Summary4 min read

Conspirituality – Bonus Sample: US vs Liberation Theology (Part 2)

Hosts: Matthew Remski (A), Derek Beres, Julian Walker
Date: November 3, 2025
Summary by section and timestamps

Episode Overview

In this Patreon bonus episode, Matthew Remski continues his deep dive into the intersections of U.S. foreign policy, evangelical Christianity, and liberation theology, particularly focusing on how U.S.-engineered religious movements have influenced both Latin America and contemporary American politics. Building on Part 1, Remski examines the “evangelical boomerang”—the cycle where U.S. religious and political manipulation abroad returns to reshape American society, ultimately empowering authoritarian and capitalist interests. He contrasts this with liberation theology’s challenge to empire and hints at recent Catholic responses to social injustice in the U.S.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The "Evangelical Boomerang" and U.S. Strategy

[00:03–01:32]

Definition: Remski coins the term "evangelical boomerang," describing a process where U.S. Cold War efforts exported evangelical Christianity to Latin America as a counterweight to leftist, community-focused Catholic liberation theology. This individualized, prosperity-focused Christianity was later re-imported back into the U.S., shaping current right-wing religious and political movements.
Main Example: Jair Bolsonaro’s public baptism in the Jordan River by a Brazilian evangelical leader symbolizes the decades-long U.S. influence on Latin American spirituality and politics, rooted in anti-communist, anti-liberation theology agendas.
Conspirituality Connection: The hosts connect these religious movements to the podcast’s core theme—the merging of conspiracy culture (‘conspirituality’) and hierarchical, authoritarian religious influence.

"Evangelicalism’s focus on individual sin, salvation and prosperity happens to be perfect for capitalist and imperialist impulses. It directs faith away from collective struggle and towards personal obedience and discipline and seeking dignity through accumulating wealth."
— Matthew Remski [01:05]

2. U.S. Soft Power and “Individualized, Depoliticized Christianity”

[01:32–02:18]

Engineered Religions: Remski argues that U.S. state actors expanded evangelical Christianity in Latin America not as an organic movement but as a form of “soft power” to fight communism and maintain economic control.
Modern Example: By 2030, half of U.S. citizens from Latin American backgrounds may be evangelical; in 2024, about two-thirds of Latin American Protestants in the U.S. voted for Trump—a sign of the boomerang’s impact.

"US exported through its state apparatus, an individualized, depoliticized Christianity that eventually came roaring back home, fueling Trump’s fusion of self-help religion, capitalist piety and fascist myth."
— Matthew Remski [01:35]

3. The “Reverse Boomerang” and Liberation Theology’s Resurgence

[02:19–02:54]

Papal Response: Remski references Pope Leo XIV, shaped by experiences in Peru, who has released a new document calling for solidarity with the poor—seen as a theological strike back against right-wing religious manipulation in the U.S.
Liberation Theology’s Core: Liberation theology, as developed by figures like Gustavo Gutierrez (author of A Theology of Liberation, 1971) and influenced by Camilo Torres Restrepo, views poverty as a political issue, not a divine mandate.
Praxis Over Rhetoric: Gutierrez advocates for a practical, honest “seeing, judging and acting,” unapologetically highlighting structural violence.

"For [Gutierrez], describing the violence of liberation wasn’t an endorsement of it—it was just honesty about history’s terms. But honesty terrified the powerful."
— Matthew Remski [03:03]

4. U.S. and Vatican Opposition to Liberation Theology

[02:55–03:37]

Backlash: In the 1980s, both the Vatican (via Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI) and the CIA condemned liberation theology, labeling it as dangerous, Marxist, and inciting violence.
Core Threat: The threat of liberation theology to empire is not military, but its belief in “taking the poor seriously.”

"A theology that took the poor seriously was more dangerous to empire than any army."
— Matthew Remski [03:31]

5. Preview of Episode Continuation

[03:38–04:21]

Remski signals the next segment will examine “following the money”—tracking financial and political flows between U.S. evangelical groups, Latin American politics, and back.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

"Evangelicalism’s focus on individual sin, salvation and prosperity happens to be perfect for capitalist and imperialist impulses." — Matthew Remski [01:05]
"US exported through its state apparatus, an individualized, depoliticized Christianity that ... came roaring back home, fueling Trump’s fusion of self help religion, capitalist piety and fascist myth." — Matthew Remski [01:35]
"For [Gutierrez], describing the violence of liberation wasn’t an endorsement of it—it was just honesty about history’s terms. But honesty terrified the powerful." — Matthew Remski [03:03]
"A theology that took the poor seriously was more dangerous to empire than any army." — Matthew Remski [03:31]

Timestamps for Important Segments

00:03 — Introduction; recap of Part 1 and the “evangelical boomerang”
01:05 — Analysis of evangelism and capitalist/imperialist compatibility
01:35 — Discussion of U.S. exporting religion and the Trump-era fusion
02:19 — Mention of Pope Leo XIV and “reverse boomerang”
03:03 — Gutierrez’s “honesty” about violence as essential for liberation
03:31 — The conceptual threat of liberation theology
03:38 — Teaser for the financial angle to come in full episode

Tone and Style

Remski’s delivery is clear, analytical, and urgent, blending historical research, current data, and philosophical critique. He uses memorable phrasing (“evangelical boomerang,” “capitalist piety,” “dangerous to empire”) to underscore the stakes of his arguments.

Conclusion

This episode snippet sets the stage for an in-depth exploration of how spiritual movements are shaped by geopolitical interests and wielded as tools of power. Remski highlights the ongoing tug-of-war between hierarchical, individualized religion and the radical, collective vision of liberation theology. The coming segments promise a deeper investigation into the financial entanglements underpinning these movements.

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Transcript3 lines

[00:03]
A
Hello everybody. This Patreon episode is called US vs Liberation Theology Part 2. Part 1 dropped on Saturday on the main feed. I'm Matthew Remsky. This is Conspirituality, where we investigate the intersections of conspiracy theories and spiritual influence to uncover cults, pseudoscience and authoritarian extremism. You can follow me, Derek and Julian on bluesky. The podcast is on Instagram and threads under its own handle. And please support our Patreon. If you're not listening to this on Patreon, thank you so much. If you are, you can also find me on YouTube and TikTok. NTIFascistDad so in episode one of this two parter, I coined the term evangelical boomerang, which is a loop of spiritual and political manipulation that starts with U.S. cold War strategy and then comes home in the age of Trump. My springboard example was Jair Bolsonaro's rise in Brazil and his Jordan river baptism by Brazil's evangelical leader. That moment isn't just political theater. It encapsulates decades of US soft power in Latin America, where the CIA literally helped expand evangelical Christianity as a counterweight to Catholic liberation theology. Evangelicalism's focus on individual sin, salvation and prosperity happens to be perfect for capitalist and imperialist impulses. It directs faith away from collective struggle and towards personal obedience and discipline and seeking dignity through accumulating wealth. Now, I proposed that this was a conspirituality story because it reveals how religious and spiritual movements get engineered to serve authoritarian power. We've already shown how wellness influencers and maga mystics blend conspiracy theories with spirituality to sanctify hierarchy. Here I'm tracking how the US exported through its state apparatus, an individualized, depoliticized Christianity that eventually came roaring back home, fueling Trump's fusion of self help religion, capitalist piety and fascist myth. Now the boomerang looms in the Data because by 2030 half of US Latin American folks may be evangelical, and in 2024, about 2/3 of Latin American Protestants in the states voted for Trump. Yet I also mentioned the notion of the reverse boomerang, where Pope Leo xiv, shaped by his years in Peru, has just released an exhortation on loving the poor, which draws directly on liberation, the call for solidarity amidst Trump's wars and anti immigrant fury. So I'll be focusing on that today later in the show. And I also gave in episode one a little introduction to Gustavo Gutierrez, his seminal work A Theology of liberation from 71, which is a text that insists poverty is political, it's not divine destiny. I mentioned that he was influenced by Camilo Torres Restrepo, the Marxist priest turned revolutionary. But Gutierrez reimagined theology as a patient praxis of seeing, judging, and acting. For him, describing the violence of liberation wasn't an endorsement of it it was just honesty about history's terms. But honesty terrified the powerful, because in 1984 Joseph Ratzinger, later Benedict XVI, condemned liberation theology for Marxist corruption and blind violence, and two years later the CIA echoed him, warning that liberation theology's demand for justice threatened U.S. interests. In other words, a theology that took the poor seriously was more dangerous to empire than any army. I'll open Part two by following some money.
[04:22]
B
You've been listening to a Conspirituality Bonus episode sample. To continue listening, please head over to patreon.com conspirituality where you can access all of our main feed episodes ad free, as well as four years of bonus content that we've been producing. You can also subscribe to our bonus episodes via Apple subscriptions. As independent media creators, we really appreciate your support.
[04:59]
C
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