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April 5, 2008 at 12:12:58

Rev. Jeremiah Wright: A Prophetic Voice of Warning for America

by Joe Parko     Page 1 of 1 page(s)

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The modern Western strain of Christianity has nearly forsaken the ancient art of prophetic voice. Rev. Jeremiah Wright has been criticized for his prophetic language because so many of us have forgotten what a prophet sounds like. Compared to the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, Rev. Jeremiah Wright sounds tame.

The prophet Jeremiah calls Israel a prostitute, a corrupt wild vine, a craving wild donkey in heat, and then he heaps curses on their children and children’s children. That is only chapter 2! He does this for another 23 chapters! Why does he say such outlandish things? He is using prophecy to criticize the rampant injustice in Israel as its wealthy elite ruling class had turned their backs on the ideals of Jewish community. Their covenant with God to create a just society had been broken by their greed and arrogance.



This is what the LORD Almighty says:
"Cut down the trees
and build siege ramps against Jerusalem.
This city must be punished;
it is filled with oppression. (Jeremiah 6:6)
...
Take warning, O Jerusalem,
or I will turn away from you
and make your land desolate
so no one can live in it." (Jeremiah 6:8)

I’m not sure how you hear that, but I feel certain the wealthy elite in Israel heard that as “God Damn Israel!" The role of the prophet is to make people uncomfortable and to force them to confront their sins. It is important to remember that these prophets offer us a way out of God’s damnation. Jeremiah condemns Israel for its transgressions but he also offers a cure:

5 If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, 6 if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, 7 then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever. (Jeremiah 7:5-7)

Will God damn America? Like Jeremiah, Rev. Wright warns of God's wrath unless we change our ways and turn away from war, racism and greedy consumerism. Are these two Jeremiahs expressing hatred for their nation? Absolutely not! Do they really desire the wrath of God to be poured out on the people of their nation? No, not at all. These prophetic voices are legitimate criticisms with sincere pleas for change. We shouldn't be afraid of these types of statements. We should worry if they ever stop, because it would mean that all hope for change has been lost.

What bothers some people about Rev. Wright is that he dares to criticize America. For them the nation is an idol that must be worshipped and any criticism is viewed as blasphemy. The flag has become their golden calf. They condemn Rev. Wright because he condemns worshipping the state as an idol. Rather than condemn him, we need to take Rev. Wright's prophetic warnings to heart and act to bring America back from the darkness of pre-emptive war, racism, our use of torture, and a lack of compassion for the poor and the sick among us. America can do better and Rev. Wright’s prophetic voice is telling us what we need to know so that we can be better.

 

Joe Parko is a retired college professor who taught for 28 years in the School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. He is a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and serves on the steering committee of Cumberland Countians(Tennessee)for Peace and Justice.In 2007, he was the Quaker delegate on a peace mission to Israel and Palestine.

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Having lived six decades now, I've had a lot of experiences! Grew up in a family often oppressed because of our faith - we stood for peace and against war, and for the rights of all regardless of ethnic background. Active from youth in peace and civil rights. Vietnam-era draft resister. Worked for a while for peace and social justice groups, and then became a civil servant. Felt a call to a consistent life ethic, and am currently serving as President of Consistent Life. All this is out of Chr...

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Bill SamuelHaving lived six decades now, I've had a lot of experiences! Grew up in a family often oppressed because of our faith - we stood for peace and against war, and for the rights of all regardless of ethnic background. Active from youth in peace and civil rights. Vietnam-era draft resister. Worked for a while for peace and social justice groups, and then became a civil servant. Felt a call to a consistent life ethic, and am currently serving as President of Consistent Life. All this is out of Chr...

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Correct

You are absolutely right.  What the spinmasters have done with Jeremiah Wright is publicize select excerpts from one side of the prophecy and omit the other.  Like the Hebraic prophet, Jeremiah Wright spoke of what America needed to do in response.  He spoke hard truths and proposed a way forward.

Serious Jews and Christians are not shocked by what Jeremiah Wright had to say because we are familiar with the prophetic tradition.  We also know that, as Jesus noted, prophets tend to be attacked.

by Bill Samuel (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 228 comments) on Monday, April 7, 2008 at 8:06:01 AM
 


I'm an old hippie chick who was part of the Woodstock Generation and the New Left back in the 1960s and '70s. I was enamored with Stephen Gaskin, who led his group to settle on The Farm in Tennessee. For the last few years, though, I've joined a small group of others who are trying to spread the word about the work of the messenger who goes by the pen name of Joseph J. Adamson. I believe that his work, even though it has been rejected by his generation so far, will eventually be spread and help ...

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Sarah MorganI'm an old hippie chick who was part of the Woodstock Generation and the New Left back in the 1960s and '70s. I was enamored with Stephen Gaskin, who led his group to settle on The Farm in Tennessee. For the last few years, though, I've joined a small group of others who are trying to spread the word about the work of the messenger who goes by the pen name of Joseph J. Adamson. I believe that his work, even though it has been rejected by his generation so far, will eventually be spread and help ...

to see more of bio, click on member name

That is very true.

In fact, America, particularly under Reaganism and Bushism, represents the symbolic "Babylon" of Judeo-Christian prophecy, the military imperial super-power that will "fall" but actually will be reformed, at long last, into a government that is truly of, by and for the people.

My favorite author explains how and why the day will come when we are no longer divided and ruled by a partisan pretender to the throne, but will share it as equal joint heirs, just as the enlightened and wise have foretold.

http://reformationcomingsoon.bravehost.com

by Sarah Morgan (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 175 comments) on Monday, April 7, 2008 at 5:52:29 PM
 

 

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