November 2009, Sabbath Justice, Page 2

November 24, 2009August 25, 2017

Preaching with Power

Dr. R. Clifford Jones has?edited a book of interviews with prominent African American Seventh-day Adventist preachers entitled Preaching with Power.? You can obtain the book from the ministerial association.? In the next 11 posts I will look at each preacher?s

Understanding of preaching.

Method of sermon preparation

Understanding of Adventist preaching

Understanding of Black preaching

I would encourage all preachers to purchase and learn from the book.? In the introduction Dr. Jones presents a few points that have relevance to the four questions above.? First, on page ix Dr. Jones states that sermon preparation is hard work.? It requires much reading and study.? Second, Black preaching is difficult to isolate, but it is more form than style.? Also it has, according to Jones, two ?characteristic themes? God identifies with the oppressed and that the oppressed will eventually be delivered.? Finally Dr. Jones emphasizes that all the preachers believe that Black Adventist preachers must retain their unique Seventh-day Adventist teachings while they hold on to their cultural heritage.

November 24, 2009August 25, 2017

Preaching with Power – Dr. Barry Black

The first interview is with the chaplain of the United States Senate Dr. Barry Black. Dr. Black has had an illustrious career in Chaplaincy and is a demonstration that the Adventist Pastorate is not the only vocation for Seventh-day Adventist preachers.

Understanding of Preaching

Dr. Black acknowledges Phillip Brooks as informing his understanding of preaching and describes it as “truth through personality.” Dr. Black states that his “upbringing on welfare” shapes his preaching. I think that this is an important for preachers to recognize that God has chosen them at the present time to preach the Gospel to the people. Dr. Black reminds us that we cannot fight in other’s armor but we must preach the Gospel as ourselves.

Method of Sermon Preparation

Dr. Black states that his sermons come from his devotional life. Dr. Black states that he “preaches out of the overflow of [his] devotional life. He emphasizes the importance of reading reference materials, but also encourages preachers to use their own imagination. Dr. Black only provides an outline of his method, but the little he describes reminds me of another pastor’s. This pastor kept meticulous notes on his devotional life. His devotions for today are the basis of sermons for next year. That way he knows exactly what he will preach next year. The method is helpful in that it promotes a healthy devotional life, but one must be sure to add the second component of adding resource materials if one is to provide depth to the sermonic event.

Understanding of Adventist Preaching

On page 17 Dr. Black states that Black SDA preachers have the challenge of making Adventist doctrines more attractive. He states one way of doing this as placing the doctrine in the Bible story. For example, he states why not preach the State of the dead within the context of a story like Lazerus. This idea is very intriguing. I was talking to someone the other day about how many times our preachers normally preach with imagination, but when they move to preaching the doctrines we end up with a “proof text method”. I think it would be interesting to place the doctrines in the Biblical story and more than Dr. Black’s suggestion to ask “why didn’t Lazerus tell about the glories of heaven,” I would push for a methodology that applies Dr. Mitchell’s idea of celebration to the doctrines. I would encourage the Black preacher to ask, “What is there in the doctrine to celebrate?”

Understanding of Black Preaching

In the interview Dr. Black doesn’t speak explicitly about the nature of Black Preaching. He does refer to the fact that he has studied with Henry Mitchell. This might explain why Dr. Black explains the Black sermon as “narrative” and that there is a musicality and a lyrical quality. I think we must emphasize the form (narrative) that black sermons often take and the style (musicality and lyrical quality). This is important, but as we shall see, we also must include the distinctive theological focus that Black Preachers bring to the preaching event. This is shown in Cleophas LaRue’s Heart of Black Preaching as well as Dr. Calvin Rock’s article on Black SDA Preaching found in the September 2000 Ministry Magazine. In addition to the above Dr. Black speaks of the importance of understanding venue. You do not preach in the same way in every location. This is probably an important point for Dr. Black in that he has the opportunity to preach in many different settings. I think that appropriateness is important, but one must also keep in mind the importance of being a prophetic voice. This is a very important thing to keep in mind for those of us who are called to preach in other venues. As one who on occasion had to do this, we must find a way to determine what is appropriate, what should be preached, and also how we can give a call to better living informed by our understanding of the Gospel.

November 24, 2009August 25, 2017

Preaching with Power – Charles Bradford

The next interview is with Charles Bradford. Elder Bradford has had a very productive career within adventism including becoming the first AFrican American to be elected presdient of the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists. His career has been largely as an evangelist and church administrator.

Understanding of Preaching

Elder Bradford’s theology of preaching is based in the fact that God is the source of all preaching. Bradford emphasizes that the “preacher is one amoung many” in a “preaching community.”

Method of Sermon Preparation

Elder Bradford states that his method of sermon preparation is from the New York Theological Seminary. The approach consists of first looking at the text noting “words, events, thoughts, and nuances.” Next he suggests that we develop a theme from this observation and from study. Bradford notes that he believs that one can get a theme from any text. Then Elder Bradford writes out an outline. After completion of the outline, Elder Bradford sets the sermon aside for “a few days.” After that he puts on the flesh.

This time is important to Bradford who states that it takes a long time to put a sermon together. He compares it to the growing of a good crop of strawberries. It takes a long time.

One cannot forget that the preparing of the preacher is very important. Elder Bradford suggests that we make use of the Mystical Disciplines. This is interesting in that one is not often used to hearing Adventists talk about this, but we usually use the terms prayer, meditation, study, etc. I think that such a revival of these disciplines is very much needed today.

Understanding of Adventist Preaching

Elder Bradford’s section of the book says very little about traditional Adventist preaching which is surprising in that he has much to say about it in his book Preaching to the Times. That book is a very valuable addition to any Advnetist preacher’s library. In future weeks I hope to discuss that book in this blog. But Elder Bradford gives some hints on his thinking on Adventist Preaching in this intereview. First Elder Bradford emphasizes that his influences on preaching came from Adventist sources. Also Elder Bradford seeks to emphasize that we cannot fall into the trap of the “wealth and success…pop psychology” gospel. Next Elder Bradford talks about using Advnetist sources like the Adventist Bible Commentary as well as other commentaries from other denominational traditions.

Elder Bradford reminds us, without saying their names, that we cannot fall into the trap of making the gospel pop-psychology or about wealth and success down here.

Understanding of Black Preaching

Elder Bradford believes that Black preaching is “issue oriented.” Here Black preaching addresses issues that are important to the Black community. Elder Bradford however is quick to state that the Gospel is greater than any Black or White issue and transcends them both.

I think that Elder Bradford’s concern of a Gospel that is only relevant to or only worries about issues in one community can be problamatic. I think it is interesting that other Black Preachers are wrestling with this issue. Henry Mitchell stated that he beleives that the hope of American Christnaity is in the hands of the Black Church. The idea was that the black church has always stood with the weak and poor and thus represents a struggle for rightness in the world. Not just in terms of Race, but of all who are oppressed.

I am also reminded of a class in the Theology and ministry of the Black Church by Dr. Forrest Harris. The teacher tried to emphasize that when the Black church is true to its principles of equality it is relevant to more than just black people.

Finally, I am reminded of Pastor Frank Thomas who wrote “They Like to Never Quit Praising God.” In his lectures on the Book he teaches that we become universal through our very particularism. In other words when a Black preacher goes deep enough into his/her own expereince the preacher teaches a universal Gospel.

I think Elder Bradford reminds us like these other voices that our Gospel cannot become provincial and only applicable to a certain group. But like these other voices, I think that Black “issue” teaching can become universal or trasncendent if we, as Frank Thomas states, push it.