Ep96. Black Christology and the Quest for Authenticity, John H. McClendon III

I sat down with Prof John H. McClendon to discuss his philosophical appraisal of Black Theology/Christology and materialist critique of its claim of authenticity. We discuss how he became interested in the topic through study of Howard Thurman, the relationship between Black Theology and African American theology that preceded it, and the shift from a focus on racism and its attendant structures to whiteness. We also discuss his engagement with and critique of Professor James Cone and the implications he sees in making God dependant on Blackness and Blackness dependant on white oppression. Finally we discuss the whole problem of claiming the existence of an "authentic Christianity" independent of the Christianity we've got.

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Also, toward the end Prof McClendon discusses African American Philosophers and Philosophy, buy that here.

Dr. John H. McClendon III is a Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Michigan State University. His areas of interests include: African American philosophers and philosophical traditions; African philosophy, Marxism, philosophy of sports and the African American experience; philosophy of religion and African Americans.

In addition to numerous scholarly articles, book chapters, research reports, bibliographic essays, and biographical entries; McClendon is the author of the following books, African American Philosophers and Philosophy: An Introduction to the History, Concepts, and Contemporary Issues —co-authored with Dr. Stephen C. Ferguson II (Bloomsbury Publishers (2019); Black Christology and the Quest for Authenticity: A Philosophical Appraisal (Lexington Books, 2019); Philosophy of Religion and the African American Experience: Conversations with My Christian Friends (Brill/Rodopi, 2017), Beyond the White Shadow: Philosophy, Sports, and the African-American Experience, co-authored with Dr. Stephen C. Ferguson II (Kendall Hunt, 2012); C. L. R. James’s Notes on Dialectics: Left-Hegelianism or Marxism-Leninism (Lexington Books, 2005).

McClendon is the former Co-editor of the American Philosophical Association Newsletter on Philosophy of the Black Experience, and presently Co-Editor of the African American Philosophy Series for Brill Publishers; Consulting Editor of the Journal of the American Philosophical Association; Advisory Board Member of Blackpast.Org; member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the journal, Cultural Logic and serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal on African Philosophy.

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