Slight Integration of Our Culture and Adventism

The next model is what I have called a simplistic integration of the cultural perspective and our Adventism. Here the preacher might preach an authentic Black sermon, and just tack on a phrase or so from Adventism. Adventism is not in the fabric of the sermon, but it is a tack on. One might make reference to the Sabbath when the Sabbath had nothing to do with the sermon. One might talk about “the dead being dead” or the like.

Another way to follow this model is the take an Adventist sermon and try to tack on some “blackness.” Sometimes preachers will take a common Adventist sermon and maybe speak it in a “ebonics style.” Perhaps one will have an illustration about “you can’t go play ball with your hommies on the Sabbath.” In essence the sermon is unchanged. There is a slight change in terminology, but in essence Black culture and Adventism are still separate.

Often times when we speak of relevance this is the model that is followed. While making use of “black” English is helpful and valuable at times, this is not really an interaction of the two perspectives. But it does at least attempt to bridge the two worlds. This is, in my opinion, a step in the right direction, but in the next model we will look at the model that I propose.

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