John Jasper first preaches 'The Sun Do Move'

Sermon Origin. Jasper first preached the sermon 'The Sun Do Move' in March 1878, on the basis of Biblical revelation. The specific day of March 17 appears in legacy records but is not confirmed by the supplied passages, which state only the month and year. Richmond, Virginia is offered as the occurrence locality on the basis of Jasper's documented Richmond ministry and the legacy row; no supplied passage directly names the 1878 venue.

Context. By the time of the March 1878 sermon, Jasper was an established preacher in Richmond, where he had begun his gospel ministry in 1840 at First African Baptist Church. His standing as a noted public speaker for Christianity after the American Civil War frames the reception of this sermon. The supplied passages do not identify the specific church or hall where the 1878 sermon was first delivered, so the venue remains unresolved.

Sermon Content. The sermon 'The Sun Do Move' expressed Jasper's deep faith in God through the imagery of a flat Earth above which the sun circuits. This theological perspective was contrary to modern scientific theory but formed the basis of his preaching in 1878. The content relied on Biblical revelation rather than astronomical observation.