The Anarchist Dimension of Liberation Theology

Book excerpt: While other studies of liberation theology have shown a close connection to Marxism, none have probed its anarchistic dimensions. This original study reveals that in many of the most prominent themes of Latin American liberation theology there are close parallels to the ideas found in nineteenth-century European anarchism. These themes include an ethical concern with freedom, justice, equality, and love; a denunciation of political and economic structures of domination; an emphasis on action; a championing of all oppressed peoples; a realistic consideration of the issue of violence; and the vision of a future free from servitude.These common concerns, along with historical connections to both religious and secular anarchist sources, show a revolutionary theology deeply indebted to its anarchist roots.