Stories
Best of 2003: Best Soul-Stirring Sermons
Published Thursday, Dec. 25, 2003
Calvary Baptist Church
719 Cesar Chavez Parkway, Sherman Heights
619-233-6487
It's in the city's African-American churches that the rhetorical tradition has remained most vibrant, and Reverend W. James Smith, senior pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Sherman Heights, is one of the community's finest examples of the tradition. Reverend Smith trusts his congregation's intelligence. He uses sarcasm, irony, and dry humor to make his points. He doesn't shy away from politics. He'll make you shout "Amen!"