The Cross and The Lynching Tree: An Invitation for Conversation
Led by the Rev. Dr. Patricia Allen, Senior Pastor of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church and open to the Kensington community, participants will read The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James Cone (2013) in which he expounds on the significance of the crucifixion through the lens of lynchings suffered by African Americans. This is not a Bible study but a communal book study, where all are invited to engage through discussion what we have read, from a variety of perspectives and lenses. Participants are required to purchase their own book.
The study begins Wednesday February 21, 2024 7:00pm – 8:15pm and will meet every Wednesday through March 20, 2024 . We will be gathering via ZOOM. Once you register, you will be sent the ZOOM link. To learn more and register, click here.
About the Book:
The cross and the lynching tree are the two most emotionally charged symbols in the history of the African American community. In this powerful work, theologian James H. Cone explores these symbols and their interconnection in the history and souls of black folk. Both the cross and the lynching tree represent the worst in human beings and at the same time a thirst for life that refuses to let the worst determine our final meaning. While the lynching tree symbolized white power and black death, the cross symbolizes divine power and black life God overcoming the power of sin and death. For African Americans, the image of Jesus, hung on a tree to die, powerfully grounded their faith that God was with them, even in the suffering of the lynching era.
About the Author:
Rev. Dr. James H. Cone (1938-2018) was the renowned founder of Black Liberation Theology, award-winning author and Bill & Judith Moyers Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. Cone’s book, The Cross and the Lynching Tree earned Cone the 2018 Grawemeyer Award in Religion, jointly awarded by Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and the University of Louisville.
