Become Black with the oppressed Christ.
Contemporary Black theology is complex and far-reaching. In this concise yet thorough volume, Noel Leo Erskine examines Black theology from every angle, seeking to answer the question, Why would Africa’s children turn to the God of their oppressors for liberation?
Beginning with the Middle Passage, which brought millions of Africans into the Caribbean and United States, Erskine unpacks the background and distinctive ideas of Black theology. Erskine covers major thinkers and illumines various areas of inquiry: suffering and theodicy, sin and reconciliation, baptism and the sacraments, womanism and Christology, and others. What unites these strands is the goal of liberation—of a faith that delivers not theoretical orthodoxies but real change in the lives of those buckling under racist oppression.
Black Theology and Black Faith is the perfect reading for students and scholars looking to recenter the voices of the marginalized in their theology. Readers will leave its pages with a faith more alive to God’s call to institute his kingdom on Earth.
Noel Leo Erskine is professor of theology and ethics at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. He is the author of several books, including Plantation Church: How African American Religion Was Born in Caribbean Slavery and Black Theology and Pedagogy.