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jtrogers1992's review
5.0
Hot damn. Written decades ago but still extremely potent and relevant. I listened to the audiobook but I’m gonna have to buy this one as a reference cause I will be thinking about it for a long time. It made me think a lot about the ways I often don’t identify with the suffering and marginalized the way I should and try to think of “nice” ways out of social problems (to put it in amateur language). Like I said, gonna be thinking on it for a while.
stocktenblanco's review
5.0
"If the gospel is a gospel of liberation for the oppressed, then Jesus is where the oppressed are and continues his work of liberation there. Jesus is not safely confined to the first century."
It would be impossible to overstate the power and significance of Rev. Dr. James H. Cone's "Black Theology & Black Power." This indictment of the anti-Christness of the white church and the celebration of Black Power and Black theology is one of the most important, relevant, healing, inspiring works of theology for those living in the white supremacist American state. One of Rev. Dr. Cone's ideas I'll be chewing on for awhile is that Christianity "is not some religious act...but participation in the suffering of God in the life of the world." I'm so eager to learn from more of Rev. Dr. Cone's prophetic work!
It would be impossible to overstate the power and significance of Rev. Dr. James H. Cone's "Black Theology & Black Power." This indictment of the anti-Christness of the white church and the celebration of Black Power and Black theology is one of the most important, relevant, healing, inspiring works of theology for those living in the white supremacist American state. One of Rev. Dr. Cone's ideas I'll be chewing on for awhile is that Christianity "is not some religious act...but participation in the suffering of God in the life of the world." I'm so eager to learn from more of Rev. Dr. Cone's prophetic work!
pamiverson's review
5.0
Ground-breaking in 1969, still very relevant today. What does Christianity need to do to address America’s systemic racism? That both white and Black churches were not doing enough – importance of revolutionary actions, e.g., Malcolm X, even Martin Luther King, Jr. I don’t know a lot about theology so this was an interesting, thought-provoking introduction.
angelreadsthings's review
4.0
This was one of the most spiritually invigorating and and mentally stimulating books I have read to date. By combining abstract theological and philosophical principles with practical considerations of justice and the experience of oppression, Cone created a theological charge for real justice that I found extremely compelling and relevant. His blunt yet thoughtful approach lifted some of the misplaced guilt I have felt about my own conclusions about white Christianity and racism and deepened my sense of a Christian calling to active anti-racism as well as other forms of justice work. I also greatly appreciated his willingness to acknowledge in the 1989 edition preface that he had received some deserved criticism after the initial publication in 1969 (from womanist scholars, for example) and had been striving to avoid the same pitfalls in his later works. I am looking forward to reading more of his writing in the near future.
malikp's review
5.0
Black Theology & Black Power, by James Cone, offers a fresh look at Christian theology as revolutionary and liberatory. Cone sees white Christianity, and it's hegemonic tendencies in America as anti-Black and anti-human. This necessarily means that a theology for and by Black people is required. Black theology, the religious wing of the political Black Power, is connected in order to provide a totalizing approach for Black people in America to understand their situation, and in God-like fashion, acting upon their realizations.
Cone uses scripture, anecdote and other theologians to argue that typical Christianity, created and used by white oppressors (eventually adopted by Black ministers as well) does nothing revolutionary for Black people. It instead causes a sense of complacency, turning the other cheek, rather than speaking to the material needs of Black people in this lifetime in this world. Rather than give time and energy to white theologians' discussions of the abstract afterlife, Cone argues that a meaningful Black theology is of this world, and shows "what the changeless gospel means in each new situation."
"Black theology, a theology whose sole purpose is to apply the freeing power of the gospel to black people under white oppression."
Cone uses scripture, anecdote and other theologians to argue that typical Christianity, created and used by white oppressors (eventually adopted by Black ministers as well) does nothing revolutionary for Black people. It instead causes a sense of complacency, turning the other cheek, rather than speaking to the material needs of Black people in this lifetime in this world. Rather than give time and energy to white theologians' discussions of the abstract afterlife, Cone argues that a meaningful Black theology is of this world, and shows "what the changeless gospel means in each new situation."
"Black theology, a theology whose sole purpose is to apply the freeing power of the gospel to black people under white oppression."
lukenotjohn's review against another edition
4.75
This is Cone's first book, and it is striking to see how consistent he remained throughout his career –– unfortunately, in part because his message continued to need said. While I found [b:God of the Oppressed|271652|God of the Oppressed|James H. Cone|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386922707l/271652._SY75_.jpg|263367] to carry more theological complexity and [b:The Cross and the Lynching Tree|12417679|The Cross and the Lynching Tree|James H. Cone|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1349011636l/12417679._SX50_.jpg|17399595] to engage more deeply with historical analysis, this has its own raw power that makes it such a commanding and demanding read. From the outset, Cone dismisses the white Christian preference for polite neutrality and instead owns his anger, which simmers throughout the pages here. He pulls no punches, and directs a fair amount of ire not only to the white liberal but also to what he understands to be an iteration of the Black church that has been co-opted and watered down from its initial revolutionary purposes. I especially appreciated his deft analysis of African American Christianity's inclinations towards eschatology. He leaves room for nuance in naming that this sometimes functions (akin to Moltmann's theology of hope) as a future promise that imbues one with present dignity and courage, and other times as a solely spiritualitized means of fatalism regarding this life where one feels there is no option but to look to the one yet to come for their rewards. The chapter on The Gospel of Jesus is especially excellent, in which Cone points to the messiah as the ultimate model of solidarity with the oppressed, which then informs his model for the 3 purposes of the church: service, preaching, and fellowship, all of which must center and enact God's message of liberation.
There is a consistent rebuke of abstract theology done by mostly white male theologians, although he does draw quite favorably from Tillich, Moltamann, and Barth at times. This in itself points to an implicit tension to the work that I think an overly sensitive reading is likely to miss. For example, at times Cone reads as a strict Black separatist ("At most, whites can only leave blacks alone") but then the final page of the book reveals that he does believe it's possible for white people to become Black in their spirit, and alternatively for Black people to be white. This is coupled with a sometimes frustrating lack of clarity as to what precisely he envisions Christ to be calling Christians to. He goes so far as to suggest that revolutionary violence may be a necessity, but we know from Cone's own biography that he never became an insurrectionist, suggesting he believed there were other avenues that are less explicitly stated. Lastly, the critique from womanists about his gendered language is incredibly notable here (I think just about every generic figure is referred to as "man"), and I really wish Cone was around now at the height of intersectional consideration to see how that may have influenced his writing. This critiques aside, this is a rousing, powerhouse book that sparks with an urgent shout that continues to echo for us today; certainly a great, concise starting point with Cone and worth reading for any Christian willing to take seriously what it is asking of them.
There is a consistent rebuke of abstract theology done by mostly white male theologians, although he does draw quite favorably from Tillich, Moltamann, and Barth at times. This in itself points to an implicit tension to the work that I think an overly sensitive reading is likely to miss. For example, at times Cone reads as a strict Black separatist ("At most, whites can only leave blacks alone") but then the final page of the book reveals that he does believe it's possible for white people to become Black in their spirit, and alternatively for Black people to be white. This is coupled with a sometimes frustrating lack of clarity as to what precisely he envisions Christ to be calling Christians to. He goes so far as to suggest that revolutionary violence may be a necessity, but we know from Cone's own biography that he never became an insurrectionist, suggesting he believed there were other avenues that are less explicitly stated. Lastly, the critique from womanists about his gendered language is incredibly notable here (I think just about every generic figure is referred to as "man"), and I really wish Cone was around now at the height of intersectional consideration to see how that may have influenced his writing. This critiques aside, this is a rousing, powerhouse book that sparks with an urgent shout that continues to echo for us today; certainly a great, concise starting point with Cone and worth reading for any Christian willing to take seriously what it is asking of them.
abbyarkansas's review
5.0
Honestly the most important theology I’ve ever read. Cone’s Black Theology + Black Power has redeemed Christianity for me. I can’t express how important this work is.