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The Cross and the Lynching Tree: A Confrontation of Faith and Brutality
The juxtaposition of the cross and the lynching tree – two seemingly disparate symbols – offers a powerful and unsettling exploration of American history and the enduring struggle for racial justice. This post delves into the symbolic weight of each, examining their historical contexts and the chilling parallels that expose the deep-seated racism that has shaped and continues to shape the nation. We'll explore how these images, seemingly worlds apart, tragically intersected, creating a visual representation of the brutal hypocrisy embedded within the American narrative of faith and freedom. Prepare to confront a painful but necessary truth.
The Cross: A Symbol of Redemption and Hope
The cross, a potent symbol for billions of Christians worldwide, represents sacrifice, redemption, and the promise of eternal life. It embodies hope, forgiveness, and the triumph of good over evil. For centuries, the cross has served as a beacon of faith, offering solace and spiritual guidance to countless individuals. Its imagery is deeply rooted in religious art, architecture, and personal devotion, signifying a profound connection to the divine. The cross is a symbol of love, often associated with peace and compassion.
The Cross in the American Context
Within the American context, the cross holds particular significance, inextricably linked to the nation's founding and development. Early settlers carried their faith with them, establishing churches and communities centered around Christian values. The cross became a symbol of their spiritual journey and a testament to their resilience in the face of adversity. However, the interpretation and application of Christian values have been consistently manipulated throughout American history to justify systemic inequalities, including the horrific practice of lynching.
The Lynching Tree: A Monument to Terror and Injustice
The lynching tree, in stark contrast, represents the brutal reality of racial terror in America. It stands as a chilling monument to the systematic violence inflicted upon Black Americans for centuries. Far from being a symbol of hope and redemption, the lynching tree represents the antithesis – a symbol of hatred, fear, and the complete disregard for human life. The act of lynching itself, often a public spectacle, served as a tool of intimidation and social control, designed to maintain the existing power structure based on white supremacy.
The Ritual of Lynching and its Symbolic Significance
The ritualistic nature of lynchings further underscores their horrific purpose. These were not simply acts of violence; they were calculated displays of power, intended to terrorize Black communities and reinforce the dominance of white society. The selection of the tree, the public nature of the event, and the often-photographed and documented aftermath all served to create a lasting legacy of fear and oppression. The lynching tree became a physical manifestation of systemic racism, a grim reminder of the vulnerability and precariousness of Black life in America.
The Unholy Intersection: Where the Cross and the Lynching Tree Converge
The truly disturbing aspect lies in the intersection of these two symbols. Throughout American history, the rhetoric of Christianity has been tragically misused to justify the unspeakable acts of racial violence. While some religious leaders actively fought against racism, others remained silent or even offered theological justifications for segregation and oppression. This created a climate where the cross, a symbol of love and forgiveness, coexisted with the lynching tree, a symbol of hate and brutality, creating a landscape of profound hypocrisy and moral ambiguity.
The Hypocrisy of "Christian" Justification
The use of biblical passages to justify the subjugation of Black people – often selectively interpreted – represents a perversion of Christian principles. This distorted application of religious doctrine served to legitimize racial violence in the eyes of many, creating a deep and lasting wound in the American conscience. The juxtaposition of the cross and the lynching tree serves as a stark reminder of this historical hypocrisy.
Confronting the Legacy: Moving Towards Reconciliation
Understanding the historical intersection of the cross and the lynching tree is not merely an academic exercise; it is a crucial step towards confronting the legacy of racial injustice in America. By acknowledging this painful truth, we can begin to understand the deep-seated roots of systemic racism and work towards building a more just and equitable future. The dialogue surrounding these symbols must continue, fostering open and honest conversations about race, faith, and the enduring struggle for equality.
Conclusion
The stark contrast and, more disturbingly, the intersection of the cross and the lynching tree serve as a powerful metaphor for the complex and often contradictory nature of American history. It is a reminder of the urgent need to confront the legacy of racial injustice and to work towards a future where faith and justice truly coexist, not as conflicting forces, but as complementary pillars of a society built on equity and compassion. The silence surrounding this uncomfortable truth must end. We must continue to confront this history, learn from its mistakes, and strive to build a future where such horrific juxtapositions are relegated to the past.
FAQs
1. Were there any religious figures who actively opposed lynching? Yes, many religious leaders and organizations bravely spoke out against lynching and worked to advance racial justice. However, their voices were often drowned out by those who misused religious rhetoric to justify racial violence.
2. How does the legacy of lynching still affect society today? The legacy of lynching continues to impact society through systemic racism, which manifests in various forms, including disparities in education, healthcare, and the criminal justice system.
3. What are some ways to learn more about the history of lynching in America? Numerous books, documentaries, and museums offer resources for learning about this dark chapter in American history. Seeking out primary sources, such as photographs and eyewitness accounts, can be particularly powerful.
4. How can individuals contribute to combating systemic racism today? Individuals can engage in education, advocacy, and allyship. This can involve supporting organizations that combat racial injustice, engaging in respectful dialogue, and actively challenging racist behavior.
5. Is there a national memorial dedicated to the victims of lynching? Yes, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama, is a powerful testament to the victims of racial terror lynchings in America.
| the cross and the lynching tree: The Cross and the Lynching Tree James H. Cone, 2011 A landmark in the conversation about race and religion in America. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. Acts 10:39 The cross and the lynching tree are the two most emotionally charged symbols in the history of the African American community. In this powerful new work, theologian James H. Cone explores these symbols and their interconnection in the history and souls of black folk. Both the cross and the lynching tree represent the worst in human beings and at the same time a thirst for life that refuses to let the worst determine our final meaning. While the lynching tree symbolized white power and black death, the cross symbolizes divine power and black life God overcoming the power of sin and death. For African Americans, the image of Jesus, hung on a tree to die, powerfully grounded their faith that God was with them, even in the suffering of the lynching era. In a work that spans social history, theology, and cultural studies, Cone explores the message of the spirituals and the power of the blues; the passion and of Emmet Till and the engaged vision of Martin Luther King, Jr.; he invokes the spirits of Billie Holliday and Langston Hughes, Fannie Lou Hamer and Ida B. Well, and the witness of black artists, writers, preachers, and fighters for justice. And he remembers the victims, especially the 5,000 who perished during the lynching period. Through their witness he contemplates the greatest challenge of any Christian theology to explain how life can be made meaningful in the face of death and injustice. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: The Cross and the Lynching Tree James H. Cone, 2011 Examines the symbols of the cross and the lynching tree in African Americans daily life, spiritual life and history. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: The Cross and the Lynching Tree James H. Cone, 2011 The cross and the lynching tree are the two most emotionally charged symbols in the history of the African American community. In this work, Cone explores these symbols and their interconnection in the history and souls of African American folk. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: God of the Oppressed James H. Cone, 1997 |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Black Theology and Black Power Cone, James, H., 2018 The introduction to this edition by Cornel West was originally published in Dwight N. Hopkins, ed., Black Faith and Public Talk: Critical Essays on James H. Cone's Black Theology & Black Power (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1999; reprinted 2007 by Baylor University Press). |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody James H. Cone, 2018 This autobiographical work is truly the capstone to the career of the man widely regarded as the Father of Black Theology. Dr. Cone, a distinguished professor at Union Theological Seminary, died April 27, 2018. During the 1960s and O70s he argued for racial justice and an interpretation of the Christian Gospel that elevated the voices of the oppressed.ssed. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Martin & Malcolm & America James H. Cone, 1991 Reexamines the ideology of the two most prominent leaders of the civil rights movement of the 1960s |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Love Tristan Sherwin, 2015-10-23 You may be looking at the back of this book, watching as someone else is reading it-a book entitled: Love: Expressed. And you're thinking, 'They must have issues.' So to help them out for a moment: This isn't another one of those 'self-help' manuals. This isn't a book about romance and sex, or feelings and cuddles. This isn't a guidebook offering relationship advice, giving tips on how to find 'love' and 'look after' it. In those senses, this isn't even a book about love. It's a book about life-every part of it. About how it should be lived, how it should be explored, how it should be expressed. This is a book about meaning, about life's trajectories. It's about God. It's about you. It's about them. In that sense, this is all about love. But if I could capture here what I mean by 'love' in that sense, I wouldn't have needed to write a book. Tristan Sherwin has written a smart and beautiful book showing us that Jesus Christ is the love of God expressed as a human life. This is the life we are called to imitate; this life of love is what we are made for. -Brian Zahnd; Author of A Farewell To Mars Refreshing, authentic, inspiring, and yet practical-Tristan is a breath of fresh air. -Jeff Lucas; Author, Speaker, Broadcaster Love: Expressed is a work of dirt-under-your-fingers spirituality. -Jonathan Martin; Author of Prototype |
| the cross and the lynching tree: My Soul Looks Back James H. Cone, 1986 What is the relationship, James Cone asks, between my training as a theologian and the black struggle for freedom? For what reason has God allowed a poor black boy from Bearden to become a professional systematic theologian? As I struggled with these questions...I could not escape the overwhelming conviction that God's spirit was calling me to do what I could for the enhancement of justice in the world, especially on behalf of my people. 'My Soul Looks Back' chronicles the author's grappling with these questions, as well as his formulation of an answer--an answer that would lead to the development of a black theology of liberation. Firmly rooted in the black church tradition, James Cone relates the formative features of his faith journey, from his childhood experience in Bearden, Arkansas, and his father's steadfast resistance to racism, through racial discrimination in graduate school, to his controversial articulation of a faith that seeks to break the shackles of racial oppression. In describing his more recent encounters with feminist, Marxist, and Third World thinkers, James Cone provides a compelling description of liberation theology, and a vivid portrayal of what it means to profess a faith that does justice. (Back cover). |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Cross and Cosmos John D. Caputo, 2019-07-23 John D. Caputo stretches his project as a radical theologian to new limits in this groundbreaking book. Mapping out his summative theological position, he identifies with Martin Luther to take on notions of the hidden god, the theology of the cross, confessional theology, and natural theology. Caputo also confronts the dark side of the cross with its correlation to lynching and racial and sexual discrimination. Caputo is clear that he is not writing as any kind of orthodox Lutheran but is instead engaging with a radical view of theology, cosmology, and poetics of the cross. Readers will recognize Caputo's signature themes—hermeneutics, deconstruction, weakness, and the call—as well as his unique voice as he writes about moral life and our strivings for joy against contemporary society and politics. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: The Myth of Colorblind Christians Jesse Curtis, 2021-11-09 Reveals how Christian colorblindness expanded white evangelicalism and excluded Black evangelicals In the decades after the civil rights movement, white Americans turned to an ideology of colorblindness. Personal kindness, not systemic reform, seemed to be the way to solve racial problems. In those same decades, a religious movement known as evangelicalism captured the nation’s attention and became a powerful political force. In The Myth of Colorblind Christians, Jesse Curtis shows how white evangelicals’ efforts to grow their own institutions created an evangelical form of whiteness, infusing the politics of colorblindness with sacred fervor. Curtis argues that white evangelicals deployed a Christian brand of colorblindness to protect new investments in whiteness. While black evangelicals used the rhetoric of Christian unity to challenge racism, white evangelicals repurposed this language to silence their black counterparts and retain power, arguing that all were equal in Christ and that Christians should not talk about race. As white evangelicals portrayed movements for racial justice as threats to Christian unity and presented their own racial commitments as fidelity to the gospel, they made Christian colorblindness into a key pillar of America’s religio-racial hierarchy. In the process, they anchored their own identities and shaped the very meaning of whiteness in American society. At once compelling and timely, The Myth of Colorblind Christians exposes how white evangelical communities avoided antiracist action and continue to thrive today. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Anti-Blackness and Christian Ethics Lloyd, Vincent W., Prevot, Andrew, 2017-11-16 From police violence to mass incarceration, from environmental racism to micro-aggressions, the moral gravity of anti-black racism is attracting broad attention. How do Christian ideas, practices, and institutions contribute to today's struggle for racial justice? And how do they need to be reimagined in light of the challenges to white supremacy posed by today's movements for racial justice? With contributions by leading experts such as Katie Grimes, Steven Battin, Santiago Slabodsky, M. Shawn Copeland, Kelly Brown Douglas, Elias Ortega-Aponte, Ashon Crawley, Eboni Marshall Turman, and Bryan Massingale, this collection speaks to scholars, students, activists, and Christians of all races who believe that black lives matter. -- |
| the cross and the lynching tree: For My People Cone, James, H., 2024-10-23 |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Jesus and the Disinherited Howard Thurman, 2022-10-11 “No other publication in the twentieth century has upended antiquated theological notions, truncated political ideas, and socially constructed racial fallacies like Jesus and the Disinherited. Thurman’s work keeps showing up on the desk of anti-apartheid activists, South American human rights workers, civil rights champions, and now Black Lives Matter advocates.” –Rev. Otis Moss III, author of Blue Note Preaching in a Post-Soul World and senior pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ A commemorative edition of the work that inspired Martin Luther King Jr. and helped shape the civil rights movement In this beautiful gift edition of the classic theological treatise, complete with a place-marker ribbon and silver gilded edges, celebrated theologian and religious leader Howard Thurman (1899–1981) revolutionizes the way we read the gospel. Thurman lifts Jesus up as a partner in the pain of the oppressed and reveals the gospel as a manual of resistance for the poor and disenfranchised. In this view, the example of Jesus’s life shows us that hatred does not empower—it decays. Only by recognizing fear, deception, contempt, and love of one another can God’s justice prevail. With a new foreword by acclaimed womanist theologian Kelly Brown Douglas, this edition of Jesus and the Disinherited is a timeless testimony of faith that demonstrates how to thrive and flourish in a world that attempts to destroy one’s humanity from the inside out. Having witnessed firsthand the depths of white supremacy and the heights of human civility, Thurman reiterates the inherent dignity of all of God’s children. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Hole in the Head: A Life Revealed Wilbert Smith Ph.D., 2022-08-01 Following twenty years of close friendship with author Wilbert Smith, Vertus Hardiman reveals the truth about his horrifying experience hidden since age five. His life is a moving example of humility, success, and achievement while enduring long standing suffering. The story tells of Vertus Hardiman and nine other children, each attending the same elementary school in Lyles Station Indianawho, in 1927, was severely irradiated during a medical experiment conducted at the local county hospital. The experiment was misrepresented as a newly developed cure for the scalp fungus known as ringworm. But in reality, the ringworm fungus was merely the lure used to gain access to children whose unsuspecting parents blindly signed permission slips for the treatment. Vertus was age five and the youngest. As remarkable and shocking as the story may appear, it is not an indictment on inhumane government-sanctioned medical experimentation. Rather, Hole in the Head: a Life Revealed reflects the incredible strength of one man who survived the harshest imaginable circumstances through the power of who and what he was determined to become. His simplicity and life philosophy always lifted the spirits of those he touched. Remarkably, not one person in Vertus's community was aware of his suffering because he always wore a wig or woolen beanie cap to hide his shame. He stated, For over seventy-one years, only four individuals outside a few medical specialists have ever seen my condition. I hide it because I look like some monster. But in reality, Vertus was the kindest example of human love Wilbert had ever metalways choosing love over hate and success over excuses and failure. This incredible story inspires us to change our outlook on life, while teaching the true meaning of love, forgiveness, and acceptance. Journey with us through this rich and unforgettable story |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Sexuality and the Black Church Douglas, Kelly Brown, 2018-09-26 |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Christians Against Christianity Obery M. Hendricks, Jr., 2021-07-06 A timely and galvanizing work that examines how right-wing evangelical Christians have veered from an admirable faith to a pernicious, destructive ideology. Today’s right-wing Evangelical Christianity stands as the very antithesis of the message of Jesus Christ. In his new book, Christians Against Christianity, best-selling author and religious scholar Obery M. Hendricks Jr. challenges right-wing evangelicals on the terrain of their own religious claims, exposing the falsehoods, contradictions, and misuses of the Bible that are embedded in their rabid homophobia, their poorly veiled racism and demonizing of immigrants and Muslims, and their ungodly alliance with big business against the interests of American workers. He scathingly indicts the religious leaders who helped facilitate the rise of the notoriously unchristian Donald Trump, likening them to the “court jesters” and hypocritical priestly sycophants of bygone eras who unquestioningly supported their sovereigns’ every act, no matter how hateful or destructive to those they were supposed to serve. In the wake of the deadly insurrectionist attack on the US Capitol, Christians Against Christianity is a clarion call to stand up to the hypocrisy of the evangelical Right, as well as a guide for Christians to return their faith to the life-affirming message that Jesus brought and died for. What Hendricks offers is a provocative diagnosis, an urgent warning that right-wing evangelicals’ aspirations for Christian nationalist supremacy are a looming threat, not only to Christian decency but to democracy itself. What they offer to America is anything but good news. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: The Civil War as a Theological Crisis Mark A. Noll, 2006-12-08 Viewing the Civil War as a major turning point in American religious thought, Mark A. Noll examines writings about slavery and race from Americans both white and black, northern and southern, and includes commentary from Protestants and Catholics in Europe and Canada. Though the Christians on all sides agreed that the Bible was authoritative, their interpretations of slavery in Scripture led to a full-blown theological crisis. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Surrounded by Love Murray Bodo, 2018 Friar Murray Bodo explores the core teachings of St. Francis and discusses how they shape Franciscan spirituality even today-- |
| the cross and the lynching tree: The Spirituals and the Blues Cone, James H., 2022-11-03 How two forms of song helped sustain slaves and their children in the midst of tribulation. With a new introduction by Cheryl Townsend Gilkes-- |
| the cross and the lynching tree: The Executed God Mark Lewis Taylor, 2015-11-01 The new edition of Mark Lewis Taylor’s award-winning The Executed God is both a searing indictment of the structures of “Lockdown America” and a visionary statement of hope. It is also a call for action to Jesus followers to resist US imperial projects and power. Outlining a “theatrics of state terror,” Taylor identifies and analyzes its instruments—mass incarceration, militarized police tactics, surveillance, torture, immigrant repression, and capital punishment—through which a racist and corporatized Lockdown America enforces in the US a global neoliberal economic and political imperialism. Against this, The Executed God proposes a “counter-theatrics to state terror,” a declamation of the way of the cross for Jesus followers that unmasks the powers of US state domination and enacts an adversarial politics of resistance, artful dramatic actions, and the building of peoples’ movements. These are all intrinsic to a Christian politics of remembrance of the Jesus executed by empire. Heralded in its first edition, this new edition is thoroughly revised, updated, and expanded, offering a demanding rethinking and recreating of what being a Christian is and of how Christianity should dream, hope, mobilize, and act to bring about what Taylor terms “a liberating material spirituality” to unseat the state that kills. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Beyond Racial Gridlock George Yancey, 2009-08-20 Sociologist George Yancey critiques four models of race (colorblindness, Anglo-conformity, multiculturalism and white responsibility), and introduces a new model (mutual responsibility). He offers hope that people of all races can walk together on a shared path toward racial reconciliation--not as adversaries but as collaborators and partners. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Tradition and Apocalypse David Bentley Hart, 2022-02-08 In the two thousand years that have elapsed since the time of Christ, Christians have been as much divided by their faith as united, as much at odds as in communion. And the contents of Christian confession have developed with astonishing energy. How can believers claim a faith that has been passed down through the ages while recognizing the real historical contingencies that have shaped both their doctrines and their divisions? In this carefully argued essay, David Bentley Hart critiques the concept of tradition that has become dominant in Christian thought as fundamentally incoherent. He puts forth a convincing new explanation of Christian tradition, one that is obedient to the nature of Christianity not only as a revealed creed embodied in historical events but as the apocalyptic revelation of a history that is largely identical with the eternal truth it supposedly discloses. Hart shows that Christian tradition is sustained not simply by its preservation of the past, but more essentially by its anticipation of the future. He offers a compelling portrayal of a living tradition held together by apocalyptic expectation--the promised transformation of all things in God. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Stand Your Ground Douglas Brown, Kelly , 2015-05-05 The 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin, an African-American teenager in Florida, and the subsequent acquittal of his killer, brought public attention to controversial Stand Your Ground laws. The verdict, as much as the killing, sent shock waves through the African-American community, recalling a history of similar deaths, and the long struggle for justice. On the Sunday morning following the verdict, black preachers around the country addressed the question, Where is the justice of God? What are we to hope for? This book is an attempt to take seriously social and theological questions raised by this and similar stories, and to answer black church people's questions of justice and faith in response to the call of God. But Kelly Brown Douglas also brings another significant interpretative lens to this text: that of a mother. There has been no story in the news that has troubled me more than that of Trayvon Martin's slaying. President Obama said that if he had a son his son would look like Trayvon. I do have a son and he does look like Trayvon. Her book will also affirm the truth of a black mother's faith in these times of stand your ground.-- |
| the cross and the lynching tree: The Narrative Self in Early Christianity Janet E. Spittler, 2019-10-04 Essays that explore early Christian texts and the broader world in which they were written This volume of twelve essays celebrates the contributions of classicist Judith Perkins to the study of early Christianity. Drawing on Perkins's insights related to apocryphal texts, representations of pain and suffering, and the creation of meaning, contributors explore the function of Christian narratives that depict pain and suffering, the motivations of the early Christians who composed these stories, and their continuing value to contemporary people. Contributors also examine how narratives work to create meaning in a religious context. These contributions address these issues from a variety of angles through a wide range of texts. Features: Introductions to and treatments of several largely unknown early Christian texts Essays by ten women and two men influenced or mentored by Judith Perkins Essays on the Deuterocanon, the New Testament, and early Christian relics |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Why Niebuhr Now? John Patrick Diggins, 2011-06-15 Barack Obama has called him “one of my favorite philosophers.” John McCain wrote that he is “a paragon of clarity about the costs of a good war.” Andrew Sullivan has said, “We need Niebuhr now more than ever.” For a theologian who died in 1971, Reinhold Niebuhr is maintaining a remarkably high profile in the twenty-first century. In Why Niebuhr Now? acclaimed historian John Patrick Diggins tackles the complicated question of why, at a time of great uncertainty about America’s proper role in the world, leading politicians and thinkers are turning to Niebuhr for answers. Diggins begins by clearly and carefully working through Niebuhr’s theology, which focuses less on God’s presence than his absence—and the ways that absence abets the all-too-human sin of pride. He then shows how that theology informed Niebuhr’s worldview, leading him to be at the same time a strong opponent of fascism and communism and a leading advocate for humility and caution in foreign policy. Turning to the present, Diggins highlights what he argues is a misuse of Niebuhr’s legacy on both the right and the left: while neoconservatives distort Niebuhr’s arguments to support their call for an endless war on terror in the name of stopping evil, many liberal interventionists conveniently ignore Niebuhr’s fundamental doubts about power. Ultimately, Niebuhr’s greatest lesson is that, while it is our duty to struggle for good, we must at the same time be wary of hubris, remembering the limits of our understanding. The final work from a distinguished writer who spent his entire career reflecting on America’s history and promise, Why Niebuhr Now? is a compact and perceptive book that will be the starting point for all future discussions of Niebuhr. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Jesus and the Nonviolent Revolution André Trocmé, 2004 André Trocmé of Le Chambon is famous for his role in saving thousands of Jews from the Nazis during World War II. But his bold deeds did not spring from a void. They were rooted in his understanding of Jesus’ way of nonviolence – an understanding that gave him the remarkable insights contained in this long out-of-print classic. In this book, you’ll encounter a Jesus you may have never met before – a Jesus who not only calls for spiritual transformation, but for practical changes that answer the most perplexing political, economic, and social problems of our time. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: The Genesis of Liberation Emerson B. Powery, Rodney S. Sadler Jr., 2016-04-18 Considering that the Bible was used to justify and perpetuate African American enslavement, why would it be given such authority? In this fascinating volume, Powery and Sadler explore how the Bible became a source of liberation for enslaved African Americans by analyzing its function in pre-Civil War freedom narratives. They explain the various ways in which enslaved African Americans interpreted the Bible and used it as a source for hope, empowerment, and literacy. The authors show that through their own engagement with the biblical text, enslaved African Americans found a liberating word. The Genesis of Liberation recovers the early history of black biblical interpretation and will help to expand understandings of African American hermeneutics. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: God Is Not a White Man Chine McDonald, 2021-05-27 What does it mean when God is presented as male? What does it mean when - from our internal assumptions to our shared cultural imaginings - God is presented as white? These are the urgent questions Chine McDonald asks in a searing look at her experience of being a Black woman in the white-majority space that is the UK church - a church that is being abandoned by Black women no longer able to grin and bear its casual racism, colonialist narratives and lack of urgency on issues of racial justice. Part memoir, part social and theological commentary, God Is Not a White Man is a must-read for anyone troubled by a culture that insists everyone is equal in God's sight, yet fails to confront white supremacy; a lament about the state of race and faith, and a clarion call for us all to do better. 'This book is much-needed medicine for a sickness that we cannot ignore.' - The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry |
| the cross and the lynching tree: The Cross Robin M. Jensen, 2017-04-17 The cross stirs intense feelings among Christians as well as non-Christians. Robin Jensen takes readers on an intellectual and spiritual journey through the two-thousand-year evolution of the cross as an idea and an artifact, illuminating the controversies—along with the forms of devotion—this central symbol of Christianity inspires. Jesus’s death on the cross posed a dilemma for Saint Paul and the early Church fathers. Crucifixion was a humiliating form of execution reserved for slaves and criminals. How could their messiah and savior have been subjected to such an ignominious death? Wrestling with this paradox, they reimagined the cross as a triumphant expression of Christ’s sacrificial love and miraculous resurrection. Over time, the symbol’s transformation raised myriad doctrinal questions, particularly about the crucifix—the cross with the figure of Christ—and whether it should emphasize Jesus’s suffering or his glorification. How should Jesus’s body be depicted: alive or dead, naked or dressed? Should it be shown at all? Jensen’s wide-ranging study focuses on the cross in painting and literature, the quest for the “true cross” in Jerusalem, and the symbol’s role in conflicts from the Crusades to wars of colonial conquest. The Cross also reveals how Jews and Muslims viewed the most sacred of all Christian emblems and explains its role in public life in the West today. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Creation and the Cross Johnson, Elizabeth A., 2018-02-22 |
| the cross and the lynching tree: The New Abolition Gary Dorrien, 2015-09-29 The black social gospel emerged from the trauma of Reconstruction to ask what a “new abolition” would require in American society. It became an important tradition of religious thought and resistance, helping to create an alternative public sphere of excluded voices and providing the intellectual underpinnings of the civil rights movement. This tradition has been seriously overlooked, despite its immense legacy. In this groundbreaking work, Gary Dorrien describes the early history of the black social gospel from its nineteenth-century founding to its close association in the twentieth century with W. E. B. Du Bois. He offers a new perspective on modern Christianity and the civil rights era by delineating the tradition of social justice theology and activism that led to Martin Luther King Jr. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Terror and Triumph Anthony B. Pinn, 2022-07-21 What is the heart and soul of African American religious life? Anthony Pinn searches out the basic structure of Black religion, tracing the Black religious spirit in its many historical manifestations. In this new edition, Pinn reflects on the argument and invites a panel of five scholars to examine what it means for current and future scholarship. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Black Theology James H. Cone, Gayraud S. Wilmore, 1993 |
| the cross and the lynching tree: To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee, 2015 'Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird' Meet Scout, the narrator of this book. Her story is one of Deep South summers, fights at school and playing in the street. The spooky house of her mysterious neighbour, Boo Radley, sags dark and forbidding nearby. Her brother, Jem, and her friend, Dill, want to make Boo come outside. Her story is about justice. When Scout's father, a lawyer, agrees to defend a black man against an accusation by a white girl, he must battle the prejudice of the whole town. It's about imagination - not just the kind you need for childhood games. Because you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Vintage Children's Classics is a twenty-first century classics list aimed at 8-12 year olds and the adults in their lives. Discover timeless favourites from The Jungle Book and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to modern classics such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Together in Ministry Rob Dixon, 2021-09-28 Is it possible for churches and organizations to foster healthy mixed-gender ministry collaboration? Longtime ministry leader Rob Dixon casts a compelling—and encouraging—vision for flourishing partnerships between women and men. With research findings, biblical examples, real-life stories, and practical next steps, this roadmap equips teams and individuals with next steps for making that vision a reality. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Watershed Discipleship Ched Myers, 2016-10-21 This collection introduces and explores watershed discipleship as a critical, contextual, and constructive approach to ecological theology and practice, and features emerging voices from a generation that has grown up under the shadow of climate catastrophe. Watershed Discipleship is a triple entendre that recognizes we are in a watershed historical moment of crisis, focuses on our intrinsically bioregional locus as followers of Jesus, and urges us to become disciples of our watersheds. Bibliographic framing essays by Myers trace his journey into a bioregionalist Christian faith and practice and offer reflections on incarnational theology, hermeneutics, and ecclesiology. The essays feature more than a dozen activists, educators, and practitioners under the age of forty, whose work and witness attest to a growing movement of resistance and reimagination across North America. This anthology overviews the bioregional paradigm and its theological and political significance for local sustainability, restorative justice, and spiritual renewal. Contributors reread both biblical texts and churchly practices (such as mission, baptism, and liturgy) through the lens of re-place-ment. Herein is a comprehensive and engaged call for a Transition church that can help turn our history around toward environmental resiliency and social justice, by passionate advocates on the front lines of watershed discipleship. CONTRIBUTORS: Sasha Adkins, Jay Beck, Tevyn East, Erinn Fahey, Katarina Friesen, Matt Humphrey, Vickie Machado, Jonathan McRay, Sarah Nolan, Reyna Ortega, Dave Pritchett, Erynn Smith, Sarah Thompson, Lydia Wylie-Kellermann |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Risks of Faith James Cone, 2000-11-17 Risks of Faith offers for the first time the best of noted theologian James H. Cone's essays, including several new pieces. Representing the breadth of his life's work, this collection opens with the birth of black theology, explores its relationship to issues of violence, the developing world, and the theological touchstone embodied in African-American spirituals. Also included here is Cone's seminal work on the theology of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the philosophy of Malcolm X, and a compelling examination of their contribution to the roots of black theology. Far-reaching and provocative, Risks of Faith is a must-read for anyone interesting in religion and its political and social impact on our time. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Cross Vision Gregory A. Boyd, 2017-08-15 Renowned pastor-theologian Gregory A. Boyd tackles the BibleÕs biggest dilemma. Ê The Old Testament God of wrath and violence versus the New Testament God of love and peaceÑitÕs a difference that has troubled Christians since the first century. Now, with the sensitivity of a pastor and the intellect of a theologian, Gregory A. Boyd proposes the Òcruciform hermeneutic,Ó a way to read the Old Testament portraits of God through the lens of JesusÕ crucifixion. Ê In Cross Vision, Boyd follows up on his epic and groundbreaking study, The Crucifixion of the Warrior God. He shows how the death and resurrection of Jesus reframes the troubling violence of the Old Testament, how all of Scripture reveals GodÕs self-sacrificial love, and, most importantly, how we can follow JesusÕ example of peace. |
| the cross and the lynching tree: Black Prophetic Fire Cornel West, Christa Buschendorf, 2015-09-01 An unflinching look at nineteenth- and twentieth-century African American leaders and their visionary legacies. In an accessible, conversational format, Cornel West, with distinguished scholar Christa Buschendorf, provides a fresh perspective on six revolutionary African American leaders: Frederick Douglass, W. E. B. Du Bois, Martin Luther King Jr., Ella Baker, Malcolm X, and Ida B. Wells. In dialogue with Buschendorf, West examines the impact of these men and women on their own eras and across the decades. He not only rediscovers the integrity and commitment within these passionate advocates but also their fault lines. West, in these illuminating conversations with the German scholar and thinker Christa Buschendorf, describes Douglass as a complex man who is both “the towering Black freedom fighter of the nineteenth century” and a product of his time who lost sight of the fight for civil rights after the emancipation. He calls Du Bois “undeniably the most important Black intellectual of the twentieth century” and explores the more radical aspects of his thinking in order to understand his uncompromising critique of the United States, which has been omitted from the American collective memory. West argues that our selective memory has sanitized and even “Santaclausified” Martin Luther King Jr., rendering him less radical, and has marginalized Ella Baker, who embodies the grassroots organizing of the civil rights movement. The controversial Malcolm X, who is often seen as a proponent of reverse racism, hatred, and violence, has been demonized in a false opposition with King, while the appeal of his rhetoric and sincerity to students has been sidelined. Ida B. Wells, West argues, shares Malcolm X’s radical spirit and fearless speech, but has “often become the victim of public amnesia.” By providing new insights that humanize all of these well-known figures, in the engrossing dialogue with Buschendorf, and in his insightful introduction and powerful closing essay, Cornel West takes an important step in rekindling the Black prophetic fire. |
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The Cross and the Lynching Tree James H. Cone,2011 The cross and the lynching tree are the two most emotionally charged symbols in the history of the African American community. In …
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