Brazil - Politics & Government, Roman Catholic Theology, Participation & Pluralism in Democracies, Latin America - Church History, General & Miscellaneous Roman Catholicism, Modern Christian Theology, Brazil - History, Religion - General & Miscellaneous

Opting for Democracy?

Name: Opting for Democracy?
Author: Iain S. MacLean
ISBN: 9780820440118

by Iain S. MacLean

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Overview

Liberation theology is often characterized as rejecting democracy and, based upon their option for the poor, advocating a form of socialism. This claim is challenged through an analysis of the works of Brazilian liberation theologians, Catholic social teaching, and studies on the base community movements in Brazil from the imposition of military rule through democratization (1964-1992). Liberation theologians initially rejected liberal democracy, but by the nineties were advocating a participatory and ecological democracy. However, they differed on how such a democracy was to be achieved in the competitive political party arena. In addition, increasing ecclesiastical opposition and the collapse of existent socialist regimes marginalized liberation theologians' vision of an inclusive, participatory democracy.Harvey G. Cox, Thomas Professor of Divinity, Harvard University H. Cavalcanti, Professor of Sociology, University of Richmond Margaret Eletta Guider, Associate Professor of Religion and Society, Weston Jesuit School of Theology, Cambridge, MA

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Maclean (Western religious thought, James Madison University) examines Brazilian liberation theology and its understanding of democracy within its ecclesiastical and national political contexts. He contends that the original theoretical paradigm of liberation theology, together with later institutional constraints on liberation theologians, so determined its political options that most liberation theologians were unable to adapt to the rapid social, political, and religious changes in Brazil in the 1980s. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)