Obama's Pastor: Updated

Earlier, I wrote about John McCain's courtship of divisive evangelical ministers. Now it's time to put the spotlight on Barack Obama's own firebrand preacher, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. There are a few videos burning up the internet at present that show Wright in action. This one by ABC News seems to capture the essence of the problem. Have a gander.



If we have learned anything over the course of this election season, it is that this kind of rhetoric should be flatly denounced, and fast. Unlike the minister to a localized congregation, a president is someone who needs to speak for the country as a whole. John McCain once courageously labeled Jerry Falwell and Pat Roberston "agents of intolerance," but this year he ran back to their ilk with open arms. Hillary Clinton's campaign has shown a pattern of injecting racial divisiveness into the contest. Though I applaud her for finally coming to her senses, her response to the Ferraro controversy was much too long in the making. And while Obama has repeatedly denounced Louis Farrakhan, he seems hesitant to criticize Wright for what he is: a liability. Because you offer large slices of truth in your sermons does not mean the whole pie isn't degraded by those bits that are contaminated by race-baiting passages.

All those who use scripture (or bogus cultural analysis) to bolster their inflammatory, divisive views should be exposed and rejected, and that includes Jeremiah Wright. Taking a stand on this matter does not mean that you believe that African Americans have not suffered almost unfathomable hardship during their history in this country. Indeed, Wright's sermons are born, I believe, of legitimate anger. And the Black church has historically been a singular venue for venting such emotions. That said, I still believe that Wright's emphasis is regrettable, and, yes, offensive to many. The clips featured on YouTube are selective and do not dwell on other aspects of Wright's message of healing and forgiveness. Wright spends no small amount of time interpreting scripture, and detailing the message of Jesus. Yes, the clips we're now watching cherry pick for controversy, but the fact is that the controversy is not all that difficult to find. The point is, for whatever reason, Wright, who recently retired from Trinity, is a man who enjoys hitting the hornet's nest with a stick.

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By the way, in case some of you were wondering, I still support Obama as the Democratic nominee, though I think he should address this subject at greater length. It is precisely Obama's message of unifying the country across racial and party lines that appeals to me. Likewise, he often speaks to black audiences (and white ones, too) about the need to be accountable for the choices one makes in the course of life, and his refusal to be labeled as a victim is refreshing. So, given Wright's over-heated rhetoric, this begs the question. Have those drawn to Obama simply been duped?

As one reader points out, an adherent of any religion should not be expected to share all of the views of his or her priest or pastor (just ask Rudy Giuliani on the subject of abortion, or Hillary Cliton on gambling), yet the YouTube clips of Wright will continue to fuel what I regard an unjustified view that Obama is somehow out of step with America's values. Symbols are important in campaigns, and I think Obama would help himself by continuing to clarify his relationship to his faith and his church.

Though many will disagree, I firmly believe that God has not damned the United States, as Wright claims, just as God has not specifically blessed the United States over any other place on the globe. God doesn't whisper into leaders' ears and tell them it's alright to launch preemptive invasions, as George Bush claims. God did not envision 9/11 as punishment for New York City's decadent excesses, nor did he steer hurricane Katrina into New Orleans, as Hagee claims, to get back at the place for being tolerant of homosexuals. God doesn't take sides in football games, or help actors win academy awards. Moreover, he or she certainly doesn't prefer one race over another, regardless of how badly that particular race has been treated by another one.

For what it's worth, here's Trinity's (and Obama's) new pastor, Otis Moss.

UPDATE: In an interview today with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Obama was asked about Wright. Here's the exchange:

Q: I don't know if you've seen it, but it's all over the wire today (from an ABC News story), a statement that your pastor (the Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago's South Side) made in a sermon in 2003 that instead of singing "God Bless America," black people should sing a song essentially saying "God Damn America."

A: I haven't seen the line. This is a pastor who is on teh brink of retirement who in the past has made some controversial statements. I profoundly disagree with some of these statements.

Q: What about this particular statement?

A: Obviously, I disagree with that. Here is what happens when you just cherry-pick statements from a guy who had a 40-year career as a pastor. There are times when people say things that are just wrong. But i think it's important to judge me on what I've said in the past and what I believe.

Later in the day, Obama went further and penned a piece that's now up at Huffington Post. Read it here. Salient bits:

Let me say at the outset that I vehemently disagree and strongly condemn the statements that have been the subject of this controversy. I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies. I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialog, whether it's on the campaign stump or in the pulpit. In sum, I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue.

And:

The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach while I sat in the pews of Trinity or heard him utter in private conversation. When these statements first came to my attention, it was at the beginning of my presidential campaign. I made it clear at the time that I strongly condemned his comments. But because Rev. Wright was on the verge of retirement, and because of my strong links to the Trinity faith community, where I married my wife and where my daughters were baptized, I did not think it appropriate to leave the church.

Like Hillary Clinton on the Ferraro matter, I applaud Obama for making a forceful, unambiguous statement.