Risks of Faith: The Emergence of a
Black Theology of Liberation,
1968-1998 by James H. Cone
A Powerful Message
American religious thought at its best.—Michael Eric Dyson, author of I
May Not Get There with You: The True Martin Luther King, Jr.
From the birth of Black Theology to James Cones seminal work on the
theology of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the philosophy of Malcolm X, to the
importance of the environmental movement, Risks of Faith presents the
best and breadth of Black Theology.
James Hal Cone has almost singlehandedly re-shaped western theological
thought to make it racially inclusive by demythologizing the conventional
myths and shibboleths which kept it a white spiritual and philosophical

preserve for centuries.—C. Eric Lincoln, William Rand Kenan Professor of
Religion and Culture (Emeritus), Duke University
This volume of new and classic texts offers a wide-ranging introduction to
the esteemed theologians work.—Emerge
Risks of Faith shows that Cone is as much a prophet after thirty years as
he was in the beginning.—Delores S. Williams, author of Black Theology in
a New Key
Risks of Faith will be a revelation to those unaware that Black Religion
reflects the finest modern manifestation of Jesus teachings.—Derrick Bell,
author of Gospel Choirs
Personal Review: Risks of Faith: The Emergence of a Black
Theology of Liberation, 1968-1998 by James H. Cone
James Cone is one of the pivotal figures in theology of the twentieth
century. From the turbulent times of the 1960s to the present, he has been
writing and revising theological thought from the Black perspective in North
America; early in his career he set the general tone for his work by
challenging the establishment's comfort with permitting Blacks to remain
virtually invisible. With writings such as 'God is Black,' there is no
mistaking Cone's intentions. This is no mere book of essays or collected
works. In it, Cone draws upon his large body of work, but also his direct
experiences. He recounted the early experience with his doctoral advisor,
fighting in class over the aspects of racism in the very structure of
theology, a theology largely constructed by white male academics that
never even considered the issue of race and what a difference context
would make. He recounts his experiences later, now the teacher with
students, continuing the cause over and against theologies that come into
vogue (one example related at the end of the text is Cone's suspicion with
ecological ideas in theology, as they distract from key issues of humanity's
inability to relate even to itself in crucial ways). Cone divides the book into
three primary sections -- Black Theology and Black Power; Martin and
Malcolm; and Going Forward. The first of these takes place in the context
and aftermath of the 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement in the streets of
America and the slow awakening on the part of academia and church
hierarchies that race matters, not just to preserve the peace, not just to
right an ancient wrong, but because the fundamental equality and justice
due to all persons demanded it. In the 1980s, Cone began the task of
evaluating the historical and lasting impact of Martin Luther King, Jr. and
Malcolm X, two pivotal figures, not just theologically, but politically and
socially as well, whose impact both on the Black community and the wider

global community will continue to be felt for generations. Cone examines
both the reinterpretations and the canonisations that both King and
Malcolm X have undergone; these range from the sentimental to the
bizarre (Cone points out the number of high-profile African-American
leaders who seem to believe that Malcolm X is a black-Republican icon!).
Ultimately, King's influence in the Christian community is so great that he is
second to none in the American theological enterprise, with the crucial and
important difference vis-a-vis most other theologians who would be ranked
as 'the best' in that King was a theologian of action, a do-er as opposed to
a detached thinker. Malcolm X's influence, despite his outsider status with
regard to Christianity, remains strong due to the context, the emphasis,
and the moral content of his message.In the final section, Cone looks
toward the future. Critical issues remaining include the role of gender in
Black society (indeed, as it does in general society) -- Cone retells the
history of slavery in brief, saying there was no gender distinction in the
brutality of slavery, and that the time for greater understanding between
black men and women is at hand. Recapturing a sense of the importance
of religion and theology among the current generation of Black students in
college is also key, as many regard the church and Christian culture of
their parents and grandparents part of the old baggage to be shed. Cone
also shows the amount of work to be done -- that the just society of King's
vision is no closer to reality now than it was a generation ago, and that our
general sense of ease at permitting this keeps him as angry as when he
first started on the road to a full expression of Black theology.Much of this
work derives from Cone's writings, but again, this is not a simple collection
of essays or selected works. Cone reflects critically on the development of
his thought, what has changed and what has remained the same. This is
an excellent introduction to Cone, a theologian whose voice continues to
be needed.
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