Book Reflection – God of the Oppressed

James Cone, professor of Systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminary, is the author of this deeply important book on the need for a stronger voice from the oppressed in theological discussion. I really appreciate this book and the intent behind it. Dr. Cone is a prolific speaker and author on the topic of black theology. Black theology is a subgroup of theological discussion that is led by voices in the African-American community. The majority of theological discussion and decisions have been made primarily by white males. Cone calls for a stronger voice to add their own perspectives as a minority (and often oppressed by the majority) to the discussion. If you have heard of other types of theology (liberation theology, feminist theology and womanist theology to name a few), often these are spoken about in negative terms in most majority-white churches. I think this is unfair and awfully typical that the majority wants to maintain control of the discussion. It is ignorant to assume that one subgroup will have the “complete” understanding and other perspectives are unnecessary to understand. Why would we assume that only white males hear from God and can really understand how God works?

The premise behind this book is that Cone argues that perspectives and experiences from his African-American heritage is just as great an influence on his theology as the Bible is. He states, “I am black first – and everything else comes after that. This means I read the Bible through the lens of a black tradition of struggle” (xi). Some might read this and alarms will go off in their head. Evangelicals love to put the Bible up on this giant pedestal (often higher than God – especially the Spirit of God). But, if we were honest (or aware) we look at everything through the lens of our culture and experiences. This includes the Bible. For many white Americans, our story is not full of deep struggle and fight against oppressors. This is not the case for Latin-American liberation theologists, feminists, womanists (Black feminists), Black liberation theologists, etc. Their lives have been all about struggle, which aids their reading of the Bible and connecting to the real aspects Jesus spoke of that most white Americans cannot relate to.

Cone writes the following to describe this lens the Bible is written through in the following:

The scandal is that the gospel means liberation, that this liberation comes to the poor, and that it gives them the strength and courage to break the conditions of servitude. This is what the Incarnation means. God in Christ comes to the weak and the helpless, and becomes one with them, taking their condition of oppression as his own and thus transforming their slave-existence into a liberated existence (71).

Later, Cone notes that his critics point to their focus on the stories of Moses and the Israelites being freed from bondage and slavery at the hands of the Egyptians, and have less of a focus on the patriarchs of David and Solomon. His answer to this for Black Liberation theology is:

The hermeneutical principle for an exegesis of the Scriptures is the revelation of God in Christ as the Liberator of the oppressed from social oppression and to political struggle, wherein the poor recognize that their fight against poverty and injustice is not only consistent with the gospel but is the gospel of Jesus Christ (75).

Finally, Cone addresses the issue of racial reconciliation. This is a huge topic and one that is drastically needed in our country. As I have mentioned in an earlier post, there are incredible divisions between people of other backgrounds and races in this country. Seeking reconciliation by all parties is necessary for true and lasting healing to happen. Cone notes that often people assume that showing love to other races is enough to be considered reconciliation. He continues:

While divine reconciliation, for oppressed blacks, is connected with the joy of liberation from the controlling power of white people…Everything that white oppressors hold dear is now placed under the judgment of Jesus’ cross. This is a difficult pill for the white theologians and church people to swallow, because they have so much invested in the status quo (217).

Instead, Cone notes that reconciliation is not waiting for white people to act, but is:

That vision of God’s presence in our lives that lets us know that the world will be changes only through our blood, sweat, and tears. It is that feeling of togetherness with our brothers and sisters in struggle, knowing that “we shall overcome” “in that great gettin’ up mornin’” (224).

Cone concludes, stating that “Our task is to interpret their struggle in the light of God’s presence with them liberating and thus reconciling the oppressed to themselves and to God” (225). There is great room for us (white people) to promote this liberating force. Racist structures, laws and attitudes must be recognized and broken down. It will not be enough to gather together as different racial groups and just sing “We shall overcome.” It will not be enough until significant actions are taken against both the blatantly racist and hidden racist issues/attitudes are addressed and removed. Additionally, this is not just a black-white issue, but is one between all races (i.e. often white people are involved). Whatever our context, there is a need for reconciliation. Let us be the ones to push for it and model actions of reconciliation.