Synopsis of Black Preaching preaching theology and justice

Synopsis of Black Preaching: preaching, theology, and justice Ralph D. West The Church Without Walls

WHAT IS BLACK PREACHING? ACCORDING TO: FRANK THOMAS, PH. D. • Experiential preaching • The preacher, by means of an eyewitness style of picture painting and narration, stirs the senses. As a result, the worshiper does not just hear about John the Baptist in past times; John the Baptist is present in the room, seen, heard, touched and felt by all. The Bible comes alive by an experiential encounter • The inspiration of the Holy Spirit • The sermon is not simply the words of a human being, but the very voice of God speaking through the preacher. • The centrality of Scripture • Not rigid Biblical literalism, but a constant view of the Bible, above all other sources, as the inspired and dynamic source for understanding the world and the wise guide for life’s decisions.

WHAT IS BLACK PREACHING? ACCORDING TO: FRANK THOMAS, PH. D. • Biblical scholarship to meet human need • The sermon is never academic alone. Biblical scholarship addresses worshipers’ practical needs in their daily lives. • Suspense that leads to celebration • The preacher structures the sermon to hold suspense as long as possible, and after the suspense is resolved, the preacher celebrates the good news. The weight that the black church places on a powerful and uplifting conclusion is unparalleled in any culture. • The performative nature of the sermon • The word of God must be embodied in the total person of the preacher, including head (rationality), heart (emotionality) and body (physicality). The word must be incarnated.

1619 -1877 ANTEBELLUM/ RECONSTRUCTION ERA “Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it with religious convictions. ” – Blaise Pascal • Richard Allen • Jarena Lee • Henry Highland Garnett • John Jasper

1905 -1950 GREAT MIGRATION It is estimated that over 1. 5 million southern Black migrants exited the south between 1916 -1949…in search of America’s Promised Land in the industrial North –Kenyetta Gilbert, Ph. D. • Dr. Sandy F. Ray • Father Divine • Daddy Grace • Dr. L. K. Curry

1955 -1968 CIVIL RIGHTS “African American Preaching was one of the prime factor that broke the back of Jim Crows segregation in the 20 th century. ” • Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. • Dr. Prathia Hall • Dr. Gardner C. Taylor • Dr. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.

21 ST CENTURY VOICES Black Lives Matter/AGE OF TRUMPISM • Exodus 1: 8 “Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew about Joseph or what he had done” • Where do we go from here?

THOUGHTS TO PONDER • WHO ARE THE PROPHETIC VOICES OF TODAY? • WHAT TYPE OF JUSTICE/ LIBERATION ARE THEY ADVOCATING? • WHAT WILL BE YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE RICH LEGACY OF BLACK PREACHING?