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Heart and Soul: Black Jesus

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Black Jesus

18/12/2020 GMT

BBC World Service - Heart and Soul, Black Jesus

Jesus' identity and colour has taken on a new significance in this year of protest.

The identity and colour of Jesus – and why it matters - has taken on a new significance in this year of protest and change. Seeing Jesus as a darker skinned Palestinian Jew rather than blonde European is both historically accurate and theologically important, but it’s not a new idea.

James Cone, the influential US theologian released ‘A Black Theology of Liberation’ 50 years ago this year – and formally developed a radical new way of exploring the message of Christianity. While people often say it’s a ‘white man’s religion’, Cone emphasised Jesus’ identity as black, on the side of the oppressed, and Christianity as a religion of liberation.

Robert Beckford, one of the UK’s prominent black theologians, wants to explore the impact Black Theology has had, the implications for the church and whether seeing Jesus as black is having a revival due to the influence of black lives matter. In this programme Robert speaks to key theologians who studied under Cone; Professor Dwight Hopkins and the Very Reverend Kelly Brown Douglas about the social context and significance of Cone’s work. He hears from Rev Otis Moss III from a Chicago based church which lives out black theology, and Pastor Jonathan Jackson in the UK. Robert goes on to explore how young Christians are readdressing Jesus’ identity in the UK with Chine McDonald and has a discussion about embracing the Black Jesus with Clare Williams, Shermara Fletcher and Joel Brown. Plus he’ll hear from American artist and iconographer Mark Doox about the depiction of a black Christ in Christian art. 

Producer: Miriam Williamson

(Picture: ‘The Holy Face' by Mark Doox)

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