Books on religious socialism could fill several bookshelves, and as you explore the subject, you’ll find them. What follows is an extremely brief introduction to works that have been written by DSA members or have been very important to our movement. This is a list in formation, a starting place, not a definitive canon.

To begin to understand  the relationship of religion and socialism in the United States, a nominally “Christian” country, check out the latest edition of Christian Socialism, by RS founder John Cort with a new introduction by DSAer Gary Dorrien.

And then read DSAer Fran Quigley’s Religious Socialism: Faith in Action for a Better World, which reflects the multifaith reality of the United States today.

For a sense of some of the debates that go back to the founding of RS, look at The Black Church and Marxism: What Do They Have to Say to Each Other? by James Cone, with commentary by Michael Harrington.

Dorothee Soelle, a German theologian who participated in RS during the times she taught in the United States, took part in Christian-Marxist dialogues and wrote several books on liberation theology.

Early RS contributor Rosemary Radford Ruether wrote Sexism and God Talk: Toward a Feminist Theology, which asked a key question: “Can a male savior save women?” Our neighbors to the south developed a theology grounded both in the Bible and, in many cases, Marxist theory, to speak to the injustices they saw around them. This is a very brief sample of their work as well as that of James Cone and Howard Thurman.

  • A Theology of Liberation
    by Gustavo Gutiérrez (1971)

    The seminal work that defined the movement, centering on God’s preference for the poor and the church’s duty to act against poverty.

    • Liberation Theology
  • Jesus Christ Liberator: A Critical Christology for our Time
    by Leonardo Boff (1972)

    Examines Jesus as a historical and political liberator, challenging traditional, disengaged depictions.

    • Jesus
    • Christianity
  • Jesus the Liberator
    by Jon Sobrino (1991)

    A Christological focus on the “crucified people” of Latin America, emphasizing a historical reading of Jesus.

    • Jesus
    • Christianity
  • A Black Theology of Liberation
    by James H. Cone (1970)

    Applies liberation theology to the Black experience in the US, arguing that theology must be liberating for the oppressed.

    • Black Liberation
  • The Cross and the Lynching Tree
    by James H. Cone (2011)

    A later, crucial work connecting the crucifixion of Jesus to the black experience of racial terror.

    • Black Liberation
    • Racism
  • Jesus and the Disinherited
    by Howard Thurman (1949)

    While pre-dating the movement, it is a foundational text looking at Jesus as a poor, marginalized figure. 

    • Black Liberation

Other Lists