Review by Booklist Review
Sermons by African American preachers have sustained, inspired, educated, and thrilled their congregations through slavery, Jim Crow and the various permutations of racism, and both good times and bad. Simmons and Thomas, publisher and CEO, respectively, of the African American Pulpit, offer a collection of sermons from the mid-eighteenth-century period of the nation's First Great Awakening to the present. They begin by exploring the African roots of black preaching and the principles of black preaching, particularly the centrality of the Bible as a living text, though the collection is a cross section of Christian denominations and nondenominations. They explore the traditions of call and response and whooping, as well as the styles that gave inspiration to musical genres from gospel to blues to jazz to rap. Each section offers a brief historical overview and brief biography of the featured preacher followed by the sermons. Overall the editors cite four classifications of sermons: social activist, black identity, cultural survival, and empowerment preaching. Among the featured preachers are Alexander Crummell, Julia Foote, Sojourner Truth, Zora Neale Hurston, Noble Drew Ali, James Weldon Johnson, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan, Peter Gomes, Jesse Jackson, T. D. Jakes, and Jeremiah Wright. This is a valuable and inspiring resource for readers interested in the tradition of African American preaching.--Bush, Vanessa Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Celebrating the life of the spirit that sustained a people through years of oppression, this hefty anthology showcases men and women preachers of notable skill who gave their voice to pivotal moments in the African American struggle. Simmons and Thomas (coeditors, 9.11.01: African American Leaders Respond to an American Tragedy) fill a need here for a comprehensive volume both for academic study and for personal reflection. Focusing mainly on Christian preaching, the editors front each selection with a capsule biography and follow it with sources for further reading. Divided historically, the authors go into detail outlining the social, political, and religious contexts of the time. VERDICT On the desk, at the bedside, or at the pulpit, this is an indispensable collection for the religious and nonreligious alike. Whether used for extensive personal exploration or for a dip into the beautiful rhythms stemming from an oral tradition, Simmons and Thomas present enough material here for years of study and reflection. A list is included, for further study, of other notable preachers not selected here.-Steven Chabot, Ontario Ministry of Labour, Toronto (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Library Journal Review
