Liberation theology's use of Marx to analyze social sin

Liberation theology uses Marxist analysis to analyze the deeper or 'structural' causes of social sin that have resulted in poverty, violence, and injustice, including:

• Capitalism
• Institutions (for example schools, churches, and the state)

Rebel movements developed and the violent revolutions Marx spoke about seemed to be in danger.

Within this context, lots of people lived in poverty and Gutierrez believed that the poor were alienated from society and exploited. Liberation theologians argue that the church should do something about it because alienation was dehumanizing the church should take political action to promote brotherhood.

The structures of sin that support industrialization become part of the organizational structure of society, part of schools, systems of government, and other institutions where a class divide is reinforced, and as a result injustice becomes institutionalized.

Gutierrez

• Specifically references Marx's theory of alienation and exploitation in his theology and whilst he cautioned against endorsing all aspects of Marxism he identified political movements in Latin America as responding to the need for liberation and called for the Church to stand with those movements.
• For Gutierrez, it was impossible for a Christian to not get involved in politics, as this would be to accept poverty and oppression.
• He believed that the people of Latin America had a deep-rooted desire to be free of the burden of capitalism.
• The current systems were embracing structural inequality as a result of capitalism and this created structural sin. Capitalism seemed to be incapable of satisfying the basic needs of the people in Latin America and the socialist ideal was seen as a more viable alternative. Gutierrez saw it as the Church's responsibility to challenge injustice and inhumanity wherever they find it. Structural inequality can be embedded in all institutions and must be challenged, even in the Church.

• This was a dangerous business as seen when Archbishop Oscar Romero was assassinated whilst offering mass for speaking out against state tolerance for poverty and corruption and he became a martyr for the cause.