Currents and Crosscurrents

This year marks the 35th anniversary of James Cone’s legendary volume Black Theology and Black Power. Last year was the 10th anniversary of Delores Williams’ landmark text Sisters in the Wilderness: The Challenge of Womanist God-Talk. The goodly theological heritage established by Cone over past decades has set the tone for exploring what it means to be black and Christian (as well as white and Christian) and created the space for diverse points of view to emerge everywhere from the seminar room in the academy to the Bible study circle in the church basement. While Black Theology and Black Power and Sisters in the Wilderness were not the first black or womanist theological texts, they both stand as identity-forming books for pastors, scholars, and laypeople who share theological voice and vision as African-American Christians with the pioneering work of Cone and Williams.