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March 15, 2008 at 06:42:00
Barack Obama's Faith and His Church by Stephen C. Rose Page 1 of 1 page(s) |
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The pastor of my church, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who recently preached his last sermon and is in the process of retiring, has touched off a firestorm over the last few days. He's drawn attention as the result of some inflammatory and appalling remarks he made about our country, our politics, and my political opponents.
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 dialogue, 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.
Because these particular statements by Rev. Wright are so contrary to my own life and beliefs, a number of people have legitimately raised questions about the nature of my relationship with Rev. Wright and my membership in the church. Let me therefore provide some context.
As I have written about in my books, I first joined Trinity United Church of Christ nearly twenty years ago. I knew Rev. Wright as someone who served this nation with honor as a United States Marine, as a respected biblical scholar, and as someone who taught or lectured at seminaries across the country, from Union Theological Seminary to the University of Chicago. He also led a diverse congregation that was and still is a pillar of the South Side and the entire city of Chicago. It's a congregation that does not merely preach social justice but acts it out each day, through ministries ranging from housing the homeless to reaching out to those with HIV/AIDS.
Most importantly, Rev. Wright preached the gospel of Jesus, a gospel on which I base my life. In other words, he has never been my political advisor; he's been my pastor. And the sermons I heard him preach always related to our obligation to love God and one another, to work on behalf of the poor, and to seek justice at every turn.
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.
Let me repeat what I've said earlier. All of the statements that have been the subject of controversy are ones that I vehemently condemn. They in no way reflect my attitudes and directly contradict my profound love for this country.
With Rev. Wright's retirement and the ascension of my new pastor, Rev. Otis Moss, III, Michelle and I look forward to continuing a relationship with a church that has done so much good. And while Rev. Wright's statements have pained and angered me, I believe that Americans will judge me not on the basis of what someone else said, but on the basis of who I am and what I believe in; on my values, judgment and experience to be President of the United States.
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ADDENDUM -- POSTED TO THE OBAMA BLOG:
The country is getting a needed education. FOX's campaign will not achieve their purpose. By the end of this more and more will recognize that what Jeremiah was saying was merely a recapitulation of what Malcolm X said, minus the threat of an eye for an eye which was also a part of Malcolm's message. By the end Malcolm had achieved a state of peace and was not preaching a separatist message. The reality is that every human being is a spectrum from the most base and infantile to the sublime and trancscendent. Character is where one is on the spectrum. Barack and anyone with open eyes knows full well the part of the spectrum where the reaction is one of anger and hurt and hostility. He also knows and believes that we as a people can move forward just as Malcolm did. In his whirlwind tour of the MSM last night Barack made it clear that this is a teaching moment for America. I think that is what this is basically about, bringing more people to a more mature understanding of the pain in our past and the hope in our future. Truth marching on.
It is also a theological education. The Biblical prophets voiced the judgment on a disobedient nation. It was not treason. It was faith and the hope of repentance and change.
Best, S 3/15
http://stephencrosehome.blogspot.com
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| 15 comments |
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Rev. Wright
The reason everyone is so up in arms is that Rev. Wright speaks the truth. Anyone who speaks the truth these days will be ostracized. Hillary does have an advantage. Like it or not, there are still prejudiced people out there that look at a person's skin color, and would not vote for Obama because he is black. As far as terrorism goes, just look at the Iraq occupation. We've terrorized more people than any other country. We blew away thousands of people at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Rev. Wright is not a young man anymore. He sees what many of us see as we approach advancing age: the truth. We are not young and innocent anymore, not as gullible, not as pliable. Obama showed me his character with his statements. Just another politically correct politician. Beneath the surface he knows, he knows that Rev. Wright is correct. by Bob Gormley (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 1094 comments [65 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Saturday, Mar 15, 2008 at 7:00:31 AM  (0+)
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It is most revealing
the media frenzy over Obama´s guru and the relative lack of outcry over McCain´s advisor Rod Parsley who advocates a crusade and genocide of all Muslims. Parsley a preacher who has fed hungry children around the world and educated his flock reading from G.E.Griffins "Monster from Jekyll Island". I had always listened to Parsley and would never have believed he would take a stance right out of the fascist playbook. Is it my imagination or is the media down with the murder of muslims? by john riggs (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 463 comments [24 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Saturday, Mar 15, 2008 at 9:56:16 AM (0+)
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Reply: Given
Given FOX's desire to sink Obama I am grateful that Mr. Parsley's indescretions surfaced at the same time. Makes everything a bit more fair and balanced. :) by Stephen C. Rose (35 articles, 64 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 56 comments) on Saturday, Mar 15, 2008 at 9:59:06 AM (0+)
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Hate-in-a-bubble
This controversy can still hurt Obama because so much of the GOP/RNC (and Hillary?) campaign strategy involves isolating clips, taking quotes out of context, and smears by association, emailing or disseminating them to the base-in-a-bubble to spread further. This is how the "Obama as Muslim" item got around and as surveys show, has continued to work - the number of Americans who believed Obama to be a Muslim has almost doubled in one month. This newer "radical Black Christian" smearing may collide with the older narrative, however. Which is he, a radical Muslim or anti-American Christian? Hard to keep straight. The smartest strategy is to point out the hypocrisy - McCain's recent endorsement by Rev. Hagee was different because they appeared together onstage at a political event. As we know, Hagee's history of "hate-speech" is considerable, so Obama must use this as a teaching opportunity, letting the voters know that he doesn't necessarily hold McCain responsible for the statements of someone else and that the campaign process needs to be cleaned of such indirect smears so voters can intelligently decide who is best to lead us. by Gustav Wynn (77 articles, 65 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 421 comments [34 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Saturday, Mar 15, 2008 at 10:37:13 AM (0+)
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Reply: Good points all, Gustav
Point out the hypocrisy. And also, this time around, moving beyond all this is the issue. It is not a matter of who is more besmirched as much as it is a recognition that this a time for imperfect human beings to pull together and get something done. I think this will help mute or marginalize these issues. Also "acts of God" in Oregon and Atlanta seem now to be engaging the attention of the MSM. Maybe boredom will help too. Cheers, S by Stephen C. Rose (35 articles, 64 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 56 comments) on Saturday, Mar 15, 2008 at 11:20:45 AM (0+)
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the weak and the gulled...
...ppl accept the hate speech. The well-informed do not. The majority of Americans have spoken out about the Hate speech politics ("Newspeak"). The majority said they don't like it in politics anymore. Let's hope they just don't listen to it. Why not ask the valuable questions. For instance, why hasn't McCain and Hillary exposed their tax statements? There are plenty of credible important questions Obama should be asking. Dig into how many planes did Mac crash in Vietnam. Oh well, maybe votevets or "vets against the war in Iraq" will hammer those important "maverik" questions. Fight fire with fire. Sara Robinson had an excellent 3 part series on the politics of 30yrs of Republican undermining. You should be able to find it at truthout.org. Fox News is such trash. Ppl that can tolerate it are sheeple that can't think for themselves or refuse to read. Maybe they can't read. Hmmmm. by shirley reese (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 592 comments [98 recommended, 1 rejected]) on Saturday, Mar 15, 2008 at 12:44:50 PM (0+)
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Reply: Hi
My blog http://stephencrosehome.blogspot.com has tons of such questions raised in single brief articles. I agree that the Obama Campaign should follow up on its insistence on financial disclosure by the Clintons. Cheers, S by Stephen C. Rose (35 articles, 64 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 56 comments) on Saturday, Mar 15, 2008 at 1:06:13 PM (0+)
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President X
It "doesn't take a rocket scientist" to figure out that Americans will not elect a man if his mentor says "Goddamn America" and claims that America started the AIDS epidemic. That would be true regardless of the race or creed of the candidate in question. Yet Obama couldn't figure that out until now, or somehow thought those comments would go away or could be buried. Even a child would know that every negative aspect of every candidate's political life is certainly fair game and would be dug up by the press, especially since Wright was an honored member of the campaign. If Obama took Wright on as part of his campaign, it shows he hasn't the sense to come in out of the rain. "Goddamn America" is a great platform for winning a presidential election in Iran. In the USA, it is a nonstarter. If a man can't figure that out on his own, and needs ABC to tell him, he shouldn't be president. The speeches were around. They were publicized by ABC news, not by Fox. As for saying that Wright's remarks are not different from those of Malcolm X, that is not necessarily a great recommendation for a presidential ideology, to say the least. US isn't ready for President X. by Ami Isseroff (3 articles, 1 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 7 comments) on Saturday, Mar 15, 2008 at 1:06:22 PM (0+)
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Reply: Well
Without seeking to defend his behavior which I agree was not too swift, I would point out that the common parsing of the damn statement is in serious error. What was said, and legitimitely so, depending on your theology or sense of history, is that G-d damns America -- for its sinful actions. To see it differntly exaggerates your criticism beyond the bounds of fairness. A convenience for our vaunted MSM. It may well be that before this is over the nation will get a lesson in prophetic theology -- which is to say a lesson in why the Old Testament prophets Isaiah, Amos, Jeremiah and Hosea all said much the same thing to the nation of Israel. Cheers, S by Stephen C. Rose (35 articles, 64 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 56 comments) on Saturday, Mar 15, 2008 at 2:23:11 PM (0+)
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Reply: President x
I agree, I'm just glad that the information came out now rather then later. I do think it's time for the democrates to rethink their primary elections. I don't think that Fox news should be blamed. Rev Wright's statements scar me, and frankly I wouldn't vote for someone who goes to a church that preahs hate. by beccy (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 87 comments) on Saturday, Mar 15, 2008 at 3:38:33 PM (0+)
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However
OK. I am pretty sure an entire menu of stuff will be thrown at Barack. It could get worse. If any of us had as much ambition and ability it is VERY doubtful that in our lives we would not make ourselves equally vulnerable by casting aspersions based on race, gender or whatever. What I take exception to is that Barack's church preaches hate. I knew and was a friend of the founding Pastor the late Ken Smith. Though I am not African American I have served in a black church as an assistant pastor and belonged to a largely African American congregation. I can virtually guarantee you that the quoted sermons were not typical. Even Colmes on FOX acknowledges that the bulk of materials coming from Trinity are in the direction of self-help and building confidence and so forth. If the congregation preached hate Barack would not have been in it, Ken Smith would not have founded it and we would not have an issue now. I have already explained in a prior note what is meant by the damn statement. The statements causing such flak are not proclamation or even preaching. They are clearly asides based on the preacher's own emotional reactions. Minus Barack's candidacy I doubt they would ever have been made. And I doubt he would have uttered such statements knowing Barack and his own desire to get beyond this stuff. Cheers, S by Stephen C. Rose (35 articles, 64 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 56 comments) on Saturday, Mar 15, 2008 at 4:40:56 PM (0+)
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Reply: To clarify
I mean in the above note to doubt that Wright would have uttered his remarks in Barack's presence. by Stephen C. Rose (35 articles, 64 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 56 comments) on Saturday, Mar 15, 2008 at 4:44:13 PM (0+)
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Opportunity knocks
Everytime someone (Fox, et al) brings up something someone said (lotsa someones here!), it provides an opportunity for the target to respond. We saw a marshmallow response to Swiftboating in 2004. Now, Obama seems to have learned from that. His response on HuffPost was clear, caring, thoughtful, etc. Not a supporter of either Clinton or Obama, I have to say, I was impressed. I've become tired of hearing Obama supporters howl whenever he's the target of negative rhetoric, whether Fox's or GOP's or Clinton's. Instead, his supporters might welcome the chance for him to respond in reasoned tones as he has to this one. You can't beat a great straight man. by Karen Lee (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments) on Saturday, Mar 15, 2008 at 5:08:57 PM (0+)
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One of
Though I am for Barack Obama, I have had no hesitation in ceing critical whenever I felt there was reason to be. For example I criticized the Obama Campaign's failure to observe some fairly minor things noted on factcheck.org. I think he has stood up well to Hillary's kitchen sink and that everything happening now is all to the good if it gets through some of the stuff before the fall campaign. Cheers, S by Stephen C. Rose (35 articles, 64 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 56 comments) on Saturday, Mar 15, 2008 at 5:44:15 PM (0+)
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But.............
When Pat Robertson said the same thing about God damning America with 911, progressives jumped all over him. Consistency please. by larry booth (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 303 comments) on Saturday, Mar 15, 2008 at 9:21:43 PM (0+)
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