Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Dive Into the Archive: leftofblack.org
How has the embrace of technology extended the voice and the reach of preeminent minister, the Reverend G.E. Patterson? Having served as the Church of God in Christ's (COGIC) 6th Presiding Bishop up until his passing away in 2007, Bishop Gilbert Earl Patterson was known for his preaching and his vocals. A Stellar Award winner for Best Traditional Male Vocalist and a two-time Grammy nominee, Patterson weaved a musical element into his sermons, making Biblical figures come alive while preaching. But it was his adoption of media into his international ministry that has kept his homilies circulating across social media well after his death. Dr. Braxton D. Shelley, Professor of Music, Sacred Music, and of Divinity at Yale University, dives deep into Patterson's legacy in his new book, "An Eternal Pitch: Bishop G. E. Patterson, Broadcast Religion, and the Afterlives of Ecstasy," published by University of California Press.
Get the book here: https://www.ucpress.edu/flyer/books/an-eternal-pitch/paper
Learn more about Dr. Shelley here: https://yalemusic.yale.edu/people/braxton-shelley
"Left of Black" is the 2025 Silver Telly Award Winner for "Interview & Talk Show," the 2025 Bronze Telly Award Winner for "Education & Discovery," and the 2024 Gold Winner in the "Online Film & Video" category of the 20th Annual Davey Awards. Now in its sixteenth season!
Directed and produced by Eric Barstow, M.F.A.
Camera: Jakiah Glass
Editor: Anna Lee, Duke MFAEDA, Class of 2027
Dive Into the Archive: leftofblack.org
How has the embrace of technology extended the voice and the reach of preeminent minister, the Reverend G.E. Patterson? Having served as the Church of God in Christ's (COGIC) 6th Presiding Bishop up until his passing away in 2007, Bishop Gilbert Earl Patterson was known for his preaching and his vocals. A Stellar Award winner for Best Traditional Male Vocalist and a two-time Grammy nominee, Patterson weaved a musical element into his sermons, making Biblical figures come alive while preaching. But it was his adoption of media into his international ministry that has kept his homilies circulating across social media well after his death. Dr. Braxton D. Shelley, Professor of Music, Sacred Music, and of Divinity at Yale University, dives deep into Patterson's legacy in his new book, "An Eternal Pitch: Bishop G. E. Patterson, Broadcast Religion, and the Afterlives of Ecstasy," published by University of California Press.
Get the book here: https://www.ucpress.edu/flyer/books/an-eternal-pitch/paper
Learn more about Dr. Shelley here: https://yalemusic.yale.edu/people/braxton-shelley
"Left of Black" is the 2025 Silver Telly Award Winner for "Interview & Talk Show," the 2025 Bronze Telly Award Winner for "Education & Discovery," and the 2024 Gold Winner in the "Online Film & Video" category of the 20th Annual Davey Awards. Now in its sixteenth season!
Directed and produced by Eric Barstow, M.F.A.
Camera: Jakiah Glass
Editor: Anna Lee, Duke MFAEDA, Class of 2027
