Liberation Theologies in the United States: An Introduction

by Stacey M. Floyd-Thomas (Editor), Anthony B. Pinn (Editor), Grace Ji-Sun Kim (Contributor)

In the nascent United States, religion often functioned as a justifier of oppression. Yet while religious discourse buttressed such oppressive activities as slavery and the destruction of native populations, oppressed communities have also made use of religion to critique and challenge this abuse. As Liberation Theologies in the United States demonstrates, this critical use of religion has often taken the form of liberation theologies, which use primarily Christian principles to address questions of social justice, including racism, poverty, and other types of oppression. Stacey M. Floyd-Thomas and Anthony B. Pinn have brought together a stellar group of liberation theology scholars to provide a synthetic introduction to the historical development, context, theory, and goals of a range of U.S.-born liberation theologies. Chapters cover Black Theology, Womanist Theology, Latino/Hispanic Theology, Latina Theology, Asian American Theology, Asian American Feminist Theology, Native American Theology, Native Feminist Theology, Gay and Lesbian Theology, and Feminist Theology. Contributors: Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Mary McClintock Fulkerson, Nancy Pineda-Madrid, Robert Shore-Goss, Andrea Smith, Andrew Sung Park, George (Tink) Tinker, and Benjamin Valentin.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Christianity, Nonfiction, Read For School

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2010

Reviews

[Ivy]

i wanted more of the actual theological approaches rather than history of justice movements (ie black liberation theology being centered around building heaven on earth) but this was a useful book for what it was

[M S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to how Black, Latinx, Native, Asian, LGBT+ communities engage with theology (primarily Christian). Good read especially for those who grew up in White dominated patriarchal sects like Catholicism.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is worth buying for the introduction alone. I come away feeling like I have a much better understanding of liberation theology, and stretched to think about how we live our lives in community in new ways.

[Joey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great intro read

Not exhaustive or in-depth on any one school of thought. Offers brief but enticing surveys of many liberationist theologies, and can serve as a good reading list for further study.

[Linnea Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love it when a book about a topic clearly shares the historical context of the book.

[Christopher Broadwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough and concise compendium from LA Lib Theo to Queer Theologies.