we fi nd Cone articulating a notion of exegesis that extended beyond the
proper handling of Scripture. He writes:
The theologian is before all else an exegete, simultaneously of Scripture and
of existence. To be an exegete of Scripture means that the theologian rec-
ognizes the Bible, the witness to God’s Word, as a primary source of theo-
logical discourse. To be an exegete of existence means that Scripture is not
an abstract word, not merely a rational idea. It is God’s Word to those who
are oppressed and humiliated in this world. The task of the theologian is to
probe the depth of Scripture exegetically for the purpose of relating that
message to human existence. 21What does “exegete of existence” mean for Cone? Cone appears to be
merging a concern for the Scriptural basis of liberation with a hermeneu-
tics of culture. That is, Cone is resisting the notion that the task of the
theologian is the mere comprehension of a text. Rather, the theologian
must be adept at reading the environment in which the text is embedded,
as well as understanding the contemporary culture in which the text is
received.
I maintain that a hermeneutics of culture (though not often named as
such) has always been at the fore of black religion. 22 This conception of
hermeneutics involves interrogating and understanding the human matrix
out of which all texts (not just ancient or sacred ones) emerge. Culture
refers to the “shared perceptions, attitudes, and predisposition that allow
people to organize experiences in certain ways” 23 or, following Bernard
Lonergan, “the set of meanings and values that inform the way of life of a
community.” 24 Brian K. Blount, discussing the effects of culture on how
we engage biblical texts, writes:
These internalized forces thereby gain an important foothold in the psyche
of an individual in society and infl uences from within (linguistically) how
texts are both produced and interpreted. In other words, social conditions
shape the members’ resources, which in turn shape the way in which texts
are prepared and understood. 25Since “[i]t is in culture ... that we do theology,” 26 black scholars of reli-
gion have appreciated the fact that, in the context of an anti-black world,
theological hermeneutics would have to proceed in dialogue with a variety
of disciplines in an attempt to understand the ambient intellectual culture
and its role in effecting and being effected by religion. So, a hermeneutics
234 D.T. LOYNES