Gustavo Gutiérrez

A Theology of Liberation

Gustavo Gutierrez, a professor of theology at the Catholic University in Lima, Peru, lives and works with the people of Rimae, a slum area in Lima. His Theology of Liberation (Orbis, 1973), from which the following excerpts are taken, is generally recognized as the classic presentation. of the new theology. - The Editors.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.

THE OPTION FOR THE POOR ARISES FROM FAITH IN CHRIST

The author argues that the preferential option for the poor (1) constitutes a part of following Jesus that gives ultimate meaning to human existence and thus gives believers “reason to hope”; and (2) helps us understand faith in terms of a hermeneutics of hope, an interpretation that must be constantly enacted and reenacted throughout our lives and human history.