In his own definition and defense of liberation theology, he focuses only on one specific text and set of arguments against the ideology; by discounting Ratzinger's "Instruction" as a fundamental misinterpretation of the theology and its origins and relationship to Catholic doctrine and dogma, Segundo precludes the notion of engaging in a meaningful debate with the Church or its officers regarding the theology of liberation. That is, rather than acknowledging that there might indeed be discrepancies between contemporary Church doctrine and the beliefs held by liberation theologists, Segundo effectively dismisses Ratzinger's "Instruction" as inherently wrong. He is careful to lay out his reasons for this assertion, to be sure, including a reexamination of certain texts and passages, but the result is a dismissal rather than a debate.
This could very well be Segundo's intention with the book, of course, as liberation theology essentially presumes its own obviousness in a proper reading of the Bible and Church doctrine. The force of social justice rather than social peace that Jesus represents according to many passages in the Bible are cited as reasons to establish more firmly the theology of liberation. By not even entertaining the though of a different "truth" to be derived form these passages, Segundo is perhaps not being disingenuous, but simply strict and undemocratic in his reading -- which is indeed a hallmark of rigorous theology, perhaps especially in the Catholic Church. Though his reasoning and argument are somewhat weakened by this tactic, then, the strength of his argument in a theological rather than a political context (in the former of which Segundo's argument must, ultimately, necessarily be understood) is actually increased by his supreme allegiance to his own interpretation.
Segundo's argument is strengthened further still by his historical analysis of hermeneutic interpretation. Establishing that human context is decidedly not the same, Segundo contends that modern theology must take into account the vastly different peoples and histories that the church...
Despite the universality of Church doctrine, he seems to argue, there will not be a universally accepted ranking of priorities or of the context in which Church doctrine is to be interpreted. Again, Segundo makes explicit reference to Ratzinger's "Instruction" in developing this argument, point out flaws in its interpretation of liberation theology precepts and pointing out Biblical passages for references of the true ideals of the theology.
The argument Segundo develops between the liberation theology stance and Ratzinger's is, after all, an essentially theological one, and the question of the meaning of sin in the redemption found in Jesus' sacrifice is central to the fundamental beliefs and understandings underlying liberation theology. Segundo claims, essentially, that the concept of sin must be rooted in the context of social conditioning in which the acts of condemnation and redemption are carried out, making liberation theology a natural component of the Catholic Church in Latin America. As a system of social oppression and racism has been at work in the hemisphere for the several centuries, it is impossible to remove the concept of sin from the concept of social injustice; liberation theology stresses that people must be redeemed form social tyranny as one aspect of being redeemed from sin. Though this is an oversimplification of Segundo's argument, it nonetheless represents the central point of his text and his argument against Cardinal Ratzinger.
The man who is now Pope was at a distinct disadvantage to Segundo when it comes to the arguments discussed in this book. Of course, a large part of this disadvantage likely stems less from his misinterpretation of the theology of liberation and its doctrinal derivations, and more from a hesitancy to become embroiled in what appears to be a largely political rather than theological issue. Segundo makes it clear, however, that at least in his part of the world the two are entirely inseparable. Only when people are liberate will their theology begin to have true meaning.
