Conspirituality

Brief: US v. Liberation Theology (Part 1)

November 1, 2025

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • The episode introduces the central thesis that U.S. foreign policy instrumentalized Evangelical Christianity to counter the politically threatening Liberation Theology movement in the global south, aligning with Cold War and neoliberal interests. 
  • Liberation Theology, exemplified by Gustavo Gutiérrez, fundamentally insists that poverty is political and that faith requires structural social change, contrasting sharply with the individualistic salvation focus of Evangelicalism. 
  • The host introduces the concept of the "evangelical boomerang," suggesting that the U.S. promotion of Evangelicalism abroad has bolstered domestic movements, evidenced by shifting Latino religious demographics and voting patterns, while the 'reverse boomerang' is seen in Pope Leo's recent adoption of Liberation Theology language. 

Segments

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Episode Introduction and Context
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(00:02:44)
  • Key Takeaway: This two-part brief in Conspirituality investigates U.S. foreign policy’s suppression of Liberation Theology via promotion of Evangelicalism.
  • Summary: The host, Matthew Remsky, frames this episode as Part 1 of a series examining why Jair Bolsonaro gained significant evangelical support in Catholic Brazil. This trend reflects a broader instrumentalization of Evangelicalism as U.S. soft political power in the global south, favoring individualistic prosperity over structural change.
Liberation Theology vs. Evangelicalism
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(00:04:46)
  • Key Takeaway: Evangelicalism focuses on individual sin and prosperity blessings, while Liberation Theology asserts that poverty is a political condition demanding structural change.
  • Summary: The CIA favored Evangelicalism because its focus on individual salvation and prosperity aligned with U.S. interests, unlike Liberation Theology, which posits that God speaks through the poor demanding recognition. Part 1 will outline Liberation Theology and its conflict with Vatican orthodoxy, including Cardinal Ratzinger’s 1984 critique.
Boomerang Effect and MAGA Spirituality
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(00:07:45)
  • Key Takeaway: The U.S. promotion of Evangelicalism in Latin America strengthened the American evangelical movement, contributing to the rise of Trump and MAGA mysticism.
  • Summary: The host draws parallels between historical ‘boomerang’ effects, arguing that U.S. foreign policy actions against Liberation Theology bolstered domestic American evangelicalism, evidenced by high Trump support among Hispanic evangelicals. This contrasts with the self-aggrandizement spirituality of MAGA, which Liberation Theology counters with a message of shared material reality.
Pope Leo’s Reverse Boomerang
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(00:10:39)
  • Key Takeaway: Pope Leo XIV, having formative years in Liberation Theology ground zero, is now quoting heavily from Liberation Theology classics in his document ‘On Love for the Poor.’
  • Summary: The emergence of Pope Leo XIV, who spent formative years in Peru, suggests a ‘reverse boomerang’ where previously condemned Liberation Theology language now shapes papal messaging. His apostolic exhortation, ‘Dilexi Te,’ heavily references the movement’s core tenets regarding love for the poor.
Defining Liberation Theology
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(00:11:37)
  • Key Takeaway: Gustavo Gutiérrez’s 1971 ‘A Theology of Liberation’ posits that spiritual salvation and social liberation are inseparable, viewing poverty as a political byproduct demanding systemic change.
  • Summary: Gutiérrez argued that poverty is not a neutral fact but a result of systems for which society is responsible, demanding a new social order rather than mere relief. The theology emphasizes the ‘preferential option for the poor’ and uses depersonalized language like ‘structural violence’ rather than direct personal accusation.
Gutiérrez and Camilo Torres
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(00:16:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Gustavo Gutiérrez developed his theology through organizing mutual aid and using a Marxist-influenced ‘seeing, judging, and acting’ framework, contrasting with his classmate Camilo Torres, who became a revolutionary guerrilla fighter.
  • Summary: Gutiérrez, a Peruvian priest, learned theology from the ground up by listening to the marginalized and then judging those realities theologically before acting collectively. Torres, a Colombian priest and Marxist-Leninist, was laicized and joined the ELN, famously stating, ‘If Jesus were alive today, Restrepo famously wrote, he would be a guerrillero.’
Theological Conflict and Violence
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(00:24:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Liberation Theology faced backlash for describing political conflict descriptively, as Gutiérrez noted the political arena is ’necessarily conflictual’ when building a just society.
  • Summary: The movement highlighted class disparities within the church, challenging the notion that the rich and poor share the same God equally in practice. Gutiérrez argued that Christians must take sides in class struggles, which led to accusations that the theology permitted violence as the lesser of evils.
Vatican Condemnation by Ratzinger
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(00:30:10)
  • Key Takeaway: In 1984, Cardinal Ratzinger (future Pope Benedict) issued an instruction condemning Liberation Theology’s Marxist elements, arguing it reduced liberation to material concerns and ignored the intervention of grace.
  • Summary: Ratzinger diplomatically co-opted the term ’liberation’ to mean primarily liberation from sin, not material slavery, while criticizing the movement’s fixation on class struggle for limiting human imagination. He specifically condemned ‘systemic and deliberate recourse to blind violence,’ framing the movement as overly politicized.
CIA Analysis of Threat
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(00:36:48)
  • Key Takeaway: A 1986 CIA paper identified Liberation Theology as a serious threat to U.S. interests because its activist orientation urged the oppressed to seek justice ’now, not in the hereafter,’ potentially opening avenues for communist exploitation.
  • Summary: The CIA viewed Liberation Theology as more threatening than armed resistance or Marxism-Leninism in some intelligence circles due to its call for immediate, politically validated action. The agency noted the movement’s critique of capitalism and U.S. development policy was dangerous when it found a receptive audience.
Preview of Part Two
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(00:39:14)
  • Key Takeaway: Part two of the series will detail early U.S. interventions, including JFK funding conservative Catholic activism against Salvador Allende, and further explore the promotion of Evangelicalism.
  • Summary: The next episode will begin in the 1960s with the story of Jesuit priest Roger Veckemans, who received $10 million from JFK to support conservative Catholic activism in Chile. It will also examine the explicit promotion of Evangelical Christianity by U.S. interests.