James H. Cone

First published in 1969, "Black Theology & Black Power" provided the first systematic presentation of black theology. Relating the militant struggle for liberation with the gospel message of salvation, James Cone laid the foundation for an original interpretation of Christianity that retains its urgency and challenge today.

Black Theology and Black Power

Ryan Nylander

This isn't a book that concerns itself much with what whites think about it, so in a very literal sense my thoughts as a white guy are pretty inconsequential. That said, if you are a Christian, and especially if you are a white Christian, you should read Black Theology.

Like most American students, the primary civil rights leader I was introduced to growing up was Martin Luther King Jr. White church leaders and school history curricula prefer to fixate on his policy of nonviolence, while glazing over the fact that he also coined the phrase, "A riot is the language of the unheard." King embraced nonviolence as a tactic of protest, but he notably stopped short of condemning Black revolutionaries.

In Black Theology, Cone further defends revolutionary violence, pointing out that there is a pre-existing condition of violence implicit in American systemic racism. He locates a theological justification for Black Power in the Gospel, arguing that Christ, himself a Black man, stood for the liberation of all oppressed people.

For Cone, there is no contradiction between Christ's teachings of love and forgiveness, and the ongoing struggle of Black people in America to break the chains of racist oppression by any means necessary. As Christians, we all must ask ourselves, how can we claim to love Black people while we allow systemic racism to persist? This question sadly remains more important than ever today.

(Note that Cone expresses solidarity with Muslim and secular Black Power advocates, and takes care to explain that Christian faith is in no way a prerequisite to being anti-racist; his aim, as a preacher, is rather to argue that all Christians should fight for Black Power.)

Black Theology and Black Power

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