A black Bonhoeffer?

Abstract

This paper offers an assessment of the lifework of the African-American theologian and Civil Rights leader James H. Cone (1935–2018) by cataloguing parallels with the life and career of the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945). Bonhoeffer's experience of studying in the US and his opposition to the Nazis provides an interesting counterpoint to Cone's development of a Black Theology that emerged from his struggles on behalf of the black community, his deep connection with spirituals and the blues, and his uncompromising commitment to following Christ.