The theology of Karl Barth was influential for both Paul L. Lehmann (1906–1994) and James Cone (1938–2018). These two theological contemporaries remained committed to the revolutionary character Barth’s theology offered, both politically and racially. This paper revisits a crucial period in American theology and religious life. The convergence and divergence of Lehmann and Cone’s theological program will be used to discern their constructive output that is based in their christological commitments, both in heavy dependence on Barth. The purpose will not be simple reduplication but to show the reciprocal and critical dialogue that occurred during these critical years in religious history. The method taken in this paper will be to look at two historical events understood in Lehmann and Cone's theological trajectory. These two events bring together intercultural, interracial, and theological voices to bare on relevant themes facing present-day theology.
The first event, a Karl Barth Colloquium held at Union Theological Seminary in New York in 1970, sheds light on the barthian foundations of both Lehmann and Cone’s work. Here, the christological commitments held by Cone and Lehmann will be explored. Lehmann’s essay “Karl Barth: Theologian of Permanent Revolution,” later published in the 1972 edition of the USQR along with Frederick Herzog’s response, spurred on insightful discussion, further revealing how the foundations of Cone and Lehmann’s theological work led them to diverging revolutionary conclusions. The second focus will be on a symposium on Black Theology surrounding Cone’s essay “Black Theology on Revolution, Violence, and Reconciliation.” The essay and the responses, one of which was written by Lehmann, were originally published in German in the 1974 edition of Evangelische Theologie and in 1975 in the USQR, where Jürgen Moltmann discusses Black theology as being the “new specter” that is “haunting the white societies.” These contributions to the ongoing relevance and critique of black liberation theology serve as a reference point for how Lehmann and Cone’s interests converge while also maintaining a distinct christological focus, thus revealing significant insights from their barthian backgrounds.
Through the examination of these two contextually situated events, significant theological insight is gleaned, shining particular light on current discussions of the revolutionary character of theology and the promulgation of the concerns of Black and liberation theology. The conclusions drawn in the paper will focus on what Lehmann called the “revolutionary movement” of Barth’s theology. In so doing, these two barthian theologians shed new light on contemporary conversations surrounding race, theology, and philosophies of revolution.
The theology of Karl Barth was influential for both Paul L. Lehmann (1906–1994) and James Cone (1938–2018). These two theological contemporaries remained committed to the revolutionary character Barth’s theology offered, both politically and racially. This paper revisits a crucial period in American theology and religious life, turning to two significant events in the 1970s. The convergence and divergence of Lehmann and Cone’s theological program gleaned from these events will be used to discern their constructive output based in their christological commitments, both in heavy dependence on Karl Barth.
Through the examination of these two contextually situated events, significant theological insight is gleaned, shining particular light on current discussions of the revolutionary character of theology and the promulgation of the concerns of Black and liberation theology. The conclusions drawn in the paper will focus on what Lehmann called the “revolutionary movement” of Barth’s theology. In so doing, these two barthian theologians shed new light on contemporary conversations surrounding race, theology, and philosophies of revolution.