Homebrewed Christianity

Adam Clark: Black Christology from Howard Thurman to James Cone

May 17, 2025
Dr. Adam Clark, Associate Professor of Theology at Xavier University and co-chair of the Black Theology Group, dives into the transformative world of Black Christology. He discusses the revolutionary ideas of Howard Thurman and James Cone, highlighting how they navigate faith amid oppression. The conversation emphasizes theology as resistance, pointing out the connection between the cross and the lynching tree. It challenges listeners to rethink Jesus' role in today's social justice movements, advocating for a faith rooted in solidarity with the marginalized.
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INSIGHT

Theology as Resistance

  • Theology should be active resistance aimed at transforming the world, not just passive reflection.
  • This liberative approach centers faith on solidarity with the oppressed against empire.
INSIGHT

Threat of Christian Nationalism

  • Christian nationalism aligns religious rhetoric with empire, silencing dissent and targeting racialized others.
  • This false gospel serves power, not solidarity with the oppressed, and contradicts authentic Christian witness.
INSIGHT

Jesus as Minority and Model

  • Thurman reframed Jesus as a minority Jew facing an empire, paralleling Black Americans' minority status under U.S. empire.
  • This structural parallel reshaped Christian faith into an early form of Black theology focused on solidarity with the marginalized.
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