Liberation Theology

What drives religious people to act in politics? In Latin America, as in the Middle East, religious belief is a primary motivating factor for politically active citizens. Concluding that religious motivations are important in their own right, Lynch challenges traditional views and raises important questions about the relationship between religion and politics in Latin America. This volume concentrates on Liberation Theology and Christian Democracy. Nicaragua and Venezuela are used as case studies of how these two philosophies have fared when vested with political power. For Latin American scholars, this timely volume describes the motivations behind important political actors.

Over the past 30 years the liberationist Catholic Church has had a major impact on Latin American society and culture. This edited volume offers both a careful assessment of the Church's effects on the social, cultural, and political landscape of Latin America, and an analysis of the factors contributing to the liberationist Church's recent marginalization--including the fragmentation of the Left, the fall of authoritarian regimes, and the rise of powerful competitors in the religious marketplace. Moving away from an exclusive focus on leaders, clergy, and institutional elites, the contributors analyze the local, grassroots level and provide detailed empirical accounts of the day-to-day realities of progressive movements within the Church. Case studies from Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua illustrate the Church's impact on politics, labor and land issues, race and gender relations, political leadership, and neighborhood organizations.