Cone, James H.
1938-2018 · Contribution: 1969-2018
Systematic theology; founded Black liberation theology, arguing that the Christian gospel is centrally about God's identification with the oppressed; author of 'Black Theology and Black Power' (1969), 'A Black Theology of Liberation' (1970), and 'The Cross and the Lynching Tree' (2011)
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Impact on the world
The founder and most influential voice of Black liberation theology, which reshaped American religious thought and influenced womanist and Third World theologies; the Charles Augustus Briggs Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminary for nearly five decades.
Life & background
African-American Methodist (AME) minister and theologian born Aug 5, 1938 in Fordyce, AR; raised in segregated Bearden, AR. BA, Philander Smith College; BD, Garrett Theological Seminary; PhD, Northwestern University (1965). Taught at Union Theological Seminary from 1969 until his death April 28, 2018.
Sources
- NPR; Union Theological Seminary; EBSCO
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