Introducing Black Theology of Liberation

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Summary: A HISTORICAL SURVEY
Review: Black Theology has become well known in the nation's major seminairies. James Cone, Deotis Roberts and other Black theologians' names are well regarded in academic circles. Finding a book which encompasses the whole of Black Theology has been a vacuum which is now filled through the work of Dwight Hopkins.

For the first time readers have access to a text which gives a historical survey of the development and encounters of Black Theology with other theologies. Introducing Black Theology of Liberation is long overdue in the academy. Dr. Hopkins traces Black Theology from its roots in Africa and its development in the context of the United States of America Diaspara. We are shown how the first generation of Black theologians dealt with the political and racial turmoil in the 1960's and 70's. From that experience came their articulation of what it means to be Black and Christian.

Hopkins' work is inclusive in that it includes the voices of Womanist theologians who have critiqued their brother colleagues about how sexism impacted on Black women as well as race. Black male theologians were made to confront their own notions of sexism. In addition Black theology is not in conversation with just itself. Its encounter with other Third World Theologies has forced it to look at other oppressions that keep humanity from achieving fullness in Christ. There isn't any doubt that this will become the standard text in the teaching of Black Theology in the classrooms.

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Summary: What colour is God?
Review: Dwight Hopkins teaches at the University of Chicago Divinity School. He is the author of many books on theology, concentrating on Black/African-American theology and the experience in America. This text, 'Introducing Black Theology of Liberation', looks at the development of Black Theology over time over the past few generations since it became a discipline of its own, largely from a North American perspective, but leading outward from there.

Hopkins deals a bit with the problem of ever-changing language among the people of the African-American community; when Black Theology came of age as distinct and powerful, the term 'Black' was 'the' term to use, and to a large extent, it sticks. However, as Hopkins points out, the idea of liberation among Africans brought over and subsequent African-Americans has been strong and important to the community since the 1600s. It has been important in the African-American community that liberation is a 'total' response to oppression - it involves political, social, economic and theological issues, none of which can be easily separated from the rest.

Hopkins' first chapter deals with the brief 'pre-history' of formal Black theology - the period of slavery is as formative an experience as the Exodus was for the ancient Israelites, and there is much liberating material in the Bible that the community can draw upon. The Bible unfortunately was used by the white masters as an oppressive tool; the re-reading of the Bible after freed slaves could form their own opinions drove important impulses that finally culminated with the developments in the 1950s and 1960s, both in the Civil Rights and the Black Power movements.

Hopkins continues from this ground to look at the first and second generations of Black Theology. The first major figure is James Cone, whose groundbreaking work went beyond his community to the wider theological community. Hopkins also deals in some detail the work of J. Deotis Roberts, Gayraud Wilmore, and Charles H. Long; Black theology comes with both political and cultural considerations. Into the second generation the considerations of globalism, changing attitudes and concerns of the African-American community, and a realignment of issues challenge those first-generation theologians still working. Hopkins calls for current and future Black theologians to work through all the various cultural, political, theological and other issues to come up with accessible and meaningful constructions for the community.

Hopkins takes a particular look at Womanist theology, a form of liberation theology deriving from the experience of African-American women, who find both 'traditional' feminist theology and Black theology to be missing key components of their experience. They must endure both racism and sexism, this on top of generally poorer economic standing. Womanism's definition comes from Alice Walker ('The Colour Purple'), and relies on tradition, community, self, nature and spirit, and critique of traditional feminism.

Hopkins looks at the spread of influence of Black theology in the rest of the world, the Third World where it finds solidarity with other liberation theologies, and finally the challenges confronting Black theology in the future. These involve dealing with the whole person, being honest about negative aspects and feelings so as to not pass them on uncritically to the future, exploring gender relationships and self-examining in these relationships, holding the church accountable in the world, and not being afraid to be the prophetic voice which is appropriate to the gospel.

There is a strong sense in parts of this writing that this is a literature survey - Hopkins leaves very little out in terms of major studies and works over the course of the past few generations. As this is merely an introduction, the reader it is hoped will continue the pursuit with further studies described in Hopkins essays.

God created humankind in the divine image, according to the scripture. Much of humankind is now, and has been in the past, black. When Cone wrote, 'God is Black,' he was on to something. It is worth exploring.