Thanks, moderator for removing the bold font from that post.

**

Michelle, I appreciate your comment. I hasten to say however, that my home church was/is not "boring, stale and can put the most alert person to sleep".

You will recall that I said that my church was formal "as measured by Black churches". That means that the service may have been less formal than many Anglo-American church services.

Also, with regard to my being "reserved". I think that people should be true to their natures. I'm convinced that there are reserved individuals who are raised in very spirited churches and at least some of these people are uncomfortable with that fit. Maybe it's like trying to put a square peg in a round hole. That's why I believe that there is more than one way to the Truth.

-snip-


I received a private message from a Mudcatter who asked whether I was going to raise the subject of the altar call.

Since I'd never heard the phrase "altar call" before, I looked it up on Google. It appears that an "altar call" is the same thing that we {Black Baptist and maybe other Black denominations} refer to as "Opening up the doors of the church".

The pastor always asks people to join the church after he {or she} ends the sermon. Pastors open the doors of the church at Sunday sermons, and at church revivals. And as the person who private messaged me mentioned, some pastors have started the practice of "opening the doors of the church" after they give the funeral eulogy. I state this for informational purposes, but if I were to give my opinion about this practice-which I witnessed on two occassions-it would not be a polite one.

It seems to me that the subject of the "altar call" should follow information sharing about Black preaching styles.

I'll share some information about that subject in my next two posts to this thread.