In the face of suffering and adversity identified in Peru, Gutierrez questioned the traditional term 'theology.' He saw theology as a disconnected exercise of the intellect, and to him it made no sense to ascribe authority to a system appearing so abstract. A path needed to be carved which was to get the Church to have a hand in the struggle to supersede the Neo-Classical Capitalism with a more equitable and Bible-focused social-economic order. Theology is not a reflection on truth, or a philosophy, but more simply is a way to live. This is what Gutierrez refers to as 'praxis.' This lead him to redefine theology as a reflection on 'praxis' in light of the Word of God: to be committed to the poor in real situation, and to identify with them and take action on thei

The use of violence is probably one of the most controversial aspects of Liberation Theology. Liberation theologians believe that those who are oppressed can, and do sin, by bowing down to their bondage. To live passively with oppression rather than resisting it and attempting to overthrow it, by violence if necessary, is sinful (again, the Marxian influence). Thus, violence used for resisting oppression is not considered sinful. A particular action such as killing may be regarded as sinful if an oppressor commits it. However, viewed in the light of being committed by the oppressed in the struggle to remove inequities, such action would not be viewed as being sinful. So Marxism has its influence because Liberation Theology is anti-authoritarian, anti imperialist, has a preferential opinion for the poor, and stands against laissez-faire capitalism and oppression. However, it should be noted that Marxism was atheistic and had an anti-Christian ideology, which stood for violence to achieve goals. This is in conflict with the spiritual and prophetic ideals that have identified the liberation movements.

However, it is also prudent to realize that Gutierrez is not strictly referring to Christians. Liberation is not just religious liberation. He refers to a God not restricted to a strictly religious realm, but to a God that is at the core of society, even a secular society. There is only one human history, and it is the same for both those who believe and those who do not. It is important, therefore, that the church extends beyond a solely religious domain and instead must join together with the rest of society in a collective effort that fights against secular social structures of political and economic inequity.

Marxist 'class analysis' is also used to examine the social-political-economic class structure of the oppressing society. This is possible in the context of liberation theology because oppression is not claimed to be simply confined to a religious and spiritual realm, but it also is applied to political, social, and economic domains. The Church can use this type of analysis without becoming "Marxists" or "Communists" because she is merely using philosophical ideas for religious purposes in an attempt to clarify context, and to suggest possible solutions. Through this class analysis, the Church suggests two courses of action that are believed to lessen or eradicate the problems of poverty and to obtain a social order of Biblical justice (class notes).

The first course of action rests in land reform, through which those who own large amounts of land would be required to give up some of their vast amounts of land, which they may have obtained from smaller farmers through unlawful or unethical means. The large landowner, however, is not merely expected to 'give up' his land without compensation. Through participating in the land reform, this landowner would be fairly compensated for th

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Approximate Word count = 1978
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)