Why This Text Matters | Black Theology and Black Power | Dwight N. Hopkins

Religious studies courses can feature a broad range and variety of texts, including anything from The Daodejing, to The Mishnah, to Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, to Mary Douglas’s Purity and Danger, to Said’s Orientalism. The Marty Center partnered with the Undergraduate Religious Studies Program to design “Why This Text Matters” as a series of videos to help faculty prepare for courses, their students, and anyone generally curious about important texts in the study of religion. In the space of about 30 minutes, viewers can gain a deeper understanding of the context, themes, and significance of texts taught by experts at the University of Chicago Divinity School.   About the Text: Black Theology and Black Power was published by James H. Cone in March 1969. It was the first book on liberation theology, and he showed how this new discipline manifested in the USA. Cone used the black poor, oppressed, and working class as a filter for the stories of Jesus. And he discovered strong evidence both in the ancient Hebrew religious texts and the ancient Christian texts that liberation of the structurally downtrodden was at the heart of religious belief and practice. Christians and all justice loving Americans, Cone argued, were called to help these segments have an abundant life on earth.