Liberation Theologies | Bibliography | North America Pt. 3
Chapter 8: The Liberation of North America, Part 3
Black Theology
830. Barrett, Leonard E. Soul-Force. African Heritage in Afro-American Religion. Garden City, NY: Doubleday-Anchor, 1974.
See Evans (665), item 335.
831. Braxton, Edward K. The Wisdom Community. New York: Paulist Press, 1980.
Not seen.
832. Brown, Hubert L. Black and Mennonite. A Search for Identity. Scottsdale, PA: Herald Press, 1976.
Discusses both the ironic place of an African-American in a staunch bastion of European Christianity and the role of that African-American to recall the Mennonite tradition back to its rejection of hierarchy, its claim to the equality of all humans; and the author’s call for the whites to abandon their own ghetto to move in the world of blacks as blacks must move in the world of whites. Also discusses black theology and Anabaptism. Brief bibliography on black theology.
833. Bruce, Calvin E., and William R. Jones, eds. Black Theology II. Essays on the Formation and Outreach of Contemporary Black Theology. Lewisburg, PA: Bucknell University Press, 1978.
See Evans (665), item 018.
834. Cannon, Kate G. Black Womanist Ethics. Atlanta, GA: Scholar’s Press, 1988.
“Womanist” is a term adopted by many black women writers to make a clear distinction with “feminist,” which many of them view as the class expression of white, upper-middle professionals who really do not understand many aspects of oppression. Seeks to show how black women, who suffer the triple oppression of sex and race, as well as of economic oppression, can create a moral order based on their practical experience, not on a priori rules set by a white, male society and religious tradition.
Examines the historical situation of black women, their rise from slavery to creating themselves as their own moral agents in the modern world. The author also examines black women’s literature as a source for this moral agency, using the life of Zora Neale Hurston as an example; and interprets the theology of Howard Thurman and Martin Luther King, Jr. as foundations for a black theology of liberation. Includes a good bibliography.
835. Cleage, Albert B., Jr. Black Christian Nationalism. New Directions for the Black Church. New York: William Morrow, 1972.
See Evans (665), item
836. —. The Black Messiah. New York: Sheed & Ward, 1969.
See Evans (665), item 032.
837. Cone, Cecil Wayne. The Identity Crisis in Black Theology. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1975.
See Evans (665), item 035.
James H. Cone
838. Cone, James H., “Black Theology and African Theology. Considerations for Dialogue, Critique, and Integration.” See 918, pp. 463-76.
The basis of both theologies is the liberation theme in Exodus and the New Testament theme of Christ as liberator found in Galatians 5:1.
839. —. Black Theology and Black Power. 20th Anniversary ed. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1989.
See Evans (665), item 071.
840. —. A Black Theology of Liberation. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1970; 2d ed., Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1986; 20th Anniversary ed., Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1990.
As the theology of liberation was developing in Latin America, North American black theologians led by James Cone began to develop a parallel methodology and insight into the position of blacks in the U.S. Written in the spirit of the black power movement, which saw the radical empowerment of blacks as the only way to their salvation on an equal footing with the dominant society and its methods of oppression, Cone’s work casts a critical eye on white Christianity. It questions the entire notion of a “white” God and instead calls for a theology of blackness. God is the God of liberation: the God of Exodus, the God of the prophets who liberates his people from slavery: not a God of missionaries who teach meekness and the acceptance of one’s lot.
Cone’s epistemological break with traditional white, and academic, theology was based upon the experience of the black people: dehumanization, oppression and marginalization. So long as oppression and marginalization is directed against blacks, God is a black. So long as Jesus is the suffering God, he suffers in the black ghettos, so long as he sides with the powerless, speaking of him is black theology.
Cone has been criticized widely for being too tied to the original European roots of the academic theology that he here attacks, and for not sufficiently taking into account the history of the black church in America as the cradle of black liberation and black culture for preserving the African roots of much of black American spirituality. Yet his analysis was revolutionary and laid the foundation for a truly genuine North American theology of liberation.
841. —. For My People. Black Theology and the Black Church. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1984.
Black theology was often criticized for the same shortcomings that many perceived in the black power movement, the replacement of one power elite with another at the expense of other marginalized groups: most especially women. In this book Cone surveys the history of black theology and addresses the need for black theologians to speak to all the oppressed and marginalized – including women, the poor of whatever race, and those of the Third World – with an equal voice and compassion. His work thus demonstrates the tendency among all theologies of liberation to seek out the common ground and to recognize the will toward power and domination in all of us. See Evans (665), item 357.
842. —. God of the Oppressed. New York: Seabury Press, 1975.
See Evans (665), item 056.
843. —. My Soul Looks Back. Nashville: Abingdon, 1982.
An intellectual autobiography.
844. —. Speaking the Truth. Ecumenism, Liberation and Black Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1986.
A collection of essays written between 1975 and 1985 on two major themes: black theology as a theology of liberation; and black theology and its impact on the black church. Cone discusses Christian theology as an expression of God’s liberation of the poor, black worship as an expression of this process, faith and praxis, relations with the American Catholic church, and the issue of violence.
In Part 2 Cone surveys the history of black religious thought, the nature of the church, worship, and the role of ecumenism in the liberation struggle. He concludes with a perspective on the situation in South Africa.
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845. Cronon, Edmund D. Black Moses. Madison WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1964.
The figure of Moses as the liberator who leads his people out of captivity in Egypt is central to all liberation theologies; and it has been central to black religious consciousness in the New World from the start. An important formulation of the underpinnings of black theology.
846. Dodson, Jualynne, ed. Papers Presented to the Tenth Anniversary Convocation of the Black Theology Project. New York: Black Theology Project, 1988.
Collected essays by leading black theologians on the state of black theology now, its changes over the last two decades and the challenges still faced.
847. Dubois, W. E. B. The Souls of Black Folk. Reprint ed. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1967; New York: Penguin Books, 1989.
Dubois’ work, first published in 1903, had a profound impact. For the first time a black thinker spoke about the black in North America as the master of his or her own fate: the subject of history who could make a contribution to American life and whose experience of life affected his or her experience of God.
848. Evans, Anthony Tyrone. Black Theology and the Black Experience. A Biblical Analysis of Black Theology. Dallas, TX: Black Evangelical Enterprise, 1977.
Not seen.
849. Felder, Cain Hope. Troubling Biblical Waters. Race, Class, and Family. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1989.
Not seen.
850. Gardiner, James J., and J. Deotis Roberts, Sr. Quest for a Black Theology. Philadelphia: Pilgrim Press, 1971.
See Evans (665), item 199.
851. Harrison, Bob, and Jim Montgomery. When God Was Black. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1971.
Not seen.
852. Healey, Joseph G. The Fifth Gospel. The Experience of Black Christian Values. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1981.
The praxis of missionary work in Tanzania opened new insights into the meaning of the Gospels upon a return to pastoral work in Detroit. Bridges the gap between black American and African theologies.
853. Hodgson, Peter Craft. Children of Freedom. Black Liberation in Christian Perspective. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1974.
See Evans (665), item 108.
854. —. New Birth of Freedom. A Theology of Bondage and Liberation. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1976.
This is a fascinating look at all the forms of freedom and liberation, of bondage and oppression from religious, social, economic, psychiatric, points of view. Topics include the vision of freedom in America, various forms of freedom, theological meanings of freedom; forms of bondage, sin and oppression; the role of Christ as liberator, the gospel of liberation; and the dialectics of freedom in history. The author concludes with a examination of the symbolism of freedom in our understanding of faith, love, life, and hope.
855. Hopkins, Dwight N. Black Theology USA and South Africa. Politics, Culture, and Liberation. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1990.
See 268.
856. Jackson, Giovanna R. Afro-American Religion and Church and Race Relations. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Libraries, 1969.
Not seen.
857. Johnson, Joseph A. Proclamation Theology. Shreveport, LA: Fourth Episcopal District Press, 1977.
See Evans (665), item 177.
858. Jones, Major J. Black Awareness. A Theology of Hope. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1971.
See Evans (665), item 123.
859. —. Christian Ethics for Black Theology. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1974.
See Evans (665), item 122.
860. —. The Color of God. The Concept of God in Afro-American Thought. Macon, GA: Mercer, 1987.
This is an attempt to explore the rich insights that black theology can give to Christianity as a whole. Topics include a historical study of black theology, its African roots, hermeneutics of an African-American theology, theodicy and God’s moral character, Jesus Christ and the humanity of God, and God’s continuing presence among us.
861. Jones, William A. God in the Ghetto. Elgin, IL: Progressive National Baptist Publishing House, 1979.
Not seen.
862. Jones, William R. Is God a White Racist? A Preamble to Black Theology. Garden City, NY: Anchor Books, 1973.
See Evans (665), item 128.
863. Jordan, Robert L. Black Theology Exposed. New York: Vantage Press, 1982.
Not seen.
864. Jordan, Theodus J. The Contributions of Black Theology to Contemporary Thought. New York: Vantage, 1988.
Not seen.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
See also PeaceDocs, Texts, Christian.
865. Ansbro, John J. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Making of a Mind. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1982.
A good intellectual biography that has, however, been criticized for focusing too much on the intellectual influences on King from formal theology and not enough on the contextuality of his experience as a preacher and leader of the black church itself. It is from this experience that his spirituality of hope emerges.
866. King, Martin Luther, Jr. The Measure of A Man. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1988.
See Fisher (666), page 4.
867. —. Stride Toward Freedom. The Montgomery Story. New York: Harper & Row, 1958.
See Fisher (666), page 4.
868. —. Strength to Love. New York: Harper & Row, 1963.
See Fisher (666), page 4.
869. —. A Testament of Hope. The Essential Writings of Martin Luther King, Jr. James Melvin Washington, ed. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1986.
An excellent and large collection of his writings from 1956 until his death in 1968. These are grouped into five parts. Part 1 includes philosophy, including religious nonviolence, social integration, and black nationalism. Part 2 contains famous sermons and public addresses; 3, historic essays; 4, interviews; and 5, books, including the texts of Stride Toward Freedom; The Strength to Love; Why We Can’t Wait; Where Do We Go From Here; and The Trumpet of Conscience.
Includes a good index and excellent bibliography of works by MLK, and book and articles on him.
870. —. The Trumpet of Conscience. New York: Harper & Row, 1968; 2d ed., 1989.
Five talks originally broadcast over the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in November and December 1967 as the Massey Lectures. Topics include nonviolence and opposition to the Vietnam War; conscience raising among youth, and a Christmas sermon on peace.
871. —. We Shall Live in Peace. The Teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr. Deloria Harrison, ed. New York: Hawthorn Books, 1968.
See Fisher (666), page 19.
872. —. Where Do We Go From Here? Chaos or Community? New York: Harper & Row, 1967.
See Fisher (666), pages 4-5.
873. —. Why We Can’t Wait. New York: Harper & Row, 1964.
See Fisher (666), page 5.
874. —. The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr. Coretta Scott King, ed. New York: Newmarket Press, 1983.
A series of brief selections grouped under the topics of the community of man, racism, civil rights, justice and freedom, faith and religion, nonviolence, and peace. Also includes the texts of the “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” and “I Have a Dream” speeches.
875. Lincoln, C. Eric, ed. Martin Luther King Jr., A Profile. New York: Hill & Wang, 1970.
A collection of essays on the impact, message and meaning of MLK. Contains articles by David Halberstam, Louis Lomas, and others.
876. Oates, Stephen B. Let the Trumpet Sound. The Life of Martin Luther King. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1982.
Considered by many to be one of the best biographies available.
877. Smith, Kenneth L., and Ira G. Zepp. Jr. Search for the Beloved Community. The Thinking of Martin Luther King Jr. Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1974.
See Fisher (666), page 60.
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878. Lecky, Robert S, and H. Elliott Wright, eds. Black Manifesto. Religion, Racism and Reparations. New York: Sheed & Ward, 1969.
Essays by the editors, James Forman, William Stringfellow, Robert S. Browne, James Lawson, Harvey Cox, Stephen C. Rose, Dick Gregory on black power, black political theology, the demand for reparations, nonviolence, the role of the churches.
Appendixes contain the text of the Black Manifesto of April 1969 calling on white Americans to pay reparations to African-Americans for the two hundred years of slavery that they subjected them to, and addresses and declarations by black and white churches and papers.
879. Lincoln, C. Eric. The Black Experience in Religion. Garden City, NY: Anchor Books, 1974.
See Evans (665), item 139.
880. —. The Black Muslims in America. Boston: Beacon Press, 1961.
We often forget that many of the West African blacks brought forcibly to the New World were already Moslems when they lived in Africa. This is an important contribution not only to this cultural and religious inheritance but also for the work of the black Muslims in setting the stage for black liberation and black theology.
881. Lucas, Lawrence. Black Priest/White Church. New York: Random House, 1970.
Uses his own experience to speak of the white, middle-class values of the contemporary Catholic church in North America, the necessity for the church to come to grips with the diversity within its own numbers, and of white Catholics to face some of the prejudices and myths that populate their own psyches.
Lucas also speaks of his own difficult position in a church that remains steadfastly racist, or patronizing of African-Americans at best. Rather than leave, or adjust, he has decided to stay in the church and ministry and to fight.
Malcolm X
882. Goldman, Peter. The Death and Life of Malcolm X. New York: Harper & Row, 1973.
See Johnson (671), item 2-10.
883. Malcolm X. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York: Grove Press, 1965.
Along with Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X must be regarded as the second pillar of black theology. In his evolving thought on the need for black liberation through black nationalism and in his espousal of force as a last resort to liberate blacks from non-being at the hands of white oppression, Malcolm X called for a new theology that would make a black consciousness and a black God central to black experience. Enpowerment is the essential prerequisite to human dignity, and his life and words spoke to this need on a personal and political level.
884. —. By Any Means Necessary. Speeches, Interviews and a Letter by Malcolm X. George Breitman, ed. New York: Pathfinder Press, 1971.
See Johnson (671), item 1-2.
885. —. The End of White World Supremacy. New York: Seaver, 1971.
See Johnson (671), item 1-3.
886. —. Malcolm X Speaks. George Breitman, ed. New York: Grove Press, 1966.
See Johnson (671), item 1-5.
887. —. Malcolm X Talks to Young People. New York: Pathfinder, 1982.
See Johnson (671), item 1-6.
888. —. Two Speeches by Malcolm X. New York: Pathfinder, 1972.
See Johnson (671), item 1-8.
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889. Massie, Proscilla, ed. Black Faith and Black Solidarity. New York: Friendship Press, 1983.
See Evans (665), item 408.
890. Mosley, William. What Color Was Jesus? Chicago: African American Images, 1987.
Not seen.
891. Moyd, Olin P. Redemption in Black Theology. Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1979.
“Redemption” means both liberation and confederation, as it is at the root of a black theology that Euro-Americans have ignored and that Latin American liberation theology does not fully address. After examining the realities of blacks in the U.S., Moyd then lays out the distinctive expression and ideas of redemption in black theology, its nature as kerygmatic, apologetic and eristic: a theology that sees a new chosen people in covenant with God and in community.
892. Newman, Richard. Black Power and Black Religion. Essays and Reviews. West Cornwall, CT: Locust Hill Press, 1987.
Essays on black power, black Religion, and reviews of books on topics that include the U.S. and Africa. Pages 159-60 includes “Some Recent Bibliographic Resources for Black Religion.”
893. Oglesby, Enoch Hammond. Ethics and Theology from the Other Side. Sounds of Moral Struggle. Washington, DC: University Press of America, 1979.
Examines the ethical element of a black theology. Topics include an examination of the black church’s moral tradition, the ethical meaning of black theology on Christianity as a whole, an examination of the black power movement and its theological counterparts, the role of Martin Luther King in developing a liberation ethic, and the path toward a black Christian social ethic. Includes a selected bibliography.
894. Paris, Peter J. The Social Teachings of the Black Churches. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985.
See Evans (665), item 170.
895. Pero, Albert, and Ambrose Moyo, eds. Theology and the Black Experience. The Lutheran Heritage Interpreted by African and African-American Theologians. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg, 1988.
See 235.
James Deotis Roberts
896. Roberts, James Deotis. A Black Political Theology. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1974.
See Evans (665), item 191.
897. —. Black Theology in Dialogue. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1987.
This dialog derives from the black experience in both Third and First Worlds and from the insights of metaphysics, moral philosophy, history of religion, behavioral science, and biblical interpretation. Topics include the contextualization of theology, African roots of black theology, African-American dialog, the dialog between Jesus and his church, the holy spirit and liberation, love as a costly grace, justice, power in Christian ethics (especially in the context of a right-wing Christian backlash), the role of faith in confronting collective evil, and our role as co-creators and co-laborers.
Roberts concludes with two examples of dialog: with minjung theology in Korea, and with Judaism, and with some thoughts on the future of black theology.
898. —. Black Theology Today. Liberation and Contextualization. New York: E. Mellen Press, 1983.
See Evans (665), item 177.
899. —. Liberation and Reconciliation. A Black Theology. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1971.
See Evans (665), item 198.
900. —. Roots of a Black Future. Family and Church. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1980.
See Evans (665), item 183.
901. —. A Theological Commentary on the Sullivan Principles. Philadelphia: International Council for Equality of Opportunity, 1980.
Not seen.
902. —, and James J. Gardiner, eds. Quest for a Black Theology. Philadelphia: Pilgrim Press, 1971.
See Evans (665), item 199.
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903. Sally, Columbus, and Ronald Behm, eds. What Color Is Your God? Black Consciousness and Christian Faith. Secaucus, NJ: Citadel Press, 1988.
Not seen.
904. Shannon, David T. Black Witness to the Apostolic Faith. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1988.
Articles by the editors, Jeffrey Gros, Thomas Hoyt, Jr., J. Deotis Roberts and others on various aspects of the black experience of Christianly and liberation. Also contains ecumenical documents on the black experience and racism.
905. Skinner, Tom. How Black Is the Gospel? Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1970.
See Evans (665), item 214.
906. Smith, Shelton H. In His Image, But…. Racism in Southern Religion, 1780-1910. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1972.
On the development of a white theology of racism. Traces its origins, underpinnings, the failure of the anti-slavery movement through the end of the Civil War, the theology of slavery, and “Christian” ideologies that reinforce racism. Good background for the development of black theology.
907. Thibodeaux, Mary Roger. A Black Nun Looks at Black Power. New York: Sheed & Ward, 1972.
Not seen.
908. Thurman, Howard. Jesus and the Disinherited. Richmond, IN: Friends United Press, 1981.
Attempts to face the question of why Christianity is incapable of dealing with the problems of racism, hate, and economic oppression not only in society at large but also within the American church itself. Thurman examines a Jesus who speaks to those “with their backs against the wall,” that is, the vast majority of the poor, displaced, and disinherited of the world.
Jesus was a spokesman of the powerless and the disinherited, a prophet of spiritual survival and eventual triumph against the brutal subjection of Israel to Roman rule.
Thurman then examines some of the theological implications of the life of the oppressed: fear, deception, hate; but then also of a love that can overcome these, as Jesus overcame his own enemies with a new ethic. Thurman’s work, first published in 1949, is a landmark in the development of a black theology of liberation.
909. Trayman, Warner R. Christian Faith in Black and White. A Primer in Theology from the Black Perspective. Wakefield, MA: Parameter Press, 1973.
Not seen.
910. Washington, Joseph R. Black Religion. The Negro and Christianity in the United States Boston: Beacon Press, 1964; rev. ed. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1984.
See Evans (665), item 236.
911. —. Black Sects and Cults. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1972.
Black theology and black religion are more than a mere black version of European Christianity. They derive also from the still very strong influences of African religion as they came over with the slaves and were modified in the context of the New World. This study is a very useful reminder of these origins and their meaning for spirituality and thought in black theology.
912. —. The Politics of God. The Future of Black Churches. Boston: Beacon Press, 1970.
See Evans (665), item 235.
913. West, Cornel. Prophesy Deliverance! An Afro-American Revolutionary Christianity. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1982.
See Evans (665), item 326.
914. —. Prophetic Fragments. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1988.
This is a collection of essays on diverse topics, including Martin Luther King, Jr., the black church and socialist politics, South Africa, religion and culture (Part 2), and on religion and contemporary theology (Part 3). In Part 3 essays and book reviews touch on Juan Luis Segundo, Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Sharon D. Welsh, among other topics.
915. Wilmore, Gayraud S. Black and Presbyterian. The Heritage and the Hope. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1983.
See Evans (665), item 251.
916. —. Black Religion and Black Radicalism. An Interpretation of the Religious History of Afro-American People. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1983.
A history of the religious life of the African-American people from their roots in Africa to present-day America. Excellent background. See Evans (665), item 249.
917. —. Last Things First. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1982.
See Evans (665), item 254.
918. —, and James H. Cone, eds. Black Theology. A Documentary History 1966-1979. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1979.
A collection of essays and documents, including 255, and 838. See Evans (665), item 256.
919. Witvliet, Theo. The Way of the Black Messiah. The Hermeneutical Challenge of Black Theology as a Theology of Liberation. John Bowden, trans. London: SCM; Oak Park, IL: Meyer Stone Books, 1987.
This is an excellent introduction to the history, nature, central tenants, and controversies of black theology, even more so in that Witvliet is a Dutch liberation theologian who observes the U.S. scene from afar and is thus able to analyze and criticize from a more objective point of view. On the other hand, his discussion does tend to make the same mistake that he criticizes some of the black theologians themselves for: in some points of discussion he relies very heavily upon older categories and figures of traditional European theology, such as Barth, for many insights and parallels, thus making his work more academic than public in its discourse.
Despite these criticisms, however, this is an excellent book in that it approaches black theology as a true liberation theology and does so from the viewpoint of liberation theology itself: the historical development and context, the process and nature of liberation, and the nature of the ideology of the theology and of its critics. The author’s primary focus is on the overall context and practice that have influenced and formed the theology. At the same time, Witvliet also acknowledges that certain individuals must be singled out for their major influence. Among these are Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Cone.
His discussion of historical roots is excellent, delving into the nature of slavery in the U.S., African religious life, black Christianity, black nationalism, the civil rights movement, black power and black ecclesial politics. Excellent annotations that contain a superlative bibliography.
920. Young, Josiah U. Black and African Theologies. Siblings or Distant Cousins? Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1986.
A comparative study of the liberative emphasis of black American theology and of the indigenization movement in African theology. See 243.
