God of the Oppressed

Dr. Cones taught me that black theology is as relevant as any others. I was unaware of the generational effects that European influence had on the topic.God of the oppressed is distinctive in displaying the God of the Bible as the One who is not the god of Theologians amd the powerful, but the of all, starting with the oppressed.

Cone's first two books, 'Black Theology and Black Power' (1969) and 'A Black Theology of Liberation' (1970), outline the philosophical necessity and practical framework of the Black Theology's doctrine. In his third strictly theological work, 'God of the Oppressed', he constructs a systematic theology using African-American religion and tradition as its basis; in it, his aim is two-fold: to respond to the dismissal of Black Theology by white theologians, and to explain the rationale of viewing God as the Liberator despite the centuries of oppression in the US. His thesis is that one's social and historical contexts determine the questions and answers that one can ask and receive from God. To illustrate this social conditioning, he contrasts the way white and black theologies have typically imagined God.Here is a very very brief summary of the book:Cone's first agenda is to address the problem of universality and particularity in Christian theology. He begins by stressing that theology is always contextual and intrinsically related to human experience, and argues that Christian theology must always prophetically address the socio-political conditions and involve liberating marginalized persons. Cone next addresses the question: "Who is Jesus Christ for us today?" His answer involves seeing one's social context and the Bible as dialectically related: Jesus IS Black because he WAS Jewish: Christ enters into our world amongst the poor and despised. The cross displayed God's willingness to suffer with humanity; the resurrection proclaims the liberation on display in Israel's history is now available to all. Cone concludes his work by firmly planting theology within history, arguing that salvation IS liberation, and that ethics must be founded upon it. His work teaches Christians to approach the Bible through the experience of the cross and not the other way around. He concludes that reconciliation precedes liberation, and it is as big of a risk as Jesus' cross: reconciliation is not blacks assuring white liberals that there are no hard feelings; it is God's presence insisting upon the death of the oppressor through tangible reparations.God of the Oppressed is a forceful treatise that develops a theological system by interweaving the redemptive history of Israel, Jesus' gospel of freedom, and the concrete experience of black oppression. Cone has laid the groundwork for re-interpreting classical theological concepts: the Christian God is understood only as the God of the Oppressed. This book challenges one's assumptions regarding how the salvific message of the gospel actually occurs; it also addresses the historical nature of the Christian message: salvation should never be regarded primarily as abstract since the effects of sin are concrete; if God's intention is to free us from sin, then the truth of God's revelation must be understood as historically imbedded. The message of God of the Oppressed is clear: God has opened a new future for the humiliated and abused. Cone is a rare type of theologian: he preaches the gospel as if it were good news.

James Cone develops a perspective on Black Theology in God of the Oppressed, by looking directly through the lens of Liberation Theology. He formulates an argument against the oppression of the poor by virtue of "divine love or divine power," which is heavily influenced by the Bible. The question of God's presence in the face of racism, oppression, depravity of social and economic power and the perpetual suffering experienced by many blacks throughout the Diaspora is raised. If the Christian God is truly the one who liberated Israel from the Egyptians, if this is the same Jesus who had compassion for the poor and the marginalized in the world, then we need to know why God does not act to eliminate the suffering, especially amongst black people. Some might be willing to deny God's benevolence and God's sovereignty, but Cone declares that to do this would deny an essential element of black faith. "It is a violation of black faith to weaken either divine love or divine power;" therefore, there must be an alternative. This is consistent with a view of God as the Creator who loves and cares for that which God created. The bible is of primary importance to James Cone's perspective on suffering. He utilizes scripture to reconcile the suffering of the "innocent and weak" with the Bible's claims that God is a liberator of the poor and a protector of the weak. In God's relationship with the Hebrew slaves, we see God's preferential option for the poor being exercised. It is God who tells Moses that he should go to Pharaoh and declare, "Let my people go." It is Israel's story of faithfulness to a faithful God in spite of their oppression that leads to the liberation of the Hebrew slaves. It is God's love for the people of God that serves as the motivation to free Israel. Still, intertwined in this liberating and loving God, there was always suffering. Cone affirms that evil (suffering) exists. Noted theologians like Calvin attest to this as well, but without the purpose that Cone attaches to it. There are precious many Psalms of lament. Psalms that speak both of the great, benevolent, loving God and at the same time lament the treatment of the orphan and the widow who are slain at the hand of the wicked. "O Lord, how long shall the wicked, How long shall the wicked exult?" (Psalm 94:3 RSV) The problem, according to Cone, is not the presence of suffering in Scripture, but the distribution of suffering.I could say more, but you ought to read this book for yourself... Grace and Peace

Cone is brilliant. I agree with much of what he says, not all, yet regardless of whether someone agrees with his perspective, this book is worth reading. He develops ideas well, draws on the context of the Black church impressively, and offers an eloquent and insightful critique of the dominant White theology offered in most of Christian America.Unfortunately, whoever published this into kindle format did an atrocious job. Countless typos, usually several on every page, varying font sizes, no consistency in the formatting, and at points appears to be missing content altogether. I almost gave up on this book at multiple points, simply for the difficulty in reading it with all the formatting problems. I really hope they are able to fix these issues and offer an updated and corrected version for those of us who have already purchased it. Until then, I would say if you're considering this to decide if the worthwhile content is worth putting up with all the annoying formatting issues and typos with it. Or just go buy the paperback version of this book.

This book needs no introduction. Every one should read this book especially in the social climate that we have found ourselves in the last few years.

James Cone's book was an eye opener - stretched by theological worldview about black theology