. Hardbound $7.95; paperback $4.95. Two combinations make this book noteworthy: it combines the intellectual insights of the professor of theology at the Catholic University of Peru with his practical knowledge of the harsh realities of poverty and oppression. It also relates important and pertinent ecclesiastical documents (e. g., those from Vatican II and the Second General Conference of Latin American Bishops held at Medellin, Colombia, in 1968) to the author's own carefully constructed theology of liberation. 626 BOOK REVIEWS Gutierrez identifies three interpenetrating meanings of liberation: the political liberation sought by exploited peoples and classes; the freeing of man in history to accept conscious responsibility for his own destiny; and liberation from sin to communion with God and realization of human brotherhood. Appropriately, he explores these meanings with special reference to Latin America," the only predominantly Christian continent among those inhabited by oppressed people. " Whereas Westerners tend to conceive concern for society in terms of development and progress, Third World peoples see it as the demand for justice and liberation. For the author, theology of liberation is in the nature of theology itself. Theology is critical reflection on historical praxis in the light of the Word accepted in faith. It therefore inevitably concerns the existence of Christians in the world. Theology of liberation examines the classic question of the relation between faith and social reality in a new context which demands the abolition of exploitation and the achievement of freedom. Gutierrez considers representative doctrines from this perspective. Sin, for example, is a social, historical fact, involving simultaneously broken relationships with both men and God as well as an interior, personal fracture. We encounter the Lord in encountering other human beings, and likewise separate ourselves from God as we erect barriers against our fellows. Hence sin has collective dimensions, appearing in oppressive and exploitative social structures as in concrete instances of alienation. Salvation also entails the liberation of persons in society. Defined as the communion of men with God and among themselves, it is an intrahistorical reality that embraces and transforms all human life and leads to its fullness in Christ the Liberator. The doctrines of creation, eschatology, incarnation, and kingdom all concern a God whose salvific action underlies all human existence and...