This essay conveys the basic outlines of the doctrine of God in the theology of James Cone as it relates to the word of God and Christology, from Cones position. According to the writing in the book (Cone 1990), it is understood that Cone recognized that most Christians, black and white, especially theologians and preachers, would need a deeper analysis of Christian doctrine, using traditional theological concepts, before taking black theology seriously.
According to the readings of (Cone 1990), we are informed that James Cone relies on experience, thinking, tradition, or understanding scripture as the sources in black theology. Cone expresses that, when it comes to understanding scripture, “the Bible is not the revelation of God; only Jesus …show more content…
However, it is impossible to say anything about God without seeing God as, being involved in the contemporary liberation of all oppressed people. Therefore, the God in black theology remains the God of and for the oppressed, the God who comes into view in their liberation. Any other approach is a denial of biblical revelation.
Nevertheless, Cone mentions that “When black theology speaks of the importance of tradition, it focuses primarily on the history of the black church in America and secondarily on white western Christianity. Black theology is concerned only with the tradition of Christianity that is usable in the black liberation struggle.” (Cone 1990).
In conclusion, Cone goes on to say that, when it comes to Christians thinking about God, theological reflections must start with Jesus Christ as the starting point, and the Jesus that Cone speaks about is not the Jesus of Nicea and Chalcedon, nor of Luther, Calvin, and Barth, although they have some importance, they are not the source of Cone’s thinking. “For Christological reflections, Cone turns to the Jesus of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul and of the Spirituals and Gospel Music, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Martin Luther King, Jr.” Moreover, “This Jesus of the biblical and black traditions is not a theological concept but a liberating presence in the lives of the poor in their fight for dignity and worth” (Cone
According to the readings of (Cone 1990), we are informed that James Cone relies on experience, thinking, tradition, or understanding scripture as the sources in black theology. Cone expresses that, when it comes to understanding scripture, “the Bible is not the revelation of God; only Jesus …show more content…
However, it is impossible to say anything about God without seeing God as, being involved in the contemporary liberation of all oppressed people. Therefore, the God in black theology remains the God of and for the oppressed, the God who comes into view in their liberation. Any other approach is a denial of biblical revelation.
Nevertheless, Cone mentions that “When black theology speaks of the importance of tradition, it focuses primarily on the history of the black church in America and secondarily on white western Christianity. Black theology is concerned only with the tradition of Christianity that is usable in the black liberation struggle.” (Cone 1990).
In conclusion, Cone goes on to say that, when it comes to Christians thinking about God, theological reflections must start with Jesus Christ as the starting point, and the Jesus that Cone speaks about is not the Jesus of Nicea and Chalcedon, nor of Luther, Calvin, and Barth, although they have some importance, they are not the source of Cone’s thinking. “For Christological reflections, Cone turns to the Jesus of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul and of the Spirituals and Gospel Music, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Martin Luther King, Jr.” Moreover, “This Jesus of the biblical and black traditions is not a theological concept but a liberating presence in the lives of the poor in their fight for dignity and worth” (Cone