The Preferential Option for the Poor beyond Theology

Introduction

1 introduction GusTavO GuTiérrez & Daniel G. Gr OODy Poverty is a complex issue. while its roots are socioeconomic, it affects people on every level of their existence. understanding its causes and its consequences requires serious and sustained thought across a wide variety of academic disciplines. The principle of the preferential option for the poor has had an enormous impact on the field of theology, but this same principle has had a ripple effect in other areas as well. The purpose of this volume is to begin to look at how this theological notion has influenced other disciplines and the ways scholars have woven the golden thread of this concept into their various walks of life. although this volume approaches poverty from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds, we begin by grounding the discussion in the reality of the world as it is today, particularly for the poor, the vulnerable, and the insignificant of society. while globalization has helped improve the standard of living for some of the world, still 19 percent of the global population lives on less than one dollar per day, 48 percent lives on less than two dollars per day, and, according to the world Bank, fully twothirds of the human population lives in poverty.1 But economic poverty is only one dimension of the problem. Transforming the world into a place that fosters the dignity of every person challenges all people to consider 2 Gustavo Gutiérrez & Daniel G. Groody in what ways they can help to promote justice and peace here and now. it will take economists, lawyers, medical technologists, plumbers, farmers , retailers, CeOs, clergy, scientists, construction workers—in short, those in every profession, occupation, and vocation—to make the refugee camps in sudan obsolete, to continue the rebuilding efforts in tsunamistricken south asia and the hurricane-ravaged u.s. Gulf coast, to put an end to corrupt and oppressive governments wherever they exist, to assist struggling economies so that citizens are not forced by need to migrate, to stem the tide of preventable childhood deaths, to replace violence with peace, and to rectify all circumstances of global injustice. in the 1960s the expression “the preferential option for the poor” emerged, little by little, as a message from numerous Christians from latin america who were struggling to be in solidarity with those in great need. while this expression was rooted in Christian faith and praxis, because of its humanistic dimension it also appealed to others who shared similar social, although not always theological, convictions. instrumental in this process was bringing the insignificant and marginalized of society to the forefront of history. The poor have been, and continue to be, the biggest absentees from the history of humanity, anonymous during their lives and in their deaths. except sporadically, they pass through existence without leaving a footprint. Their struggles and suffering, as well as their cultural values, dreams, and joys, have forced them to take not the grand avenues but the side streets, the country roads, and the dead ends of the journey of our people. while they arrived with poverty on their back, as Fray Bartolomé de las Casas would say, a visible germlike change in recent decades has been emerging, and there is a new consciousness of the poor and about the poor. various historical events have allowed us to become aware of the causes and contours of the reality of poverty. as a result many groups have started to rediscover the memory of events and tendencies of their own past and of diverse cultural values which, for many reasons, has been omitted from recorded history. when we speak about poverty, we are not merely referring to its economic aspect, although its importance is unquestionable ; we must also keep in the forefront of any dialogue about poverty that it is an exceedingly complex reality. in addition to the economic aspect, poverty also has cultural, racial, religious, and gender dimensions . The preferential option for the poor seeks to acknowledge the introduction 3 multifaceted scope of poverty while standing in solidarity with the socially insignificant and excluded. This solidarity is at the heart of the biblical message and has therefore led to a rereading and deepening of the Christian message. while the expression “preferential option for the poor” is relatively recent, its content is as old as the scriptures. in it we find a faith perspective but also a profound reflection on what it...