The Cross and the Lynching Tree

Holy smokes, theology nerds – buckle up for a prophetic ride through Black Christology that'll completely recalibrate your understanding of Jesus and faith in times of empire. I am joined by Dr. Adam Clark as he traces the revolutionary lineage from Howard Thurman's mystical Jesus who refuses the "hounds of hell" (after being called a traitor to dark peoples for following Christianity), through Albert Cleage's literal Black Messiah who'd be riding in the colored section of Jim Crow buses, to James Cone's God who shows up at the lynching tree. At a moment when Christian nationalism weaponizes the gospel to enforce xenophobic authoritarianism, this prophetic tradition reminds us that authentic Christian witness is found in loving solidarity with the crucified of today. This isn't polite reflection, friends – it's resistance theology that exposes how God deliberately identifies with the oppressed, choosing foolishness to shame the wise and weakness to shame the strong. This episode might flip your theological world upside down, but that's precisely what good theology should do.

To get Adam's lecture and four more, join the class,⁠⁠The Many Faces of Christ Today⁠⁠.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Dr. Adam Clark is Associate Professor of Theology at Xavier University. He currently serves as co-chair of Black Theology Group at the American Academy of Religion, actively publishes in the area of black theology and black religion and participates in social justice groups at Xavier and in the Cincinnati area. He earned his PhD at Union Theological Seminary in New York where he was mentored by James Cone.

Previous Episodes w/ Adam:

• Thinking Liberation
• From Contemplation to Liberation
• The Living & Liberating Mystery
• Cancel Culture, Rogan, Whoopi, Chappelle, & the NFL
• Gary Dorrien & Adam Clark: James Cone and the Emergence of Black Theology
• Serene Jones & Adam Clark: Theology Matters and the Legacy of James Cone
• The Crisis of American Religion & Democracy: 1/6 a year later
• Christmas, BLM, Abortion, & the War on White Evangelicalism
• Jan 6th Theological Debrief: Adam Clark and Jeffrey Pugh
• Adam Clark: What is Black Theology?
• From Lebron James to the Black Panther: Black Theology QnA w/ Adam Clark
• Adam Clark: James Cone was right

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