Past and Present African American Church of Christ Ministers |
prophetic Preaching and the
african american Perspective
This website is dedicated to the many African American preachers in the Church of Christ both past and present. Needless to say, there are many great preachers of the African American Church of Christ whose names are absent from this limited index. We have attempted to be as unambiguous as possible, identifying the names of those mentioned and those of whom our research have produced. Apologies are given if someone you know is omitted from this list. If you would desire to submit additional names to this index listing, please contact the Executive Committee of the Churches of Christ National Lectureship.
Let it also be understood that this is not a “Who’s Who” of gospel preachers. Without doubt and as time progresses, this compilation will become more exhaustive. It is our hope that future generations will remember the sacrifices of these great soldiers of the cross so that the visible kingdom of God might continue to prosper. We pray that the young men today who decide to dedicate their lives to the prophetic proclamation of the gospel of Christ, will do so because they love the Lord, they love the Church, and they love God’s people.
“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (II Timothy 4:1, 2).
There is something audacious and attractive about the business of preaching. It may be old, but it is not outdated. It may be ancient, but it is not antiquated. Unfortunately, as sub-Saharan descendants of the diaspora and mfecane, we have very little documentation regarding our rich and noble heritage. As a result, in the oral tradition of our West African forefathers, the role of the “aroken” or “preacher” becomes paramount to both our religious and cultural experiences. Preaching has enabled people of African descent to survive the Middle Passage, the inequities of Jim Crow, the illusion of Reconstruction, and the injustice of de facto segregation.
Preaching in its truest sense unabashedly proclaims the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, it invites the hearer to become an active participant in the fellowship of the forgiven; otherwise known as the “Church.” Through the preaching of the Word, the Church calls the world to be responsible towards God’s act of reconciliation. This is why Karl Barth has described the Church as being “God’s subjective realization of the atonement.”
However, let it be understood that the ethos, logos, and pathos of preaching is not found in the volume of voice nor the tenor and tone in which a message is delivered. While a preacher must speak as a “dying man to dying men,” he dare not speak the things of God too easily. God’s hope for humanity is a serious and solemn transaction. Therefore, it is far too important to give anything less than reverence and respect when addressing the souls of men.
The preacher must allow others to scrutinize him as he experiences what F. Scott Fitzgerald calls “the dark night of the soul where it is always three o’clock in the morning.” He is always cognizant of the fact that serious preaching will arouse serious conflicts. Contrary winds and discord with the demonic are descriptors which have no detours. But through it all, he never fails to lift up the risen Redeemer in the beauty of His holiness and in the holiness of His beauty. Perhaps Luke said it best in Acts 14:22 when he says: “…we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”
One must always remember that preaching produces peril and pain, healing and hurt, trials and triumphs, heartaches and hallelujahs. In the final analysis it should be clearly affirmed that He who calls us to this work where dust and divinity operate in creative tension, He promises us nothing except His abiding presence.
Preaching in its truest sense unabashedly proclaims the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, it invites the hearer to become an active participant in the fellowship of the forgiven; otherwise known as the “Church.” Through the preaching of the Word, the Church calls the world to be responsible towards God’s act of reconciliation. This is why Karl Barth has described the Church as being “God’s subjective realization of the atonement.”
However, let it be understood that the ethos, logos, and pathos of preaching is not found in the volume of voice nor the tenor and tone in which a message is delivered. While a preacher must speak as a “dying man to dying men,” he dare not speak the things of God too easily. God’s hope for humanity is a serious and solemn transaction. Therefore, it is far too important to give anything less than reverence and respect when addressing the souls of men.
The preacher must allow others to scrutinize him as he experiences what F. Scott Fitzgerald calls “the dark night of the soul where it is always three o’clock in the morning.” He is always cognizant of the fact that serious preaching will arouse serious conflicts. Contrary winds and discord with the demonic are descriptors which have no detours. But through it all, he never fails to lift up the risen Redeemer in the beauty of His holiness and in the holiness of His beauty. Perhaps Luke said it best in Acts 14:22 when he says: “…we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”
One must always remember that preaching produces peril and pain, healing and hurt, trials and triumphs, heartaches and hallelujahs. In the final analysis it should be clearly affirmed that He who calls us to this work where dust and divinity operate in creative tension, He promises us nothing except His abiding presence.
Churches of Christ "Historical" Annual National Lectureship USA
Established 1945 W. F. Washington Theological Institute USA www.ministersinstituteconference.com (954) 735-2907 (954) 235-0474 |