Comments on: An interview with James Cone http://catholicanarchy.org/?p=669 vox victimarum, vox dei Tue, 07 Sep 2010 03:46:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: d. w. horstkoetter http://catholicanarchy.org/?p=669&cpage=1#comment-82998 d. w. horstkoetter Sun, 13 Jul 2008 20:41:56 +0000 http://catholicanarchy.org/?p=669#comment-82998 Grace surely is important, and Cone does touch on it in his work. However, lets reconsider what he is talking about. Cone describes a continuing and on-going abusive relationship. Racism isn't gone, and so the oppression still continues, just in different forms. Like other abusive relationships, say, physical abuse in a marriage, do we tell the beaten wife or husband to forgive as they are being struck? Justice is about righting the relationship, not limited to reparations of stuff (although this is necessary to undue centuries of abuse), but about treating each other as human. Sure we aspire to be like Christ, but this doesn't mean that death wasn't defeated after Jesus forgave on the cross. Grace surely is important, and Cone does touch on it in his work. However, lets reconsider what he is talking about. Cone describes a continuing and on-going abusive relationship. Racism isn’t gone, and so the oppression still continues, just in different forms. Like other abusive relationships, say, physical abuse in a marriage, do we tell the beaten wife or husband to forgive as they are being struck? Justice is about righting the relationship, not limited to reparations of stuff (although this is necessary to undue centuries of abuse), but about treating each other as human. Sure we aspire to be like Christ, but this doesn’t mean that death wasn’t defeated after Jesus forgave on the cross.

]]> By: The Progressive Prophet http://catholicanarchy.org/?p=669&cpage=1#comment-82987 The Progressive Prophet Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:25:17 +0000 http://catholicanarchy.org/?p=669#comment-82987 Dr. Cone has some wonderful things to say, especially on God becoming one of the oppressed and the powerless in the form of Jesus on the cross. I also really liked his analysis on the nature of violence as an instrument of those in power, and that when those in power take up a religion then that religion will also become tragically bound up with violence. One major point upon which I object is when he talks about violence in terms of "justice and reparations." He appears to be under the impression that forgiveness cannot really be granted unless the oppressor gives back what they took from the oppressed, and while I see that true genuine repentance of the heart should and will lead to a transformation of life from that point on, Dr. Cone seems to think that there is no forgiveness unless this is done. This strikes me as quite unBiblical, particularly in relation to 1 Corinthians 13 which speaks of true godly love keeping no records of wrongs. Even more unsettling still is that he appears to speak of forgiveness and justice in terms of entire races of people; ie, that the entire white race must make amends for the actions of their ancestors. I find that to be very wrong. I'm a fan of the theology of liberation, but even this must be coupled with a theology of grace, and there doesn't seem much of that in the interview. Jesus became one of the oppressed upon that cross, but it was also upon that cross that He proved Himself to be a God of unfathomable love. Dr. Cone has some wonderful things to say, especially on God becoming one of the oppressed and the powerless in the form of Jesus on the cross. I also really liked his analysis on the nature of violence as an instrument of those in power, and that when those in power take up a religion then that religion will also become tragically bound up with violence.

One major point upon which I object is when he talks about violence in terms of “justice and reparations.” He appears to be under the impression that forgiveness cannot really be granted unless the oppressor gives back what they took from the oppressed, and while I see that true genuine repentance of the heart should and will lead to a transformation of life from that point on, Dr. Cone seems to think that there is no forgiveness unless this is done. This strikes me as quite unBiblical, particularly in relation to 1 Corinthians 13 which speaks of true godly love keeping no records of wrongs. Even more unsettling still is that he appears to speak of forgiveness and justice in terms of entire races of people; ie, that the entire white race must make amends for the actions of their ancestors. I find that to be very wrong.

I’m a fan of the theology of liberation, but even this must be coupled with a theology of grace, and there doesn’t seem much of that in the interview. Jesus became one of the oppressed upon that cross, but it was also upon that cross that He proved Himself to be a God of unfathomable love.

]]> By: Bill Carroll http://catholicanarchy.org/?p=669&cpage=1#comment-82970 Bill Carroll Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:34:02 +0000 http://catholicanarchy.org/?p=669#comment-82970 The best thing Cone ever said, in God of the Oppressed I think, is "Jesus is black because he was an oppressed Jew." Similarly, "Jesus is Appalachian, because he was an oppressed Jew." The best thing Cone ever said, in God of the Oppressed I think, is “Jesus is black because he was an oppressed Jew.” Similarly, “Jesus is Appalachian, because he was an oppressed Jew.”

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