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Liberation Poverty And Liberation Theology

Satisfactory Essays

When Jesus walked the earth, why didn’t he change the world by waltzing in on a valiant steed, changing governmental systems, throwing out Cesar and creating an uproar with the people in power? The answer is quite simply that Jesus led change through a bottom-up system rather than a top-down system. Jesus spent most of his time on earth walking alongside the outcasts, the beggars, the fisherman, and the Gentiles. Liberation theology is rooted in this same belief that God has an unconditional regard for the poor. The poor being defined broadly, and going far beyond just economic boundaries.
Liberation Theology believes that it is not the role of Christians to “fix” the poor, but rather to learn from, and alongside the poor. It not a burden that everyone just has to care for those that are less fortunate, but rather a part of their own theology and their own growth as human beings. The unconditional regard for the poor does not mean that the poor should be the only regard, but rather that because of their needs it should be the duty of Christians to love and serve them the way that Christ demonstrated. The word poor can mean a lot more than just low socio-economic status, it can mean being a part of an oppressed race, or class for example.
The idea of Liberation Theology started in Latin America, and this portion was studied extensively by Leonardo and Clodovus Boff. In Latin America there is immense suffering and hunger that everyone, but especially the church

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