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Farewell to innocence: A social-ethical study of black theology and black power
Establishes the basis of liberation theology and explores the existing relationship between and the socio-ethical dimensions of black theology and black power
- GenresTheology
Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
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Allan Boesak
38 books4 followersAllan Aubrey Boesak is a South African Dutch Reformed Church cleric and politician and anti-apartheid activist.
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July 3, 2024
A SOUTH AFRICAN CLERIC INTERPRETS BLACK THEOLOGY
Allan Aubrey Boesak (born 1946) is a South African Dutch Reformed Church cleric, politician and anti-apartheid activist. (He was sentenced to prison for fraud in 1999 but was subsequently granted an official pardon and reinstated as a cleric in late 2004.) [NOTE: page numbers below refer to the 185-page paperback edition.]
He wrote in the Preface to this 1976 book, “Engaging in liberation theology in the South African situation is an extremely difficult, risky business. But the challenge and the message of Black Theology have struck a chord in the hearts of black people and are reverberating with a hesitant but nonetheless soulful rhythm within a community that has learned---undeniably and joyfully---the meaning of the liberating gospel of Jesus Christ. This book was born out of the black experience in South Africa---out of anguish and deep concern; out of the inevitability of commitment; out of anger and a fragile but living hope; out of an inexplicable joy through faith in Jesus the Messiah, whose refusal to let go of me has been my liberation. I hope it is a contribution to the crucial and exciting dialogue going on between Christians of the ‘Third World,’ and between them and their brothers and sisters in the West.”
In the Introduction, he explains, “Black Consciousness may be described as the awareness of black people that their humanity is constituted by their blackness. It means that black people are no longer ashamed that they are black that they have a black history and a black culture distinct from the history and culture of white people. It means that blacks are determined to be judged no longer by, and to adhere no longer to white values. It is an attitude, a way of life. Viewed thus, Black Consciousness is an integral part of Black Power. But Black Power is also a clear critique of and a force for fundamental change in systems and patterns in society which oppress or which give rise to the oppression of black people. Black Theology is the theological reflection of black Christians on the situation in which they live and on their struggle for liberation. Blacks ask: What does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ when one is black and living in a world controlled by white racists? And what it these racists call themselves Christians?” (Pg. 1-2)
He says, “Theologically speaking, blacks must take responsibility and formulate in their own words their belief in God. They can no longer hide behind the theological formulas created by someone else. But moving away from the illusioned universality of western theology to the contextuality of liberation theology is a risky business, one that cannot be done innocently.” (Pg. 6)
He observes, “Black Theology is a situational theology. It is the black people’s attempt to come to terms theologically with their black situation. It seeks to interpret the gospel in such a way that the situation of blacks will begin to make sense… It is part of the black struggle toward liberation from religious, economic, psychological, and cultural dependency. One can also say that Black Theology is a contextual theology… it also takes seriously the processes of the struggle for humanity and justice, of secularity and technology. Response to the gospel ‘within the context’ and response to the gospel in terms of traditional culture, however, do not have to be contradictory categories.” (Pg. 13-14)
He states, “Black Theology, taking its cue from this biblical message, refuses to let go of the truth that one cannot speak about God’s love without also speaking of his righteousness, his justice, which become concrete in his relation to human beings and the relations of people among themselves. God’s love for his people is a divine activity, an activity bent on doing justice to his people. His love is never a kind of sentimentality that Israel could just as well do without.” (Pg. 19)
He notes, “Black Consciousness ... means cognizance of the fact that at present the social political, and economic status of black people is determined by the color of their skin and its connotations in white society… Because this Black Consciousness does not primarily designate color of skin, it enables black people to form new alliances on a basis completely foreign to the oppressors’ way of thinking and therefore effectively divests them of their ideological power over blacks.” (Pg. 65)
He suggests, “The ultimate question really is: What is the responsibility TOWARD LIBERATION the gospel places upon us? Reconciliation, forgiveness and sacrifice find their meaning only when regarded against the background of God’s liberating and reconciling acts in Jesus Christ. Liberation and reconciliation presuppose one another. It is the Liberator-Messiah who heals, forgives, restores, and reconciles.” (Pg. 92)
He points out, “Christian Nationalism is an ideology alien to the Christian ethic. It is cruel and inhuman for it lives in terms of myths, ‘principles,’ grandiloquent ideals, and programs instead of in terms of human reality; and therefore it has no room for (or does not understand) human suffering… Suffering under Christian Nationalism, blacks ask themselves with wonderment how the advocates of this system can so shamelessly quote biblical texts like Matt 7:12 to undergird their philosophy. Again, this reveals not only the extent to which Christianity is whitenized in South Africa, but also the innocence which refuses to see, that innocence which must not be allowed to exist in the oppressor.” (Pg. 116)
He argues, “The problem with traditional Christian ethics is not only that the black situation has never been taken into account, but that the ethic arrived at was based on a theology that did not in any way recognize the God of the oppressed. As a result, it was to say the least, inadequately equipped to deal with the realities of oppression and liberation. It is now incumbent upon black people to search for new forms … to express the liberation they experience in Christ through his deeds of liberation for them.” (Pg. 124)
He acknowledges, “To summarize: As far as I can determine, for most South African black theologians Black Consciousness is Black Theology (or very closely related). Black Consciousness implies ‘the awareness by black people of the power they wield as a group, economically and politically.’ This is again the relation with Black Power. Black Theology calls upon black people to affirm this. It is not only concerned with internal bondage, but also with external enslavement. It is an awareness of ‘the failure of white theology to work selflessly towards the values and ethics Christianity claims to uphold.’ Black Theology in South Africa has not yet come forward with a specific social ethic.” (Pg. 142)
He concludes, “In breaking away from the old oppressive structures of our society, seeking new possibilities, creating room for the realization of true humanity, Black Theology seeks the true purpose of life for blacks as well as whites. Blacks want to share with white people the dreams and hopes for a new future, a future in which it must never again be necessary to make of Christian theology an ideology or part of a particular aggressive cultural imperialism. Black Theology, by offering a new way of theologizing, desires to be helpful in discovering the truth about black and white people, about their past and present, about God’s will for them in their common world. Black Theology sincerely believes that it is possible to recapture what was sacred in the African community long before white people came---solidarity, respect for life, humanity, and community… This is Black Theology. It is authentic; it is worthwhile. It is, in the most profound sense of the word, gospel truth.” (Pg. 151-152)
This book will be of keen interest to those studying Black Theology and Black Religion.
Allan Aubrey Boesak (born 1946) is a South African Dutch Reformed Church cleric, politician and anti-apartheid activist. (He was sentenced to prison for fraud in 1999 but was subsequently granted an official pardon and reinstated as a cleric in late 2004.) [NOTE: page numbers below refer to the 185-page paperback edition.]
He wrote in the Preface to this 1976 book, “Engaging in liberation theology in the South African situation is an extremely difficult, risky business. But the challenge and the message of Black Theology have struck a chord in the hearts of black people and are reverberating with a hesitant but nonetheless soulful rhythm within a community that has learned---undeniably and joyfully---the meaning of the liberating gospel of Jesus Christ. This book was born out of the black experience in South Africa---out of anguish and deep concern; out of the inevitability of commitment; out of anger and a fragile but living hope; out of an inexplicable joy through faith in Jesus the Messiah, whose refusal to let go of me has been my liberation. I hope it is a contribution to the crucial and exciting dialogue going on between Christians of the ‘Third World,’ and between them and their brothers and sisters in the West.”
In the Introduction, he explains, “Black Consciousness may be described as the awareness of black people that their humanity is constituted by their blackness. It means that black people are no longer ashamed that they are black that they have a black history and a black culture distinct from the history and culture of white people. It means that blacks are determined to be judged no longer by, and to adhere no longer to white values. It is an attitude, a way of life. Viewed thus, Black Consciousness is an integral part of Black Power. But Black Power is also a clear critique of and a force for fundamental change in systems and patterns in society which oppress or which give rise to the oppression of black people. Black Theology is the theological reflection of black Christians on the situation in which they live and on their struggle for liberation. Blacks ask: What does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ when one is black and living in a world controlled by white racists? And what it these racists call themselves Christians?” (Pg. 1-2)
He says, “Theologically speaking, blacks must take responsibility and formulate in their own words their belief in God. They can no longer hide behind the theological formulas created by someone else. But moving away from the illusioned universality of western theology to the contextuality of liberation theology is a risky business, one that cannot be done innocently.” (Pg. 6)
He observes, “Black Theology is a situational theology. It is the black people’s attempt to come to terms theologically with their black situation. It seeks to interpret the gospel in such a way that the situation of blacks will begin to make sense… It is part of the black struggle toward liberation from religious, economic, psychological, and cultural dependency. One can also say that Black Theology is a contextual theology… it also takes seriously the processes of the struggle for humanity and justice, of secularity and technology. Response to the gospel ‘within the context’ and response to the gospel in terms of traditional culture, however, do not have to be contradictory categories.” (Pg. 13-14)
He states, “Black Theology, taking its cue from this biblical message, refuses to let go of the truth that one cannot speak about God’s love without also speaking of his righteousness, his justice, which become concrete in his relation to human beings and the relations of people among themselves. God’s love for his people is a divine activity, an activity bent on doing justice to his people. His love is never a kind of sentimentality that Israel could just as well do without.” (Pg. 19)
He notes, “Black Consciousness ... means cognizance of the fact that at present the social political, and economic status of black people is determined by the color of their skin and its connotations in white society… Because this Black Consciousness does not primarily designate color of skin, it enables black people to form new alliances on a basis completely foreign to the oppressors’ way of thinking and therefore effectively divests them of their ideological power over blacks.” (Pg. 65)
He suggests, “The ultimate question really is: What is the responsibility TOWARD LIBERATION the gospel places upon us? Reconciliation, forgiveness and sacrifice find their meaning only when regarded against the background of God’s liberating and reconciling acts in Jesus Christ. Liberation and reconciliation presuppose one another. It is the Liberator-Messiah who heals, forgives, restores, and reconciles.” (Pg. 92)
He points out, “Christian Nationalism is an ideology alien to the Christian ethic. It is cruel and inhuman for it lives in terms of myths, ‘principles,’ grandiloquent ideals, and programs instead of in terms of human reality; and therefore it has no room for (or does not understand) human suffering… Suffering under Christian Nationalism, blacks ask themselves with wonderment how the advocates of this system can so shamelessly quote biblical texts like Matt 7:12 to undergird their philosophy. Again, this reveals not only the extent to which Christianity is whitenized in South Africa, but also the innocence which refuses to see, that innocence which must not be allowed to exist in the oppressor.” (Pg. 116)
He argues, “The problem with traditional Christian ethics is not only that the black situation has never been taken into account, but that the ethic arrived at was based on a theology that did not in any way recognize the God of the oppressed. As a result, it was to say the least, inadequately equipped to deal with the realities of oppression and liberation. It is now incumbent upon black people to search for new forms … to express the liberation they experience in Christ through his deeds of liberation for them.” (Pg. 124)
He acknowledges, “To summarize: As far as I can determine, for most South African black theologians Black Consciousness is Black Theology (or very closely related). Black Consciousness implies ‘the awareness by black people of the power they wield as a group, economically and politically.’ This is again the relation with Black Power. Black Theology calls upon black people to affirm this. It is not only concerned with internal bondage, but also with external enslavement. It is an awareness of ‘the failure of white theology to work selflessly towards the values and ethics Christianity claims to uphold.’ Black Theology in South Africa has not yet come forward with a specific social ethic.” (Pg. 142)
He concludes, “In breaking away from the old oppressive structures of our society, seeking new possibilities, creating room for the realization of true humanity, Black Theology seeks the true purpose of life for blacks as well as whites. Blacks want to share with white people the dreams and hopes for a new future, a future in which it must never again be necessary to make of Christian theology an ideology or part of a particular aggressive cultural imperialism. Black Theology, by offering a new way of theologizing, desires to be helpful in discovering the truth about black and white people, about their past and present, about God’s will for them in their common world. Black Theology sincerely believes that it is possible to recapture what was sacred in the African community long before white people came---solidarity, respect for life, humanity, and community… This is Black Theology. It is authentic; it is worthwhile. It is, in the most profound sense of the word, gospel truth.” (Pg. 151-152)
This book will be of keen interest to those studying Black Theology and Black Religion.
March 2, 2011
An excellent dissertation (even if it weren't printed in the front matter of the South African edition, you'd know) and a pretty useful book. Its best points are its analysis of James Cone—both its summary of his reception history circa 1976 (the best by far) and its melding of his early Black liberation theology with the state of the art in Dutch Reformed theology at the same time. Boesak's importance in South African Protestantism is unparalleled; this book, given its formal strictures, shows only glimpses of his greatness.
April 20, 2021
Read the book in the early 1980's as recommended reading for a 4th year Bachelors at UNISA.
Living in South-Africa at the time, with Apartheid continually and increasingly disfranchise and oppress 80% of the black population, it was an eye-opener.
This book will provide a good understanding of racial injustice in social and political upheaval - just what happens the current situation is in the USA, with the legal and executive branches of Government perpetuating the racial injustice. After the convictions in the George Floyd murder case that ended on 20.04.2021, this paper provides some tools to work for a just and human development of a humanistic culture for the future.
A "Must read" in the current Floyd case and other oppressive systems.
Living in South-Africa at the time, with Apartheid continually and increasingly disfranchise and oppress 80% of the black population, it was an eye-opener.
This book will provide a good understanding of racial injustice in social and political upheaval - just what happens the current situation is in the USA, with the legal and executive branches of Government perpetuating the racial injustice. After the convictions in the George Floyd murder case that ended on 20.04.2021, this paper provides some tools to work for a just and human development of a humanistic culture for the future.
A "Must read" in the current Floyd case and other oppressive systems.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews