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The message of black theology is that the African American struggle for liberation is consistent with the gospel--every theological statement must be consistent with, and perpetuate, the goals of liberation. This theology maintains that African Americans must be liberated from multiple forms of bondage--social, political, economic and religious. This liberation involves empowerment and seeks the right of self-definition, self-affirmation and self-determination.

Development

The modern American origins of contemporary black liberation theology can be traced to July 31, 1966, when an ad hoc group of 51 black pastors, calling themselves the National Committee of Negro Churchmen (NCNC), bought a full page ad in the New York Times to publish their "Black Power Statement," which proposed a more aggressive approach to combating racism using the Bible for inspiration.

James Cone and Dwight Hopkins are considered the leading theologians of this system of belief, although now there are many scholars who have contributed a great deal to the field. It was Cone who in 1969 published the seminal work that systemized black liberation theology, Black Theology and Black Power (1969). In the book, Cone asserted that not only was black power not alien to the Gospel, it was, in fact, the Gospel message for all of 20th century America.

James Cone and Black Theology

Liberation theology as it has expressed itself in the African-American community seeks to find a way to make the gospel relevant to black people who must struggle daily under the burden of white oppression.

James Cone defines the theology as thus:
"Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community ... Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love."

Black theology deals primarily with the African-American community, and attempts to find a way to make Christianity real for blacks, otherwise they will reject it. Black Theology tries to explain Christianity in a matter of the here and now, versus the afterlife model.

The goal of black theology is not for special treatment. Instead, "All Black theologians are asking for is for freedom and justice. No more, and no less. In asking for this, the Black theologians, turn to scripture as the sanction for their demand. The Psalmist writes for instance, 'If God is going to see righteousness established in the land, he himself must be particularly active as 'the helper of the fatherless' to 'deliver the needy when he crieth; and the poor that hath no helper.'"

On God and Jesus Christ

Cone based much of his liberationist theology on God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt. For Cone, the theme of Yahweh’s concern was for “the lack of social, economic, and political justice for those who are poor and unwanted in society.” Cone also says that the same God is working for the oppressed blacks of the 20th century, and that “God is helping oppressed blacks and has identified with them, God Himself is spoken of as ‘black’.”

Cone saw Christ from the aspect of oppression and liberation. Cone uses the Gospel of Luke to illustrate this point: “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the good news preached to them.” “‘In Christ,’ Cone argues, ‘God enters human affairs and takes sides with the oppressed. Their suffering becomes his; their despair, divine despair.’”

Cone’s view is that Jesus was black, which he felt was a very important view of black people to see. "It's very important because you've got a lot of white images of Christ. In reality, Christ was not white, not European. That's important to the psychic and to the spiritual consciousness of black people who live in a ghetto and in a white society in which their lord and savior looks just like people who victimize them. God is whatever color God needs to be in order to let people know they're not nobodies, they're somebodies."

The Black Church vs. The White Church

Christianity is hopelessly associated with slavery and segregation in the minds of many African-Americans. Because of the differences in thought between the black and white community, the black church views services in a different way. This is an attempt to make the Black Church more accessible to the African-American community who must identify with the faith in order to accept it.

Differences in the church deal with the realms of the sacred and secular, public and private, and the focus of the afterlife. These two ideas are foreign to black culture, and their viewpoints are based more on community and the present.

For black theologists there is also a question of how the white church can be racist, but all themselves Christians. It was this question that caused Cone to have a crisis of faith, especially after Malcolm X’s proclamation against Christianity as the white man’s religion and the rise of black power.

South African theology

Black theology was popularized in southern Africa in the early 1970s by Basil Moore, a Methodist theologian in South Africa. It helped to give rise to, and developed in parallel with, the Black Consciousness Movement. Black theology was particularly influential in South Africa and Namibia for motivating resistance to apartheid.

Southern African black liberation theologians include Barney Pityana, Allan Boesak, Itumeleng Mosala and Zephania Kameeta.

UK black theology

In the United Kingdom, Dr Robert Beckford is the most well-known black liberation theologian. He was the first in the UK to develop and teach a course on Black Theology at an academic level. Black Theology: An International Journal is published in the UK. It is edited by Anthony Reddie, who has written over 40 journal articles, essays and books and is the most prolific black theology author in the UK today.

Controversies

Cone argued that God and Jesus Christ were both black, stating: “The 'raceless' American Christ has a light skin, wavy brown hair, and sometimes - wonder of wonders - blue eyes. For whites to find him with big lips and kinky hair is as offensive as it was for the Pharisees to find him partying with tax-collectors. But whether whites want to hear it or not, Christ is black, baby, with all of the features which are so detestable to white society.”

See also

• Liberation Theology
• Social Justice
• Black separatism
• Hermeneutics
• James Cone
• Louis Farrakhan

Notes

1. NPR A Closer Look at Black Liberation Theology by Barbara Bradley Hagerty
2. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120585801828545495.html?mod=fpa_mostpop
3. African American Religious Thought: An Anthology By Cornel West, Eddie S. Glaude 2003 ISBN 0664224598 Page 850
4. http://www.wfu.edu/~matthetl/perspectives/twentyseven.html
5. A Black Theology of Liberation By James H. Cone 1990 ISBN-10: 0883446855 Page 27
6. (Psalm 10:14)
7. (Psalm 72:12)
8. http://www.wfu.edu/~matthetl/perspectives/twentyseven.html
9. James H. Cone, A Black Theology of Liberation (hereafter Liberation) (Philadelphia: J. P. Lippencott, 1970),19.
10. http://home.earthlink.net/~ronrhodes/BlackTheology.html
11. (Luke 7:22)
12. http://www.wfu.edu/~matthetl/perspectives/twentyseven.html
13. James H. Cone, interviewed by Barbara Reynolds, USA Today, 8 November 1989, 11A
14. http://www.wfu.edu/~matthetl/perspectives/twentyseven.html
15. http://www.wfu.edu/~matthetl/perspectives/twentyseven.html
16. http://www.pbs.org/thisfarbyfaith/people/james_cone.html
18. J. H. Cone, "The White Church and Black Power," in G. S. Wilmore and J. H. Cone, Black Theology: A Documentary History, 1966-1979 (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1979), 116-17.

References

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• Aldred, Joe Preaching With Power London: Cassells, 1998
• Aldred, Joe Sisters with Power London: Continuum, 2000
• Andersson, Efraim Churches at the Grassroots London: Lutterworth Press, 1968
• Andrews, Dale P. Practical Theology for Black Churches Luisville: John Knox Press, 2002
• Bailey, Randall C. and Grant, Jacquelyn (Eds.) The Recovery of Black Presence: An Interdisciplinary Exploration Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon, 1995
• Black Theology: An International Journal Equinox Publishing Ltd., published three times per year.Dr Anthony Reddie, Ed, email: a.g.reddie@queens.ac.uk
• Cone, James H. ‘Black Theology And The Black Church: Where Do We Go From Here?’
• Wilmore, Gayraud and Cone, James H. (Eds.) Black Theology: A Documentary History, 1966-1979 Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1979. pp.350-359
• Cone, James H. Black Theology and Black Power (20th Anniversary Edition) New York: Harper SanFrancisco, 1989
• Cone, James H. For My People: Black Theology and the Black Church New York: Orbis Books, 1984
• Cone, James H. God of the Oppressed New York: Seabury Press, 1975
• Cone, James H. My Soul Looks Back New York: Orbis Books, 1986
• Cone, James H. The Spirituals and the Blues New York: Seabury Press, 1972
• Cone, James H. and Wilmore, Gayraud S. Black Theology A Documentary History: Vol1. 1966-1979 New York: Orbis Books, 1992
• Cone, James H. and Wilmore, Gayraud S. Black Theology A Documentary History: Vol2. 1980- 1992 New York: Orbis Books, 1993
• Douglas, Kelly Brown The Black Christ New York: Orbis Books, 1994
• Dube, Musa W. And Staley, Jeffrey L. John and Postcolonialism London: Sheffield Academic Press, 2002
• DuBois, W. E. B. The Souls of Black Folk New York: Dover Publications 1994
• Duffield, Ian K. (ed) Urban Christ: Responses to John Vincent Sheffield: UTU, 1997
• Ela, Jean-Marc African Cry Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1986
• Evans, Jr., James H. We Have Been Believers An African American Systematic Theology Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992
• Felder, Cain Hope The African Heritage Study Bible Nashville, Tenn. The James C. Winston Publishing Company, 1993
• Felder, Cain Hope Stony The Road We Trod: African American Biblical Interpretation Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1991
• Frazier, E. Franklin The Black Church in America New York: Shocken Books, 1964
• Gerloff, Roswith I. H. A Plea for British Black Theologies Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 1992
• Grant, Paul and Patel, Raj (Eds.) A Time to Speak. Birmingham: A joint publication of ‘Racial Justice’ and the ‘Black Theology Working Group’ 1990
• Grant, Paul and Patel, Raj (Eds.) A Time To Act: Kairos 1992 Birmingham: A joint publication of ‘Racial Justice’ and the ‘Black Theology Working Group’ 1992
• Hood, Robert E. Must God Remain Greek?: Afro-Cultures and God-Talk Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1990
• Hood, Robert E. Begrimmed and Black: Christian Traditions on Blacks and Blackness Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1994
• Hope, Marjorie and Young, James The South African Churches in a Revolutionary Situation Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1979
• Hopkins, Dwight N. (Introducing) Black Theology of Liberation New York: Orbis book, 1999
• Hopkins, Dwight N. Down, Up and Over: Slave Religion and Black Theology Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2000
• Hopkins, Dwight N. and Cummings, George Cut Loose Your Stammering Tongue: Black Theology and the Slave Narratives New York: Orbis Books, 1991
• Hopkins, Dwight N. (Ed.) Black Faith and Public Talk: Critical Essays on James H. Cone’s Black Theology and Black Power New York: Orbis Books, 1999
• Jagessar, Michael N. and Anthony G. Reddie (eds.) Postcolonial Black British Theology Peterborough, Epworth: 2007
• Jagessar, Michael N. and Anthony G. Reddie (eds.) Black Theology in Britain: Reader London, Equinox: 2007
• Jennings, Theodore W. Good News to the Poor Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1990
• Jones, William R. Is God A White Racist? Boston: Beacon Press, 1998
• Kalilombe, Patrick A. Doing Theology at the Grassroots Gweru, Zimbabwe: Mambo Press, 1999
• Lincoln, C. Eric The Black Church in the African American Experience Durham, N.Y.: Duke University Press, 1990
• Paris, Peter J. The Spirituality of African Peoples Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995
• Pinn, Anne and Anthony B. Black Church History Fortress Press, 2002
• Pinn, Anthony B. Why Lord?: Suffering and Evil in Black Theology New York: Continuum, 1995
• Pinn, Anthony B. Terror and Triumph: The Nature of Black Religion Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003
• Reddie, Anthony Faith, Stories and the Experience of Black Elders London: Jessica Kingsley, 2001
• Reddie, Anthony Nobodies to Somebodies: Practical Theology for Education and Liberation Peterborough: Epworth Press, 2003
• Reddie, Anthony Acting in Solidarity Peterborough: DLT, 2005
• Reddie, Anthony Dramatizing Theologies London: Equinox, 2006
• Reddie, Anthony Black Theology in Transatlantic Dialogue Basingstoke & New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006
• Reddie, Richard S., Abolition! The Struggle to Abolish Slavery in the British Colonies. (Lion Hudson PLC: Oxford, 2007). ISBN 978-0-7459-5229-1
• Rabateau, Albert Slave Religion Oxford University Press, 1978
• Society for Biblical Literature Reading The Bible in The Global Village: Cape Town No.3 Atlanta: Society for Biblical Literature, 2002
• Singleton III, Harry H. Black Theology and Ideology Collgeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 2002
• Stewart III, Carlyle Fielding Black Spirituality and Black Consciousness Trenton, New Jersey: Africa World Press, 1999
• Terrell, JoAnne Marie Power in the Blood?: The Cross in the African American Experience New York: Orbis books, 1998
• Wilkinson, John Church in Black and White St. Andrews Press, 1994
• Wilmore, Gayraud Black Religion and Black Radicalism New York: Orbis Books, 1973

External links

• Theology in Africa
• Black Theology Revisited

• Articles needing expert attention from April 2008
• Theology
• Religion and politics
• Christian theology
• Liberation theology
• Christianity in Africa
• Christianity in South Africa