James H. Cone

Professor James H. Cone is the Charles A. Briggs Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminary. He attended Shorter College (1954-56) and holds a B.A. degree from Philander Smith College (1958). In 1961, he received a Master of Divinity degree from Garrett Theological Seminary and later earned an M.A. (1963) and Ph.D. (1965) from Northwestern University. Dr. Cone has been conferred eight (8) honorary degrees, including a Doctor of Divinity from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (2000). In 2006, he was offered an honorary degree from Turner Theological Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center Commencement Exercise, but declined to accept it, because the speaker at the graduation was a “prosperity gospel” preacher. In the same year, he was the recipient of the Paul Robeson Award from the Mother AME Zion Church. Previous awards include the American Black Achievement Award in the category of Religion given by Ebony Magazine of Johnson Publications in Los Angeles, November, 1992; the Theological Scholarship and Research Award from the Association of Theological Schools, 1994; the Fund for Theological Education Award for contributions to theological education and scholarship, given at the American Academy of Religion, Boston, MA, November 1999; induction into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame in 2003, and the recent Julius C. Hope Champion of Social Justice Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Orlando, Florida, November, 2006. Dr. Cone is an ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He is listed in the Directory of American Scholars, in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Religion, Who’s Who among African Americans, and Who’s Who in the World. He is the author of eleven (11) books and over 150 articles and has lectured at more than 1,000 universities and community organizations throughout the United States, Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. He is an active member of numerous professional societies, including the Society for the Study of Black Religion, the American Academy of Religion, and the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT) in the Philippines. Dr. Cone is best known for his ground-breaking works, Black Theology & Black Power (1969) and A Black Theology of Liberation (1970); he is also the author of the highly acclaimed God of the Oppressed (1975), and of Martin & Malcolm & America: A Dream or a Nightmare? (1991); all of which works have been translated into nine languages. His most recent publication is Risks of Faith (1999). The 30th Anniversary of the publication of Black Theology & Black Power was celebrated at the University of Chicago Divinity School (April 1998), and a similar event was held for A Black Theology of Liberation at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (April 2000) and at the Catholic Theological Society of America (June 2001). His research and teaching are in Christian theology, with special attention to black theology and the theologies of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, as well as twentieth century European-American theologies. His current research focuses on “The Cross and the Lynching Tree,” exploring the relationship between the two theologically.