As previously discussed, this study seeks to construct a theology for the Caribbean diasporan church. In moving forward, this chapter and the one that follows are attempts to provide an overview of the theological development of the Caribbean diasporan church. In this chapter, I trace the theological development of the Caribbean diasporan church by examining the theological self-understanding that undergirds the church's formation. For the purpose of clarity, I want it to be known that my primary concern is not the important issue of identity and mission of the church, but the theological meaning of the diasporan experience. As such, I give attention to the notion of the particular social context of the Caribbean diaspora, with specific consideration to the relationship between faith and social context so as to identify the theology that emerges out of such context.

In this regard, theologian James Cone, arguing about the relationship between faith and social context, in his classic work, God of the Oppressed, asserts that there is an inseparable relationship between social context and theology. “Whatever people think about God, Jesus Christ and the Church,” according to Cone, “cannot be separated from their own social and political status in a given society.” This does not mean, however, that the faith and the context are one and the same thing. For Cone, they are two different realities but they operate in a dialectical relationship.