Black Liberation Theology, in its Founder’s Own Words
On Fresh Air with Terry Gross

The Rev. James Cone is the founder of black liberation theology. In an interview with Terry Gross, Cone explains the movement, which has roots in 1960s civil-rights activism and draws inspiration from both the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, as “mainly a theology that sees God as concerned with the poor and the weak.”

Cone also comments on controversial remarks made by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama’s former minister and a black liberation theology proponent.

In a now-famous 2003 sermon, Wright charged that an ingrained, abiding racism in American society is at fault for many of the troubles African-Americans face, and he thundered, “No, no, no, not God bless America! God damn America — that’s in the Bible — for killing innocent people.”

Cone explains that at the core of black liberation theology is an effort — in a white-dominated society, in which black has been defined as evil — to make the gospel relevant to the life and struggles of American blacks, and to help black people learn to love themselves. It’s an attempt, he says “to teach people how to be both unapologetically black and Christian at the same time.”

If you are interested in the Incubator for Black Liberation Theology and would are looking a local cohort to join, or our virtual cohort, click here!

You are invited to join Common Good Collective for our Jazz Listening Party, April 29 at 9PM EDT/6PM PDT. Special guests Dayramir Gonzalez (award-winning Cuban pianist based in NYC), Greg Jarrell (Charlotte-based saxophonist and CGC contributor) and John McKnight (Asset Based Community Development Institute) will join CGC host Courtney Napier to listen to some music and to discuss its social and creative importance for community building.

*Click the button below* to register and reserve your spot. We’ll send some music to you a few days beforehand, and then listen together on that evening.