Abstract
A relatively recent development in the field of Christian theology has been the emergence of black Christian theology. The major themes
of black theology first appeared in the early 1960s in the writings of Joseph Washington and James Cone. These themes reflected a classical interpretation of the Christian faith; yet at the same time, the writings of Washington and Cone served as an impetus for the formulation of theological concepts emphasizing both the uniqueness of the black experience of oppression and the necessity of an interpretation of this experience in light of the gospel theme of liberation. In rejecting the imposition of white theology on black experience, experience becomes a dominant consideration in Christian interpretation. Black theologians insist on a reinterpretation of the sources of the Christian faith as they relate to all historical manifestations of black experience-from the African religious tradition and perspective, to the slave experience, to the black power movement. As a result, the emphasis of black theology differs from the logical, abstract creedal systems typical of white theological tradition in that black theology reinterprets traditional beliefs primarily in political and social terms. Thus, black theology is a theology of revolution. Its goal is to challenge black people to participate with God in the struggle to liberate all people from political and social oppression. As a suffering people, blacks are chosen to witness to liberation and to challenge injustice.