I admit, when I first heard the snippets of sermon that have caused such outrage this last week, I too was taken aback, and greatly disappointed that Senator Obama held someone like this in such high esteem. I certainly wasn’t going to defend Mr. Wright, though I wanted to defend the Senator. So, I did what any political junkie would do, and I looked into it, and read as much as I could to find out what this Reverend and his views were all about. And the more I read, and the more I dug, the more I came to realize, the outrage isn’t in what this man said, it is in the meaning being assigned to his words by outsiders who don’t want to hear the truth of his message.
The totality of Wright’s sermons, indeed of his life’s work, has been to bring positive change into the lives of those in his community. His theology is one of social justice. The words at issue, though angry, are not false in taking our nation to task for its failures. The very foundation of social justice theology, as I have come to understand it, is not to take for granted that we are blessed as a nation by God for our greatness, but to hold the nation accountable for its faults and prod it to work harder to earn God’s blessings through greater works. When Wright chastises America for its social failings, he is upholding a long tradition in social justice theology, a tradition upheld by Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King, Jr. Those who would argue that Wright is the opposite of everything MLK stood for should go back and read King’s speech from April 1967 – an admonishment of our government and our policies of war in Vietnam. Replace Vietnam with Iraq, and imagine Wright speaking that sermon today. I’m sure the outcry would be immense.
And what of his comments about AIDS. Certainly on their surface, they seem absurd, and it would be easy to write him of as a crazy America hater for believing them, when again, they are taken without context. Consider then that for forty years, our government did indeed conduct a heinous medical experiment on black men in this country, an experiment that led to unimaginable suffering by these men, and their wives and children. The Tuskegee Experiment continued until the early seventies before it was finally exposed and brought to an end. It was less than ten years after the end of the Tuskegee Experiment that AIDS raised its insidious head. With that heinous experiment so recent in our history, is it not then reasonable that some would cast a suspicious eye toward our government? Had I been old enough to understand, I would have thought it possible that my government was involved. Had I been raised with Mr. Wright’s generation, I would have thought it not just possible, but probable.
Actions speak louder than words. We have been exposed to a handful of sound bites, which people are willing to use to condemn a man, and label him hateful and unpatriotic, but his actions do not support that assumption. Over his forty year career, Reverend Wright, and his congregation have brought enormous positive change to their community. Action speak louder than words. Look not to the pieces of words, but to the works they support. For all the anger and offense of those incomplete pieces of his sermons, the effects are something to be praised, not condemned.
So what about Senator Obama? I admit I did not vote for him in the Primary. But after this week of outcry and accusation, and after looking for and reading more of what his pastor preaches and what he has done, I can say I unequivocally will vote for him in November. This firestorm, and his response, has convinced me that this is the kind of leader this nation desperately needs. Barack Obama is the antithesis to everything we have grown accustomed to in a government. We have lived with dishonesty, corruption, division, secrecy and abuse. Here is this man who is open, honest, and forthright. He has responded to all of this with uncommon grace, intelligence and honesty. Policy differences aside, everyone can see this is a man of character, integrity and true moral fiber. His opponents fear that and they have done their best to damage his character, because policy differences alone won't defeat him. What this nation needs is a leader who will bring respect and dignity back to our government. His opponents see that and fear it, so they tear him down, label him a racist and an America hater. America haters don't subject themselves to scrutiny in order to run for President. America Haters mail bombs and blow up federal buildings. There is nothing in Senator Obama’s life that justifies the labels being cast upon him. Not one word he has uttered, nor words he has written, not an action in his life invites the disparagement. He lives the social justice theology which his pastor preaches. This is the kind of leader I want to have representing me and carrying our country.
5 comments:
It seems odd to me how Barack Obama hasn't spent any time putting Reverend Wright's remarks into proper context. Rather, he has spent most of his time condemning his remarks. Therefore, I see no reason we should be so quick to defend Rev. Wright in this way if Obama is not. It seems Barrack senses that something is not right about Rev. Wright. However, Rev. Wright is not the main issue. Obama's qualifications and character as a U.S. President is, just as you point out. Yet, It does make one wonder how indoctrinated Obama is with Rev. Wright's "liberation theology" views, whether some of them are healthy or un-healthy, and whether they would cross over into His Presidency for better or for worse.
Thank you for your comments. I think Barack was in a no-win situation. Any attempt to defend would have been parsed and spliced, just as the sermons were, to paint him as something he is not. If one is worried about how his views would cross over into his presidency, one need only look at the effects of Wright's preaching on the actions of the congregation. What have his followers done with the message? They have turned it into positive change to improve their community. Imagine that kind of focus, energy and work ethic on a national level.
Anyone can look at the full sermons for themselves via youtube or purchase the church's dvd's and take into account all of Wright's words. "Slicing" is not even needed to give him a bad rep. He does that himself. As far as his congregation goes, they are prejudice and have bad theology. They believe Jesus was a poor black man oppressed by white rich people. Jesus was a Palestinian Jew, neither white or black, and was murdered by His own people, only under the authority of Rome. The Christian gospel finds unity in Christ, as He forgives our infinite offenses against Him. Any church which emphasizes oppression from a majority race as its main common ground has left the true gospel behind in smoke.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5BHJCaAzRs&feature=related
Yes, I have taken the time to read and listen to his sermons, and I understand the comparison he was drawing between Jesus as a dark skinned Palestinian Jew living under the oppressive government of Rome, and African Americans living under the oppressive government of the United States, which, since its inception has been run by rich white males. That is completely factual. No hate, just truth.
His theology is the same as Frederick Douglass, who said "I will hold up America to the lightning scorn of moral indignation. In doing this I shall feel myself discharging the duty of a true patriot; for he is a lover of his country who rebukes and does not excuse its sins."
Challenging ones country to face its failures, particularly in the way it has oppressed its own people, is not hateful. It's painful and ugly, but not hateful. The only way to push this nation to greater Christian works is to first hold it accountable for its failures in that regard. That is foundation of social justice theology, and my view is that Jesus would agree.
No, Wright believes Jesus was black, and that Romans are white only because they are European. Further, Jesus was not a political revolutionary. He was mostly interested in advancing His spiritual kingdom (Luke 17), which will eventually become actualized on His return. He would have emphasized not only America's sins, but people's sins (white and black) and offered the gospel as the solution, not Marxism. (Black) Liberation theology is humanistic and has Marxist leanings in the name of Christianity. It teaches that man reaching his potential is the pinnacle of liberation, not the gospel (Gal 3:6-14). This is in step with what Wright preaches, therefore, it is an enemy of the true gospel. Christ would condemn it.
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