The War of the Gods traces the intimate relationship between religion, politics and social issues in Latin America over the last three decades as Liberation Theology has re-interpreted the vocation of the Catholic Church and as Protestantism has made inroads on traditional Catholic strongholds.

In the 1960s Liberation Theology addressed itself to the problems of a continent racked by poverty and oppression. Comprising a network of localized communities and pastoral organizations, it soon became something much more than a doctrinal current. Liberationist Christianity defined itself in a multitude of social struggles, particularly in Brazil and Central America. Many of the most momentous events in the continent's recent history … the Nicaraguan revolution, the development of the PT (Workers' Party) in Brazil, the tortuous ascent of President Aristide in Haiti and the uprising in Chiapas … have borne witness to the influence of a distinctive Liberationist Christianity. Michael Löwy proposes a new interpretation of Liberation Theology and of the rival religious projects in Latin America.

Michael Löwy is Research Director of Sociology at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris. His previous books include Redemption and Utopia: Liberation Judaism in Central Europe and Marxism in Latin America. His Fire Alarm: Reading Walter Benjamin’s ‘On the Concept of History’ is also published by Verso.