Making Christ Credible: U.S. Latino/a Popular Catholicism and the Liberating Nearness of God

Abstract

In the early stages of its development, the Latin American liberation theology movement exhibited a certain degree of skepticism about the possible role of popular religion in the liberation struggle. Because popular religion in general, and popular Catholicism in particular, was not explicitly or directly political in either its expressions or its intent, some liberation theologians were openly derisive of popular religion, perceiving it as an ideological (in the Marxist sense) diversion from the liberation struggle. In more recent years, as the ambiguities of the liberation struggle itself have become more evident, liberation theologians in Latin America and elsewhere have come to a renewed appreciation of popular religion as a source of hope and empowerment for the poor. Among the theologians who have emphasized the positive role of popular religion and have thus attempted to broaden the understanding of “liberation” are U.S. Latino/a theologians.KeywordsReligious PracticeReligious FaithPolitical EfficacyHispanic CommunityReligious SymbolThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.