The Option for the Poor in Christian Theology

by Daniel G. Groody (Editor)

Overview

Since the publication of Gustavo Gutiérrez's 1973 groundbreaking work, A Theology of Liberation, much has been written on liberation theology and its central premise of the preferential option for the poor. Arguably, this has been one of the most important yet controversial theological themes of the twentieth century. As globalization creates greater gaps between the rich and the poor, and as the situation for many of the world’s poor worsens, there is an ever greater need to understand the gift and challenge of Christian faith from the context of the poor and marginalized of our society. This volume draws on the thought of leading international scholars and explores how the Christian tradition can help us understand the theological foundations for the option for the poor. The central focus of the book revolves around the question, How can one live a Christian life in a world of destitution? The contributors are concerned not only with a social, economic, or political understanding of poverty but above all with the option for the poor as a theological concept. While these essays are rooted in a solid grounding of our present “reality,” they look to the past to understand some of the central truths of Christian faith and to the future as a source of Christian hope.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780268080815
Publisher:	University of Notre Dame Press
Publication date:	04/01/2007
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	328
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Daniel G. Groody is associate professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame. He is the editor, with Gustavo Gutiérrez, of The Preferential Option for the Poor beyond Theology (2013) and, with Gioacchino Campese, of A Promised Land, A Perilous Journey: Theological Perspectives on Migration (2008), both published by the University of Notre Dame Press.

Editorial Reviews

“Although the authors come from differing contexts, and use different approaches to speak of the option for the poor, they are united in their desire to reinforce the option for the poor as the heart of theological reflection. Rather than offering simple answers, the authors weave together a diverse patchwork of insightful reflections, criticisms, and difficult questions for the world to struggle with. The text as a whole would be accessible and very valuable for graduate students and seminarians. This is a timely and recommended read.

Catholic Books Review

“Despite great attention given to ‘the preferential option for the poor’ at all levels of the church since the Latin American bishops’ conference at Puebla (1979), the notion has been misunderstood, parried, co-opted, or rejected in many quarters, including professional theological circles. Daniel Groody has thus rendered valuable service in gathering [these] essays that by turns explain, exhort, or explore.

Theological Studies

“The essays collected in The Option for the Poor in Christian Theology explore the preferential option as a central dimension of Christian theology. The theological analysis propounded in these essays shows that the option for the poor is not a Sermon on the Mount–inspired add-on to the Christian worldview but rather a basic tenet that permeates every aspect of that worldview. . . . [T]he volume lends helpful theological heft to the church's stance toward the poor.

Commonweal