Wealth, Poverty and Justice

Wealth, Poverty and Justice

The ethical questions surrounding wealth, poverty, and economic justice are among the most pressing in contemporary ethics and theology. In a world where the richest 1% own more wealth than the bottom 50% combined, the distribution of resources raises profound questions about justice, fairness, and moral responsibility. This lesson examines the major philosophical and theological approaches to wealth and poverty, including liberation theology, the prosperity gospel, natural law and usury, Rawlsian justice, and the concept of the preferential option for the poor.

Liberation Theology

Liberation theology is a movement in Christian theology — originating in Latin America in the 1960s and 1970s — that interprets the Christian faith through the lens of the poor and oppressed. It holds that God has a special concern for the poor and that the Church has a duty to work actively for social, economic, and political justice.