What is Black Liberation Theology?

Since the subject has recently been prominent in the news, I offer here a summary of a series of articles by Anthony B. Bradley who is a research fellow at the Acton Institute, and assistant professor of theology at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis.  His PhD dissertation is titled, “Victimology in Black Liberation Theology.”  As you read this, please be aware that Black liberation theology is not representative of the mainline majority of Black churches in America.

Black liberation theology was defined in 1969 by the National Committee of Black Church Men in the midst of the civil-rights movement:

“Black theology is a theology of black liberation. It seeks to plumb the black condition in the light of God’s revelation in Jesus Christ; so that the black community can see that the gospel is commensurate with the achievements of black humanity. Black theology is a theology of ‘blackness.’ It is the affirmation of black humanity that emancipates black people from White racism, thus providing authentic freedom for both White and black people. It affirms the humanity of White people in that it says ‘No’ to the encroachment of White oppression.”

James Cone was the chief architect of black liberation theology in his book A Black Theology of Liberation (1970).  Black consciousness and the Black experience of oppression orient black liberation theology.  Black theology analyzes the nature of the gospel through the experience of oppressed Blacks.  According to Cone, no theology is Christian theology unless it arises from oppressed communities and interprets Jesus’ work as that of liberation.

Black theology exists because “White religionists” failed to relate the gospel of Jesus to the pain of being Black in a White racist society.  Black theology helps Blacks navigate White dominance in American culture.  Cone’s view is that Whites consider Blacks outside of the realm of humanity, and attempt to destroy Black identity through racial assimilation and integration programs.

Black Liberation theology actually encourages a victim mentality.  John McWhorter’s book Losing the Race notes that victimology is a culturally inherited affirmation that life for Blacks in America has been and will be a life of being victimized by the oppression of Whites. It is the conviction that, forty years after the Civil Rights Act, conditions for Blacks have not substantially changed.  Victimology keeps racism alive because many Whites are constantly painted as racist with no evidence provided.

Black liberation theologians have also explicitly stated a preference for Marxism as an ethical framework for the black church.  Black Liberation theologians James Cone and Cornel West have worked to embed Marxist thought into the black church since the 1970s.  West sees a strong correlation between Black theology and Marxist thought because “both focus on the plight of the exploited, oppressed and degraded peoples of the world, their relative powerlessness and possible empowerment.”

Black liberation theology was originally intended to help the black community, but may have been the source of racial tension, victimology, and Marxist attitudes which lead to more oppression.

Read the complete articles here. . . .  And here.