Stealing Away to the Hush/Brush Harbor

Let's talk about it. 

👩🏾‍🏫 Did you know that plantation owners forced their slaves to attend church? 

It wasn't to teach them about the love of God. Their preachers emphasized obedience, subservience, and hard work. The objective was to reinforce the slaveowner's control and dominance over the enslaved people. 

👩🏾‍🏫 Did you know there were also enslaved preachers? 

Some were allowed to move between neighboring plantations to preach to the slaves. 

While building my family tree 🌳, I found that my family has been saturated with preachers throughout history. I've learned my great-granduncle, Zachariah Butler, moved between neighboring plantations in Georgia, preaching to enslaved people. I have met his descendants and some are also preachers today. 

The enslaved preachers had permission to preach to the slaves but their sermons were monitored and restricted by the slaveowners. 

The enslaved people had to steal away into forest clearings--hush/bush harbors--to freely pray, worship and hear unrestricted sermons. 

There they heard about spiritual equality, divine justice, and deliverance. It was in these secret church meetings that the distinct African-American style of preaching--chanting and rhythm that blended West African oral traditions and spiritual emotionalism--was born. 

Elements of this emotional, oratorical cadence and call-and-response preaching style can be heard today in the sermon delivery of evangelical and charismatic preachers across ethnic groups. 

👩🏾‍🏫 Slaves were introduced to 2 different Gods during their enslavement: 1. A God of oppression, suppression and bondage. 2.  A God of freedom, equality and deliverance. 

When they walked off the plantations as liberated people, they left firmly believing in the God they'd secretly stolen away to hear about, worship and pray to in the hush/bush harbors. 

They attended church, learned about 2 different Gods, then clung to the God of the hush/bush harbors. 

Just keepin' it real...