The Black Christ

by Kelly Brown Douglas

In this classic work, first published in 1994, Kelly Brown Douglas offers a compelling portrait of who Jesus is for the Black community. Beginning with the early testimonies of the enslaved, through the writings and thought of religious and literary figures, voices from the Civil Rights and Black Power era, including Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X, up through the contemporary work of Black and Womanist theologians, Douglas presents a living tradition that speaks powerfully to the message of our Black Lives Matter.

Genres: Theology, Race, Religion, Nonfiction, History, Christianity, Spirituality

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1993

About the author

Kelly Delaine Brown Douglas is an African-American Episcopal priest, womanist theologian, and the inaugural Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary. She is also the Canon Theologian at the Washington National Cathedral.

In 1995 Kelly was awarded Denison’s Grace Lyon Alumnae Award, presented to distinguished female graduates by the Department of Women’s Studies and the Office of Women’s Programs. She was also the recipient of a number of awards and scholarships during her student years. Kelly is an active participant in the Ecumenical Associate of Third World Theologians, the Society for the Study of Black Religion, and the American Academy of Religion.

Reviews

[Marc Schelske · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve grown up in a world, family, and church where I’ve been surrounded by the stories and images of Jesus. I was taught that Jesus was Immanuel, God with Us. Relating to Jesus has always been easy for me. But I’ve not ever had to contemplate how much of my ease with Jesus had to do with this simple, often overlooked, but now obvious fact: The images of Jesus that surrounded me looked like someone I could literally be related to, some extended member of my family. I could see God, but with skin and eyes and hair similar to mine.

If you asked me about this several years ago, I would have replied that it doesn’t really matter. Jesus came for all the people of the world. What he looked like shouldn’t matter. And while that may be true, I would have been saying that from the position of being someone who could look at those pictures and see myself. I never considered the implications of constantly looking at images of a Savior that you couldn’t see yourself in.

The Black Christ by Kelly Brown Douglas has been a challenging book for me on this front, presenting an academic analysis of how this experience has impacted the Black community since being brought to America. She traces the development of two parallel Christianities, that held by slave owners and majority white people, which allowed them to justify and bolster their position in society, their right to hold slaves, and to do violence to black bodies, and a different form of Christianity held by the newly Christianized enslaved people, which evolved to become a means of supporting their struggle, providing comfort and also motivating them toward liberation. These two parallel faiths saw Jesus differently. The author then connects this to the theological discussions that erupted during the 60’s and the Civil Rights Movement, where Black theologians began to propose new and different ways of relating to Christianity and Christ, including declaring that Christ, himself, was Black, and then traces the implications through later Feminist theological discussions, and ultimately Womanist theology, and how all of this has manifest practically in the American Black church.

I’m a theology geek, and I love theological history. That stuff just fascinates me. The history of theology is the history of how we have wrestled with scripture and our ideas about God in the context of real life circumstances and crisis. It is often the case that Western theology in its currently predominant form ignores this. Western systematic theology presents itself as if it is an objective and abstract discussion of absolute truth but this is a convenient distortion. All theology was (and is) done in a context by people living in a particular moment. This is crucial to remember as we study. The people doing the thinking (the theologians) were trying to solve a particular problem, and that problem shaped their articulation of the truth.

The Black Christ illustrates this clearly. The people who created a disembodied Christology where Jesus’ body wasn’t really relevant beyond being born, crucified and resurrected, were people who didn’t generally experience oppression and violence on account of nothing more than their bodies. On the other hand, the people who experienced oppression and violence based on nothing more than their bodies have spent a lot of time thinking and wondering about the body of Jesus. For those of us in the majority, who have never deeply considered the implication of loving a Savior who looks like us, this is worth contemplating. Thinking about Christ as Black, whether literally or symbolically as a means of solidarity with the oppressed, seems to me to be a very practical application of Matthew 25, where Jesus told us that when we actively enter into community and service with those who are in the margins and are oppressed, we would discover that he was there with them all along.

This is not an easy read. As a book, The Black Christ, is definitely academic. It’s prose is not always streamlined or smooth. There are a few places where it gets into the deep weeds, and I had to look up specific movements or writers to understand what was being referred to. And there were places where I felt uncomfortable and challenged in my own views of Jesus, Christianity, its impact, and how I live out my faith. But as uncomfortable as that can be, I’m not afraid of those moments. Thinking hard and even painful thoughts is part of how we test our current beliefs and grow as people.

[Drick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction to Black and Womanist Theology

In this book Kelly Brown Douglass provides a clear and accessible discussion of Black Theology, particularly the black Christ, as well as a concise introduction to Womanist theology. Thru this clear presentation she whets the reader's appetite to go deeper into the way theology is shaped by and must speak to one's life experience and context.

[Ty · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I saw a quote from this book that Nii posted on facebook a few weeks ago I immediately requested it from the library. Douglas traces the history of African-American conceptions of Jesus as black, starting by contrasting his description in slave spirituals with his portrayal at the hands of white slaveowners, moving on to Malcolm X's criticisms of Christianity, looking at the work of preachers and theologians like Albert Cleage and James Cone, and finally offering a womanist reading of Christ.

For the last few years, the understanding of Jesus's death that has been most resonant to me is the idea that he was intentionally radically aligning himself with the oppressed in order to mock, subvert, and dismantle systems of oppression. Were other things going on at the crucifixion and resurrection? Yeah, sure. I've heard my whole life about Jesus's blood washing away sins and that the prophets were howling about repentance; but you know what else all of em were howling about and writing poems about and doing bizarre performance art in the name of? Freedom and justice. To see Jesus's defeat of death at the hands of an oppressive empire as the culmination of the prophetic tradition of speaking and acting against unjust authorities seems to make as much sense as seeing it as the culmination of a sacrificial tradition, and to me that feels even more relevant to the world we're currently witnessing and living in.

"To claim that a minister's responsibility is to save souls and not to become involved in social justice issues is consistent with the religion of the white Christ. The white Christ is based on an understanding of Christianity that minimizes the significance of Jesus' ministry. The Christian is called to believe that Jesus is God incarnate, not to carry forth Jesus' liberating work. ... Further, the passivity in relation to social justice, which the white Christ fosters, allows white racism to go unchallenged. In essence, the white Christ negate[s] a significant aspect of black identity while it permit[s] white Christians to ignore black people's claims for freedom."

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful summary of the development of the Black Christ as a theological image. Douglas also gives an important womanist corrective. My only difficulties with the book were the ideas that Jesus' biological specificity has no bearing on his being the Christ which I think risks marginalising his Jewishness, and that Christological metaphysics has no bearing on Jesus' ministry in the Gospels. However, this is still a very useful and accessible book, even nearly 30 years after publication.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a review of the development of the Black Christ, and an analysis of where that development stands, this book would be a 4.5 out of 5. But then Brown attempts to develop her own “womanist Black Christ.” And every issue I had making this 4.5 instead of 5 came up, and became a serious issue. She carries up a lot of “either/or” thinking that really damages her thought, most of all thinking that, as a Christian, you either value the incarnation or you value the earthly ministry of Jesus. Why not both? Maybe that didn’t happen historically, but why not lift up a view of the Black Christ that values both? While her discussion of the development of the Black Christ was amazing and insightful, once she moved to analysis and constructing her own “womanist Black Christ,” everything seemed shallow. There is so little defense of her thought, or even developed reasoning, that the end of the book basically felt like she said, “This is a womanist Black Christ to me. That’s all. Nothing else to see.” Again, the first 3 chapters are amazing. The 4th is good, but some issues start coming up. Chapter 5 really was the weakness of this book to me.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A WOMANIST PERSPECTIVE ON THE THEOLOGICAL MEANING OF CHRIST

Kelly Brown Douglas is Professor of Religion at Goucher College, and is also an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church. She formerly taught theology at Brown University. She is also the author of Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God,Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective,Black Bodies and the Black Church: A Blues Slant, and What's Faith Got to Do With It?: Black Bodies/Christian Souls.

She wrote in the very helpful Introduction to this 1994 book, “Although Jesus’ ethnicity and dark-skinned complexion are certainly important aspects of Christ’s blackness, to call Christ Black points to more than simply ancestry or biological characteristics. Throughout Black religious history, the Blackness of Christ has had significant theological implications.” (Pg. 1)

She continues, “no persons to date have more fully explored the meaning of Christ’s Blackness than have Black theologians. They have attempted to define the Black Christ in terms of both Christ’s color as well as relationship to Black people’s struggle. At the same time, their careful examinations of what it means for Christ to be Black community struggling against more than just White racism. Many of these limitations are evidenced in Black churches’ responses to the various challenges of a changing Black community… they have understood that Christ was against White racism and for Black freedom. This Christ has empowered Black Christians and Black churches to be prophetic in relation to issues of race in America… [Yet] Black churches have appeared ill prepared to respond to concerns that go beyond race.” (Pg. 3-4)

She goes on, “In part, the Black church’s inability to respond to the complex issues of class, gender, and sexuality is tied to the way in which Christ’s Blackness has been defined… The Black church leaders who want to take down images of White Christs in their churches are right: a blond-haired, blue-eyed Christ does not empower or nurture self-esteem for Black people… It serves t remind many Black people of those who have come to personify White racism… In essence, the centrality of White Christs in Black churches potentially alienates significant segments of the Black community… A defining assumption of this book is that to call Christ 'Black' suggests something about both Christ's appearance and actions. Such a Christ signifies ... that Christ is intimately involved in the Black struggle 'to make do and do better,' as well as the need for Black people to see themselves in Christ.” (Pg. 5)

She concludes the Introduction, “I do not intend to provide a definitive answer concerning Christ's meaning for Black people as they struggle for a better life. My hope is that in telling the story of the Black Christ from a womanist perspective, I can contribute in moving us all closer to appreciating Christ's presence in Black lives as well as understanding the radical challenge that Christ gives to all Christians.” (Pg. 8)

She suggests, “(A) comprehensive understanding of the Black Christ must at least involve both Christ’s color and relationship to the Black struggle for freedom… different aspects of Christ’s Blackness were highlighted from time to time throughout Black history. In this regard, the roots of the Black Christ can be traced to the ‘sacred time’ of slavery. During slavery the Black Christ emerged in contradistinction to the oppressive White Christ… a number of slaves found a way to fight for freedom without surrendering their Christianity. As slaveholding Christianity and slave Christianity emerged and confronted each other, so too did White and Black Christs.” (Pg. 10)

She observes, “The slaves forged an interpretation of Christianity that focused on Jesus’ ministry to the oppressed, as well as the crucifixion and resurrection within the context of that ministry… The Black Christ was the presence of Jesus in slave lives. He was for the slave a fellow sufferer, a confidant, a provider, and a liberator.” (Pg. 24)

She notes that Malcolm X “realized the blasphemy involved in Black people’s worshiping a Christ who looked just like the White people who oppressed and terrorized them. Malcolm X poignantly observed that while religions of other people made them proud of who they were, Christianity ‘was designed to make [black people] feel inferior.’… Malcolm X was clear that Black peoples' loyalty to a White Christ was a betrayal of their own Black heritage, Black culture, and was a severe impediment to their freedom.” (Pg. 46-47)

She summarizes, “what did the Black Christ mean for a black people in struggle against White racist oppression?... to call Christ Black indicated that Christ was for Black freedom and against White oppression… Black theologians… made it clear that freedom-seeking Black people did not have to say, ‘ To H_ll with Christianity and its Jesus.’ Declaring that Christ was Black let it be known that Christ had profound meaning for a people determined to be free and proud of their Blackness." (Pg. 77-77)

She also admits, “Not one of the three versions of the Black Christ acknowledged the presence or role of Black women in the Black community's struggle for dignity and freedom. Perhaps if they had done so, some of the previously mentioned limitations could have been avoided.” (Pg. 88) Later, she adds, “It should be noted, however, that it is not just the failure of Black theology that has compelled the development of a womanist approach to Christ. Feminist theology has als contributed to this development.” (Pg. 93)

She explains, “While the Black Christ of Black theology does not signal an appreciation of Black women’s experience, a womanist understanding of the Blackness of Christ begins with the Black woman’s story of struggle. This portrayal of Christ reflects at least two aspects of that story: the multidimensionality of Black women’s oppression and their determined efforts to survive and be free from that oppression. Specifically, a womanist portrayal of Christ confronts Black women's struggles within the wider society as well as within the Black community. It also affirms Black women's steadfast faith that God supports them in their fight for survival and freedom.” (Pg. 97)

This is a very thought-provoking book, that will be of great interest to anyone studying Womanism, Black Theology, Black Churches, or related subjects.

[Wally · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bumped into this almost on accident, and I feel my world view got squeezed outward and now I'm slightly dizzy. I wish more of us White people were more aware of how others perceive us and what they themselves believe.

Books like this are important but painful. Highly recommended, if a readable academic text on religion is your thing.

[Katie Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a distilled yet academic analysis of Black Christology, its history and some of the points of variance even within its own tradition, as well as a brief sketching of Womanist Christology, I highly recommend this book. I read this alongside Christological readings of Cone and Bonhoeffer and it was an enriching experience to put them all in dialogue.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Kelly Brown Douglas for the time and energy you poured into this book and into your ongoing work of womanist theology. I’m grateful for this opportunity to learn from you and to be guided into a new idea of Jesus that helps me dismantle the white slaveholder religion I was brought up in.

[Daniel Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall I thought the book was interesting as it examined portrayals of Christ as Black in African-American churches. That part is totally fine.

However, I am giving this book 2 stars for separate theological issues towards the end.

1) The author does not consider the Niceno-Constantinopolitan creed particularly important and apparently does not understand it.

"The implication is that what took place between Jesus' birth and resurrection - the bulk of the Gospels' reports of Jesus - is unrelated to what it means for Jesus to be the Christ. If Jesus did conduct a sustaining, liberating, and prophetic ministry, this would not significantly affect what it meant for him to be Christ . . . There would be little reason to strive to be an example of Christ in the world, because to be Christ requires a divine incarnation, which happened only in Jesus . . . He is seen as someone to be worshipped, believed in, but not followed or imitated." (p. 132 - 133).

On the contrary, the hypostatic union of the human and divine is precisely the reason that we are called to imitate Christ. God became man that we might become God. That is the basis for the theology of divinization which has existed literally since the Apostolic era, as well as the explicit theological justification for the actually successful liberation theology movements across the Global South.

2) The author writes things like this - "This analysis is multidimensional and bifocal. That means that it seeks to understand how race, gender, class, and sexual oppression interact in the oppression of black people, especially black women . . . It may . . . be informed by Marxist thought as it endeavors to understand class issues . . . But it also goes beyond Marxist analysis in an effort to understand the multidimensionality of black oppression."

On the contrary, while race, gender, and sexual oppression ARE real and DO uniquely affect people - especially black women this cannot be understand as separate from material analysis. Fundamentally these layers of oppression are created by the material structures, the relationships and conflicts between different groups in society, and these groups' relationship to productive and coercive power. That is what Marxist analysis actually entails. The author probably assumed that "class" only refers to things like upper, lower, middle class, or to how much wealth/income people have, or to the prejudices based on perceived wealth, NOT on how layers of social oppression emerge from the relationship of distinct groups to systems of power.

Together, these are critical flaws in the author's own theology. The author does not understand who Christ is or how the world works. I think this is a flaw of American Protestant theologians, who apparently never explore the vast Christian traditions beyond their borders. I can recommend the discussion of the history of Christ as African-American, but I cannot recommend the author's theology.

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on the experiential and theological formation of the "Black Christ" in Black worship as well as its ethical and political consequences.

Douglas' book charts the experience of slavery and how the Black slaves had a powerful conviction that Jesus was with them. The symbol of the Black Christ arose as a symbol of God's solidarity of oppressed blacks and a symbol of the dignity of Black people, who so often were inculcated with a set of white sensibilities that induced shame and feelings of inferiority.

Her critique of the white slave owner's Christology and soteriology is scathing and rightfully so. She points out that the boiled down Jesus of the creeds and metaphysical incarnation as well as a soteriology here grace is a salvation event accompanied by belief actually enabled the slave owners to feel justified in their cruelty. This chapter was some bitter medicine to evangelicals that don't want to be "too political" and just want to be a "Jesus-only" kind of Christian.

She moves on in the book to look at different early proponents of Black liberation, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Then she looks at how the "Black Christ" was interpreted in three scholars: Cleage, Cone, and Roberts. Cleage was the most literal, actually arguing Jesus was biologically black, and thus, the Black people literally were the New Israelites. Roberts and Cone were more symbolic, seeing Jesus' ethnicity as a sign of his solidarity with the oppressed. In so far as Blackness is an oppressed identity, Jesus "is" black. Kelly also notes the differences in views about liberation. MLK was a pacifist, while Malcolm X held to a "any means necessary" view. In the theological work, Cleage was the most for violence as liberative self-defense, Cone was more ambivalent, and Roberts, hoping for full reconciliation with whites one day, was resistant to the usefulness of violence.

Douglas moves on to critique the "Black Christ." What does this mean for today? She notes that even today many Black churches have white symbolism in their churches. Also, as she gets into Womanist theology, she notes the historic inadequacies of the Black Christ to present liberation for Black women.

This short but powerful book is a eloquent combination of scholarship and beauty. It surveys the history and literature on the concept, but also presents it in a gripping and convicting way.

[Lukas Stock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Douglas offers an excellent introduction and overview of the development of the concept of the black Christ. There’s some really good stuff in here in her historical portion and some of the groundwork she lays.

The issues arise in her synthesis. Particularly, an identification of difference between slaveholding/slave Christianity and the white/black Christ being one of looking to the incarnation of Jesus vs looking to his ministry and a latent nestorianism that separates Jesus Christ into the two sons of the Jesus of history and the Christ of faith and even pits them against each other to an extent. Her analysis of the limitations of feminist theology to speak to black women is good until she identifies first world minority women as “third world women,” which seems to fundamentally misunderstand the foundational differences between first and third world experiences. She strongly criticizes heteronormativity and “homophobia” in the black church without actually defining homophobia, suggesting a possibly uncritical equation of it with simply holding traditional views of sexual ethics.

Perhaps most frustratingly given the project is the lack of any reference to indigenous African churches. There have been African people worshiping Christ for nearly two millennia without the context of chattel slavery. I have to wonder why they would be ignored by someone seeking resources for exploring what it means to be black and Christian for African Americans.

That reads like a ton of criticism, but I’m picking it apart because the book is an important development of Cone’s black theology through a womanist lens and a representative of a major strain of contemporary theology and christology, and therefore worthy of a read, respect, and meaningful engagement.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clear, well-structured study of the image of the Black Christ, from roots in the Christianity of enslavers and the enslaved, through its explicit theological articulation by Albert Cleage, James Cone and Deotis Roberts in the 60s and 70s, to Douglas' own critical expansion of the symbol in relation to womanist concerns of the 80s and early 90s. A new Introduction for the 25th anniversary of its publication sharply notes the continued relevance of the Black Christ and a new emphasis from Douglas on the Black Christ crucified as a prophetic challenge to white supremacist resentment during and since the Obama presidency.

[Shahidi Islam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Loved This Book

One of my favourite books of all time, the Black Christ presents a detailed look from and theological, Black theological, and womanist lens of the story of Christ and what he means to Black people.

While I have admittedly only read it once so far I do plan on reading it again many more times as it is inspirational and motivating.

Another triumph of the author and I love her work.

She also provides within certain very controversial ideas that the reader will have to find on their own upon reading, but be sure you will be challenged to change your perception of Christ and who he is.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great primer for Theology from an African American perspective.

A primer into the history and the incarnate application of Christ in an African American Context. From Slavery, looking at both the view of slaves and slaveholders. To Dr. martin Luther King and Malcolm X. To Albert Cleage, James Cone, and J. Deotis Roberts. And ending on a great primer for Womanist theology.

I found this book extremely helpful for me, knowing very little of Black Theology. I highly recommend it.

[Anitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough and thoughtful historical analysis of the development of Black theology and the Black church's relationship with Christ. A helpful view on reframing the oppression of slaveholding and slave Christianity into a more holistic and fully reflective view of relationship with God through Christ using a womanist point of view. I wish there was a more direct explanation for making the distinction between Jesus and Christ. Very academic read.

[Jacob · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the book is only OK. I find it it a bit choppy and I don’t think it flows well. It seems the author had a page number in mind, and when she hit that number she simply stopped writing. I have a hard time knowing what her central premise is. I don’t think she makes it very clear. There’s much to be desired here.

[Jacqueline Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Christ Theology

This book thoroughly differentiates Enslaved Christianity from slaveholder Christianity, refuting the perception that the Enslaved adopted the religion of their oppressors. It reminds all that though Jesus may not be Black, given the region of HIS birth and the fact that Mary and Joseph were able to hide with HIM in Egypt, HE most definitely was not the blond haired, blue eyed Jesus that is most prominently displayed. The Black Christ is the Christ of the oppressed as evidenced by the life HE led in the flesh. Black Womanist theology and the need to move that discussion from academia into churches and communities was explained. This is a must read.

[Rhiannon Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although some things might now be phrased differently (e.g. using the language of intersectionality), this is still a very helpful analysis of approaches to the Black Christ, finishing with suggestions about a womanist approach.

[Brooke Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a tragedy that this isn’t required reading in schools and churches. So unbelievably critical and lovely. ❤️

[JA · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the things I didn’t learn in seminary could fill a library. That’s why there are libraries.

[Ellie DiPrima · Rating 1 out of 5]

Literally the worst thing I’ve ever beheld.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important book. Clear and concise, a great primer on black theology as well as articulating a womanist position.

[Alysse Aallyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magnificent book explaining how white supremacists have seized & maintained power - and how they can be defeated by admitting women to religious parity.

[Shane Wagoner · Rating 4 out of 5]

In clear and systematic prose, Kelly Brown Douglas analyzes the history and nature of Christ in the black community, while seeking to provide new paths for future theology. She begins by observing the historical distinction between slaveholder and slave Christianity with a particular focus on what she calls the Black and White Christs. She then proceeds to summarize the further development of the theological conceptions of the Black Christ in the 1960's via an analysis of the works of Albert Cleage, James Cone, and J. Deotis Roberts. Finally, she offers a critique of the Black Christ and seeks to amend its flaws through the use of insights found within Womanist theology.
Douglas's book is an extremely readable introduction to African-American theology that allows readers a trace the historical trajectory of many core ideas within contemporary theology. Additionally, the suggestions offered in this book, while certainly open to criticism, raise provocative questions for the Christian community that demand a broad conversation.

[Eli]

Douglas gives a brief intro to the Christology of numerous Black theologians, and critiques and answers them with a womanist Christology. I am neither Black nor versed in Black theology so I can't offer a relevant opinion on the quality of the book. I enjoyed reading it, learned quite a bit, and found more than one lead for continued reading.

[Graydon Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book! Kelly Douglas Brown traces the various views of the Black Christ among Black theologians and calls for a deeper reflection. If you’ve never considered what it means for Jesus to be Black, this is a good read!

[steds · Rating 3 out of 5]

good, concise summary and critique of 20th century construction of the black christ. wanted more of her modifications/thoughts at the conclusion.

[Joe T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gave a historical background on the development of the black Christ as it coincided with various movements for social change and concludes with a womanist evaluation of the black Christ.