Liberation Theology Before Hashtag Justice
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- Liberation theology coalesced in Latin America in the 1960s–70s, challenging Eurocentric assumptions that positioned Western thought as universal.
- Miguel A. de la Torre has published over 30 books on Latinx ethics and social justice, including Latina/O Social Ethics (2010) and Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins (2014).
- Andrew Sung Park's concept of "han" — collective woundedness experienced by the oppressed — reframes traditional Christian hamartiology (the study of sin) to center victims rather than perpetrators.
- Fernando F. Segovia's Decolonizing Biblical Studies (2000) argues that Western biblical scholarship has functioned as an imperial project, silencing non-Western interpretive voices.
- As of April 2026, Patina's philosophy collection includes key texts bridging liberation theology, postcolonial ethics, and ecological justice.
Latina/O Social Ethics: Moving Beyond Eurocentric Moral Thinking — Miguel A. de la Torre
The go-to primer for understanding why mainstream ethics keeps getting it wrong when applied to marginalized communities. De la Torre doesn't waste time being polite. He lays out the case that Eurocentric moral frameworks — the Kant-and-Aristotle toolkit still taught in most philosophy departments — emerged from specific cultural contexts that pretended to be universal. The book walks you through how Latinx ethics centers *praxis* (lived action in solidarity) over abstract principles, and why that shift matters for anyone doing justice work. His prose is accessible without dumbing down the philosophy, making this an ideal entry point whether you're studying theology or just fed up with how disconnected academic ethics feels from the real world. Explore our current copy of Latina/O Social Ethics. Browse more Philosophy books at Patina.Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins — Miguel A. de la Torre
A field manual for theology students tired of systems built by the powerful to justify the status quo. Where the first book mapped the problem, this one gives you the tools. De la Torre demonstrates *how* to do ethics from the underside — starting not with "What would Aquinas say?" but "What does this mean for the people getting crushed by the system?" He draws on case studies from immigration raids to economic exploitation, showing how liberation ethics demands we ask different questions entirely. The strength here is practical: you finish the book with a methodology, not just a critique. It's the kind of text that gets dog-eared and coffee-stained in seminary libraries because people actually use it. Explore our current copy of Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins. Browse more Philosophy books at Patina.The Other Side of Sin: Woundedness from the Perspective of the Sinned-Against — Andrew Sung Park & Susan L. Nelson
The theology text that asks: What about the people who didn't commit the sin but carry the scars? Traditional Christian theology obsesses over the sinner's need for redemption. Park flips that entirely with the Korean concept of *han* — the deep, collective woundedness borne by those sinned against. The anthology (Park co-edited with Susan L. Nelson) brings together voices exploring trauma, colonial violence, and systemic oppression through theological lenses that don't center the perpetrator's guilt. It's uncomfortable reading if you're used to confession-and-forgiveness frameworks, which is exactly the point. The book refuses to let theology off the hook for its complicity in ignoring victims' ongoing pain. A must-read for anyone wrestling with how faith traditions address harm. Explore our current copy of The Other Side of Sin. Browse more Philosophy books at Patina.Ethics for a Small Planet: New Horizons on Population, Consumption, and Ecology — Daniel C. Maguire & Larry L. Rasmussen
Where liberation theology meets ecological crisis — required reading for anyone who thinks "environment" and "social justice" are separate conversations. Maguire and Rasmussen argue that you can't talk about population ethics or consumption without addressing who controls resources and who pays the price for extraction. The book predates a lot of contemporary climate justice discourse but nails the core insight: ecological degradation isn't a neutral "tragedy of the commons" — it's structured by the same colonial and capitalist logics that liberation theology was built to dismantle. The tone is more measured than de la Torre's work, making it a solid bridge text if you're coming from mainstream environmental ethics. Dense in places, but the payoff is a framework that refuses to separate planetary survival from human dignity. Explore our current copy of Ethics for a Small Planet. Browse more Philosophy books at Patina.Decolonizing Biblical Studies: A View from the Margins — Fernando F. Segovia
The book that exposes how "objective" biblical scholarship has always been a political project. Segovia takes a wrecking ball to the myth of neutral academic exegesis. He demonstrates how Western biblical studies constructed itself as the authoritative voice — not through better methodology, but through institutional power that systematically excluded non-Western, non-male, non-elite interpreters. The book is part memoir (Segovia's own journey as a Cuban-American scholar navigating the academy), part theoretical manifesto. It's sobering if you were raised on the idea that "serious" Bible study happens in certain languages, in certain universities, using certain methods. For anyone doing liberation theology or postcolonial work, this is the historiographical backbone — the proof that the margins have always read scripture differently, and more honestly. Explore our current copy of Decolonizing Biblical Studies. Browse more Philosophy books at Patina. These texts share a refusal to treat ethics, theology, and justice as abstract games played by tenured philosophers in climate-controlled offices. They insist that if your moral framework doesn't start with the people being crushed, it's not ethics — it's propaganda with footnotes. That clarity, that willingness to name power and complicity, is what makes liberation theology endure long after hashtag activism cycles through to the next cause.What is liberation theology and how does it differ from traditional Christian ethics?
Liberation theology emerged in 1960s Latin America as a movement insisting that Christian ethics must begin with the experiences of the poor and oppressed, not abstract principles. Where traditional theology often started with doctrine and applied it downward, liberation thinkers like Gustavo Gutiérrez and Miguel A. de la Torre argued that God is revealed through solidarity with the marginalized — making *praxis* (action in the world) inseparable from belief. It's theology done from the underside, refusing the Eurocentric assumption that Western thought is universal.
Who is Miguel A. de la Torre and why does his work matter for social justice?
Miguel A. de la Torre is a professor of social ethics and Latinx studies who's published over 30 books challenging how mainstream moral philosophy ignores marginalized communities. His work — including Latina/O Social Ethics (2010) and Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins (2014) — provides both critique and methodology, showing how to build ethical frameworks that center the lived experiences of those pushed to society's edges. Honestly, if you're doing justice work and haven't encountered de la Torre, you're missing a foundational voice.
What is "han" in Andrew Sung Park's theology?
Han is a Korean concept describing the deep, collective woundedness carried by those who have been sinned against — victims of oppression, colonization, systemic violence. Park uses it to challenge traditional Christian theology's obsession with the sinner's guilt and need for redemption, asking instead: what about the ongoing trauma of those who were harmed? The Other Side of Sin (2001) builds an entire theological framework around centering victims' experiences rather than perpetrators' confessions.
Where can I buy secondhand liberation theology books in Australia?
Patina Paperbacks stocks rotating preloved copies of key liberation theology and postcolonial ethics texts — including works by Miguel A. de la Torre, Andrew Sung Park, and Fernando F. Segovia — and ships Australia-wide from Sydney. Browse our current philosophy collection for titles that challenge Eurocentric moral frameworks and center marginalized voices in theological and ethical thought.
How does decolonizing biblical studies relate to liberation theology?
Decolonizing biblical scholarship — championed by scholars like Fernando F. Segovia — exposes how "objective" academic exegesis has always been shaped by Western imperial power, not neutral methodology. It shares liberation theology's insistence that who gets to interpret sacred texts is a political question, not just an academic one. Segovia's Decolonizing Biblical Studies (2000) shows how the margins have always read scripture through different, often more honest, lenses — making it essential reading for anyone doing justice-oriented theology.