Cone, James H. Black Theology and Black Power. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2018. Pages: 174+xxxiii. ISBN: 9781626983083

James H. Cone published his book, ‘Black Theology and Black Power’ in 1969. It is now 50 years since the first edition came out of the press. This edition is to celebrate that moment, so the publishers calls it the 50th anniversary edition.

The new element is the introduction written by Cornel West. West has surveyed the various historical events that might have shaped Cone’s thinking. He also highlights some salient streams of Cone’s thinking.

The book is a reprint of the 1989 edition. So, those who are still stuck with the 1969 edition and missed the 1989 edition will benefit from the ‘Preface to the 1989 edition’ written by Cone himself. This is the part of the book where Cone reflects on the influences on his life. First, the influence that Martin Luther King Jr and the Civil Rights movement on him. However, very soon that was challenged by his lenience towards Malcom X.

In this preface, Cone also reflects on the limitations of his book. First, he admits that he was not aware of the sexist language that he used in the first edition in 1969, but he allowed it to remain in the 1989 edition. He also admits that the book is heavily influenced by his Western theological education as well. Thirdly, he also admits that his work failed to see the struggle of the blacks in the wider context of similar struggles globally. However, he concludes that, ‘Despite its limitations, I hope that Black Theology and Black Power will remind all who read it that good theology is not abstract but concrete, nor neutral but committed. Why? Because the poor were created for freedom and not for poverty.’ And with the few limitations this work is still historic, and the momentum it created still carries on.