Liberation By James Cone Chapter 1 Summary

In the the seventh chapter of his book, James Cone discusses the meaning of liberation from the point of view of a Black theologist. He starts off by explaining how Jesus Christ is the ground of human liberation, reason for which there is no liberation without Christ. He depicts liberation as a divine gift of freedom to those who struggle in faith against oppression, rejecting the idea of liberation as a human possession. The second point that Cone makes regards liberation as freedom being in relation to God. He talks about the importance of conversion experiences,transforming encounters with God, in black religion. These encounters signify death to the old life as oppressed and liberation to a new form of existence. He then describes the significance …show more content…
He explains that no one can be truly liberated until all are liberated, and that freedom in an unjust society is found only in the oppressed ones. He also says that oppressors often want to be oppressors and Christians at the same time, and that in order for them to understand liberation, they must be liberated from being oppressors. Cone then touches on the subject regarding liberation as the project of freedom in history. He clarifies that liberation is strictly correlated with the commitment of revolutionary action against injustices. The author says that liberation as the fight for justice has always been a very important factor in black religion throughout history. He gives a very interesting definition of liberation: the historical reality, born in the struggle for freedom in which oppressed people recognize they do not have to be subdued. He also remarks that God’s kingdom is not just a heavenly reality, but it is also earthly, reason for which oppressed people should be liberated. Lastly, Cone touches on the topic of liberation as the project of freedom in hope. He explains that the future of the oppressed is grounded in the liberating promises of …show more content…
I really enjoyed reading the second and third chapters because the author actually talks about more concrete issues, whereas, in the seventh chapter, he holds quite abstract concepts that are very hard to understand and to follow. It’s true that Cone makes examples using black people’s stories, yet what he explains in the seventh chapter almost reminds me of philosophical concepts. Nevertheless, I was able to grasp and make mine some of his ideas. One that I really like is the one that says that God’s kingdom is not only heavenly but also earthly. In fact, a presupposition that God’s kingdom is only heavenly gives a sort of excuse to oppressors to keep subordinating other people since they would still be able to experience liberty in the afterlife. Of course, this is completely wrong. Indeed, God’s kingdom is also on earth, reason for which everyone must not be in chains or treated as a lesser human being. I also like how he says that oppressors want to be oppressors and Christians at the same time. Being an oppressor and being Christian are completely in contradiction of one another. In fact, a Christian should always try to emulate Jesus Christ’s behavior and follow his teachings, and since Jesus was the one who stood with the oppressed and marginalized particularly, then to be an oppressor is to go against Christ. The fact that oppressors want to be oppressors and Christians at the same time also reminds me of the members of