God of the Oppressed, first published in 1975, remains a landmark in the development of Black Theology—the first effort to present a systematic theology drawing fully on the resources of African-American religion and culture. Responding to the criticism that his previous books drew too heavily on Euro-American definitions of theology, James Cone went back to his experience of the Black church in Bearden, Arkansas, the tradition of the Spirituals and Black folklore, and the Black history of struggle and survival, to construct a new approach to the gospel.

In his reflections on God, Jesus, suffering, and liberation, Cone relates the gospel message to the exper8ience of the Black community. But a wider theme of the book is the role that social and historical context plays in framing the questions we address to God, as well as the mode of the answers provided. This fiftieth anniversary edition includes a foreword by Anthony Reddie, reflecting on the historical and global significance of this work and its message today.