A White Response to Black Theology

Black theology, or the theology of blackness, finds its nexus in the dawning of the 20th century. W.E.B. DuBois, while not a theologian, began to reflect upon the place of faith and religious action within the slave communities. DuBois laid the groundwork for Historians like Franklin Frazier, Ethicists like Dr. George Kelsey, and Theologians like James Cone to examine their world from a position of blackness. It is my hope to unpack issues of prejudice that lie beneath the surface of my conscience. I have begun to examine my thoughts and my behaviors to see to what or whom my soul is oriented.

James Cone wrote:

"Being black in America has very little to do with skin color. To be black means that your heart, your soul, your mind and your body are where the dispossessed are."

As a student of theology, I hope to uncover the insidious rot of inhumanity that quietly infects the spirit of mankind. But as a human being I hope to find the blackness within myself.

PAX