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We Drink from Our Own Wells: The Spiritual Journey Of A People
We Drink from Our Own The Spiritual Journey of a People [Paperback] [J...
206 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
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490 people want to read
About the author
Gustavo Gutiérrez
99 books128 followersGustavo Gutiérrez-Merino Díaz was a Peruvian philosopher, Catholic theologian, and Dominican priest who was one of the founders of liberation theology in Latin America. His 1971 book A Theology of Liberation is considered pivotal to the formation of liberation theology. He held the John Cardinal O'Hara Professorship of Theology at the University of Notre Dame and was a visiting professor at universities in North America and Europe.
Gutiérrez studied medicine and literature at the National University of San Marcos before deciding to become a priest. He began studying theology at the Theology Faculty of Leuven in Belgium and in Lyon, France.
His theological focus connected salvation and liberation through the preferential option for the poor, with an emphasis on improving the material conditions of the impoverished. Gutiérrez proposed that revelation and eschatology have been excessively idealized at the expense of efforts to bring about the Kingdom of God on Earth. His methodology was often critical of the social and economic injustice he believed to be responsible for poverty in Latin America, and of the Catholic clergy. The central pastoral question of his work was: "How do we convey to the poor that God loves them?"
Gutiérrez studied medicine and literature at the National University of San Marcos before deciding to become a priest. He began studying theology at the Theology Faculty of Leuven in Belgium and in Lyon, France.
His theological focus connected salvation and liberation through the preferential option for the poor, with an emphasis on improving the material conditions of the impoverished. Gutiérrez proposed that revelation and eschatology have been excessively idealized at the expense of efforts to bring about the Kingdom of God on Earth. His methodology was often critical of the social and economic injustice he believed to be responsible for poverty in Latin America, and of the Catholic clergy. The central pastoral question of his work was: "How do we convey to the poor that God loves them?"
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
dnf
June 14, 2019Can't give this one a rating because it was too theology-y for me. Couldn't get into it or understand how it was different than the the theology I had heard before. Overall, I'm guessing I should dabble in the less academia side of theology writings.
November 26, 2009
Gutierrez is one of the foremost writers on Latin American liberation theology. In this book he looks at spirituality from a liberation perspective, and shows how traditional middle class spirituality is ill-equipped to be of help to the poor and the oppressed, and those who stand in solidarity with them. From a personal standpoint I found the book very insightful in terms of how to think of one's spirituality in social justice work. However, I expected there to be more insight from the perspective of those who are poor and oppressed (as is the case in Cardenal's Gospel in Solentime. Nonetheless it was a quick and a good read.
November 13, 2008
This book challenged my egocentric point of view. We look at things through our own filters, and more often than not we do "drink from our own wells." It gave me a better perspective on the struggles that other bros. and sisters are having.
April 22, 2023
Based on the theological concept of the 'preferential option for the poor' (the idea found throughout the Bible that God favours the poor, marginalised, vulnerable and oppressed), Liberation Theology emerged in Latin America in the 1960s forward.
A deeply embodied movement, it argued (argues) for freedom in the here and now, not just in the sweet by and by, believing that the gospel entails (amongst the many things the gospel entails) social justice and fighting for social change. Unsurprisingly, it had (has) its opponents, and people died for standing up to the powers that be. Perhaps most famously Óscar Romero, a catholic priest from El Salvador, assassinated as he said mass in 1980. But there were a good many others as well. (Jürgen Moltmann tells the story of a blood-soaked copy of his book 'The Crucified God' found at the site of the murder of six Jesuit fathers in 1989.)
The opposition wasn't only violent but also ideological. Liberation Theology was accused of being Marxism dressed up in theological clothes. Marxism, socialism etc was a special bogeyman in those days of the Cold War... but you still hear that kind of rhetoric today. People love a bogeyman (I see the Gospel Coalition website is still pejoratively trotting out the Marxist line about Liberation Theology). It was also accused of being too materialistic, too political, and nothing else.
The guy who coined the term 'Liberation Theology' was a Peruvian priest called Gustavo Gutiérrez. Partly in response to Liberation Theology's detractors, in 1983 he published this book (here in English translation and with an introduction by the legend Henri Nouwen). It's an excellent work of spiritual theology, in which he examines the spirituality of the theology for which he coined the name.
Now, Marxism has a few important things to say, so in truth there would be no shame in heeding some of its critiques. And the early church looked more like socialism than capitalism, if you had to choose one (which you don't, but if you had to), so there's that.
But Gutiérrez draws from neither of those wells. Instead he describes a deeply biblical, deeply experiential spirituality, that is deeply encountering Christ and deeply embedded in the gospel. Prepared to 'lay down its life for a friend', it is a deeply personal faith, deeply embedded in community. All movements have their problems, but at its truest, that kind of spirituality is a well that the people (oh, the people, not crowns and thrones but men and women) draw from. They have done for millennia and in a vast array of contexts.
I recently read Eugene Peterson's work of spiritual theology, 'Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places', and there were numbers of times while reading Gutiérrez that I was reminded of that book. I sense that Gutiérrez (the Latin American Catholic) and Peterson (the North American Presbyterian) would have had some wonderful conversations. They would, I think, have had much to agree on. Gutiérrez is still around (age 94), Peterson is not sadly.
One thing is clear, and there's a lesson for many things here: writing things off is easy, and usually lazy. And if not lazy, then highly defensive, and maybe cankerous. But allowing your status and position in the world to be challenged, digging more deeply into the heart of things, especially when those things are grounded in love, compassion, grace and generosity, is better.
Well worth the read.
A deeply embodied movement, it argued (argues) for freedom in the here and now, not just in the sweet by and by, believing that the gospel entails (amongst the many things the gospel entails) social justice and fighting for social change. Unsurprisingly, it had (has) its opponents, and people died for standing up to the powers that be. Perhaps most famously Óscar Romero, a catholic priest from El Salvador, assassinated as he said mass in 1980. But there were a good many others as well. (Jürgen Moltmann tells the story of a blood-soaked copy of his book 'The Crucified God' found at the site of the murder of six Jesuit fathers in 1989.)
The opposition wasn't only violent but also ideological. Liberation Theology was accused of being Marxism dressed up in theological clothes. Marxism, socialism etc was a special bogeyman in those days of the Cold War... but you still hear that kind of rhetoric today. People love a bogeyman (I see the Gospel Coalition website is still pejoratively trotting out the Marxist line about Liberation Theology). It was also accused of being too materialistic, too political, and nothing else.
The guy who coined the term 'Liberation Theology' was a Peruvian priest called Gustavo Gutiérrez. Partly in response to Liberation Theology's detractors, in 1983 he published this book (here in English translation and with an introduction by the legend Henri Nouwen). It's an excellent work of spiritual theology, in which he examines the spirituality of the theology for which he coined the name.
Now, Marxism has a few important things to say, so in truth there would be no shame in heeding some of its critiques. And the early church looked more like socialism than capitalism, if you had to choose one (which you don't, but if you had to), so there's that.
But Gutiérrez draws from neither of those wells. Instead he describes a deeply biblical, deeply experiential spirituality, that is deeply encountering Christ and deeply embedded in the gospel. Prepared to 'lay down its life for a friend', it is a deeply personal faith, deeply embedded in community. All movements have their problems, but at its truest, that kind of spirituality is a well that the people (oh, the people, not crowns and thrones but men and women) draw from. They have done for millennia and in a vast array of contexts.
I recently read Eugene Peterson's work of spiritual theology, 'Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places', and there were numbers of times while reading Gutiérrez that I was reminded of that book. I sense that Gutiérrez (the Latin American Catholic) and Peterson (the North American Presbyterian) would have had some wonderful conversations. They would, I think, have had much to agree on. Gutiérrez is still around (age 94), Peterson is not sadly.
One thing is clear, and there's a lesson for many things here: writing things off is easy, and usually lazy. And if not lazy, then highly defensive, and maybe cankerous. But allowing your status and position in the world to be challenged, digging more deeply into the heart of things, especially when those things are grounded in love, compassion, grace and generosity, is better.
Well worth the read.
May 16, 2021
This started very strong, with a beautiful introduction from Henri Nouwen and a compelling first section establishing a theology of the poor that eschews privileged constructs of holiness and individualized spirituality in favor of communal solidarity. However, oof, Part 2 was a real slough for me to get through, and I had a hard time tracking how it related to the objective here. I wondered if Gutiérrez was going to share examples of scriptural engagement a la The Gospel in Solentiname, but instead it was mainly his own analysis at a pretty dense and heady level. There was some good stuff in that bit, particularly his exegesis of the Exodus (say that 3 times fast) emphasizing the inclination to want to return to Egypt, but as a whole I found myself skimming through. Thankfully I kept going, because the third section and final 40 pages of the book are really stunning.
Gutiérrez reimagines a number of theological concepts here in light of the experiences he is immersed within in Latin America. Breaking away from "conversion" being understood as a one-and-done moment of individualized salvation, he presents it as the ongoing journey towards solidarity, and in particular a solidarity with the poor that is borne from genuine love and tenderness among equals rather than duty to those "less than" (the writing around this on page 104 is really moving). "Joy" is recontexualized as something inherently paschal, "born of the conviction that unjust mistreatment and suffering will be overcome!" This ripples out to his view of the resurrection, which is regarded as both testimony to God's character as a God of life so much so that life is in excess beyond deathliness, as well as an eschatological promise that inspires hope not for the life to come but for efforts to combat the forces of death here and now. Lastly, the "spiritual childhood" that Jesus says is required to enter the Kingdom of God is regarded as the humility one needs to enter the world of the poor, which is the context where the Kingdom of inbreaking now and where we learn await, participate in, and receive it. While of course poverty comes with many struggles and he debunks the romanticism projected onto the poor, he also affirms that "Being poor is also a way of feeling, knowing, reasoning, making friends, loving, believing, suffering, celebrating, and praying. The poor constitute a world of their own. Commitment to the poor means entering, and in some cases remaining in, that universe with a much clearer awareness; it means being one of its inhabitants, looking upon it as a place of residence and not simply of work" (125). So friggin' good!!!
Gutiérrez reimagines a number of theological concepts here in light of the experiences he is immersed within in Latin America. Breaking away from "conversion" being understood as a one-and-done moment of individualized salvation, he presents it as the ongoing journey towards solidarity, and in particular a solidarity with the poor that is borne from genuine love and tenderness among equals rather than duty to those "less than" (the writing around this on page 104 is really moving). "Joy" is recontexualized as something inherently paschal, "born of the conviction that unjust mistreatment and suffering will be overcome!" This ripples out to his view of the resurrection, which is regarded as both testimony to God's character as a God of life so much so that life is in excess beyond deathliness, as well as an eschatological promise that inspires hope not for the life to come but for efforts to combat the forces of death here and now. Lastly, the "spiritual childhood" that Jesus says is required to enter the Kingdom of God is regarded as the humility one needs to enter the world of the poor, which is the context where the Kingdom of inbreaking now and where we learn await, participate in, and receive it. While of course poverty comes with many struggles and he debunks the romanticism projected onto the poor, he also affirms that "Being poor is also a way of feeling, knowing, reasoning, making friends, loving, believing, suffering, celebrating, and praying. The poor constitute a world of their own. Commitment to the poor means entering, and in some cases remaining in, that universe with a much clearer awareness; it means being one of its inhabitants, looking upon it as a place of residence and not simply of work" (125). So friggin' good!!!
January 12, 2025
In three words: liberatory creed (of the) meek
For a book published over 40 years ago, the language is fresh and unsparing. I’ve seen many references to liberation theology, but this was my first book on the subject. Having come from a very different brand of Christianity, and also from a mostly different but somehow same iteration of a universal poor, and having now an external lens on both, I can’t imagine the impact that something so direct and honest would have had on a younger version of myself.
My favorite quotes:
“Authentic love tries to start with the concrete needs of the other and not with the ‘duty’ of practicing love. Love is respectful of others and therefore feels obliged to base its action on an analysis of their situation and needs. Works in behalf of the neighbor are not done in order to channel idle energies or to give available personnel something to do; they are done because the other has needs and it is urgent that we attend to them. In Latin America today, many of these needs are found at the most elementary levels of physical survival.”
“Beyond any possible doubt, the life of the poor is one of hunger and exploitation, inadequate health care and lack of suitable housing, difficulty in obtaining an education, inadequate wages and unemployment, struggles for their rights, and repression. But that is not all. Being poor is also a way of feeling, knowing, reasoning, making friends, loving, believing, suffering, celebrating, and praying. The poor constitute a world of their own. Commitment to the poor means entering, and in some cases remaining in, that universe with a much clearer awareness; it means being one of its inhabitants, looking upon it as a place of residence and not simply of work. It does not mean going into that world by the hour to bear witness to the gospel, but rather emerging from within it each morning in order to proclaim the good news to every human being.”
For a book published over 40 years ago, the language is fresh and unsparing. I’ve seen many references to liberation theology, but this was my first book on the subject. Having come from a very different brand of Christianity, and also from a mostly different but somehow same iteration of a universal poor, and having now an external lens on both, I can’t imagine the impact that something so direct and honest would have had on a younger version of myself.
My favorite quotes:
“Authentic love tries to start with the concrete needs of the other and not with the ‘duty’ of practicing love. Love is respectful of others and therefore feels obliged to base its action on an analysis of their situation and needs. Works in behalf of the neighbor are not done in order to channel idle energies or to give available personnel something to do; they are done because the other has needs and it is urgent that we attend to them. In Latin America today, many of these needs are found at the most elementary levels of physical survival.”
“Beyond any possible doubt, the life of the poor is one of hunger and exploitation, inadequate health care and lack of suitable housing, difficulty in obtaining an education, inadequate wages and unemployment, struggles for their rights, and repression. But that is not all. Being poor is also a way of feeling, knowing, reasoning, making friends, loving, believing, suffering, celebrating, and praying. The poor constitute a world of their own. Commitment to the poor means entering, and in some cases remaining in, that universe with a much clearer awareness; it means being one of its inhabitants, looking upon it as a place of residence and not simply of work. It does not mean going into that world by the hour to bear witness to the gospel, but rather emerging from within it each morning in order to proclaim the good news to every human being.”
January 11, 2023
Gutierrez sets liberation theology in spirituality, in encounter with God, and in a lived faith. His work dispels the lie that liberation theology is overly humanistic and understates the need for Christ.
March 16, 2021
One I'll be returning to.
October 27, 2016
Really, really wanted this book to be great. The introduction had me thinking, "This is the book I've been waiting for!"
Like many other books whose introductions excite me, I was deeply disappointed. Mostly observations and sketches about a possible spirituality of liberation (which he warns about upfront). But I found his writing to be confusing and inscrutable at times.
Like many other books whose introductions excite me, I was deeply disappointed. Mostly observations and sketches about a possible spirituality of liberation (which he warns about upfront). But I found his writing to be confusing and inscrutable at times.
March 19, 2018
Gutierrez proposes a way of thinking about Christian spirituality that fits within a liberation framework. The first couple of chapters are fairly confusing and difficult to discern what exactly he is saying. However, as the book advances it becomes a really great read and Gutierrez ultimately accomplishes what he sets out to do.
July 6, 2007
A-MAZING! A great look at people's movements and the role the church can/should take in them!
October 21, 2007
Awesome treatise on Liberation Theology.
November 19, 2008
one account of liberation theology.
June 7, 2010
after more than 20 years still relevant. spirituality goes beyond the walls of the church.
September 28, 2013
A classic. Nuff said. Read it
December 23, 2007
Important piece of liberation theology.
Want to read
April 9, 2008liberation theology...
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews