European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 13, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Cover Story a religious style out of Africa and America the spirited style of worship found in Man of America s Black congregations greatly contrasts with the sober services practice Dat predominantly White  in the latter silence is considered reverential. In the former silence is the Devil s Handiwork. Where one is a sedate packaged exercise the other seems rambunctious by comparison. The manner of worship in Black churches is participatory. White worshippers for the most part Are quiet observers standing Only when told to stand and singing Only when told to sing. Black worshippers engage in a near dialogue with the minister through a Call and response punctuating the message with amen or preach preacher or  i have spoken in both settings said Horace Griffin an ordained Baptist minister and College professor. Coming from the Rural South i was very used to the Call and  when Griffin spoke to White congregations he said his words were met with silence. It s not that they Are not appreciating the Mes Sage. It s just a different response said Griffin. It s very different. It s a cultural  Griffin is chairman of the department of religious and philosophical studies at Fisk University a traditionally Black school in Nashville Tenn. He pointed out that despite great strides in Inte Gration during recent decades one place remained segregated. Revival such As at Furth s Chapel b cultural form that has nuts Maluca the Church is the most segregated institution to this Day he said. And he said any style of worship is the result of what the worshipper has  you worship he said you worship that Way because you Learned it. It s a Learned behave  he said the services held in Many Black churches today can be traced to Africa. Africans moved to America aboard the slave ships that sailed Between the two continents until just Over a Century ago. Since then he said the services have been affected by european and american influences. What we see in african american churches i would say a Large part of it is out of Africa Griffin said. But there is a  Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham professor of Afri can american studies at Harvard University said it s a cultural form that has roots in Africa but not to any specific african culture. People who study different Black cultures she said have discovered Many common traditions including the Call and response. That does seem to be one of the most common ones she said. She said not All Black churches Are so charged and not All White congregations Are quiet. If you go to a White pentecostal Church you la be surprised at what you see she said. But i do think this is a tradition in the Black  she said services in Black Catholic churches Are often emotional. Flora dues leads Furth s Johnson Barracks Chapel choir As Monica Davis left takes it All in. There was a meeting of Black and White churches during the great Awakening of the 18th Century Higginbotham said. During that time the White churches experienced t religious revival accented by fiery sermons and much shouting and  also mentioned the great Awakening. That s what attracted t lot of Blacks to christianity he said. The style of worship was familiar to   v  -. -. The energetic services were common among slaves on american plantations Griffin said. The services often bothered or frightened the White slave owners Many of whom required their slaves to attend White.  . R. However Griffin said the slaves would often slip off into the Woods at night to hold services in their own style out of earshot of their White masters. He said the fiery oratory of a preacher at these services served a practical As Well As spiritual Pur pose. A v. You needed some land of outlet. You needed something that would work out the pent up emotions he  were emotionally charged services where the minister s Job was to get the peo pie up.". .,.",. To achieve this Many preachers used and still use a repetitive rhyming style of preaching. Higginbotham said this style of preaching Al though still widely practice has detractors. There is an intellectual ministry that is trying to move away from that very simple repetitive style of preaching she said. However she said it is deeply entrenched in the Church and will probably always be popular. It definitely has a tradition in the Black Church she said. Some ministers like it because it brings the Type of emotional response that they  Griffin said of the style there s been some criticism and i think justifiably  he said critics charge that the style May make a worshipper feel Good but has not substantially trans formed that person. They Are not better than they were before the Sermon simply happier. A major part of a service in a Black Church is the music often Lively gospel music accompanied by electric guitars and Drums. It is not hard to understand when one considers that gospel and Rock v Roll have a common ances Tor the blues. Both Higginbotham and Griffin said Thomas Dor sey a blues musician earlier this Century is consid ered the father of gospel music. He wrote songs that were very much out of the tradition of the blues vernacular Higginb Thara said. When he began to put religious words to the rhythms a lot of Black churches  but she said they were convinced to listen to the message of the songs. It s the words that really made the difference she said. Ron Jensen Page 6 sunday november 13,1994