Relevancy22: Contemporary Process Christianity: Ex-vangelic Topics and Theology: James Cone, Father of Black Theology, Part 1

https://homebrewedchristianity.lpages.co/upsettingthepowers/

James Cone, Father of Black Theology

Part 1

DOES CHRISTIANITY MAKE A DIFFERENCE? AND IF

IT DOES, WHAT KIND OF DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?

- Adam Clark

BLACK THEOLOGY BECOMES THE SITE FOR THE

FUTURE OF FAITH IN AMERICA.

- Tripp Fuller

RACISM IS A PROFOUND CONTRADICTION OF THE GOSPEL.

NO ONE CAN BE A REPRESENTATIVE OF JESUS AND TREAT

OTHERS AS SUBHUMAN. THERE CAN BE NO COMPROMISE

ON THIS POINT. ANY THEOLOGY WHICH DOES NOT FIGHT

WHITE SUPREMACY WITH ALL ITS INTELLECTUAL STRENGTH

CANCELS ITS CHRISTIAN IDENTITY.

- James Cone

Adam Clark and Tripp Fuller Present:

A 6 Week Online Pop-Up Learning Community

Launching January, 2022

6 Feature Sessions

Adam & Tripp will facilitate our feature sessions that include a mini-lecture, conversation, and Q&A as we dig into powerful curated readings.

6 Guest Interviews

Each week we will have a special guest theologian visit whose own work was shaped by the legacy of James Cone.

Online Community

Everyone will be invited to join the private online group to connect with other nerds and have access to everything in Audio/Video on the class resource page.

Black Theology & the Future of Faith

“Racism is a profound contradiction of the gospel. No one can be a representative of Jesus and treat others as subhuman. There can be no compromise on this point. Any theology that does not fight white supremacy with all its intellectual strength cancels its Christian identity.” - James Cone

Why the Legacy of James Cone Matters

White supremacy is America’s most cherished heresy. It is a theological error entailing the death and domination of black bodies. The White Church has not simply been silent and sidelined in the march toward liberation, but an ideological ally and institutional accomplice of supremacy culture. George Floyd’s last words as he was murdered by the State, “I can’t breathe,” ignited a collective gasp in which a larger multitude and diversity of citizenry had the scales fall off their eyes and found their lips and lungs reanimated to speak, “Black Lives Matter.”

For some, this is a new shout and for others, it is too familiar. If black lives matter to our life as a species and a church, then it is time to listen to the voices who have already been speaking and living this gospel proclamation. As James Cone, the Father of Black Theology said,

“There can be no Christian theology that is not identified unreservedly with those who are humiliated and abused. In fact, theology ceases to be a theology of the gospel when it fails to arise out of the community of the oppressed. For it is impossible to speak of the God of Israelite history, who is the God revealed in Jesus Christ, without recognizing that God is the God of and for those who labor and are overladen.”

We hope this online class in Black Theology is disrupting and revitalizing.

6 Session Class Themes

Each week during the class we will have a main session with Adam & Tripp exploring a central theme from the legacy of James Cone. These sessions will center on curated reading selections and include mini-lecture, textual deep dives, conversation and QnA with the group.
Why Black Theology Matters

Disciplinary Decadence: the Emergence of Black Theology

From Black Power to Black Lives Matter

Christ from the Underside

Women Hold Up Half the Sky

James Cone as World Teacher

Relevant Youtube Videos

Upsetting the Powers: the Legacy of James Cone

Dec 14, 2021

James Cone was right: Black Theology

& the moment with Adam Clark

Jul 7, 2020

Tripp Fuller on Progressive Christianity

Jul 30, 2019

* * * * * * * *

Adam Clark

Xavier University

Dr. Adam Clark is Associate Professor of Theology at Xavier University. He is committed to the idea that theological education in the twenty first century must function as a counter-story. One that equips us to read against the grain of the dominant culture and inspires one to live into the Ignatian dictum of going forth "to set the world on fire." To this end, Dr. Clark is intentional about pedagogical practices that raise critical consciousness by going beneath surface meanings, unmasking conventional wisdoms and reimagining the good. He currently serves as co-chair of Black Theology Group at the American Academy of Religion, actively publishes in the area of black theology and black religion and participates in social justice groups at Xavier and in the Cincinnati area. He earned his PhD at Union Theological Seminary in New York where he was mentored by James Cone.

Tripp Fuller

University of Edinburgh

Dr. Fuller is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Theology & Science at the University of Edinburgh. He recently released Divine Self-Investment: a Constructive Open and Relational Christology, the first book in the Studies in Open and Relational Theology series. For over 12 years Tripp has been doing the Homebrewed Christianity podcast (think on-demand internet radio) where he interviews different scholars about their work so you can get nerdy in traffic, on the treadmill, or doing the dishes. Last year it had over 3.5 million downloads. It also inspired a book series with Fortress Press called the Homebrewed Christianity Guides to... topics like God, Jesus, Spirit, Church History, etc. Tripp is a very committed and (some of his friends think overly ) engaged Lakers fan and takes Star Wars and Lord of the Rings very seriously.

Special Guests

As we explore our centering themes in our main sessions, we also have a second session each week with a special guest. Each of these guests will share about their own relationship with Cone, the way he shaped theology, and how some of his insights have continued to be expanded and developed in their work.