Lift Every Voice: African-American Colleagues in Preaching and Worship

Most of the year 2020 has been filled with pain. There has been COVID-19 pain beyond anyone’s control. But there has also been racial pain that most certainly could be controlled if we found the will do so. But in the face of so much racial injustice that demeans many sisters and brothers in Christ, we at the Center for Excellence in Preaching and at our sister center the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship have been reflecting on how blessed we are and have been over the last many years by the work, voices, witness, preaching, singing, and teaching of many African-American scholars and preachers. In this moment when racism tries to block out the voices of people whom some deem to be less than, we want to amplify those voices.

Below are a trove of rich resources—many shared with the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship—of sermons and lectures, panel discussions and concerts, books and articles and webinars and more, in and through which our African-American partners and colleagues have blessed the church so richly. We celebrate this work and ministry. We give praise to God that we can all work together for the greater glory of God in the church. And we hope that delving into some of the resources gathered here will not only bless your ministry and life but give you the opportunity to praise God for speaking through all of God’s people.

Books

meditations on preaching

Meditations on Preaching
by Francis Grimké

Say it

Say It! Celebrating Expository Preaching in the African-American Tradition
by Eric Redmonds

Blue Note Preaching

Blue-Note Preaching in a Post-Soul World
by Otis Moss III

Exodus Preaching

Exodus Preaching
by Kenyatta R. Gilbert

They never like to quit praisin

They Like to Never Quit Praisin’ God
by Frank Thomas

How-to-preach-dangerous-sermon

How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon
by Frank Thomas

Introduction to Practice

Introduction to the Practice of African American Preaching
by Frank Thomas

Holy Spirit and Preaching

The Holy Spirit and Preaching
by James Forbes

Were You There

Were You There?
by Luke Powery

Dem Dry Bones

Dem Dry Bones
by Luke Powery

Spirit Speech

Spirit Speech
by Luke Powery

Whose Gospel

Whose Gospel?
by James Forbes

I Beleive I ll testify

I Believe I’ll Testify
by Cleophus LaRue

Preaching with Sacred Fire

Preaching with Sacred Fire: An Anthology of African American Sermons, 1750 to the Present
Martha Simmons and Frank A. Thomas, editors

The Last Blues Preacher

The Last Blues Preacher: Reverend Clay Evans, Black LIves, and the Faith That Woke the Nation
by Zach Mills

The Words of Gardner Taylor

The Words of Gardner Taylor,
5 volume set

J Alcantara book

Learning from a Legend: What Gardner C. Taylor Can Teach Us about Preaching
by Jared Alcantara

How Shall They Preach

How Shall They Preach: The Lyman Beecher Lectures and Five Lenten Sermons
by Gardner C. Taylor

Resources from Calvin Seminary and the Center for Excellence in Preaching

Video

Preaching during Crisis: Igniting Pastoral Imagination in the Face of Fatigue, Unrest and Crises Town Hall co-presented by Odyssey Impact and Day1.org. CEP is an additional partner.

day-1-odyssey

Stob Lecture Colloquium – Dr. Willie Jennings – January 21, 2019 “The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race”

Preaching With Your Mouth Shut – Rev. Luke Powery, November 6, 2014

Resources from the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship

Video

Danjuma Gibson
Danjuma Gibson
Esau McCalley
Esau McCalley
Christina Edmonson
Christina Edmonson

Article (interview)

Eric Washington
Eric Washington