The tradition seeks to preach messages that appeal to both the intellect and the emotive dimensions of humanity.
Firstly, the preaching emphasizes the preacher's freedom to be his or her authentic black self and not have to front a false persona or group identity via code switching.
Secondly, the preaching is characterized by a variety of rhetorical embellishments including often jarring hyperbole, corresponding body language, and musicality in vocalizations.
Thirdly, it is often marked by challenges to dominant societal structures and emphasizes how individuals may be transformed by having a relationship with God.
Raboteau describes a common style of black preaching called "whooping", which first developed in the early 19th century, and became common throughout the 20th and into the 21st centuries:The preacher begins calmly, speaking in conversational, if oratorical and occasionally grandiloquent, prose; he then gradually begins to speak more rapidly, excitedly, and to chant his words and time to a regular beat; finally, he reaches an emotional peak in which the chanted speech becomes tonal and merges with the singing, clapping, and shouting of the congregation.