James H. Cone

Cone is widely acknowledged as a founder of black liberation theology, but also as one of its leading contributors since the publication of his most influential books in 1969 and 1970. His subsequent works have integrated concerns related to gender and class and the intellectual resources of the African American Christian community into an approach that was initially grounded in scriptural interpretation and an internal critique of academic theology. For liberation theology in a North American context, Cone has played a role comparable in importance to that of Gustavo Gutiérrez in Latin America.