Colson: Black Liberation Theology

Radical Rantings
By Chuck Colson
5/8/2008

I have refrained from commenting extensively on the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy because this is an election year, and I avoid partisan questions. Until now, the Rev. Wright has been closely aligned with the Democratic front-runner.

Two recent events, however, now lead me to speak out about him. First, Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has denounced Wright’s radical teachings. Second, Rev. Wright has raised questions that go far beyond the current political campaign. Specifically, he is a proponent of black liberation theology, a radical movement that emerged some 40 years ago.

One of the founders of black liberation theology is a mentor of Rev. Wright. He is James Cone, author of a 1969 book titled Black Theology and Black Power. The book presents Jesus as a liberator who identified with poor and oppressed peoples. Cone links the Christian faith with the African-American struggle for full equality.

Among Cone’s more radical teachings: God is against white people. My friend Mike Gerson, the columnist, quotes Cone as saying, “Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy.” Jesus, Cone declares, did not come for all, but only for the poor and the oppressed. the rest