Sen. Barack Obama's break with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright is putting black pastors and their congregations in a difficult position, their loyalties divided between a politician who could be the first black president and a celebrated preacher who many believe has been vilified.
The situation is complicated, ministers say, because there's a sense that both men have been treated unfairly — and that both have made mistakes.
Many black ministers defended Wright when his more incendiary remarks became an Internet sensation in March, saying context was needed to understand the black church's tradition of challenging injustice.
But Wright lost some of that support after his Monday appearance at the National Press Club in Washington, during which he claimed the U.S. government was capable of planting AIDS in the black community, praised Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and suggested that Obama was acting like a politician by putting his pastor at arm's length while privately agreeing with him.
The performance was enough for Obama to denounce Wright's comments as "divisive and destructive." That was just six weeks after he portrayed Wright, in a well-received speech on race, as a family member he couldn't disown.
"What I am disappointed in is Rev. Wright's continuing to be in the public eye," said Bishop Charles H. Ellis III, senior pastor of 6,500-member Greater Grace Temple in Detroit. "If he has a point to get across, make your point. We as ministers have to be very careful about our timing."
Another pastor in Detroit — where Wright received a standing ovation Sunday at a dinner for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People — directed his anger at the Democratic senator.
The Rev. William Revely, pastor of 300-member Holy Hope Heritage Church, questioned Obama's truthfulness in claiming he had not heard some of Wright's contentious remarks from the pulpit.
"Anybody who has heard Jeremiah preach has heard that," said Revely, who has known Wright since the 1970s. "Jeremiah, he's a pastor, and as a pastor you have to see things as they are. Politicians see things as they want them to be."
The punches and counter-punches thrown by Obama and Wright are leaving black churchgoers angry at both, said the Rev. Bennie Whiten, a retired United Church of Christ minister.
People want to embrace Obama's candidacy but worry about recent stumbles and wonder whether he fully understands racial divides still exist, Whiten said. They admire Wright but question his timing and tone.
"I think we've got two very good men, two very strong men, who find themselves in an almost impossible situation from which neither can extricate himself," said Whiten, who lives in Chicago and has worshipped as a visitor at Trinity United Church of Christ.
The Rev. Herbert H. Lusk II, a conservative black pastor at Greater Exodus Baptist Church in Philadelphia, expressed sympathy for Wright but said he relates more to Obama. He compared Obama's situation to his own, as a Republican pastor of an overwhelmingly Democratic congregation. His members get angry over his support for President Bush but remain because of family, friends and other ties, Lusk said.
Obama "doesn't appear to me to be hypocritical or disingenuous," Lusk said. "He's just another parishioner who struggles with what happens in his church, what the pastor says and all the other intangibles."
Wright's Press Club performance forced Obama's hand, said the Rev. Byron Williams, a pastor and columnist in Oakland, Calif. Here was a candidate who built a movement on the notion of America's better self, yet he was being defined by his pastor's rhetoric.
Wright is savvy enough to know that anything positive said about Farrakhan — known for past anti-Semitic remarks — will be portrayed negatively in a 24-hour news cycle, Williams said.
Yet Obama's public rejection of his pastor carries risk. In February 2007, Obama abruptly disinvited Wright from delivering the invocation at the kickoff of his presidential campaign. That move suggests Obama has long known Wright could be a liability and only disowned him when forced, Williams said.
"He is going to have to account for what is perceived as this air of disingenuousness," Williams said.
The Rev. Dwayne A. Walker also confessed to mixed emotions over the rift between Obama and Wright.
Walker, pastor of 1,000-member Little Rock AME Zion Church in Charlotte, N.C., said he admires both men. Yet he understands why Obama broke ties with the minister who helped lead Obama to Christianity, married him and baptized his children.
Walker said what angers him most is how Obama, unlike other presidential candidates, has been defined by what someone else has said rather than by his own words and record.
"Overall, I don't think Obama should be defined by his pastor, nor should Dr. Wright be defined by that moment," he said of the Press Club exchange. "It was a bad moment, and it came at a bad time."
As a pastor, Walker said he has another wish: that politician and pastor eventually reconcile.
Associated Press Writer Corey Williams in Detroit contributed to this report.
Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Comments
http://rock.geosociety.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=62&PN=1&TPN=1
I believe African-American Christians DO have a biblical worldview as it has been defined in this thread; as well we as Christians SHOULD be concerned about the affairs of this world as well, including addressing ALL inequalities and immorality including protecting the rights of the unborn AND the born - NO matter the color of their skin!
This story is getting emphasized so much because people want to know what Obama really thinks when it comes to race, not what some speech says. Actions speak louder than words. I am worried that Obama sees things in black and white instead of seeing everybody as PEOPLE.
Research indicates Blacks generally have strong Christian beliefs and practices, so why then is there division among black Christians when it comes to stands on moral, social, and political issues? And why do many black Christians engage in race-focused views? Perhaps it’s because they differ on what The Barna Group calls a “biblical worldview.”
The definition requires someone to believe that absolute moral truth exists; that the source of moral truth is the Bible; that the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches; that eternal spiritual salvation cannot be earned; that Jesus lived a sinless life on earth; that every person has a responsibility to share their religious beliefs with others; that Satan is a living force, not just a symbol of evil; and that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful maker of the universe who still rules (this) creation today.8
African-American adults, who generally emerge as the ethnic segment most deeply committed to the Christian faith, were substantially less likely than either whites or Hispanics to have a biblical worldview. In total, just 1 percent of black adults met the criteria, compared to 6 percent among whites and 8 percent among Hispanics.9
Among (various groups) examined, only 35 percent of pastors of black churches had a biblical worldview. Another huge gap was based on race. White senior pastors were nearly twice as likely as black senior pastors to have a biblical worldview: 55 percent versus 30 percent, respectively.
Fron Finding Soul Brothers: Dismantling Black Christia Racialism
"Because evangelicals view their primary task as evangelism and discipleship, they tend to avoid issues that hinder these activities" from Divided by Faith by Michael Emerson and Christian Smith
If the church is going to be the church...the body of Christ...why is this an issue? There should not even be a title "The Black Church, White Church, Hispanic Church, Asian Church, Latino Church, Russian Church. God does not want this to occur. The Jews had a similar problem when the gentiles came into the church. God was not pleased with that either. Although each ethnic group represents a different culture, it should not determine doctrine. If any one should have a handl on the race issue it is believers. What you see happening with Mr. Wright is a result of culture, experience and his enviroment being interjected into the gospel. Our experiences may be guenuine, but again it does not determine doctrine. Jesus told us to pray for those that dispitefully use us. This is foreign the western mindset, but is a key principle of discipleship. Rev, Wright has been Rev. long enough to know he should have let the issue go. Additionally, the church should not be divided over this issue anyway. Those who let politics drive their theology are misguided in the scriputres.
As an African American who grew up in the black church I believe that the Black church tradition is like no other. The black church is not about victimization its about empowerment. The church draws from the Exodus event and Christ event and as a result views God as a liberator and deliverer to people who are oppressed. If this is not a biblical worldview then I don't know what is.
In her new Book, FINDING SOUL BROTHERS, Pamela G. Wilson encourages fellow African Americans to adopt a Biblical Worldview. That often means removing racialist badges of victimization, abandoning the race card, and discarding secular views and practices.
http://findingsoulbrothers.com/
As an African-American conservative I'm very ashamed to be even part of the same race as Mr. Wright. Please don't think that many African-Americans agree with him because many blacks are conservatives but have been duped by the democratic party which is anti-black even to this day but they pretend to be for African-American rights but they are lying. I hope that Obama dose not win mainly because of his moral views such as homosexuality and abortion which is the number on killer of blacks how he could support such an awful thing I'll never understand.
http://www.adlynmorrison.blogspot.com/
This conflict would not be happening now if Rev. Wright and all ministers would stick to teaching of what is in the Bible and not speaking of things that should rightly be discussed outside of the confines of the church. Politics are a personal matter and are a lightning rod for sometimes offense remarks that can cause dissension and discord amongst the congregation.
It must be tough for those who have put faith in both Rev. Wright and Sen. Obama. Its hard to know who to trust sometimes as we all make mistakes,* but at this point Obama looks like a saint compared to his former divisive and selfish pastor. My prayers are with Obama as a senator.
Rev. Wright. You've done too much Sir.
Please be quite. Their decision's now tougher.
.
*Our faith should be focused on the Word of God and love of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, rather than on other men. "LET GOD BE FOUND TRUE, THOUGH EVERY MAN BE FOUND A LIAR" (Romans 3:4)
Hope Page: itsallaboutjesusnotme.blogspot.com
"The performance was enough for Obama to denounce Wright's comments as "divisive and destructive." That was just six weeks after he portrayed Wright, in a well-received speech on race, as a family member he couldn't disown."
I honestly can't see where Obama has disowned anything or anyone. His language is more forceful, but his heart is in the same place.
I think Hillary has been given a gift. And she is smiling more these days.
I could probably be considered a fairly liberal Christian and I certainly do not think you have to be a Republican to be a good Christian, but don't understand how a man of God (Wright) could be so full of fear and hatred. Doesn't the Black Church preach the same teachings as my Church?
I hope people won't vote for Obama because he has no problem associating with people that are radical racists. Sitting under a pastor that is a radical racist should make people wonder about Obama's heart too..... but they probably won't.
You are so concerned about those who vote for him because he is black. I dare say there are far more who won't vote for him because he's black. That's far more disturbing to me.