Speaking The Truth
Theology is Language about God. Christian theology is language about God's liberating activity in the world on behalf of the freedom of the oppressed. Christian theology must begin with Scripture and with Christ. Christian theology is language about the crucified and risen Christ who grants freedom to all who are falsely condemned in an oppressive society. By using Scripture, we are forced by Scripture itself to focus on our social existence, but not merely in terms of our own interest. In an attempt to do theology in the light of this crucified and risen Christ, James A. Cone has spoken of Christian theology as black theology because theology derived from the moans and shouts of oppressed black people defines a different set of problems than those found in the white the white theological textbooks. The style of black worship is a constituent of its content, and both elements point of the theme of liberation. Black religion is by definition the opposite of white religion because the former was born in the black people's political struggle to liberate themselves from oppression in the white church and the society it justifies. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950's and 60's, which was created and large
Black church people contend that the search for unity in Jesus Christ cannot separate from struggle for justice in society. Segregation and slavery in the society prompted black churches to define black people's political resistance against oppression as a witness to God's eschatological intentions to establish justice for the poor and weak in the land. Sometimes, however, slaves openly expressed their rejection of the white church and its theology and seldom regarded it as a true representative of the body of Christ. In the writings of many black theologians the black church projected an image of church unity based on a political commitment of white Christians to eliminate racism in their churches and in the society accounts for the lack of serious dialogue on the part of black independent churches in the ecumenical deliberations of the Consultation on Church Union. The Theme of "Black ecumenism and the liberation struggle" also challenges contemporary black denominational churches to implement in society the freedom they sing and preach is the temptation to imitate their oppressor, even when the two groups remain socially separate. Black worship is connected with black life. Whether Catholic of Protestant-Methodist, Baptist, or Pentecostal, black worship is not derived primarily from these theological and historical traditions. A black congregation may be any of these religions but always will be different. And the difference is far more important in the assessment of the meaning of black worship than are the white traditions form which the black church often gets its name. Black worship was born on the slave ships and nurtured in the cotton fields of Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Blacks believe that worship cannot be separated from their African heritage on the on hand and American slavery and Christianity on the other. Because black people were victims, they could not accept white people's interpretation of the gospel. No matter what trials and tribulations black people encounter, they refuse to let despair define their humanity. They simply believe that God can make a
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1415
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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