“Suffering naturally gives rise to doubt. How can one believe in God in the face of such horrendous suffering as slavery, segregation, and the lynching tree? Under these circumstances, doubt is not a denial but an integral part of faith. It keeps faith from being sure of itself. But doubt does not have the final word. The final word is faith giving rise to hope.”
Here, Cone refers to the fact that suffering and hardship can lead to the doubting of religious belief. This is something that many people experience, but in The Cross and the Lynching Tree, Cone is exploring the impact that racism has on religious belief. We can understand how the experiences of slavery and segregation could lead to many people in the African American community doubting the existence of an all-loving God. Cone argues that this religious doubting is a key part of the religious experience, and serves to strengthen a person's relationship with their own faith. Despite everything Cone discusses in the text, his depiction of religion and faith remains hopeful, as he concludes that "doubt does not have the final word. The final word is faith giving rise to hope.”
“The cross is a paradoxical religious symbol because it inverts the world’s value system with the news that hope comes by way of defeat, that suffering and death do not have the last word, that the last shall be first and the first last.”
Cone discusses the symbol of the cross, and the different meanings it has for different people. He explains that the symbol of the cross is inherently paradoxical, as it suggests a sense of hope that has resulted from defeat and death. Cone argues that this is paradoxical because we are used to being told that hope results from positivity, but here we are being told something entirely different. Instead, the death of Jesus was essential in bringing about our salvation, according to biblical texts.
“The conspicuous absence of the lynching tree in American theological discourse and preaching is profoundly revealing, especially since the crucifixion was clearly a first-century lynching.”
In this novel, James H. Cone explores the absence of the lynching tree in theology, arguing that it deserves more attention in academia. He argues that this absence reveals something about attitudes towards the African American community, and a suggestion of ignorance about their unique suffering. For this community, the lynching tree is an important symbol, which recognizes suffering and hardship resulting from racism. This then shines a different light on the symbol of the cross and Jesus' crucifixion, making it more meaningful to this community as it is similar to the experience of lynching.
