Said I Wasn’t Gonna Tell Nobody (Paperback)

Overview

"In this memoir, James Hal Cone--that most private of theologians--shares with us the story of a soul forged in a loving home, formed in the faith of Macedonia AME Church, 'disturbed by blackness,' tested by adversity, sensitized by human suffering, poured out in teaching and in writing. His life and work continue to push us, rouse us, inspire us to integrity in thought, speech, and action in authentic achievement of beloved community. We praise God that James Cone testified what the Lord did for him!" --M. Shawn Copeland, Boston College, and co-author of Uncommon Faithfulness: The Black Catholic Experience.

"Cone's autobiography is extremely readable, written in his clear and precise prose. Like the man himself, there is not an ounce of rhetorical fat. And while there are glimpses of Bearden, Arkansas, and Macedonia AME Church, the formidable spaces which shaped the younger Cone, this autobiography considers the James Cone of Union Theological Seminary fame. Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody is the story of James Cone, the scholar; a man aware of his rightful place in the canon of American theology. Cone dedicates his memoir to the 'students and faculty of Union Theological Seminary, who challenged and inspired' him for nearly half a century. It is the story of how, as Cone writes, 'black theology found me and gave me voice.'" --Yolanda Pierce, in Religion and Politics

"If there was ever a time we needed James Cone with his powerful prophetic voice to call down thunder, that time is now.... Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody testifies to a message that we sorely need. If we fail to listen to Cone and allow his words to live in our hearts and our actions, we fall short of our Christian vocation to love our neighbors and to liberate the captives, the marginalized, and the oppressed." --The Christian Century

"All who have read Cone's previous works or who are just beginning to read them will benefit greatly from this broad overview of his autobiographical reflections that provides helpful insights into both the circumstances and the content of each of his books written painstakingly over the span of five decades." - Peter J. Paris, Princeton Theological Seminary

“As Martin Luther King said, we must learn to live together as human beings, treating each other with dignity and respect, or we will perish together as fools. There is no other choice. I choose life.”

James H. Cone is widely recognized as the founder of Black Liberation Theology—a synthesis of the Gospel message embodied by Martin Luther King, Jr., and the spirit of Black pride embodied by Malcolm X. Prompted by the Detroit riots and the death of King, Cone, a young theology professor, was impelled to write his first book, Black Theology and Black Power, followed by A Black Theology of Liberation. With these works he established himself as one of the most prophetic and challenging voices of our time.

In this powerful and passionate memoir—his final work—Cone describes the obstacles he overcame to find his voice, to respond to the signs of the times, and to offer a voice for those—like the parents who raised him in Bearden, Arkansas in the era of lynching and Jim Crow—who had no voice. Recounting lessons learned both from critics and students, and the ongoing challenge of his models King, Malcolm X, and James Baldwin, he describes his efforts to use theology as a tool in the struggle against oppression and for a better world.

James H. Cone (1938-2018) was the Bill and Judith Moyers Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminary. His books include Black Theology of Liberation, Martin & Malcolm & America: A Dream or a Nightmare, and The Cross and the Lynching Tree, winner of the 2018 Grawemeyer Award in Religion. This year he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.