Point 1: Dialog not Monologue

The African American sermon is a part of an event, a preaching event which is created by the interaction between the Spirit, preacher, and the congregation. The congregation is actively involved in the preaching of the Word of God.

There are two components to this insight. First, the congregation does not sit as bystanders to the preaching event. Second, the preacher works towards creating an atmosphere where all can experience the Word. The people interact with the Word and the preacher works to facilitate that interaction. While one must be careful not to over generalize because there are differences between congregations of African Americans, one must also recognize that at the very least the presence of a hearty “amen” from the congregation testifies to the fact that congregations play an important role in the preaching event even in the most unresponsive congregations.

The sermon is not a monologue of preacher to people, also the African American preacher is not trying to present facts to believe as in a lecture, but the preacher seeks to create an event that causes the truth of the word to become incarnate in the hearers. This incarnation of truth in the hearer allows the hearer to be able to live the life that the preaching event points to.

The congregation’s responses of joy as well as at times lack of response can help a preacher who is attuned to the congregation notice what that congregation understands, what is not being understood, and what is really “hitting home.” At times, the Spirit of God may impress the preacher to follow a different line of discussion than originally intended. Thus, the African American preaching event is an interaction between Spirit, congregation, and preacher.

Point 2: Core Belief Strengthened

As the preacher, congregation, and the Spirit interact to create the preaching event the core beliefs of the African American Christian community are reaffirmed. The preacher presents a word that at times calls for radical confrontation with the powers of this world that are against God’s way. The preacher also presents a word that strengthens the resolve of an oppressed people reminding them that God is on their side and they can make it through. Thus the African American preacher is not speaking of “pie in the sky when you die” but empowerment in this world to take whatever the world gives and yet still work for God’s ideal on this earth keeping in mind that there is a judgement to which all must stand.

Point 3: Bible Story = Our Story

A common mode, but not the only mode, of African American preaching is the narrative form. The African American preacher uses stories, primarily from the Bible, to carry the truth of the sermon. The African American preacher seeks to have the people become so identified with the story in the Bible that the story becomes their story. For example, when an African American preacher preaches on the exodus, the preacher is not only telling a story of what happened to the ancient Hebrews. The preacher attempts to have the community drawn into the story where the community is the Hebrew Children of the Bible. It is not just an attempt to understand the story, but an attempt to live the story. The African American congregation will experience the story not as God delivering the Hebrew children, but God delivering them from bondage. God delivers us today this is not just something that happens in the past to other people. God speaks today, God's speaking is not limited to the past. Our history becomes bound up with the Biblical story and thus God saying he delivers the Hebrews becomes a promise that God will deliver us one day. It is only a matter of time for as the spiritual says, “Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel than why not every man?”

Conclusion

The African American approach of 3 fold creation of the preaching event from an interaction between the preacher, people, and Spirit provides a strong basis for pulling the people into the story of the Bible. It is therefore not true, as some imply, that only an understanding of the text that is true to the historical understanding of a text is true to the text. The African American approach makes the word of God contemporary. God speaks to the congregation today. While an African American preacher will make use of all methods of interpretation, the basis of understanding of truth will come from the interaction with the spirit and the word and the core beliefs of the preacher. The preacher will not ultimately ask “what Did God say?” Instead, the preacher will ask “What is God saying to God’s people today?” Not what did God do for the Hebrews, but what does what God did for the Hebrews mean for us today? This principle forces African American preachers to take into account the congregation when preaching. Who is preached to changes what and how something is preached. Thus African American preaching is something that can not be considered totally as God centered apart from man, neither man centered apart from God, but centered in the creative encounter between humanity and God.

Sherman Haywood Cox is the editor of HomileticsPortal.com. This is the portal to the web for preachers. He also has a blog at shermancox.com Sherman Cox holds the Master of Science degree and is currently working on a Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School.

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