The Rev. Dr. James H. Cone — the prolific author and founder of Black Liberation Theology — died on Saturday. He was 79.
Cone’s groundbreaking works Black Theology & Black Power and A Black Theology of Liberation, inspired a generation of theologians and activists. He was on the faculty of Union Theological Seminary in New York City for more than five decades.
“Dr. James Cone grounded theology in real-work concepts within a Black intellectual tradition. His ideas and analysis disrupted common understanding of divinity, the role of the church and the foundations of Western religious thought,” said Dr. Christopher M. Tinson, an associate professor of Africana Studies and History at Hampshire College.
Cone “spoke with a joyous rebellion in his heart,” according to Tinson.
“I will never forget his remark that his Holy Trinity consisted of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and James Baldwin,” said Tinson. “He fully understood that to be a person of faith required a commitment to struggling for a just world no matter the conditions. He will be missed, but his contributions will endure.”
Born in Fordyce, Ark., Cone graduated in 1958 from Philander Smith College, a historically Black college, and later earned a bachelor of divinity degree from Garrett Theological Seminary. He later earned a master’s of art and Ph.D. from Northwestern University.
“In so many ways, James Cone has been Union Theological Seminary for the past 50 years,” said Union president Rev. Serene Jones. “To say his death leaves a void is a staggering understatement. His prophetic voice, deep kindness and fierce commitment to Black liberation embodied not just the very best or our seminary, but of the theological field as a whole and of American prophetic thought and action.”
