The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
For Khadija Vaughan, hearing the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. guest preach Sunday at Bank Street Memorial Baptist Church ended any debate about Sen. Barack Obama's spiritual mentor.
"He tells the truth, nothing but the truth, and he's not afraid to tell the truth," said Vaughan, a senior citizen counselor who lives in Norfolk.
Hundreds packed the 650-seat sanctuary where Wright declared, "T here's no such thing as a trouble-free life."
"Sooner or later - and usually sooner - you're going to run into trouble," Wright said. "In the midst of trouble, remember you are not alone; the Lord is right there with you."
Unaddressed in his sermon was the recent furor over his fiery pulpit rhetoric and ties to Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate.
But Wright's new notoriety undoubtedly swelled Sunday's audience: One-half of the crowd rose when visitors were introduced during the worship service.
"I have never seen it this full before, so I'm going to take full advantage," said the Rev. William K. Dixon, Bank Street's interim minister. "I might not see this again for a while."
Wright led Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago from 1972 until this year and forged close ties to Obama, a Trinity member.
Wright did not mention Obama or discuss the controversy. He did not give interviews. Reporters were allowed into the service, but audio and video recordings were prohibited.
Wright's critics have said video clips of his sermons that condemn U.S. policies showed him to be an angry racial separatist. His supporters said sound bites misrepresented his theology and preaching.
Wright visited Bank Street in memory of his late uncle's long-term pastorate at the church. He said other family and friends also attended Bank Street.
In a news release, Wright said that he "spent many summers attending Bank Street Baptist Church every Sunday."
By turns scholarly and jocular, mellow and crashingly loud, Wright preached from the biblical account of Jesus and his disciples on the stormy Sea of Galilee.
While Wright didn't cite recent events, it was nonetheless hard not to sense them as an undercurrent to his words.
"Some trouble in our lives comes up out of nowhere!" Wright said as his crowd laughed in agreement.
"There's no such thing as a trouble-free relationship," he added, contrasting Jesus' calm with the disciples' frantic fear of sinking.
He also said trouble is not everlasting.
"The Lord will not calm the storm for his children, but the Lord will calm his children in the storm," Wright said.
Wright's most inflammatory comments in past sermons were repudiated by Obama, who refused to sever their relationship.
Bank Street also refused to cancel Wright's visit. "When I stood at the pulpit and announced we were standing strong, the church affirmed your coming," Dixon said after Wright's sermon.
"Somebody has to take a stand... in the midst of trouble. God is with us," Dixon said.
Gary Walker, a heating and air conditioning contractor, called Wright "wonderful" after the service ended.
Walker blamed the recent headlines around Wright on media striving to "just being able to sell papers, to exploit other people for self-gain."
Bill Faulkner, a grocery store clerk from Virginia Beach, said some of the video clips shocked him.
"But I realized there was more to it than that, and that's why I came today," he said. "Not that he talked about the controversy that much, but his sermon definitely did put it all in a context."
Vaughan agreed. "I can't believe the things they wrote about him," she said of Wright's critics. "They need to come to one of his sermons and just see the truth.
"Sometimes, you need to come out to hear for yourself."
Steven G. Vegh, (757) 446-2417, steven.vegh@pilotonline.com
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Re: Mclovin
Pray tell you or none of your loved ones, ever has a minor stroke or a diabetic episode while driving. Some, including some officers, could be led to believe, by your slurring of words, your clumsy gait, the acetone like odor, (easily confused with some rot- gut liquors), that you or they are drunk or doped up. As you try to explain, as you realize you have lost control over many of your functions, you will hope that none of your movements are misconstrued. It's a simple fact that different groups often see the same things differently. Why do you think lawyers try do stack juries?
Same Event, differing veiws.
I did see the entire Rodney King tape, many times. As one trained by the military & my law enforcement entity, to be especially observant, I know what I saw. Also, how many Hyundais in the early '90's were capable of speeds of over 110mph? Your response helps make my point. People view the same events in totally different ways. A few years after the King incident, a young, upper middle class, college educated Black male, was shot over 50 times by 2 police officers, while sitting in the back of a patrol car, with his hands cuffed behind his back. He was wearing only a swimsuit. They got away with it. This occurred in Maryland. The young man's father was a judge at the time of this incident. Rodney King was no angel. That doesn't excuse the brutal beating by those officers. Why do you think the officers' attorneys got a change of venue to an overwhelmingly White county? We, for survival, have always been able to see how you see things. Too often, you don't, nor do you care to, see ours.
Interesting
Traitor? So is he not allowed to be black anymore? Are you kicking him out now? Does the green of money rub the pigment out of his skin changing his views as a black man?
I wonder what people would be saying if a white person began tearing down this successful black man? Especially if he were touting Obama's positives instead of pointing out some obvious facts.
Bob Johnson is a traitor
If you know anything about Bob Johnson, you would know that he is a traitor. He is unbelievably rich and cares solely about protecting his assets, like a true Republican. If you haven't achieved his financial success, then he wants nothing to do with you, black or white. He is a man with great influence and founded one of the few stations devoted to entertainment for African Americans when other stations neglected blacks, but he let it become filled with filth. If he has anything to say, I urge you not to listen.
sorry Ira
I'm too bitter to go on with life....
So far so good.... avoiding the issues
I still remember the now very dated Republican smear that Obama was a radical muslim, madrassa-educated manchurian candidate who would have us all praying to Mecca if he had his way. That was well before he was labelled the "not black enough" candidate. Of course that was contradicted by the "angry Christian blackman hates whites Rev Wright supporting reparations demanding" label. Now he's the Maxist/Communist Merca-hating candidate. How are people to get on board the smear-talk express with all this smear-de-jour flipfloppery taking place. We need to pick either the Radical Muslim, Crazy Christian, Commi/Marxist, Not Black Enough, or Very Black Angry Blackman smear and stick with it.
"billionaire businessman Bob
"billionaire businessman Bob Johnson said Monday that Sen. Barack Obama would not be his party's leading candidate if he were white"
Bob Johnson is the founder of BET. He went on to defend Geraldine Ferraro. She was mentioned in Obama's speech that explained his views on race and his relationship with this pastor. Ferraro was painted as a racist for her comments about Obama. Her comments are basically the same as Bob Jouhnson.
It is really a sobering article. I appreciate his candid observations. I suggest those who are interested read it at:
http://www.charlotte.com/559/story/581394.html
To Twomiler
Apparantly you never saw the whole Rodney King tape - understandable given the fact that the liberal media never showed it. Had you seen the whole tape, you would probably change your mind. Rodney King was a doped-up, out of control, street corner punk who got exactly what he deserved.
Apparently Mrs Clinton
Isn't the only one who has "misspoken"-----"I may have made a mistake last week in the words that I chose" Obama...(AP)..today... Keywords Obama Pennsylvania
Good news! For the GOP..They, the divided (D)candidates are driving voters to the (R)'s..Come on over the rest of you (D)'s...Jump on the bandwagon...Then you can say you voted for the winner..Didn't you learn when you had to scrape the Kerry sticker off of your back bumper? ...public service message from Contractorva(R)
Seeing & hearing differently
People of different groups can see & hear the exact same things, & arrive at completely opposing views as to what was said or done. I saw the Rodney King tapes; I saw a group of out of control police, violently attempting to cause permanent bodily damage. Some people of another group saw this man, prone in the street, being kicked, beaten with batons, over & over, as the one harming the police. When I saw Susan Smith's crocodile tears, as she claimed Blacks had taken her children, I said "Here we go again." Other people felt whatever bias they held toward Blacks vindicated. When I heard Charles Stuart say Blacks had shot his wife during a carjacking, & the police reaction of rounding up hundreds of young Black males, I said "Here we go again." When I heard the federal building in Okla. City had been bombed, & initial reports of Muslim suspects, I said it again. When it was proved an "All American" White man had done it, & the police didn't stop every young White man, while investigating, I once again said, "Here we go again."