For the Love of (Black) Christ: Embracing James Cone's Affective Critique of White Fragility

Abstract

Throughout his written work, James H. Cone proclaims a message of liberation that takes into account both the sociopolitical structural and emotional dimensions of life together. Cone suggests that we cannot settle for—in fact, we cannot even have—love without justice, or justice without love. In this article, I look at Cone's body of work to uncover and reclaim what he performed, but did not explicitly theorize, in his pursuit of love and justice: the dismantling of white fragility, a white supremacist affective construct that shapes much Christian theology, including what seeks to further the cause of racial reconciliation. I then theorize the distorted love that Cone critiques, drawing on the affect theory of Sara Ahmed and the critical whiteness theory of Robin DiAngelo, finally suggesting an alternative vision of love that is consistent with Cone's theology. This alternative vision presents love as acceptance of one's radical, even fundamental, need for the beloved. In contexts of racial tension, this love does not guarantee happiness or comfort, but instead offers aid toward repentance and salvation. In this view, black love for white people cannot be expected to take the form of endless affirmation and encouragement, but instead should look like belief in the capacity of white people for moral and ethical action.