Not Just a Bunch of Dead White Guys

Not Just a Bunch of Dead White Guys

Book Review Of: The Faithful Preacher: Recapturing the Vision of Three Pioneering African-American Pastors (Thabiti M. Anyabwile, Crossway Books, March 2, 2007)

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., LCPC, is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction: http://tinyurl.com/cm96x6

Pastor and author Thabiti M. Anyabwile understands that church history is not just about dead white males. In The Faithful Preacher: Recapturing the Vision of Three Pioneering African-American Pastors, he gives us samplers, appetizers of the legacy of three powerful African American preachers and pastors. As John Piper notes in his Foreword, Anyabwile strikes a blow against chronological snobbery and ethnocentricity.

Anyabwile chronicles the life, ministry, and preaching of Lemuel Haynes, Bishop Daniel A. Payne, and Francis J. Grimke. After a succinct but full-orbed historical introduction, Anyabwile provides several primary source sermons for each African American preacher, preceding each by contextualizing the setting. The result is a captivating, eye-opening look at the historic legacy of African American preaching.

In the hands and from the words of these giants of the faith, we come to understand the great heritage of Evangelical Black Preaching. While historically only Lemeul Haynes was known as "the Black Puritan," all three preachers exhibit the honorable traits of Puritan/Reformed pastors and preachers.

For an introduction to the African American legacy of the pulpit ministry of the Word, The Faithful Preacher is a beautiful read. For an introduction to the African American legacy of the personal ministry of the Word (soul care and spiritual direction), readers may find Beyond the Suffering a compelling companion volume.