The Poor as Theologians

Jorge Costadoat presents a brief history of liberation theology, which originated in Latin America and the Caribbean. God incarnated himself as a poor person and speaks through them and their experiences. For these reasons, the poor “evangelize the Church,” and belief in the preferential option for the poor is part of what defines Christianity. Opting for the poor means improving their earthly condition as well as acknowledging the way they should be privileged in the Church. Costadoat agrees with Carlos Mesters, who says theology is meant not “to interpret the Bible but to interpret life with the help of the Bible.” The poor interpret their own experiences as they read the Bible in community with each other, and when they do this, they are theologians. Moreover, as the poor have become literate and consequently more aware of their rights, they have become leaders in the fight for their own liberation. Costadoat also addresses subsets of liberation theology, indigenous and feminist theologies.