To be clear, maybe I have no right to review this book. Some may even question whether I have the right to read this book. I am, after all, a white male...one of the privileged class. One of the historic oppressors about whom this book is criticizing. I will readily admit that I cannot fully appreciate this book. I've never been called the "N" word. My car has never been stopped because of my race. People don't follow me in stores to make sure I'm not stealing. I can live basically wherever I want in this country without people wondering if I'll make a "good neighbor." These are just some of the examples of why I may not be qualified to read this.
This review is going to be from the perspective of a White American Male. I can do no other review. I also think Cone leaves this option on the table in that "White" and "Black" are not just "colors" of people, but rather distinctions. "White" to Cone means oppression and "Black" means oppressed. He concedes that a person of a white race could be "black" in the sense that he/she is oppressed or has renounced oppression and joined forces with the "black," or oppressed people.
Cone wrote this book a little over 40 years ago during the height of the Civil Rights Era. He states in his epilogue that the history and events cannot be separated from this book, and that in 2010 (when he wrote his new epilogue), he was surprised that people still found this book meaningful.
I found this book by "accident." I was at the North Carolina Conference's Annual Conference, and found this book in the Cokesbury display. Several months earlier, in our Old Testament class at Duke, we had a guest lecturer on Black Theology. Unfortunately, the speaker was given the wrong time, so I was only able to attend part of his lecture as I had a role to play in that day's Chapel Service. Later, I was able to listen to the mp3 of this lecture, but, it was not comparable to being there in person.
I decided to challenge myself from "traditional" European (and Patristic - N. African/Asian Theology) and read this book with an open mind. I have to admit that Cone challenged me from the beginning. His basic argument is White = Evil, and Black = those who must be liberated. Am I evil as a White person? Or does Cone have a different or more nuanced view?
The answer to that question is complicated. Cone recognizes that some racially white people have embraced racially black causes, but that whites can never fully embrace the cause. We can back out at any time. Blacks, don't have that luxury. Even the most accepted Black person to the white population is still black and must face the discrimination that goes along with that.
At first, I found Cone to be a radical racist, but after reading, I realized this was a man who had a true knowledge of scripture and the deeper meaning of scripture. His concept of "black" and "white" were not always racial distinctions, but though they did hold racial distinctions, he asserts that one can go from one "color" to another. He compares the struggle of Black Americans to the story of Israel in their liberation from Egypt. The Exodus holds a central place in Cone's theology. Therefore, to live the story of God, one must renounce all types of dominations of other humans (similar to Egyptian treatment of the Hebrews) and embrace and even identify with the "Black" or oppressed individuals.
Cone makes very controversial statements by saying that "God is Black." He is not saying that if we could see God, we would see a God with Black skin, but rather we see a God who is the God of the oppressed. Jesus is Black in the sense that he came to "set the captives free." Any departure from this, according to Cone is unChristian.
I would recommend every person of every race to read this manifesto and critically engage it into their everyday lives. While the problems of the 60's-70's have changed somewhat, racism and classism remain. We "White" skinned people should work to identify with the oppressed. We may never fully identify, but we should never stop trying.
While this is a theology of race, it is also a strong message of the Gospel. Jesus came to set people free. As called by Jesus, we too must set people free. This includes eradicating racial/class stereotypes we all hold. This includes making friends with those who are different from us. This includes REAL understanding (as much as is possible) of the struggles of others, and then acting to help people struggle for freedom. Until oppression ceases, all humanity is scarred.
As I said, I can never fully appreciate what Cone has to say. I've experienced discrimination, but my experiences are trivial compared to African-Americans and other oppressed groups. But, in the same breath, as a Christian, our family is all people. One person's struggle belongs to all of us.
Yes, I have toned down Cone's argument. I have made it apply to my circumstances. Cone says I (and others) should shed our whiteness. In this aspect, I wish he had been more explicit as to what this means. For example, I don't see myself as exploiting others, but I'm sure on some level I do. May God show all of us how to identify with the oppressed and how to join in their struggle.
No comments:
Post a Comment