In what way did James Cone influence Black Consciousness thinking as
expressed by Steve Biko?
- Nadia Odendaal
There are countless sources which cite Bantu Stephen Biko as the founder of the Black
Consciousness Movement (BCM). Similarly, many acknowledge Reverend James Cone as
the founder of Black Liberation Theology (BLT). Cone is noted as one of Biko’s five major
influences, alongside giants Paulo Freire, Frantz Fanon, Malcolm X and Leopold Senghor.
Certain links can be made between these two liberation figures which demonstrate that the
thinking of James Cone influenced the ideas and actions of Steve Biko.
Historically, the American South is ineffaceably linked to both racism and Christianity. These
links dictated the life of James Cone. Born in Arkansas in 1936 to a deeply pious family, he
grew up acutely aware of the struggle for civil rights and the church.
His father outwardly resented the oppressive whites of the time and refuted their claims to
Christianity, because their actions were without the fundamental values of the religion.
Alternatively, Cone’s mother was more passive in her faith, with the simple belief that people
need only pray and trust God for all to be well. Each parent’s grounding influenced Cone and
the ideas he would go on to propagate.
It has been noted that the Cone family struggled with the apparent contradictions between the
principles of Christianity and the experiences of black people in the South. They found the
same white supremacists who preyed upon people of colour (POC) during the week praying
for everyone on Sundays.
Cone, himself, was ordained as a minister at the age of 16 before pursuing tertiary
qualifications at both Philander Smith College and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
- achieving undergraduate degrees in Divinity and Theology respectively. He later received
both a Masters’ degree and a PhD from Northwestern University in Illinois. After crossing
the Ohio River for his studies, Rev. Cone was surprised by the extent to which racism
prevailed in the northern states he found himself.
Upon completion of his studies Cone remained in academia, returning to his alma mater,
Philander Smith College as a theology lecturer focusing on neo-orthodoxy - the subject of his
doctoral dissertation.
Neo-orthodoxy is, in essence, the notion that Christianity is an active and continued
engagement with Christ. The Bible, as a human document, cannot be taken as the word of
God. This is to say, rather, that revelation would come from encounters with a living God -
one that James Cone saw as a poor black man. The effort to uplift fellow men underpins neo-
orthodoxy; sin is a consequence of neglecting this duty.
, This ideology came into being as a response to earlier protestant liberalism, and is considered
to be the brainchild of Swiss theologian Karl Barth. However as a professor, James Cone
struggled to translate the European notion of neo-orthodoxy to the impoverished black
students in his classes. The American Civil Rights Movement exacerbated Cone’s concern
that the theological giants he had studied were not relevant to the students he taught. This is
the foundation upon which black liberation theology was developed.
Working at Adrian College in Michigan, the release of Cone’s first book (Black Power and
Black Theology) was prompted by the Detroit Riot of 1967 in which 43 people were killed
protesting segregation policies. Stated in a 2008 interview, Cone strived to “...to teach people
how to be both unapologetically black and Christian at the same time.”
Black liberation theology aims to contextualise Christianity in a way that serves to free black
people of all various forms of subjugation. Building on the historic use of the Bible to inspire
fighting against discrimination, Cone links the struggle for black liberation to the very
essence of the gospel.
“God's stand against oppression is his affirmation that all men have a common
humanity in freedom. This means that I cannot be free until all men are free. And if in
some distant future I am no longer oppressed because of blackness, then I must take
upon myself whatever form of human oppression exists in the society, affirming my
identity with the victims.”1
Reverend James Hal Cone may be regarded as one of the most prominent figures in the black
liberation struggle. His extended works have inspired action and thought around the world.
Without being an activist in a militant sense, Cone has combated oppression though his
critiques and insights.
“I write because writing is the way I fight, teaching is the way I resist, doing what I
can to subvert white supremacy.”2
Cone died in April 2018 and now rests with a powerful legacy. His virtuous ideas effected
action as far away from his Arkansas origin as apartheid South Africa. It can be seen that
Cone contributed to the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) lead by Steve Biko.
Like Cone, Biko was exposed to intense oppression during his formative years. The birth of
Bantu Biko in Tarkastad, Eastern Province on December 18th, 1946 predated the official
government institution of apartheid policy by just 2 years.
The harsh governance of the Apartheid State determined restricted all aspects of the lives of
people of colour. Location, education, occupation and relations were all determined by the
Apartheid government, as was the case with Steve Biko. As an economic autobiography,
Biko noted the following:
1 Cone, J & Horden, W. Christian Century: Dialogue on Black Theology.
2 Cone, J. The Cross and the Lynching Tree.
expressed by Steve Biko?
- Nadia Odendaal
There are countless sources which cite Bantu Stephen Biko as the founder of the Black
Consciousness Movement (BCM). Similarly, many acknowledge Reverend James Cone as
the founder of Black Liberation Theology (BLT). Cone is noted as one of Biko’s five major
influences, alongside giants Paulo Freire, Frantz Fanon, Malcolm X and Leopold Senghor.
Certain links can be made between these two liberation figures which demonstrate that the
thinking of James Cone influenced the ideas and actions of Steve Biko.
Historically, the American South is ineffaceably linked to both racism and Christianity. These
links dictated the life of James Cone. Born in Arkansas in 1936 to a deeply pious family, he
grew up acutely aware of the struggle for civil rights and the church.
His father outwardly resented the oppressive whites of the time and refuted their claims to
Christianity, because their actions were without the fundamental values of the religion.
Alternatively, Cone’s mother was more passive in her faith, with the simple belief that people
need only pray and trust God for all to be well. Each parent’s grounding influenced Cone and
the ideas he would go on to propagate.
It has been noted that the Cone family struggled with the apparent contradictions between the
principles of Christianity and the experiences of black people in the South. They found the
same white supremacists who preyed upon people of colour (POC) during the week praying
for everyone on Sundays.
Cone, himself, was ordained as a minister at the age of 16 before pursuing tertiary
qualifications at both Philander Smith College and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
- achieving undergraduate degrees in Divinity and Theology respectively. He later received
both a Masters’ degree and a PhD from Northwestern University in Illinois. After crossing
the Ohio River for his studies, Rev. Cone was surprised by the extent to which racism
prevailed in the northern states he found himself.
Upon completion of his studies Cone remained in academia, returning to his alma mater,
Philander Smith College as a theology lecturer focusing on neo-orthodoxy - the subject of his
doctoral dissertation.
Neo-orthodoxy is, in essence, the notion that Christianity is an active and continued
engagement with Christ. The Bible, as a human document, cannot be taken as the word of
God. This is to say, rather, that revelation would come from encounters with a living God -
one that James Cone saw as a poor black man. The effort to uplift fellow men underpins neo-
orthodoxy; sin is a consequence of neglecting this duty.
, This ideology came into being as a response to earlier protestant liberalism, and is considered
to be the brainchild of Swiss theologian Karl Barth. However as a professor, James Cone
struggled to translate the European notion of neo-orthodoxy to the impoverished black
students in his classes. The American Civil Rights Movement exacerbated Cone’s concern
that the theological giants he had studied were not relevant to the students he taught. This is
the foundation upon which black liberation theology was developed.
Working at Adrian College in Michigan, the release of Cone’s first book (Black Power and
Black Theology) was prompted by the Detroit Riot of 1967 in which 43 people were killed
protesting segregation policies. Stated in a 2008 interview, Cone strived to “...to teach people
how to be both unapologetically black and Christian at the same time.”
Black liberation theology aims to contextualise Christianity in a way that serves to free black
people of all various forms of subjugation. Building on the historic use of the Bible to inspire
fighting against discrimination, Cone links the struggle for black liberation to the very
essence of the gospel.
“God's stand against oppression is his affirmation that all men have a common
humanity in freedom. This means that I cannot be free until all men are free. And if in
some distant future I am no longer oppressed because of blackness, then I must take
upon myself whatever form of human oppression exists in the society, affirming my
identity with the victims.”1
Reverend James Hal Cone may be regarded as one of the most prominent figures in the black
liberation struggle. His extended works have inspired action and thought around the world.
Without being an activist in a militant sense, Cone has combated oppression though his
critiques and insights.
“I write because writing is the way I fight, teaching is the way I resist, doing what I
can to subvert white supremacy.”2
Cone died in April 2018 and now rests with a powerful legacy. His virtuous ideas effected
action as far away from his Arkansas origin as apartheid South Africa. It can be seen that
Cone contributed to the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) lead by Steve Biko.
Like Cone, Biko was exposed to intense oppression during his formative years. The birth of
Bantu Biko in Tarkastad, Eastern Province on December 18th, 1946 predated the official
government institution of apartheid policy by just 2 years.
The harsh governance of the Apartheid State determined restricted all aspects of the lives of
people of colour. Location, education, occupation and relations were all determined by the
Apartheid government, as was the case with Steve Biko. As an economic autobiography,
Biko noted the following:
1 Cone, J & Horden, W. Christian Century: Dialogue on Black Theology.
2 Cone, J. The Cross and the Lynching Tree.
