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We Drink from Our Own Wells: The Spiritual Journey of a People

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Gutierrez has written about "liberation theology" in layman's language. Not only is the book informative, it is a guide to personal spirituality.

After completing the book, I find it difficult to understand why "liberation theology" has been such a controversial topic within the political and church establishments for the past 30 years. Why had a US government study claimed "liberation theology" a greater threat to Latin America than communism? And why had the authorities in Rome silenced both Gutierrez and Boff for their positions on liberation theology?

We Drink from Our Own Wells is formated into three sections. The first section contains two chapters that define "new" spirituality as practiced among the poor in Latin America.

The second section is comprised of three chapters that focus on scripture; particularly the gospels of the evangelists and the epistles of Paul. Much attention is given to the social gospel of Christ. The concepts of flesh, spirit, and body are extensively discussed, as are the terms "discipleship" and "community".

The five chapters in the final section are summarized in Henri Nouwen's superbly written Forward: "...filled with deeply moving texts written by Christian men and women who have experienced persecution and suffering but have been witnesses to the living and hope-giving God in the midst of their sufferings."

The 202 pages include 33 pages of notes, 4 pages of scripture references (over 200 entries), a 15 page Forward written by Henri Nouwen, and a 5 page Preface by Gutierrez for the 20th Anniversay Edition.

The English language version of WE DRINK FROM OUR OWN WELLS is now over twenty years old. When it was first released, it did cause quite a bit of stir. Some read it simply because it was by Peruvian priest and theologian Gustavo Gutierrez. This was the time that Gutierrez and other Liberation Theologians were facing investigation by the Vatican. Some, like Leonardo Boff were silenced. Gutierrez' writings were not condemned on the whole, but there were questions regarding some of the particulars of his theological approach. The criticism was based on the seemingly sympathetic stance toward Marxism of some Liberation theologians. At the time Ronald Reagan was in the White House, Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of England, the Nuclear Arms race as escalating and it had been only three years since Archbishop Romero and the woman missionaries in El Salvador had been killed for being viewed as religious radicals. Today theologians like Gutierrez are seen as invigorating theology and reminding us of the Gospel's call to serve the poor, birth not that radical, but in the 1980's, this was controversial and many read it for the controversy alone. Others read it out of admiration for Gutierrez' earlier work A THEOLOGY OF LIBERATION. My guess is that whatever the reason, this book, like so many powerful works of faith, touched and hopefully changed the reader.

It seems that Gutierrez' purpose for writing this work is twofold. First, it is a defense of his principals of Liberation theology. Critics claimed Gutierrez' writings were Communism with a Christian slant. Gutierrez never refuted the charge of having Communistic leanings which would have taken away from what he was trying to accomplish. Instead he kept defending the rights of the poor and the call of Christ to serve the most vulnerable and stayed away from a debate which would have just been political. The result is this book. WE DRINK FROM OUR OWN WELLS presents a spiritual basis for Liberation Theology demonstrating that his beliefs are not based on anything other than the message of Jesus Christ. Gutierrez does what few theologians do, or at least do well. He not only presents the theology, he also presents the practical spiritual basis too.

While the book may be an attempt to connect the theories of Liberation Theology and spiritual practice, most readers of WE DRINK FROM OUR OWN WELLS probably discovered what makes the book so powerful. In an age when there is almost a disconnect between a person's spiritual life and all other aspects of life, Gutierrez reminds us that not only that we cannot hear the words of scripture and not be concerned for the poor and oppressed, but that our care and concern for others ought to lead us to prayer and God and our prayer ought to lead u to concern for others. He also reminds us of the importance of a communal aspect of the faith, highlighting for Catholics the centrality of the Eucharist. Gutierrez offers a lived rather than theoretical spirituality that can bring about change. It's also a challenging book for most Western readers and an empowering book for the poor and oppressed. Readers cannot help but see that the poor and marginalized have far more to offer us as far as knowing God is concerned than those of us who may be privileged have to offer them.

This book applies to everybody who is looking to stregthen his or her spirtuality. It looks at the Latin American version of Christianity which is a good reminder that there are more types of spirtualities than the American ones. It a good read, well written and it draws well on the scripture.

Although laying the foundation of a new theology probably requires extensive point by point references and carrying each thought to its logical conclusion it does make for an agonizingly slow read for the "average Joe" to figure out where this book is going.

Finally in the latter stages of the book, comparisons are made such as the exodus of the Jews and their 40 year desert wandering, and St. John of the Cross's "Dark Night of the Soul are parallel to the present solitude and trials the poor of Latin America are presently undergoing. The privileged classes of societies must actually become committed to the poor, to the point of acting with solidarity with them and following the same path. Instead the laws of many countries in Latin America have the purpose of isolating and disenfranchising the poor, to the point where this majority class of people is only acknowledged in harvest season.
The early chapters are very slow as the author lays the theological groundwork for this new theology. The author has produced a credible work, his bio shows he is well accredited and authored of a least five books all based on liberation theology. One problem with the Theology is that it is so centered on Latin America instead of a more universal appeal. The books strong point are its reference to biblical parables and writings, without a deeper understanding of what Latin America society is undergoing it was difficult to see where this text was taking the reader.

the foreword by Henri Nouwen (13 pages long) is worth the price of this wonderful book.