The Virginian-Pilot
©
CHESAPEAKE
President Barack Obama's former pastor didn't want to talk Tuesday about the election or the fallout last year from sermons he gave that condemned U.S. policies.
He wanted to talk about colonialism and its ill effects on people in other countries.
"Have you thought about what we've done to other nations, as Americans?" asked the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. "We have to now learn how to listen and talk with each other about those realities."
Wright was the guest speaker at 142nd annual Virginia State Baptist Convention, at the Chesapeake Conference Center. The historically black convention has 753 member congregations.
The minister led Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago from 1972 until last year and forged close ties to Obama, who was a Trinity member for years. During the presidential campaign, Wright's critics said video clips of his sermons that condemned U.S. policies showed him to be an angry racial separatist. His supporters said sound bites misrepresented his theology and preaching.
Obama ultimately resigned from Trinity and distanced himself from Wright, who declined in an interview Tuesday to talk about the president.
The Philippines, a former U.S. colony, and other nations "still live with the fallout" of domination by the United States, Wright said.
The face of Christianity is changing, he said.
"Within our lifetimes, Christianity isn't going to be a predominantly white religion," he said. "In terms of world religions, Christianity is growing in the continent of Africa, in Southeast Asia."
Wright said the black faith community is grappling with a harsh "three strikes and you're out" criminal justice system, disparity in health care, the need for prison reform and other social justice issues.
"It's those kinds of challenges the African-American church and its members face daily in a way that mainline Protestants and evangelical white church members don't," he said.
But the entire faith community should be concerned about those problems, Wright added.
"It's going to take them, working along with the black church, to get many of the policy changes needed for meaningful differences to be made in peoples lives," he said.
Wright, who is teaching at Virginia Union University in Richmond, has family roots in Virginia. His uncle was minister of Bank Street Memorial Baptist Church in Norfolk, and his grandfather was a pastor in Newport News.
Steven Vegh, (757) 446-2417, steven.vegh@pilotonline.com
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Obama believes this clown
I don't care what Obama says now but the fact is that he listened to "Reverend" (I use that term loosely...should be race-baiter) Wright for many many years and believes him. Obama may say he finds some things Wright says as distasteful but that was only for political expediency. Obama is no better than Wright.
I don't
understand why everything is a color issue with this guy. Why should it matter that Christianity won't be a majority white religion or says that it ever was besides this loon? I can't believe someone who "claims" to be a minister is so fixated on the color of people's skins instead of the disposition of their souls.
And I don't believe for one minute that our President has cut ties with this man.
Shameful!
First of all, Rev. Wright should not use the pulpit to further his own agenda. Preachers are supposed to preach the Gospel, not go for politics. Although some politics should occasionally be addressed, it seems that all he ever talks about is what a rotten deal American has done to everybody and his brother. Furthers hate, not love. Sounds like he likes to "get them riled up." Ever hear a bully try to get his buddies riled up so they can go beat someone up? We have enough of that without getting a full blast from the church.
Secondly, the ones that DO listen to him are obviously not there to hear about the Lord. They're there to "get their ears tickled".
This man should be muzzled.
Three strikes
NO,Rev,that "harsh" 3 strikes law is not just something that relates to Blacks.It relates to all races because all have to deal with the out of control crimes that are perpetuated by Blacks.Maybe you and yours should spend less time blaming Whites and Jews,and more time trying to stop Blacks from committing all these crimes in the first place.But NO,that won't happen.It is much too easy to point fingers and blame others than to take responsibility for your own actions.Dangerously infantile.
Man without a country
Sounds like the man is without a country at this point. Lived here, got an education and made himself a name and now forgets how it all came to be! 'Land of opportunity' is not knocking on his door these days!
The majority of you seem to
The majority of you seem to be reacting against the 45 seconds of clip that Fox news drew from twenty years of preaching. Let's say he preached every sunday for an hour for twenty years. That's over 1000 hours of preaching. The objectionable bits work out to about .0016% of his total message. The most objectionalbe parts of the sound bites the fox nation is using to crucify him are taken wildly out of context. Am I happy with everything he says? No, but he has every right to say it. Further the bulk of his message, aside from the mystical christian claptrap, preaches independance and self reliance for his congregation. In some ways black liberation theology is quite similar to libretarianist ideology. The government is bad, an independant populace is good, individuals must throw off the yoke of enslavement to the government, other cultures are out to get us, ad nauseam. The difference is that this movement has taken hold among urban black instead of rural whites.
What a racist!
Mr. Wright (I do not use Reverend since his actions do not justify the title) is one of the most outspoken racists of today. I guess he attends a "black church" and sees a difference between black and white churches. A true man of God knows that there is only ONE church and we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. Does he also proclaim that there is a white god and a black god? He is so concerned about the poor and disadvantaged but he has no problem flaunting his well financed life style. He is a bitter and devisive man. I will be praying for his heart to change.
Rev. Wright is just wrong-
"Within our lifetimes, Christianity isn't going to be a predominantly white religion," he said. "In terms of world religions, Christianity is growing in the continent of Africa, in Southeast Asia."
It never has been. It's growing in other Nations because folks of all different colors have gone out to spread the word of Jesus' love. It's separatist comments like this that cause problems. People of all colors have been Christians since it started. While there may be more "white" people in the Christian Cburch in the US, its because there are more "white" people than any other color-unless our gov stats are wrong. I raise this man up in prayer and hope that he would choose to use his pulpit to spread love and not dividing hate speech. BTW-my name may look it, but Im not white, so dont go there please. Peace!
WE CAN ALL GET ALONG
As soon as we have equal treatment for all Americans. We need to start with getting rid of special programs that support minorities beginning with Affirmitive Action. Will someone please tell me how people like the good race baiter Rev. Wright and those like him, Sharpton and Jackson continue to rant about equality when every special government backed program is geared towards minorities, specifically blacks. Trust me, I've filled out FASFA data and because I have a job, even though I make less than $70,000 my kid can't get a grant, but I know others (black) and their kids are going to school for free and they make more than me. Is that equality? Is different test standards for blacks and whites equality? Would you rather have a doctor that worked his/her way through college the hard way or an affirmitive action candidate perform your heart surgery? Think about it.
Nothing but hate and seperation
This man uses the guise of being a "pastor" to spread his hate and bad news. Jesus teaches us to discern these types of bad " trees" that cannot produce good fruit. I hope the people that invited this man to speak are asking aware of what they are bringing into their " house".
History is and will continue to be filled with these preachers of hate who align themselves with religion to destroy the church and cause confusion.
Jesus is the truth and those who deliberately cause others to fall will be judged by God himself.