The Preferential Option for the Poor beyond Theology

Since the 1973 publication of Gustavo Gutiérrez’s groundbreaking work A Theology of Liberation, liberation theology's central premise of the preferential option for the poor has become one of the most important yet controversial theological themes of the twentieth century. As the situation for many of the world’s poor worsens, it becomes ever more important to ensure that the option for the poor remains not only a vibrant theological concept but also a practical framework for living out the gift and challenge of Christian faith. The Preferential Option for the Poor beyond Theology draws on a diverse group of contributors to explore how disciplines as varied as law, economics, politics, the environment, science, liberal arts, film, and education can help us understand putting a commitment to the option for the poor into practice.

The central focus of the book revolves around the question: How can one live a Christian life in a world of destitution? The contributors address the theological concept of the option for the poor as well as the ways it can shape our social, economic, political, educational, and environmental approaches to poverty. Their creative examples serve as an inspiration to all those who are seeking to put their talents at the service of human need and the building of a more just and humane world.

Daniel G. Groody is assistant professor of theology and director of the Center for Latino Spirituality and Culture at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author and editor of a number of books, including Border of Death, Valley of Life: An Immigrant Journey of Heart and Spirit.

Gustavo A. Gutiérrez is professor emeritus of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. He is a Roman Catholic theologian and Dominican priest who is considered the father of liberation theology. Gutiérrez earned a degree in medicine from the National University of Peru in Lima, studied philosophy and psychology at the Catholic University of Leuven, theology at the Catholic University of Lyon and at the Gregorian University in Rome. He earned a doctorate in theology at Lyon in 1985. The author of numerous books and articles, Gutiérrez is perhaps best known for his Teología de la liberación (1971; A Theology of Liberation), the foundational text of liberation theology. In that work, Gutiérrez developed a new spirituality based on solidarity with the poor and called on the church to help change existing social and economic institutions to promote social justice.