African American Preaching: The Contribution of Dr. Gardner C. Taylor (Book)
Gerald Lamont Thomas, Author. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing, 2004.

Four centuries of African American preaching has provided hope, healing, and heaven for people from every walk of life. In African American Preaching, Gerald Lamont Thomas offers a historical overview of African American preaching and its effect on the cultural legacy of black people, noting the various styles and genius of pulpit orators. The book’s focus is on the life, ministry, and preaching methodology of one of this era’s most prolific voices, Dr. Gardner C. Taylor, and should be read by everyone who takes the task of preaching seriously.

The African American Pulpit (Periodical)
Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press.

The African American Pulpit is a quarterly journal focused on African American preaching. Each issue has a theme, such as preaching on social issues; Africa and the AIDS crisis; preaching on controversial issues; or the funeral sermon. A collection of sermons by African American preachers is one of the main features of each issue. Also included are reviews of resources useful for pastors, in-depth interviews with outstanding African American preachers and leaders, and other articles.

The Certain Sound of the Trumpet: Crafting a Sermon of Authority (Book)
Samuel D. Proctor, Author. Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1994.

In this book, Sam Proctor—one of the deans of preaching in the African American church—offers a how-to, step-by-step approach to powerful sermon development. Proctor highlights the dialectical method of sermon preparation, including an analysis of topic selection and the preparation of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis.

Contemporary African American Preaching: Diversity in Theory and Style (Book)
L. Susan Bond, Author. St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2003.

L. Susan Bond offers a helpful introductory work on homiletic theory for all preachers. The preface of the book notes "The purpose of this work is to demonstrate the variety of preaching styles that actually characterize African American preaching at the close of the twentieth century."

The Jazz of Preaching: How to Preach with Great Freedom and Joy (Book)
Kirk Byron Jones, Author. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2004.

What if preaching were modeled after the freedom and joy of jazz? What if preachers felt the same that Armstrong exemplified through his horn each time they stood to proclaim God’s word? These are the questions Jones brings to his work, utilizing the metaphor of Jazz as a model for the preached word.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers (Web Resource)

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers at Stanford University contain a wealth of online materials on King, one of the greatest preachers of his time. His sermons and other speeches shaped a generation. The collection includes the full text of sermons such as "Knock at Midnight," "The Drum Major Instinct," "I've Been to the Mountaintop," and "Letter from Birmingham Jail." It is also possible to listen to audio clips on this site.

No Other Help I Know: Sermons on Prayer and Spirituality (Book)
J. Alfred Smith, Editor. Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1996.

The sermons in this book are designed to address the theological difficulties that contemporary people experience when they pray in the postmodern world. These sermons mine the African American experience of prayer in America and express hope in a God who hears our prayers and shows mercy toward the challenges of human existence.

Power in the Pulpit: How America's Most Effective Black Preachers Prepare Their Sermons (Book)
Cleophus J. LaRue, Author. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002.

Power in the Pulpit is a vital resource for any one serious about preaching. In addition to providing content from some of the most prominent preachers in America, this creative book gathers together the views of twelve distinguished preachers on preaching in the Black Church Tradition. Practical guidelines are provided regarding the preparation of the sermons and the one who will deliver it.

Preaching to the Black Middle Class: Words of Challenge, Words of Hope (Book)
Marvin A. McMickle, Author. Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 2000.

This is the first book to explore ministering and preaching to one of the fastest growing segments of our society, the African American middle class. In the theological tradition of the African American church that celebrates "preached theology," McMickle preaches to both pastors of African American middle-class churches and to members of the African American middle class.

Sound the Trumpet! Messages to Empower African American Men (Book)
Darryl D. Simons, Author. Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 2002.

Sound the Trumpet presents eighteen sermons, from some of the country's most prominent and prolific black pastors. These sermons speak to critical issues facing black men today: the necessity of a black role model, maintaining strength in the struggle, a call to fatherhood, having a vision and a voice, overcoming stereotypical images, saving black boys in America, the real dangers of the thug life, and the crucial role of faith are discussed with conviction and a sense of urgency.

They Like to Never Quit Praisin' God: The Role of Celebration in Preaching (Book)
Frank A. Thomas, Author. Cleveland, OH: United Church Press, 1997.

The author has explored, analyzed, and developed crucial insights and needed terminology with which to further scholarly discussion around celebration. The book adds to the corpus of serious scholarship available to instructors for the purposes of a more powerful pulpit.

Those Preaching Women (Volume 2) (Book)
Ella Pearson Mitchell, Author. Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1988.

Fourteen sermons by distinguished African American women preachers are offered here. Hope and spiritual freedom are just two of the themes emphasized in these distinctive sermons. Volumes 1, 3, and 4 are also available.

The Word Made Plain: The Power and Promise of Preaching (Book)
James Harris, Author. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2004.

Preaching mediates the word of God into a cultural matrix. And school of American preaching has done so more effectively and powerfully than African American preaching, claims noted homiletician James Harris. Known for its rhetorical strength, social-justice orientation, and dead-on connection to the community's lived experience, black preaching is here analyzed and proposed as a model for all preaching.