John 10:10 says “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” which gives identity, purpose, and promise. To the Christians of Latin America, their identity was in Christ, their purpose was to follow him, and they were promised abundant life (spiritually for eternity). Jesus came to save sinners who were enslaved to the promise of death by their rebellion and denial of God, but Jesus gives liberation from the spiritual death which they deserve. The idea of liberation becomes a rallying cry for the people of Latin America in the postcolonial age. Christianity first came to Latin America during the Age of Exploration. Spain and Portugal sent missionaries both to save souls and to gain temporal wealth. However, the greed of man seemed to overpower the desire to bring salvation to the lost so often the message of salvation was accompanied by violence, oppression, and institutionalized discrimination. It was not until the postcolonial age began that the Christianity of Latin America was able to develop and assert their understanding of theology with the common appeal being “liberation”.

During the colonial era “The “patronato real” gave the Spanish and Portuguese monarchs almost complete control over the Catholic Church in their newly conquered lands. Political authorities, not the pope, oversaw missionary activity, established dioceses, appointed bishops, and regulated all other matters of the church life.” (pg75, Jacobsen). This closeness of church and state being seen in Colonial Latin America was against what the church had worked so hard to do. Medieval Popes pushed very hard for the independence of the Church from political parties. But being thousands of miles away, Rome could not impose their will on the colonies in Latin America and the political system and parties took complete control over the Church and how it was ran with respect to the Doctrine of which the Pope would decree.

Liberation theology emerged in the 1960’s as a response to the unjust arrests and killings of those protesting the mistreatment of the poor along with other political problems they saw in the society. Liberation theology was the combination of both social analysis and social action rooted in traditional Catholic teaching. It asserted that one’s Christian theology should shape how they reflect upon social circumstances and therefore should also guide how they act in response. This relationship is called Praxis, or theory and action working together. Liberation theology also advocated that the poor should speak and represent themselves. Pentecostalism also had rise during this time since it was less formal and did not demand as much as Catholic mass did. Pentecostalism resonated with the poor much more than Catholicism did, due to its less rigid traditionalism as well as its joyful worship and constant preaching/proclamation of hope and what is to come. Liberation theology was a way to reclaim the sacred and reconcile the oppressed that were put down as  a result of an original oppressed by the colonies. Leaders of the Liberation theology movement pushed for connection between the rich and the poor, to see their equality in God and their salvation which is given unbiasedly to one another.

Western Christianity can take away from Latin American Christianity that social and political environments/problems are not what identify one another. A Christian’s identity is found in Jesus Christ and nothing else. That identity should however help Christians work through social and political problems they may face as their guiding nature rather than their own sinful desire. Christianity will look different depending on where you go, but that should not be due to the body of the church, it is simply a result of the environment around them. The connecting source for Western Christians and Latin American Christians is not how they go about their everyday life, it is who their identity is in, and that is Christ Jesus.