Say It!: Celebrating Expository Preaching in the African American Tradition

Summary of the BookIn the preface of this work, Charlie E. Dates describes the treasures of African American preaching throughout history. He states, “for too long, the study of Christian doctrine, its formulation, and the relationships between those doctrines have been hailed as Eurocentric disciplines” (15). He states this should not be, because the Spirit of God is given to all preachers of all nations, and the gospel is at work everywhere in the world. Since Christianity is no longer at the center of people’s minds, Christians must be more mindful of all types of proclamation. This book specifically is compiled to showcase the power of African American preaching. Eric C. Redmond gives a definition of expository preaching as “an invitation for the preacher to explain the central idea of the text to an audience with a means that would be understood by the audience, while exhorting the audience to obey God’s Word within that audience’s contemporary social and ecclesial contexts” (27). Preaching for the African American makes the text come alive, and gives the readers hope and encouragement in the midst of oppressive times.The first part of this work gives a background to biblical exposition, focusing on the African American tradition. The first chapter, written by Winfred Omar Neely, shows that “human beings are storied creatures, and having a story is an essential element of what it means to be human, to be a person created in God’s image” (39). He shows that the Biblical story is a comfort to those who are oppressed, while the pastor must be sensitive to the circumstances that surround their congregation. In the second chapter, Eric C. Redmond writes of the challenges in expositing the Old Testament, saying, “preaching the Old Testament requires the expositor to understand how multiple genres work to communicate their meaning” (56). Since the Old Testament is such a diverse work, many expositors struggle to preach from it, and some neglect preaching it at all. In the third chapter, Ernest Gray shows how to preach tension-filled New Testament texts. He focuses on Matthew 1:18–23, where Mary is found to be with child by the Holy Spirit, and pleads with the pastor to rightly explain the context and background, showing the drama involved in Joseph almost divorcing her.In the second part of this work, a variety of expositors explain biblical exposition from the Old Testament. The first chapter is a sermon from George Parks Jr. on Deuteronomy 1:1–8 where he shows how Moses calls the Israelites into the promised land, and how God through it calls all people to trust in the Messiah, Jesus Christ. In the next chapter, Eric C. Redmond explains from Joshua 14:6–15 that everyone in the church, especially the senior members of the congregation, must be on board with the mission of God. He states that “high school and youth ministries need the wisdom of those who have reached the milestones that…immature adolescents can only dream of reaching” (109). Just as Caleb took the land God promised, so too should older members in the congregation be involved in God’s mission and promises. Chapters six through eight show from Psalm 96, Habakkuk 2:1–4, and Jonah 3 that sermons can faithfully be preached from a wide variety of texts, and that pastors should hold fast to the whole counsel of God.In the third part of this work, Romell Williams in chapter nine explains from Mark 5 the person and ministry of Jesus. While it is not his standard to preach from an entire chapter of the New Testament, he says, “I am able to preach the full chapter in one message because there are three ministories bound within one broad geographic region” (167). In the next chapter, Paul Felix shows from James 1:26–27 how being religious does not get one into heaven, but instead following Christ is the only indicator of one’s relationship with God. He states, “the heart of genuine spirituality is obedience to God’s Word,” and Christians must fully devote their entire lives to Christ (182). Finally, in chapter eleven, K. Edward Copeland explains from Revelation 21 the new heavens and new earth. He shows “apocalyptic literature by its nature is evocative, visual, and visceral,” which means that the preacher must take extra care to explain the biblical text with care (202). While words are not pictures, the preacher can be careful to give messages that are especially descriptive to take the listener to the place of the text in their mind, and should be aware of the literary genre as they explain apocalyptic literature.In the last part of this work, Eric C. Redmond builds a case around why preaching should be done through a biblical book of the Bible. He states, “preaching all the Scriptures is a means for presenting the full witness of Christ rather than only select portions” (218). This means that although standalone messages are not bad, preaching through a book will give the audience a fuller description of the Biblical text in its entirety. Thus, the preacher should make biblical books the main diet of preaching, though special sermons for Easter and Christmas may be wise, as different occasions warrant different biblical messages. This will allow the congregation to learn and understand the Bible for themselves as the text is explained in its context. Significant ContributionsThere is a plethora of benefits to reading this work, and one of them is Eric C. Redmond’s wealth of knowledge on the subject of preaching. Throughout the work, he argues, “preaching through biblical books allows God’s voice to speak organically to a congregation” (34). This advice enables the preacher to give their audience a steady diet of the Word, allowing them to understand the Bible better in its original context. While biblical literacy may not be at an all time high, such preaching better enables the congregation to understand what the authors mean when they are talking about the passage.While many churches focus on the people age 20–30 to build a church, the elderly population is often neglected in the process. Eric C. Redmond rightly states that seniors “feel they are not needed…not included…overlooked…made to feel like they are ‘in the way’” of the ministries going on at the younger churches (108). This is true for many younger churches, but it should not be this way. The older generation is vital for training the younger generation for their future careers, and cannot be neglected as the church grows to meet the needs of those in their community. Often times, it is the older generation that allows the younger population to see their own mistakes, and this mentorship is a wise model to empower the church to be better equipped to fulfill the Great Commission.There are many people in churches today that think they are Christians, but are not. They go to church every week, enjoy attending service, but do not have a personal relationship with Christ. Paul Felix in his exposition of James rightly states, “There is a religion that is merely external. It is a religion that will result in a person spending eternity in the lake of fire” (187). This may not be the most popular message, but it is a poignant one. The benefit of such a message is that it rightly divides God’s Word, and leads people toward the true Christ. Suggestive CriticismsAfter reading a few chapters of this book, one gets excited about the possibilities. Finally, a book that explains expository preaching from the African American tradition, given in a format that is useful for modern preachers! However, after reading the first three chapters, the rest of the book consists of sermon manuscripts from different African American preachers. While this is appreciated, one of the premises of the book is that expository preaching definitions do “not require a particular mode of verbal delivery” (26). In other words, it matters what one says, and it really matters how the message is delivered. Why is it that every sermon is given as a manuscript, a format that cannot be heard? Reading a sermon manuscript in a book chapter does not allow the reader to understand the emotion, passion, and inflection of the preacher. In fact, it focuses wholly on the content of the sermon, which is exactly what Redmond seems to be getting away from in the introduction. Considering this book was published in 2020, why not give links to actual sermons that the reader can watch, and give more time to commentary on the sermon itself? The logic behind the meat of the book seems counter-intuitive, and it could easily have been improved by updating the way in which the material is presented.While there are many different definitions of expository preaching, one of the main characteristics of such preaching is that it focuses on the text itself. Many of the sermons given in this work do not center on the text, especially the sermon on James 1:26–27. The main gist of the passage is James 1:19–27, not just the last two verses, and it is curious that an expository sermon is chosen from two verses. The sermon itself does not focus mainly on the text, but instead on cross-references about the text and personal examples illustrating people who are religious but not Christian. The editor may have been wise to choose a sermon that focuses solely on the text, instead of one that explains cross-references more than the passage.

So grateful for this work. It rightfully highlights the task of expositional preaching in the African-American context. Many of the brothers highlighted in this work are men I listen to regularly because of their faithfulness to both the exegetical and expository tasks of the preacher.May this work enlighten those who mistakenly believe that Black preaching is all style and no substance. Reading this will easily debunk that myth and open your world to a social location that needs to be considered and celebrated in the 21st Century.

Rev. Gardner C. Taylor, a titan in the Black tradition, said this toward the end of his life, “I have known great people—Malcolm and Martin. Once…I spent a morning with Albert Einstein. But I’d rather hear the gospel of Jesus Christ than all of the wisdom of scientific genius…I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords. I’d rather have Jesus.” This is the heart of biblical exposition in the Black tradition. And this is the blessing of "Say It!". Every generation needs to be reminded of, introduced to, and encouraged by the gift of God to the Church that is the expository genius of African American preaching. Hear from these pastors as they continue the tradition which birthed them into the ministry. Learn from them how to take the text and lift high the name of Jesus from the full scope of redemptive history. And as you read, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord.

Eric C. Redmond has provided a VALUABLE resource in the form of “SAY IT!!!” Poignant, thoughtful, and POWERFUL are three words I’d use to describe this book. From the Sermon contributors to the dialogue on black culture dancing with expository preaching, and so much more make this book a MUST READ

Redmond and his coauthors capture the beauty of African American preaching. A must-read gathering of sermons with analysis, Say It! shows the commitment of African American preachers to the authority of the Bible as well as gospel application. Say It! is an important contribution to homiletics and can help open the eyes of preachers from other backgrounds to the beauty and vitality of African American preaching. Despite the limitations of text on a page, the sermons sing and soar to exalt the glory of Christ and the hope of the gospel.

The book shared the importance of expository preaching but in the African American context. Being able to wed these two dynamics is what the book offered to the readers. The sermons that I was able to glean from were helpful. To see how pastors share the gospel in a manner that was not boring to the listener or in this case readers, was influential. This book not only share the importance of crafting a sermon from different genres in the Bible it stresses significance of the Gospel message itself. Definitely a good book to read for someone who is a minister or pastor, or someone who loves to read sermons.

As an ordained Elder of my local church and someone who was educated in Evangelical Seminary, this book is honest, refreshing, most importantly well written. I could not put this book down. Already spread the word to friends to purchase this work.