Hooping during sermons is a tradition that originated with African American slaves

To whoop or not to whoop

Some churchgoers say they don't enjoy a message unless the preacher "hoops" which is when the speaker's voice takes on an emotional sing/song style. This method used by some Black preachers is also known as whooping.

I have heard people say that unless a pastor or minister "hoops" they have not really preached. This style of delivery is not required to share the Gospel of Jesus and is not in the Bible. It is a learned method and some say "hooping and hollering" is not necessary. This emotional style originated on American slave plantations.

Enslaved Africans in the US blended West African communication traditions with the emotional revivals of the Great Awakening, which began around 1730.

This highly spirited, chant-like sermon style is rooted in West and Central African oratory traditions, where storytelling and melodic voice changes were valued. Scholars trace the roots of the whoop back to West African griots (dramatic storytellers) and the tonal nature of African languages.

Hooping is a manmade tradition and not necessarily a validation that a preacher is under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Likewise,a preacher who teaches and talks in ther normal voice should not be discounted as not hearing from the Lord.

The purpose of whooping is to engage the congregation’s emotions, elevating the spoken word into a shared, musical, and communal spiritual experience. Not all ministers "hoop" and some people consider this method to be theatrics and entertainment.

Some preachers say that hooping plays on the emotions by getting congregants to stand, shout, and clap, but does not teach or impart Godly wisdom. It usually comes near the end of a sermon when the musician begins playing certain music.

How whooping works

During a sermon, the preacher begins his message in a calm, conversational tone and builds in pace and excitement. As the sermon nears its end, the delivery changes into rhythmic chanting, often accompanied by a keyboard playing "preaching chords."

The preacher may say, "I feel my help coming," at which point congregants stand and applaud. Sometimes the speaker shouts, "Say yeah," and the parishoners answer in call-and-response.

This preaching style is passed down through mentorship and the oral tradition. Historically, African American preachers learned the craft organically by sitting under seasoned pastors.

Rather than develop their own personal style, younger preachers observed vocal inflections, rhythmic pacing, and the use of metaphorical "word pictures" to engage congregations.

Encouragement to slaves

During slavery, the intonation of the voice was used by African American preachers to lift the spirits of their communities and encourage those who were enslaved by blending intellect with emotional release.

Some seminaries teach the art of hooping as a way to reach parishioners on a deeper emotional level than they believe educational preaching does.

Not all preachers utilize the whoop. Some modern churches have shifted away from it, or never used it. Still, hooping remains a cornerstone of Black Pentecostal and Baptist traditions.

Whooping brings ridicule

Comedian Arsenio Hall, who portrayed Reverend Brown in Coming to America, shows how the cadence can be mimicked in the following video. He shares how he copied the mannerisms of his father, aunts, and uncles, who were whooping preachers.

Hooping has been used in films. Some consider this a form of flattery while others say this is disrespectful to the craft.

Programs like the PhD in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis and the Black Preaching Conference hosted by Texas Baptists offer academic instruction to preserve and teach this technique.

Whooping is viewed in two different ways. This African American sermonic tradition is considered by some to be an important cultural art form. Others see it as a learned behavior and an unnecessary tradition of man.