The cross in the Christian tradition has been a contested image and symbol since ancient groups began using the cross as a means of execution and terror and especially since a little known Jewish teacher, Jesus of Nazareth died on one around the year 4 C.E. The cross of Jesus, who came to be known as the Christ, and the metaphors used to talk about the mystery of salvation have engaged the Christian community for centuries. One contemporary Christian theologian who raises critical questions about the cross and the way it has been used and misused is Flemish theologian Edward Schillebeeckx. He even goes so far as to suggest, that in some ways, humanity is saved despite the death of Jesus. Two African American Christian female theologians, Delores S. Williams and M. Shawn Copeland, are likewise concerned about dangerous uses of the cross that result in the subjugation of peoples and the legitimation of their suffering. This dissertation argues that by putting these theologians in conversation, productive insight will emerge that can contribute to a critical Christian soteriology informed by the experiences of African American women. To that end, the first chapter offers a broad survey of the diverse ways that the meaning of the death of Jesus has been interpreted in the scriptures and the larger Christian tradition. As that chapter demonstrates, there is no single canonized interpretation of the mystery of salvation. Further, questions have been raised whether salvific efficacy is to be attributed to the cross (or the death of Jesus) alone. The second chapter investigates the controversial claim of Edward Schillebeeckx that we are saved despite the death Jesus. Particular attention is given to Schillebeeckx's understanding of negative contrast experience and how that terminology makes it possible to consider the death of Jesus in all of its negativity as, nevertheless, a participation in the creative saving presence of God. That salvific interpretation is possible, however, only in light of the life, ministry, and resurrection of Jesus. The third chapter interrogates African American Christian women's history of suffering, surrogacy, and survival that at the same time was a history of resistance, protest, and courage. Mindful of this history, Delores S. Williams eschews the cross and atonement theories while M. Shawn Copeland' critique of such theories nevertheless allows her to link the Crucified with suffering humanity. The fourth chapter offers a critical comparative analysis of the soteriological proposals of Schillebeeckx, Copeland, and Williams, and tests the usefulness of the analytical tool of "negative contrast experience" in the racialized North American context. A final constructive conclusion traces in broad strokes key elements of a critical Christian soteriology that captures the spirit and creativity of African American women.