What do the cross of Christ and lynching tree symbolize for the author? How does he relate the two? What do you think prevented white American Christians prior to the civil rights movement from viewing these events (the cross of Christ and the lynchings) like the author does?
The author has recognized the similarity between religion and race liberation in America. As both the cross and lynching tree symbolizes the worst human beings and at the same a thirst for life that refuses to let the worst determine their final meaning. Therefore, one symbolizes Christian faith which is divine power overcoming sin and death; the additional is the prototypical sign of black repression of white power and Black Death in America. As James Cone in introduction says, the cross and lynching symbolize death. In relation the cross is expectation and deliverance. In addition, lynching signifies colorless primacy that negates cross of Christ.
James Cone relates the two by showing that as Jesus hung on a tree and crucifies to die. This is a source of inspiration and grounded in African Americans faith that God was with them even in the suffering of the lynching era. One of the reasons as why many did not condemn the wickedness, segregation and to the execution was their ground in supreme liberation. They relied on prayer convinced that despite the sorrow which seem to rain in abundance there would be a day of redemption. Not only redemption but also that there would be a changing of ways and that forgiveness would be found. Furthermore, everything was perceived in relation to Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross when He said Father forgive them His distractors after being nailed.
The author believed that the perception of the white people was that suffering and power was given to them as no matter what is done one will not be answerable to the creator. That is why they brainwashed the African Americans to keep quiet under suffering, segregation and other wickedness without speaking out. At the moment Christianity in America is that suffering is part of human nature and will shall all be answerable before the creator when we face him.
What does the author mean when he says the public meaning of Christianity was white? What comes to mind when you think of Christianity in America today? If lynchings in the United States were a horrific blind spot for white American Christians, what blind spots do you think Christians (white, black. brown, etc.,) in America today?
The lynching of Black African Americans that lasted roughly from the eighteenth century to the nineteen century but twenty first century there is still no form of lynching; these are the dark times of one of the world’s greatest nations, and as a society, we have grown adept at sweeping such details under the well-known hearth rug. Most of these blind spots are noticeable including still segregation of gender, sexual behaviors, religion, race, our criminal justice system, U.S. government sanctioned torture of prisoners of war and more others.
According to Cone, how did the blues function for African Americans during the time of lynching? How does this compare to the way he sees religion function?
According to Cone, sees that blues functioned well as a vehicle for the African Americans to use in order to deliver themselves from oppressiveness of the existential moment; spirituals, on the other hand, promised liberation to blacks through the outfit of the awe-inspiring in their midst. Cone believes that the answer, key and redemptive power of the cross to remedying wounds of the precedent lie in the scripture.
Though, religion as for the Authors sees as has been done little in term of alleviating the suffering of African Americans in cause of suffering. The bible has been manipulated for personal benefit, indistinct in such a way that preachers could stand contentedly to endorse lynching, and never think the better of it.
How does the author contrast Reinhold Niebuhr and Martin King on the meaning of the cross?
The author categorically acknowledges their contributions in relation to theologians but at sometime their failure to connect between the cross and lynching tree. Reinhold failed to move his own congregation towards integration, cohesion and justice in spite of teaching on race and social justice. The same applied to Martin Luther Jr as during address of his congregation about the cross in the face of so much racial violence could not grasp the parallelism.
Conclusively, the author shows the relationship between the cross and lynching tree as the latter aught to be untied from the counterfeit pieties of sound significance Christians. This will force us to facade the continuing blight of white preeminence, contradiction that is intrinsic in the history, bible manipulation for personal advantage and current perform of Christianity.
References
Cone, James. (1969) Black Theology and Black Power, New York: Orbis Books.
Cone, James. (1972) The Spirituals and the Blues: An Interpretation, New York: Orbis Books Publishers.
Cone, James. (1985) God of the Oppressed, New York: Orbis Books publishers.
