A 6 Week Online Pop-Up Learning Community
Launching January, 2022
6 Feature Sessions
Adam & Tripp will facilitate our feature sessions that include a mini-lecture, conversation, and QnA as we dig into powerful curated readings
6 Guest Interviews
Each week we will have a special guest theologian visit whose own work was shaped by the legacy of James Cone
Online Community
Everyone will be invited to join the private online group to connect with other nerds and have access to everything in Audio/Video on the class resource page
Black Theology & the Future of Faith
“Racism is a profound contradiction of the gospel. No one can be a representative of Jesus and treat others as subhuman. There can be no compromise on this point. Any theology that does not fight white supremacy with all its intellectual strength cancels its Christian identity.”
- James Cone
Why the Legacy of James Cone Matters
White supremacy is America’s most cherished heresy. It is a theological error entailing the death and domination of black bodies. The White Church has not simply been silent and sidelined in the march toward liberation, but an ideological ally and institutional accomplice of supremacy culture. George Floyd’s last words as he was murdered by the State, “I can’t breathe,” ignited a collective gasp in which a larger multitude and diversity of citizenry had the scales fall off their eyes and found their lips and lungs reanimated to speak, “Black Lives Matter.”
For some, this is a new shout and for others, it is too familiar. If black lives matter to our life as a species and a church, then it is time to listen to the voices who have already been speaking and living this gospel proclamation. As James Cone, the Father of Black Theology said, “There can be no Christian theology that is not identified unreservedly with those who are humiliated and abused. In fact, theology ceases to be a theology of the gospel when it fails to arise out of the community of the oppressed. For it is impossible to speak of the God of Israelite history, who is the God revealed in Jesus Christ, without recognizing that God is the God of and for those who labor and are overladen.” We hope this online class in Black Theology is disrupting and revitalizing.
6 Session Class Themes
- Each week during the class we will have a main session with Adam & Tripp exploring a central theme from the legacy of James Cone. These sessions will center on curated reading selections and include mini-lecture, textual deep dives, conversation and QnA with the group.
1) Theology Matters
2) Disciplinary Decadence: the Emergence of Black Theology
3) From Black Power to Black Lives Matter
4) Christ from the Underside
5) Women Hold Up Half the Sky
6) James Cone as World Teacher
Meet The Hosts
Adam Clark
Xavier University
Dr. Adam Clark is Associate Professor of Theology at Xavier University. He is committed to the idea that theological education in the twenty first century must function as a counter-story. One that equips us to read against the grain of the dominant culture and inspires one to live into the Ignatian dictum of going forth "to set the world on fire." To this end, Dr. Clark is intentional about pedagogical practices that raise critical consciousness by going beneath surface meanings, unmasking conventional wisdoms and reimagining the good. He currently serves as co-chair of Black Theology Group at the American Academy of Religion, actively publishes in the area of black theology and black religion and participates in social justice groups at Xavier and in the Cincinnati area. He earned his PhD at Union Theological Seminary in New York where he was mentored by James Cone.
Tripp Fuller
University of Edinburgh
Dr. Fuller is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Theology & Science at the University of Edinburgh. He recently released Divine Self-Investment: a Constructive Open and Relational Christology, the first book in the Studies in Open and Relational Theology series. For over 12 years Tripp has been doing the Homebrewed Christianity podcast (think on-demand internet radio) where he interviews different scholars about their work so you can get nerdy in traffic, on the treadmill, or doing the dishes. Last year it had over 3.5 million downloads. It also inspired a book series with Fortress Press called the Homebrewed Christianity Guides to... topics like God, Jesus, Spirit, Church History, etc. Tripp is a very committed and (some of his friends think overly ) engaged Lakers fan and takes Star Wars and Lord of the Rings very seriously.
Special Guests
As we explore our centering themes in our main sessions, we also have a second session each week with a special guest. Each of these guests will share about their own relationship with Cone, the way he shaped theology, and how some of his insights have continued to be expanded and developed in their work.
Serene Jones
President of Union Theological Seminary
Kelly Brown Douglas
Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary
Gary Dorrien
Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary
Andrea White
Associate Professor of Theology and Culture at UnionTheological Seminary
Robert Ellsberg
Editor-in-Chief of Orbis Books
TBA
super awesome theologian
FAQs
When does the class meet?
The class is asynchronous and you can participate fully without being present at any specific time. The weekly streaming session will take place on Tuesdays at 5:30 pm ET.
How do I get access to the class content?
The complete class content collection will be available on the password protected resource page. The downloadable audio and video of each session will be uploaded there and available for at least a year.
What happens after I sign up?
The email you enter when signing up will receive an email from tripp[at]homebrewedchristianity[dot]com. The email will include access to the resource page, details on how to join the class Facebook group, and more.
Do I have to have Facebook?
No. Facebook is not required to participate, but an additional way to connect with other class members and interact throughout the class.