Black Liberation Theology And Black Catholics: A Critical Conversation

Theological Studies, Dec, 2000 by James H. Cone

Black liberation theology emerged out of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements as Black ministers and theologians sought to reconcile blackness with the gospel in a world where the public meaning of Christianity was identified with whiteness. Is Christianity a White religion as Malcolm X claimed and as Black invisibility in White theology suggested? If authentic Christianity is not alien to blackness, how do we demonstrate that theologically in a religious environment where Black is associated with the devil and White with the angels? If the true gospel of Jesus affirms the liberative presence of blackness and identifies whiteness as a symbol of the demonic, what is the theological status of White churches? Can churches and theologies be racist and Christian at the same time? These questions initiated the development of Black liberation theology. An ecumenical group of Black clergy and theologians (including Catholics) explored them in a passionate, sustained, and disciplined manner in the context of the NCBC.

Black caucuses in many Protestant denominations were created when African American clergy and laity sought power in church structures commensurate with their numbers. Their chief concern was whether one could be Black and Methodist, Episcopalian, Lutheran, or Presbyterian. Black caucuses forced White churches to be more inclusive in their denominational operations.

Black Catholics seem to be dealing with the same issue as Black caucuses in Protestant denominations--fighting for appropriate Black representations in every phase of the Catholic Church. I have no objections to this focus. It is a very important justice concern. But I also would like to see Black Catholics theologians critically examine faith issues, especially as they relate to White supremacy in the Catholic Church and American society. Can one be a Christian theologian in America and not engage White supremacy as a theological problem? Can one think correctly about God and not oppose slavery and segregation in a nation and Church defined by them? If one concludes that it is impossible to be racist and Christian, he or she will be forced to interrogate the meaning of racism in order to oppose this terrible evil. If one concludes that racism is not an issue that involves Christian identity, one will not feel the need to make a theological examination of it.

I urge Black Catholic theologians to offer a critical theological perspective on the Catholic faith and challenge Blacks and Whites to respond to it. They should not let White Catholic theologians ignore Black people's contribution to humanity. Theological Studies deserves much credit for devoting this special issue to Black Catholic theology. This is an important beginning but much more is needed. We need to hear not only what Black theologians have to say about Black theology but also what White Catholics have to say about the Black theological critique of White theology.

In 1974, Joseph R. Nearon addressed the Catholic Theological Society of America and bluntly said: "Catholic theology is racist."(11) His intention was not to "condemn" but to "awaken."(12) More than 20 years later moral theologian Bryan Massingale of St. Francis Seminary, Milwaukee, reported that Nearon's "wake up call has gone unheeded. ..."(13) White Catholic theologians are still sound asleep. In a revealing analysis, Massingale's research shows just how deep the sleep of moral theologians has been regarding racism in the society and the Church.