ABSTRACT
See also: Mexican Revolution; Colonization; American Revolution; Cuba; Brazil; Argentina.
Roman Catholic movement originating in Latin America in the latter half of the twentieth century that emphasizes political activism as a means of carrying out the Christian mission of championing justice and the poor. Proponents of liberation theology argue that the best way to understand the Bible (and God’s message) is from the perspective of the poor, and that Christians must work actively to improve the material conditions of the poor, not just on an individual or local basis but also on a political one. Liberation theologists employ social, political, and economic analyses, especially those drawn from Marxism, the political movement that was based on a classless society. They seek to understand how best to apply what they perceive as their primary mission as Christians in a political context.
