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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. 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: 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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