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A Focus on Music in Worship

he fervor of sensitivity and attention to issues of justice and equity concerning the
Black community may have subsided somewhat since the summer of 2020, but the
T importance of these conversations and the issues themselves have become no less
crucial, important, or relevant. Racial injustice for the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and
People of Color) community still exists. Inequity at the workplace, institutions of higher
learning, and within the realm of professional music still occurs. Many of my colleagues in
the choral field are concerned about how they might be perceived if they perform music

of the African American experience, wanting to “get it right” and not be viewed as appro-
priating music from another culture in this age of poli tical correctness and a sensitivity to
Black culture. It is within this context that this article will address questions and concerns
of the appropriation of Black music primarily by white performing ensembles.
To be clear, when I speak of African American sacred or religious music, I speak of those
musical forms created by African Americans and not those of other origin that have been
adopted or adapted by the Black Church. This includes Euro-American hymns, anthems,
and CCM music. While Christian Rap/Hip-Hop was birthed by African Americans, this
and the previously mentioned forms fall outside the scope and purpose of this article. I shall

confine myself to the two primary sacred artforms that have their origins in the African
American community and are the source of most of American music, sacred and secular.