Correspondence
Quaiat &...
...Gustavo Gutierrez is correct in its criti- society...
...Gutierrez takes a more critical tics because he doesn't have a clear-cut movement, then the liberal fears a self- view of Marxism these days (in, for political conception of a new society, righteous populist theocracy able to rival example, his widely-published article, Cort should be reminded that faith has a the Gallican and Austrian versions of "Teologia y las ciencias sociales," political dimension and that liberation other eras and the Ayatollah of our times...
...p. 519, common Zulu wood-carving Right, but out of date PAUL E. SIGMUND motif, Republic of South Africa...
...1, 1924, to current issues available through University Microfilm, 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann the same time and in the same spirit, can agree with Mr...
...pact of science and technology (the au- Correspondence With all these precursors in the popu- tomobile, the pill, a naturalistic view of lar culture, it was left only for Margaret sex as a function), or taken some cogni- (Continued from page 514) Sanger to proclaim the gospel of redemp- zance of Jewish tradition which knows but to prophetically read the "signs of the tion through sex...
...Serials Data proco-religionists to respect and learn from reliant on Marxist "tools of analysis," gram No.: ISSN 0010-3330...
...When revolution- that relies on the Bible as its inspiration skinned, mestizo Gutierrez...
...First, Gutierrez article ["Christians & the Class Strug- strictures against Gutierrez...
...Protestants in the 1920s and then Catholics and evangelicals in the sixties and...
...The reforms President P. W. able, to free contraception from associa- Botha announced in a series of disappointing tion with free love and socialism which addresses this summer fell decidedly short would have otherwise barred its ac- of substantive change...
...grand plan" based on a ing of which Gutierrez had only a limited Cort's vision of a Latin American peascomprehensive ideology, ameliorative role...
...A better way must be tried...
...No one has stated the situation more seventies lost any sense of original sin...
...identifying female ecstasy France), given more thought to the imwith religious fulfillment...
...Quaiat & =Topic Correspondence Chelsea, Mass...
...527, 528, & To the Editors: John C. Cort's article on Studies Program 529, Emil Antonucci...
...European abstractions" upon Latin whether bread can be digested without For a more accurate view of Gutier- American peasants...
...erry...
...He accuses ride an absolute commitment to a com- articles, and, in fact, the passage he cites Gutierrez, for example, of imposing pletely unfettered press, the liberal asks was originally published in Peru in 1973...
...course as a "ritual of sexual communion" and sex as a redemptive force with The bloody revolution in South Africa has the "nature of a sacrament," she was begun...
...10038 1 1 he says, only "to tell a plausible story...
...In opting only for revolu- gle, Cort relies principally on Gutierrez's ignores socio-cultural phenomena that tions, some theologians bring to mind the A Theology of Liberation (published in are rapidly making the peasant a minority Leninist distrustful disdain and deep de- Spanish in 1971) and the Final Docu- social type: urbanization, mass migrasire for the destruction of reform...
...Digest and Book Review Index...
...City , State, Zip RONALD MODRAS was co-author of the 1 01 prefer a full year's subscription at $28 MAO/" 1 Catholic Theological Society's Study, Human Sexuality...
...suspicion that all passion is tainted...
...As for the ary Catholics want a pulpit only to celeb- rather than the trendy leftism of the early suggestion that Gutierrez stay out of polirate and not prophetically to critique their 1970s...
...That, of take place . . . it will make the French course, is a difficulty with a book that Revolution look like a Sunday school picpurports to be doing a popular study of nic...
...So ence salvation...
...Cort, however, makes two funTo the Editors: John Cort's enlightening cisms of Marx, but out of date in its damental mistakes...
...stonewalling rather than foundation buildSo it is, we are told, that first liberal ing...
...What Cort loses liberty...
...In the ment of the 1972 meeting of the Chris- tion, massification by the mass media, interests of an abstraction and a total tians for Socialism in Chile, in the writ- industrialization, and trade unionism...
...itarian...
...It is true that Cort cites one passage ant wanting a piece of land is quaint and measures are not only downgraded, they in Power of the Poor in History which romantic, but it doesn't do justice to are fought as obstacles...
...When some radical Christians rez's current thinking, readers should sight of, though, is that the appropriation negate the need for a trade union move- consult his more recent We Drink from of such abstractions is mediated by Latin ment unhampered by government, the Our Own Wells (Orbis, 1984) which is a American experience, i.e., the experiliberal foresees a stultifying monolithic deeply spiritual meditation on poverty ence of the barrio-dwelling, darksociety in the making...
...Cort that liberation theol- Arbor, MI 48106 and on Microfiche from Bell & the liberal not ask our Latin American ogy in its initial formulations was overly Howell, Wooster, Ohio 44691...
...At As the title of my book indicates, I Vol...
...MICHAEL CANDELARIA for contraception is traced to her association with socialists, Sanger articulated her message in religious language drawn from Catholic and Methodist influences in her background...
...popular culture...
...p. 522, Tom Princeton, N.J...
...Gardella recognizes the problem of historical causality and admits that the COM ON WEAL contemporary attitude toward sex did not result from any single factor...
...FRANK C. ARRICALE of socialism that is more unambiguously Illustrations: Cover & p. 520, Paul Valdemocratic...
...was published in English in 1983, Latin American reality...
...which I am translating as an appendix to theology is not out to formulate strategy, As John Cort well wrote, we want to my forthcoming book, tentatively enti- (Continued on page 539) praise, support, and assist our fellow tled, Liberation Theology at the CrossChristians in Latin America as they roads: Democracy or Revolution), and pioneer new Gospel forms of action and it is unfortunate that the two Vatican In- Commonweal is indexed in Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature, Catholic Periodical Index, understanding...
...For READERS RESPOND TO JOHN C. CORT instance, he criticizes Gutierrez's apparent belief in the elimination of private ownership as unrealistic in an agrarian Brooklyn, N.Y...
...camps of Hider and the gulags of the direction that he recommends: "a brand Stalinists...
...We are eager to learn structions on liberation theology did not Index of American Periodical Verse, Book Review from them even when such knowledge take account of this...
...Copyright ©1986 Comour Western experiences born in the but I believe it is now moving in the monweal Foundation...
...They that he would have taken greater account have to sit together to discuss their future...
...One wishes to all the people of South Africa...
...1 His occasional attenuations not- Please send the next 6 months of commonweal to: withstanding, he still maintains that our Name American sexual ethic has a religious Address...
...p. 525, Rita Corbin...
...If of the condemnation of that simple iden- not, the explosion we have been fearing will tification at the Council of Trent...
...They appear to he ceptance in the American mainstream...
...Gardella regularly equates original sin "Power," he said recently, "must be given with sexual concupiscence...
...L...-- -------rarrr-w~wrsr---1 10 October 1986: 539...
...T. HOWLAND SANKS, S.l., is Dean of the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley...
...Microfilm from forces an act of contrition on our part...
...When some liberationist disciples de- but that work is a collection of earlier Cort suffers from myopia...
...It allows the author to move, sometimes in the same paragraph, Commonweal Editorial, October 18, 1985 from Catholic to Protestant, evangelical to mainstream, from the Middle Ages to the Victorian era, allowing inferences to replace argument, and association to Six months for $9 for new subscribers serve as a substitute for careful defini- w.r.w~w----rw-r~ ----w.~a~~a.wrrww.wa.~rwir I tion, whether of original sin or ecstasy...
...As evidence doesn't want to eliminate private owngle," July 11] makes clear the liberal of Gutierrez's acceptance of Marx's ership [but ] only private ownership of the uneasiness with some aspects of libera- theories of exploitation and class strug- "means" of production...
...By exalting interSOUTH AFRICA...
...To the Editors: John C. Cort's article, "Christians and the Class Struggle," underscores several weaknesses in his LIBERATION THEOLOGY understanding of liberation theology...
...He intends, 1 15 Dutch St., New York, N.Y...
...Bernadette, the screen portrayal have made the same claim and written the amount of research, but he is more inof her by Jennifer Jones, and the idealiza- same book if he had studied the sexual formative than persuasive...
...Second-class postage paid at New York, N.Y...
...tion of womanhood in Mary are de- revolution in Europe (Holland, Britain, scribed as...
...Second, Cort tion theology...
...Marxism and the liberation theology of Princeton University Commonweal: 514 perfection could be attained in a moment quality which it inherited from Chris- original sin and has made its own impact of religious ecstasy helped to remove the tianity's zeal to overcome sin and experi- on popular American culture...
...Director, Latin American Brina...
...One wonders if he would Gardella has done an impressive too St...
...Although her crusade about sexual guilt without a doctrine of times...
...succintly than Zambia's Kenneth Kaunda...
Vol. 113 • October 1986 • No. 17
