The Cross & Lynching Tree

“Unless the cross and the lynching tree are seen together, there can be no genuine understanding of Christian identity in America and no healing of the racial divide in churches and seminaries as well as in the society as a whole. I know the cross and the lynching tree are not comfortable subjects to talk about together. Who wants to think about lynched black bodies in church workshop or when doing a theological reflection on Bonhoffer’s question, “who is Jesus Christ for us today? This is exactly what I contend the gospel requires Christian to do.”

James Cone – The Cross and Lynching Tree

As a Christian from a Roman Catholic background, I have been an active participant of my faith because not only do I attend mass regularly on Sunday’s and receive the Eucharist, but I have also received the Sacraments of Initiation. It is throughout my Christian doctrine that I was instilled with one of the most powerful lessons from Christ himself and that is love conquers all. Our sacred text (the Bible) teaches us that all men and women are created in the image and likeness of God; we are all one in Christ Jesus. Never does the Bible exclude certain races or ethnicities. Yet, coming across Cone’s and Goizueta’s readings, I find asking this on behalf of the whole Christian community, how are we as believers to respond Christs’ truths about equality and diversity? Isn’t weird that we are still having the same conversation as a nation today? This is where Cone’s argument come into play as we explore the paradoxical relationship between crucifixion and the barbaric history of the lynching of blacks by Southern whites.

Christianity continues to view Jesus’ crucifixion as a state of agony as well as a promise of God’s presence amidst the suffering endured. Not to mention, it was an offering to atone for the sins of humanity. Jesus’ ruthless death on that cross is no different from the African Americans that were lynched by Christians themselves who claimed it to be a Christian moral/responsibility of white men to protect their purity of their race. This is senseless and logically unacceptable. I am Christian, but since the color of my skin does not reflect that of the southerners, I must be viciously murdered. This is exactly why we cannot look at the crucifixion in today’s world without reflecting on the more recent malevolence. Bringing awareness to the lynching tree sheds light on how racially divided our Christian community truly is. We set ourselves out to be followers of Jesus of Nazareth, yet during historical events like this, we stand against everything we believe. The Cross and Lynching Tree being spoken as one offers a place of openness and community that Jesus infused into our hearts from the beginning of his time. Empathy, the capacity to understand or feel what another person or group is experiencing is what is needed. Together, the Christian community must mourn the past together, while trying to understand the thought process surrounding the perpetrator. If we start there, an opportunity will arise for the African American community to leave its burdens behind with the hopes of creating a more united America.

This relates to Goizueta’s argument about the denial of the suffering and the poor because again we a see a pattern of turning the other cheek instead of acknowledging their adversities. The hypocrisy is evident in both Goizueta’s argument as well as Cone’s. As followers of Jesus we all have this desire in wanting to be like him in his image, yet when we are given the opportunity to do so, we distance ourselves from the weak and less powerful.  

Before publishing this blog post, I would like to bring awareness to a former high school football player, by the name of Ahmaud Arbery (image above), who was murdered by an armed father and son. He was only 25 years-old, he had his whole life ahead of him. The two individuals who hunted this young adult down have yet to been arrested or charged! #blacklivesmatter #justiceforAhmaudArbery … This is unacceptable, sick to my stomach. This is our reality to this day! Issues surrounding racism, racial profiling, police brutality, and much more are still prevalent. Let’s put an end to this injustice. Attached is a link to sign a petition for immediate action!