James Hal Cone (born August 5, 1938) is an American
theologian, best known for his advocacy of
Black liberation theology. His 1969 book
Black Theology and Black Power provided a new way to comprehensively define the distinctiveness of theology in the black church. Cone’s work was influential from the time of the book's publication, and his work remains influential today. His work has been both utilized and critiqued inside and outside of the African-American theological community. He is currently the
Charles Augustus Briggs Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology at
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York.