Liberation theology sought freedom from oppression

Liberation theology addresses systemic issues such as class conflict, racism, and sexism. It arose in Africa, to reject colonialism and apartheid, and in Latin America, to reject political, military, and economic oppression. In Latin America it has played a role in church and state conflicts. In 1973, the English translation of Gustavo Gutierrez's A Theology for Liberation helped spread liberation theology to North America, where it has been taken up by some African-American and feminist theologians. Major themes in liberation theology include: God's favoring of the poor and the oppressed; Jesus' identification with the poor; the imperative for Christians to act with and for the poor; biblical mandates for justice; necessity of confrontation or conflict to bring about justice.