Celebrating the Spirituals: Sober but Serene on Themes of Judgment By: Msgr. Charles PopeI’ve often been impressed at the ability of the old African-American spirituals to treat serious subjects in a clear, memorable, and almost joyful way. This is true even of very weighty matters like sin and judgment.  And while we are here in the opening weeks of Advent, quite focused on the Second Coming of Jesus to judge the world by fire, we do well to look at some of the creative lines from different spirituals that articulate this theme.It can be very helpful to the preacher, teacher,...