What is Black Liberation Theology?

For the last several weeks the news has been replete with stories about Barack Obama's pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. You would have to see the news clips to grasp the extremity of his views and intensity of his words. While America is not perfect, to see her cursed in a church pulpit has been troubling, disheartening, and even sickening.

Barack Obama sat under this for 22 years and he wants to have the most powerful position in the entire world: President of the United States. But he didn't get gospel preaching under Wright -- he got instruction that revolves around a belief system called Black Liberation Theology. So what is that?

The most prominent leader of Black Liberation Theology is Rev. James Cone whose 1969 book Black Liberation and Black Power was hugely influential in disseminating the beliefs of this movement. Those who have examined it suggest that the belief system of Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Trinity United Church of Christ mirrors those of Cone: Jesus is black, Marxism can aid in a true understanding of the gospels, and the white church in America is evil or, some might even say, is the Antichrist.

Cone argued that the white church and white theologians had all failed in their duties to uphold biblical principles of helping the poor and marginalized of society. Indeed, in Cone's view, white Christians had become actively complicit in making the lives of others worse. Because of this, it was no longer acceptable to leave the interpretation of the Bible to white Christians.

Black Liberation Theology is dangerous, unscriptural and misrepresents "white efforts" to help the poor. The fact is, most humanitarian agencies have white leadership and white Christians support the organizations. But Cone didn't stop with just whites: He also criticized middle-class black churches. He felt all black churches should speak out as Rev. Wright has been doing for decades.

Now The Washington Times has come out with information to make the scenario even worse. They state in their April 2, 2008 issue, "The church where Sen. Barack Obama has worshipped for two decades publicly declares that its ministry is founded on a 1960s book that espouses 'the destruction of the white enemy.' They quote Cone as saying, 'What we need is the divine love as expressed in black power, which is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject His love."

This is bizarre, yet a spokesman for Obama says, "It's absurd to suggest that Obama or anyone should be held responsible for every quote in every book read by a member of their church."

Wait a minute! We aren't only dealing with a quote or a book! We're talking about a candidate for President of the United States who has remained in a congregation for 22 years that appears to espouse some of the principles above. To have anything to do with Black Liberation Theology is to identify with hard-core Socialism and possibly even Marxism. It comes out of their own mouths.

Every serious church attendee looks into the belief system for the church they choose to attend -- as I have done several times -- because every church has a statement of faith. Even Trinity United Church of Christ is bold about their statement of faith and it is easily accessible.

Where is the outrage that over many years such a fury flourishes in America as Black Liberation Theology? If one looks carefully at it, the principles are almost that of a jihadist! This goes well beyond the antics of the "religious left" and makes them look like moderates -- which, by comparison, they are.

Pray for our churches today. Whether they are caught up in wrong theology or dangerous theology, God has not forgotten them nor should we. America will be as strong or weak as her churches are.

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And it doesn’t really matter if Jerry X or whoever is quoting this crap - they’re free to.

But we DO need to know if a presidential candidate ascribes to this ideology.

This IS a relevant question. And, I’d say from the evidence, YES, HE DOES.

He wouldn’t have stayed at the church for 20 years, and had his children indoctrinated into this belief system, if he didn’t buy into it himself.

I just read an article on Black Liberation Theology by Matthew Lamb, and it's very tough reading. I had to go back and reread section after section.

Adherents to Black Liberation Theology call themselves Christians, but they do not belong to the catholic church with a small "c", meaning the universal christian church as it is commonly defined. They are as different as the Latter Day Saints, maybe more so.

They see THE Christian church as a source of domination, a church that was conquered and corrupted by the Romans and has existed through domination and oppression. They claim that church that Christ intended was full of love and concern for oppressed people everywhere.

Finally, there is the injustice of an ever-expanding and necrophilic militarism as violent uses of power and force whereby nonegalitarian relationships are defended, whether internally through various forms of police and surveillance force, or externally through massive military and espionage forces. Since World War II, when War Departments all over the globe became Defense Departments, this militarism has reached its apotheosis in the nuclear arms race. A recent comparative study of worldwide military and social spending indicated how at present 1.3 million dollars per minute on average are spent for military purposes; during the same minute 30 children die for lack of food or simple vaccines (WMSE). Concretely, during the next hour, an average of 78 millions will be spent for military purposes while some 1,800 children will die for lack of food or elementary vaccinations. Various nuclear-pacifist and pacifist liberation theologies are addressing the systemic injustices of militarism by intellectually and religiously supporting egalitarian communities committed to halting the arms race and developing nonviolent forms of legitimate defense.

The liberationists define secularism as the freedom of religion and sacralism as the dominance of religion and Marxism as the only real alternative, freedom from religion. But they see the Liberation theology as a way to unite oppressed people through history and stir them to action in what the they call a praxis, rather than a technique. You can hear all of this in the words of Barack Obama explaining why he joined the church of Jeremiah Wright. The one aspect that Obama has avoided is the militarism. Liberation theology abhors militarism because it supports the dominant culture over the "oppressed". Barack Obama is not fit to be the Commander in Chief.

No, that’s not really what Black Liberation Theology is. That is only the end result. Black Liberation Theology is the rejection of western culture as it has developed since the time of Christ. It is Christian only in that it accepts that Christ is the son of God and was sent here to lead by example a perfect life of love, sharing and concern for oppressed people. Liberation theology rejects the established church. It rejects capitalism, sexism and something that they call technocentrism as well as all militarism.

How can someone who opposes all use of military serve as the Commander in Chief.

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