James Cone

Liberation Theology Menu
History of Liberation Theology \|	Óscar Romero \|	Gustavo Gutiérrez \|	James Cone \|

Liberation Theology

James Cone

"Our church is an impostor, because we no longer believe the gospel we proclaim. There is a credibility gap between what we say and what we do. While we may preach sermons that affirm the church's interests in the poor and the downtrodden, what we actually do shows that we are committed to the "American way of life," in which the rich are given privileged positions of power in shaping the life and activity of the church, and the poor are virtually ignored. As a rule, the church's behavior toward the poor is very similar to the society at large: The poor are charity cases...It is appalling to see some black churches adopting this condescending attitude toward the victims, because these churches were created in order to fight against slavery and injustice. For many slaves, the Black Church was God's visible instruments for freedom and justice. Therefore, to have contemporary middle-class black Christians treating the poor as second-class members of the church is a disgrace not only to the scripture but also to our black religious heritage."

Cone is telling us that injustice itself is violence, and that we can’t get rid of violence unless we transform the social structure that creates violence. He urges us to learn how to “unpack tricky language” and take on pulling the wool off so that the world can see violence as it is.

"being black in America has very little to do with skin color. To be black means that your heart, your soul, your mind, and your body are where the dispossessed are...[It] does not mean that one's skin is physically black.1"

Books
Black Theology and Black Power (1969, ISBN 1-57075-157-9)
A Black Theology of Liberation (1970, ISBN 0-88344-685-5)
The Spirituals and the Blues: An Interpretation (1972 ISBN 0-8164-2073-4)
God of the Oppressed (1975, ISBN 1-57075-158-7)
For My People: Black Theology and the Black Church (Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going?) (1984, ISBN 0-88344-106-3)
Martin & Malcolm & America: A Dream or a Nightmare? (1992, ISBN 0-88344-824-6)
Speaking the Truth: Ecumenism, Liberation, and Black Theology (1999, ISBN 1-57075-241-9)
Risks of Faith: The Emergence of a Black Theology of Liberation, 1968-1998 (1999, ISBN 0-8070-0950-4)
Free Preview

Amazon.com Widgets

We do not make rational liberty, we find it. We do not create it. We allow it.--- response to Erik Weil. Eric Weil, ‘‘What is a Breakthrough in History?’’ Daedalus, Spring 1975;, pp. 21-36;.

1. James Cone, Black Theology and Black Power (Seabury Press, 1969), p. 151.

(SWB humor page)

Click Here
Link | Link | Link | Link | Link

free counter

Free Counters

Free TrackersHelp