"christian they were slaves. white theology does acknowledge

“ ChristianTheology out of the black experience of slavery, segregation, and the strugglefor a just society (Cone).”  Christiansthroughout generations learned to demise everything that had to deal with theNegro. They wanted to continue slavery because then African Americans wouldforever remember their place, underneath them. If slavery was not abolished andthe negro uneducated in the ways of religion, then the whites would still haveremained in control and shaped them into how they wanted.

A society where bothblack Christianity and white Christianity is accepted by both ethic groups isnot going to happen because one refuse to see what they were doing is not wrongand in fact it is how Christ intended it to be. Nor, would they acknowledge the pain and suffering they subjected agroup of people to. Cone, black theologian, hoped that by bring togetherBlackness and Christianity that it would soothe the tension.

He created a bookcalled, “ Black Theology and Black power.” Cone brought attention to the racismin theology. For example, in white Theology it does not go into full detailabout the black experience during the times they were slaves. White theologydoes acknowledge they suffered by the hands of whites, but it was not anextreme case like Cone have talked about.

He wanted to create an entirely newtheology where it addressed black suffering but also empower them to “ create anew value structures so that our understanding of Blackness will not dependupon European misconceptions.” No longer shall African Americans relive in thepast that makes them reject their blackness and force them to become something theyare never going to be, white. It was through these convictions, that made blackliberation theology a thing. When a group of people ban together and refuse tocontinue living in the past where they had not idea what was going on, theyhold a power in them that comes out in a simple word: No.

No, they are notgoing to be oppressed by the people who lies on their God and even twist thewords to make people feel lesser than them. Blacks can relate to Christianitybecause of the biblical stories that mirrored their own, therefore it must beblack. It’s the whites who cannot call Christianity their religion because theyhave not suffered like both the Jews and Blacks.  “ In a society where men are defined on thebasis of color of the victims, proclaiming that the condition of the poor isincongruous with him who has come to liberate us (Cone).” Liberation is comingfor the blacks because they are descendants of God’s chosen people and thuswill receive his help in becoming free.

Conclusion              Slavery was often spoken in front ofthe bible by a white man it failed to mention African Americans being theunwanted race, who was not considered human, and them being condemn to a lifeof endless torture. While white christens used it to uphold their superiorposition over the slaves, they used it to uplift themselves and make theexperience a little less painful. Many slaves did not believe the blue-eyeddevil was their master, but Christ himself. They would often pray to him andask to be liberated from their owners. Slaves identified themselves with theOld testament Hebrew slaves and how they were liberated from theirmasters.  God favored blacks because theyare in the same situation as his people a long time ago.

Faith was notdetermined by how much wealth one required, but how long one have beensuffering by the hands of others. Slaves would hold secret sessions and preachthis theology in attempts to get their brothers and sisters to believe thatchanges were coming if they did not stray from their path. Black preacherswould take from the bible interrupt in a way that it sounded more appealing tothe blacks. White slave master became both angry and fearful.

If the AfricanAmericans started questioning things and becoming self-aware then they wouldlose their power over them thus becoming equal or beneath the slaves.  Angry because slaves were turning the wordsof Christ into something that did not benefit them.              In slave times, most of the slavesconverted to Christianity because some feared that not being Christian wouldmake the punishment become worst while other rejected all forms of religionthat was created by their Masters. Slaves that came from Africa did not know what Christianity was andtherefore could not practice it. African Slaves worship many different Gods anddid not just have one singular one. They also gave great praised to spirits andtheir ancestors. Long before the arrival of whites, Africans were stronglyreligious and would often practice different rituals to please their gods. Whenthe whites arrived, they witness a voodoo ritual and deemed it “ unholy”, theythreatened them out of fear not to continue the practice.

When they told thenegro not practice their own religion they ceased control of their faith.  White pastors believed that those who doesnot know Christ cannot be fully human and because of that they cannot beconsidered as one. The Africans might have looked human, but they are wildbeasts that have lost the way a long time ago. Slave Masters would tell the slaves about the bible, but misconstruedthe words to support inhuman conditions and why the Africans have the remain incaptivity. Most of the whites during the time could not read or write, letalone actually read what the bible said. Priests would get the slave masters tobaptize the slaves, so they could become somewhat human beings.

Africans thatbecame baptized and followed the “ White washed” version of the book believedthat their situation was going to get better because they are now fellowchildren of Christ. Slaves were started to talk about a having higher legal statuesand become members of society. Slave owners quickly but an end of baptizingslaves out of fear that it might change the slave legal status.  Christianity was a tool to suppress slavesand to reform them. Priests, Slave Masters, Pastors, and other people saw thisas a tool to completely get the Africans to submit to them. In many ways, theymanaged to do it. White Christianity provided in full context that they willnever be considered human even if they converted to Christianity because onlythe fair skinned could be blessed with divine gifts. Some Slave Masters wouldtell their slaves that it was okay if they were in chains because Christ usedto do the same thing around his time.

Christ slavery and Black slavery are twodifferent things.  Christ slavery iscaptives, who lost to the opposing side, and were used for labor. They stillhad rights and if two slaves were to reproduce the child will not be a slave. Christ slavery paled in comparison to black slavery. Black slavery was anintense torture that even in death one still could not break free. Whitechristens owned the entire being and that includes the soul.

Negro slaves didnot have a choice in the matter nor did they have any chance of becomingfree.  If the negros were to reproduce, unlike the Christ slavery, their child will remain in captivity.  The negros, in white Christianity, could notescape being slaves even in death and therefore should give up on becoming freefrom their white masters. African Americans began looking at Christianity in adifferent manner.

Major of the slaves rejected the religion because it was thecause of them being held captive and even supported the inhuman acts whileothers were too afraid to go against their masters. Black Liberation and Christianity Accordingto Rhodes, “ Black theology’s dominant perspective of God is ‘ God in action, delivering the oppressed because of his righteousness. He is to be seen, not inthe transcendent way of Greek philosophy, but immanent, among His people.’ Godis ‘ immanent’ in the sense that he is met in concrete historical situations ofliberation (Rhodes paras. 38-39).” God, in historical and biblical context, isshown as a compassionate and powerful being. He is shown helping the oppressedfrom their shackles and chains, freeing them from their oppressors and ensuringfreedom.

“ This” god is heavily worship by the people that is suffering. This iscritical to the Blacks powerlessness because they do not have the ability toescape from their captors, who have broken bits of their souls and white washtheir religion. Having a God that is both powerful and good would make surethat the good people will triumph over the bad people. “ I Think that a God whois absolute in both power and goodness make sense to black men… Absolute powerensures the ultimate triumph of good; but absolute goodness assures us thatabsolute power will not be abused (Roberts 88).”  The power that white men and the false godwill come to an end because the true God will do away with evil like he did along time ago. The black man, suffering, will be liberated by the same God whosaved his children from the hands of the Egyptians. Black men and women takecomfort in this idea even though most know it will take a while for that tohappen. The negro knows that their oppression makes the relationship they havewith God even closer than the white man.

Black Liberation theology uses thesebeliefs to uplift the Blacks and end their constant struggle underneath Whiteracism.              Black Theology proves that AfricanAmericans are the chosen people of God. Most of Black Theology foundation isbuilt upon the story of Exodus. The story about where God interferes withhumans to help the oppressed.

In thebook of Exodus, Moses leads the chosen people, Israelites, to freedom from theEgyptian rule. God, a supreme being that does not have a physical body, showsboth goodness and how powerful He is. He could not bear the torture that hischildren had to face in the ands of their oppressors. Freedom is something thatboth the Blacks and the Israelites want, which for one of them was grantedwhile the other wait patiently for it. TheirGod encourage the mistreatment of beings, who did not fit in with the superiorcrowd. Their God encouraged enslavement that broke families apart, destroyedminds of individuals, and ultimately become oppressors of themselves.

Black menand women are warped by this idea that some believed that it was a sin to beborn black and not white because of this they need divine punishment that couldonly be done by God’s chosen people, whites. Whites have created this a fantasyimage of their savior. Jesus is depicted as a young man with long flowingblonde hair, fair skin, and bright blue eyes. This God raises many red flags inthe black community because some can picture him as black, wool like hair, anddark eyes which are the dominate features of African Americans. “ Christ wasn’twhite, Christ was black. The poor, brain washed Negro has been made to believethat Christ was white to maneuver him into worshipping the white man (MalcolmX).

” The idea that Christ is white came from a group of oppressors that soughtto create a “ fantasy” person to still be in power. If the Black man was to gainknowledge of Chris is not white, but Black the whites would lose their powerover the blacks.  Malcolm X and otherstakes about the White man filling the negro with things that would keep themoppressed and in the dark.  Christ is andforever remain a White man’s god not a Black’s Man. A Black man God would notallow the suffering to continue to go on and allow freedom of the negro.  Christ that the blue eye devil worship is nota divine being, but an Satanic one.

The Christ that the negro worship is a manwith brown skin and black wool like hair. Jesus, in Black Liberation Theology, is represented as a Poor Black man. Many Blacks flocked to Jesus because he seemed like a relatable person thatembodied everything that African Americans had to go through.  Duringthe times when racial tensions were still high, the house of the Lord becamealmost a battleground for both blacks and whites. Church white folks could notstand to have a “ darky” in the pews with them while service was going on andwould often complain to the church authorities about it. Thus, making theChurch follow the same pattern as local stores, it became segregated. AfricanAmerican would be seated near the top of the church while the whites would beat the bottom.

People like, Richard Allen, who became a bishop would preacherto the black congregants though normally it would be at different times becauseChurch officials felt like it would interfere with their own service. Whitesbelieved their God allowed segregation. Theologyof Prosperity is a concept that Whites uses to enforce the Blacks to believethat they are in favor of their God.

In their mind, God favors the wealthy andin return they are blessed to be a part of something bigger.  When they die it is no Hell for them, but thekingdom of heaven. The can commit as many sins as they want because they willforever be in God’s good grace.

For example, their ‘ god’ encouraged the enslavementof the Negro and ultimately those who do not have money and health they havenot being faithful. Therefore, if one failed to have money they will beenslaved by their Earthly masters and shall not be rewarded by the divinebeing.  White men and women choose tobelieve this because of the results that it has so far. Blacks are stillenslaved and using their bodies to help generate more wealth for them. On theopposite of the spectrum are poor, living in poverty black people.

In theviewing lens of Theology of Prosperity, all of this is happening to thembecause they do money to their name and therefore cannot be rewarded. Beingenslaved is punishment for the lack of faith.  The Blacks does not fit in this notion thatTheology of Prosperity have laid out for them. They do not view the amount ofwealth they have is going to free them from white racism. Instead, the savioris a divine being that will help the poor person and pushout the wealthy andcorrupted.  The savior is going to makesure that the oppressed is going to help the negro and free them from the whiteman control. “ God’sself-revelation to humans will depend upon the context in which each humanbeing is found.

God’s message to the wealthy capitalist- and his revelation ofwho he is-will differ radically from his self-revelation to the povertystricken homeless person(Roberts).”  Theology ofProsperity and Black Liberation Theology  BlackLiberation Theology can be shown through the spiritual relationships thatAfrican Americans have with God. God, in this context, is the emancipator tofree the oppressed from their bondages.

Black liberation views God andChristianity as a coping mechanism for blacks that are being oppressed daily bytheir white counterparts. The term first came about during the time of Africanslavery. Captured men and women often would sang spirituals in their languagethat ranged from Igbo to Yoruba before they became white washed mentally. Through the hymns that was emphasized and became the pillar of hope for theblacks, liberation formed. Nat Turner, preacher and rebellion leader, was thefirst slave in African American history to see the almighty creator as an Blackman.

Black liberation through historyhave been in constant battle with white Christianity and the affect that it hascause amongst the black community. Therefore, it is possible for Blackliberation to be Christian