The Salt Collective writers have been profoundly shaped by the theology and life of Dr. James Cone. So we wanted to honor his life and mourn his passing by writing how much he meant to us.

For most of my time in the Evangelical world, my passion for justice was, at best, politely tolerated by the majority of the Christians around me. I was told innumerable times at church, school and at my college campus ministry that social justice was good, but it was not the Gospel. I found this confusing considering how much of Jesus’ time and energy was put toward disrupting the systems of power around him and moving toward the marginalized, but since my read on Jesus was so different from what everyone around me was saying, I believed that I must be wrong.

That was until I encountered this simple, radical quote from James H. Cone. “Any theology that is indifferent to the theme of liberation is not Christian theology.” At the heart of the Christian gospel is the acknowledgement of oppression and of our responsibility as Christians to name it and struggle against it, be it our own or the oppression of others.

Hearing that social justice wasn’t some Christian sideshow, some secondary calling if you’re not good enough to be a pastor, was deeply liberating and validating. It was the invitation I needed to continue my work for justice within the Christian context and community. For this, and so much else, I am grateful to James Cone. – Cami Jones