The Negro's church,.

The Message of the Minister

85

trust in the Lord, because those who trust Him always make it....But if you don't trust Him there is no progress. Enemies
won't interfere with you because of your trusting God. If disease
constantly harass you, and you wish to get rid of it, and it still
hangs on, you are not making God your trust; if enemies harass
you, you are not making God your trust, because when you are
trusting God, He will give you words that will have driving power
and you will be able to drive the man or woman away who is
harassing you.
In many of the sermons there is a strong disposition to
identify the church with religion; also to identify churchgoing
and paying dues with being religious. God and Jesus are
interchangeably used; and the gospel of faith is more pronounced than the gospel of works.
A Lack of Logic
In more than half of the sermons there is a lack of sequence
and continuity; especially is this true in the other-worldly type
of sermons. It is hardly possible that fifty-four sermons, with
fifty-four different texts, could all logically end on the idea of
heaven.
Period of Depression Makes Little Impression
This study was made in the very midst of that economic
period, commonly referred to as the period of "Depression."
The 100 sermons were collected between September, 1930,
and November, 1931. Only six, or 6 per cent., of the sermons make any direct reference to the depression; and most
of these are incidental statements and are negatively proclaimed. It might be implied that the 26 per cent. of thisworldly sermons deal with the depression indirectly. The two
statements below are typical of the way reference is made to
the depression.
Today I was coming to church, I stopped at the bootblack
stand to get a shine. As the boy was shining my shoes, someone