Third World Liberation Theologies - Book Report/Review Example

In the first part of the book, Ferm describes that historical and political situation in Latin America required their change, and social change meant political action. During 19th century, liberation was turned into a political question. The detonation was defused because the idea of the welfare country had been widely accepted. Yet, to the discomfort of the official church in Latin America, the poverty was fully in the political and cultural field. Its politicization was enhanced because changing wicked structures was acknowledging the opportunity of collective sin.

The aim of liberation theologies can be explained as purification from sin that is an individual's private affair. In many small communities in Latin America, donating to charity was insufficient. Those benefiting from these structures considered their change a hazard to vested interests. Independently, they could do nothing about it. Together, they welcomed a loosening of the bonds which had up till now tied church and oligarchies together. The consequence has been that dealing with scarcity by the church, and the role Liberation Theology was to take part in it and has created much disagreement over ecclesiastic and secular politics (Ferm, 2004).

Ferm dives a detailed analysis of such political figures as "Che" G. Contemporary Latin America is therefore also an area outstandingly qualified for an examination of politics as they are practiced within and by the church, countries officials, and private groups in relation to a social issue and its environments. This is all the more the case as the state of affairs regarding poverty in mid- and late-twentieth century Latin America replicates in many respects conditions of the early industrial revolution in this geographical region (Ferm, 2004).

Ferm describes roots of the liberation theologies movements and supports her analysis with Marxist theory. The author explains that the 19th century theologians were mainly dealing with the sociological aspects of the social problem of poverty. The Liberation theologians are, in addition, attempting to support the temporal aspects of their solution of the poverty problem with a new understanding of an underlying theology. They are hoping to rouse action and give route to what have been dissatisfactions and dotted goals of improving the living conditions of the people in conformity with Catholic instruction.

The church has tried to cope with that problem by announcing that specific decisions for general problems may have to be adapted to different localities and circumstances. Any resolution must be adequately indefinite to fit a variety of situations. Liberation theologizes suppose that innovations must be incremental not radical. The second part of the book is devoted to the 20th century and development of religion in America. The early 1960s were a period of questioning the nature of existing communities everywhere, especially in respect to cleavages between