“What people think about God, Jesus Christ, and the Church cannot be separated from their own social and political status in a given society.”
Cone affirms that Eurocentric theology strays away from contextualizing the gospel message to the sociopolitical dynamics. Theology, like any other structure in society, should be viewed through the social and historical context in unraveling the truth. Cone argues that the universality in white theology ignores the struggles and tribulations of minority groups in their contemporary society. He aims to examine the gospel message through the experiences of the groups in the political and social spheres.
“Unlike Europeans who immigrated to this land to escape from tyranny, Africans came in chains to serve a nation of tyrants.”
Cone argues that white theology is not applicable to the black experience because their history is different. Therefore the Western tradition molds the gospel message around the concepts of white supremacy originating from their history. As such the black history of struggle and oppression can only be preached by contextualizing theology and aspects of the message.
“Through the reading of scripture, the people hear other stories about Jesus that enable them to move beyond the privateness of their own stories.”
In the book, the author draws the parallels between the black experience and the tribulations Christ faced. Jesus identified with groups in society that faced oppression, poverty, and prejudice as he came to offer them salvation. In the quotation, Cone suggests that the gospel message plays a huge role in conveying the shared humanity among the oppressed. As such, the black communities identify with the suffering Jesus and his followers underwent up to his crucifixion. Consequently, the resurrection and salvation signify the journey towards liberation from the oppressive structures and constructs.
