Abstract

This paper attempts both to understand and to critically evaluate Liberation Theology as exemplified by certain themes in the work of Gutiérrez and Segundo. The author finds that Liberation theology requires a deepening of the theology of faith. The liberationists appreciate anew the communal dimension of faith as realized between human persons. They do not as well appreciate the role of personal communion with God, nor do they adequately grasp the socio-political significance of this communion. Faith, then is seen as the form of both our relation with God and of our communal relations. As such it leads us to see that the ideal of love is reciprocity, not merely gratuity. The reflections on faith-love, particularly personal communion with God, lead back to a criticism of Segundo's theological crux (capitalism /socialism) at the heart of liberation theology. The article asks whether it is the crucial choice today, or the result of a faulty analysis.