This work explores the contribution of major Latin American theologians to the intellectual and pastoral discussion of Christian involvement in contemporary politics.

Mario Aguilar argues that within the Latin American context there has been a rediscovery of a fluid, dualistic, and sometimes contradictory relation between the practice of religion and the practice of politics. Christians in the Latin American context were forced to respond to a general crisis in politics, whereby their own beliefs, ritual practices, and way of life was pushed to the limit by human rights violations and absolutist forms of government. The Christian response was a confrontation against the state as was the case of Chile, or a dissenting silence, as was the case of Argentina. However, the historical relations between Church and state, Christian communities and secular powers, were inscribed in literary texts in Latin America. These texts expressed an archaeology of historical and theological memory.

Section 1 examines religion and politics within the ecclesial framework provided by Gustavo Gutiérrez, Jon Sobrino, and Ronaldo Muñoz.  Section 2 explores the challenges to those authors by focusing on a more political critique of Christianity and society provided by Pablo Richard, Ernesto Cardenal, and Oscar Romero and section 3 examines challenges to the previous six authors by discussing religion and politics within the context of ecological theology, the feminist critique to biblical studies, and discussions on culture and the Gospel today in Leonardo Boff, Elsa Tamez, and Diego Irarrázaval.

Dr Mario Aguilar is Reader in Divinity, Dean of Divinity, Acting Head of the School of Divinity, and Director of the Centre for the Study of Religion and Politics at the University of St. Andrews.

Also available:

• Volume II
• Volume III