The Cross and the Lynching Tree

2 months ago

An iconic book on Black theology

This book gives an excellent summary of the origins and evolution of lynching, and notes the reluctance of White theologians to address it or to implement its abolition, once the Government outlawed it. Cone traces the birth of the idea of Jesus' crucifixion being a form of lynching, without due legal process and with a crowd baying for his death. He highlights the role of spirituals and jazz in expressing Black suffering and resistance. He reviews the roles of other Black theologians including Delores Williams, a womanist, who is more focussed on the actions and teachings of Jesus than the cross. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the legacy of the slave trade and its ongoing stain on the modern world.

Clare Hamon

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