Black Suffering and Black Liberation: James Cone, New Black Gods, and Theodicy

• In Event: Black Religious Systems and Thought in the United States

Abstract

This paper will examine the continuing relevance and significance of Black Liberation Theology, specifically Cone's account of theodicy, in light of the fortieth anniversary of James Cones’ seminal text, God of the Oppressed (1975). Particularly, this paper will examine Cone's work in God of the Oppressed, its continued relevance in the black public sphere, and its usefulness as a critical analytic for examining new Christian movements and their engagement of black suffering. The paper will argue that black suffering is central to the emergence, growth and persistence of new religious movements and that black theology's legacy of discursively examining Christianity's response to suffering is a critical aspect of these movements. By addressing the impact of Cone's account of suffering and theodicy on emerging black queer Christian communities as well as black universalist/unitarian movements, this paper will not only argue for Cone's importance for new religious movements but also the import of Cone and his works in the present reformulation of the black public sphere in light of non-religious or more secular-inflected movements. Ultimately, this paper will use this 40th anniversary to bring Cone into conversation with a specific subset of new religious movements as well as arguing for its importance for dealing with the current attacks on black life and existence.

Author

• Joseph Lennis Tucker Edmonds, IUPUI