Key Terms

Alienation

Estranging people from what they are meant to be; making a person give up their proper place in society.

Dehumanised

Removing basic humanity or basic human rights from a person.

Exploitation

Being used as a means to an end for the purpose of someone else.

Capitalism

The idea that societies do best when operating in a free market with competition and with profit as the central motivation.

Communism

The idea that a harmonious society is based on the free sharing of all goods and ideas.

Bourgeoisie

The capital class who own and control the wealth.

Proletariat

The working class who gain a living by selling their labour power to the bourgeoisie.

Liberation Theology

A movement in Christian theology, mainly by Latin American Roman Catholics, addressing problems of poverty and social injustice as well as spiritual matters.

Jesus the Liberator

The belief that Jesus was a person who liberates people from imprisonment or oppression.

Praxis

Practice rather than theory; referred to as 'action'.

Orthodoxy

Authorized or generally accepted theory, doctrine, or practice.

Orthopraxy

The study of religion concerning correct conduct; how a person conducts themselves and acts upon their faith and belief.

Contextual Theology

A type of theology where theologians reflect on a specific situation in light of experience, e.g., Liberation theologians focus on the situation of the poor and their experience.