James Cone: Father of Black Theology - Christian Biographies
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- čas přidán 14. 07. 2024
- James Cone is often referred to as the father of Black Theology. Within his lifetime of work, the idea of Black Theology blossomed into what it is today. In this video, we look at the life of Cone and discuss what he means by Black Theology and three criticism that he has faced throughout his life.
Early Life: 0:46
College: 1:15
Black Theology and Black Power: 2:40
Academia and Writings: 4:42
What About Reconciliation: 7:14
What About Inclusiveness: 8:30
What About White Christians: 10:30
Legacy of James Cone: 11:46
James Cone was born into a segregated community in 1938. Raised by strong and proud parents, Cone grew up able to embrace his true self and began his journey of faith within the AME Church. Cone went into higher education, receiving a Bachelor of Divinity, a Master of Philosophy, and a Doctor of Philosophy. Although he would dabble with preaching, he would find his real purpose as a professor. His first major work after graduating was a book titled “Black Theology and Black Power.” This book is Cone’s most well-known book, and it is the foundation for the study of Black Theology.
Black Theology and Black Power are set within the civil rights and black power movement of the ’60s. Cone did not coin the phrase Black Theology, but he took it and expanded it into a hermeneutical lens to approach God. The goal for Cone in writing this book was to bring to light the contradictory nature of White Christianity and point out how theology was only understood within the context of the suffering Blacks were enduring. This book has some harsh language looking back on it, but this book must be understood in the context it was written in and what Blacks were enduring at that time.
Cone continued on in his work at Union Theological Seminary, which he would teach for over 50 years. He wrote many important books on Black theology, but he also helped shape the minds of thousands of students throughout his teaching career. But there are three criticism that I think help shape the evolution of Cone’s mindset of Black Theology.
What About Reconciliation? Cone is most often criticized for his seeming lack of reconciliation in his works, most notably his book Black Theology and Black Power. But Cone slowly embraced reconciliation as time went on, and certain issues could be discussed. Cone’s big reason for his seeming lack of reconciliation in his early career was that non-whites weren’t even treated as equal. How would reconciliation work if whites didn’t see blacks as equal? But as this barrier started to drop, Cone was able to write and teach about appropriate reconciliation.
What About Inclusiveness? It is plain to see that in the early years of Cone’s work, his main focus was on the empowerment of black males. Some criticize Cone for this because he often assumed that black males had it worst and believed that if things were to get better, it would have to start within that group. But Cone did not stay with this mindset for his entire life. By the end of his life, he would recognize that Black theology found its home situated within Liberation Theology. In this way, the struggle he speaks of is something all minorities can tap into. Because of that, the criticism of inclusiveness fell away as the years went on.
What About White Christians? If you’ve made it this far, you likely understand that Cone was not attempting to attack white people, but rather the harmful theology that had been built to attack Blacks. Cone could be described as hostile in his early years, but it was because he had endured so much from harmful white theology. Over the years, Cone opened his arms to all races and ethnicities but still held that whites must acknowledge that to truly know God, you must understand suffering, and it is through Blacks suffering that whites could come to know God on a deeper level. But Cone does not hate you because you are white, and as he said many times in his speeches, Cone considers Christians of all races and ethnicities as brothers and sisters in Christ.
So what is the Legacy Cone leaves? Cone laid the foundation for Black Theology and helped introduce this way of thinking to the masses. Liberation Theology would not be the same if Cone did not speak up about the need for this thinking. Both spiritual and secular thought owe a lot to Cone, and whether through his books or his teachings, Cone has reached millions of people to spread the word of Black Theology.
Resources:
utsnyc.edu/faculty/james-h-cone/
amzn.to/3i3jcdG (James Cone Books on Amazon)
bit.ly/3nATYEK (Lecture on The Cross and the Lynching Tree)
"The Journey of Modern Theology" Roger Olson: pages 515-524
bit.ly/3nG0ryx (James Cone: A Black Theologian's Reflection-by N'Kosi Oates)
amzn.to/3nxg9f9 (Direct link to "Black Theology and Black Power")
I'm a 35 y/o mixed race man (black & white) and I've just learned about James Cone today. Thanks for making this video. I'm fairly uneducated (traditionaly) but I've recently become interested in theology and am considering going to school to study the subject. Based on your video, James Cone seems to be someone I would very much like to learn more from and possibly continue the work he was doing.
I’m glad to hear this video helped introduce you to Cone! Nowadays with the virus, and the access to online resources there are a LOT of theological schools that offer cheap online classes you can take, even if you don’t want to go there full time. I would suggest you start there and see if that’s something you’d like and find interesting. In the resources below the video I have linked some of Cones most influential writings so if you would like to dive into his work check out some of those links in the description. I’m glad to hear you’re interested in theology and I wish you the best with your future plans! God bless!
Be careful my friend and keep your eyes open. This is cultural....Christ over culture
That's my grandpa
What's in black heaven?
How did black a god create light if he's black?
I respect Cone's Theology. But were Cone failed in his theological assessment regarding how the Bible relates to Black folk is this: HE DID NOT IDENTIFY BLACK FOLK AS BEING THE ACTUAL SUBJECT OF THE BIBLE! Yes, he said that we identify more with the oppression and the struggle the Bible depicts; but what he didn't say is WE ARE THE PEOPLE!!
Main case in point: "the curses of Deuteronomy 28." How did he miss this???
Deuteronomy 28:48-49: "Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and HE SHALL PUT A YOKE OF IRON UPON THY NECK, until he have destroyed thee."
"The LORD shall bring a NATION against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as SWIFT AS THE EAGLE FLIETH (America's symbol is the Eagle); a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;"
"A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:"
Deuteronomy 28:68: "And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again WITH SHIPS (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be SOLD UNTO YOUR ENEMIES FOR BONDMEN AND BONDWOMEN, and no man shall buy you."
Go ahead and stretch the interpretation of these passages as much as you can; do whatever intellectual gymnastics you feel. The experiences stated in these passages only belong to "black folk!" And if anyone is honest, ALL THE CURSES in this chapter belong to no one but BLACK FOLK!
The Bible is "Black History!" The Europeans in Palestine right now, i.e. "The Promise Land" ARE NOT THE SUBJECT OF THE BOOK BECAUSE THEY ARE "EUROPEANS," NOT JEWS!! And the Ashkenazi Jew would not indeed identify himself as being "Hebrew" because they know they are not Hebrew! They descend from Japheth's bloodline, not Shem!
Genesis 10:3: "And the sons of Gomer; ASHKENAZ, and Riphath, and Togarmah."
Would this just divide the church even further and nullify Christ’s work? Christianity has long been a religion for all men. Christ will be the one to conquer the oppressors and free the oppressed. Listen to Voddie Baucham’s speech on race being a social construct. Liberal theology stands in direct opposition to the gospel.
As an American who happens to be black and a redeemed rescued ransomed and grace called minister of The True Life Transforming Gospel of Jesus The Messiah/Christ - NOT LIBERATION THEOLOGY NOT SOCIAL GOSPEL BOTH ARE AS PAUL WRITES “Another gospel” NOT BIBLICAL NOR CHRISTIAN BUT AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT gospel