African-American worship has been a renewal movement from the beginning, when African-American slaves gathered to affirm God and in turn were affirmed, renewed, and transformed by the presence and power of God. The African-American tradition in worship encourages free and creative response to all that happens in worship, from gestures to song to the spoken and preached Word. Music is fundamentally communal and varies widely, particularly in instrumentation. African-American churches are not...
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