From ancient times the Gospel of Matthew has been regarded as the "church Gospel" its aims are preeminently catechetical, pastoral, and missionary. But recent research raises many questionsregarding Matthew's creation, theological intentions, and shapingfor the circle of its first recipients.This highly original commentary by Rudolf Schnackenburgfollows Matthew chapter by chapter and verse by verse, carefullyexplaining and interpreting the text against both its primitive andcurrent horizons. Schnackenburg sees Matthew's purpose as simply"the proclamation of Christian salvation." His...

In this book Clodovis Boff rigorously and passionately erects the methodological scaffolding that is necessary to construct a true theology of the political, a true theology of liberation. Much of the book is devoted to clarifying and articulating the boundaries of the relationships among theology, the political, the social sciences, hermeneutics, and praxis. As an element of that constructive work, Boff carefully points out the past and present theoretical shortcomings of political theology and the theology of liberation. Thus the book fills a methodological void that has hampered the full...

This landmark work constitutes a complete historical, sociological, and political view of religion as a cultural expression in Latin America. Parker shows how, beginning with the arrival of the conquistadors, religion has played a transcendent role in shaping the national cultures of the region, particularly its popular cultures, and continues to do so. Parker argues that while capitalistic modernization and urbanization do lead to secularization, this process is not linear or progressive. Secularization in Latin America does not destroy its religious fabric but rather transforms it,...