What Color is Jesus?--A case study in jazz theology (part 3)

Let's let one of my favorte jazz theologians take a solo.

In 1975 James Cone, the father of black theology, wrote, "If twentieth-century Christians are to speak the truth for their sociohistorical situation, they cannot merely repeat the story of what Jesus did and said in Palestine, as if it were self-interpreting for us today. Truth is more than the retelling of the biblical story. Truth is the divine happening that invades our contemporary situation, revealing the meaning of the past for the present so that we are made new creatures for the future."

Cone is describing what I think the essence of jazz theology is--Theomoments! When our hunger for God, the song of God, our questions, joys and pains, converge with Jesus "the divine happening that invades our contemporary situation."

Cone asserts that our Christology must know Jesus as He was, as He is AND also as He will be.

So what color is Jesus? Well, we know what color he was (a middle-eastern man with all the telltale characteristics); we can only imagine what color he is (with feet like brass and eyes like fire...Rev. 1) but what color will he be...to you...to me...today?

(quotes taken from, "God of the Oppressed" by James Cone)

Comments

[andre daley-emerging mosaic]

Thanks for this great quote and for highlighting Cone's work. I ordered God of the Oppressed as soon as I saw the quote. I have also posted the beginnings of a dialog with NT Wright Challenge of Jesus in light of his quote.

"We cannot assume that by saying the word Jesus," "still less the word Christ, we are automatically in touch with the real Jesus who talked in first-century Palestine." Even less are we automatically in touch with "the Jesus who … is the same yesterday, today and forever."

As always you are on the cutting edge of thought and creativity on this subject