“Most importantly, Rev. Wright preached the gospel of Jesus, a gospel on which I base my life. In other words, he has never been my political advisor; he’s been my pastor. And the sermons I heard him preach always related to our obligation to love God and one another, to work on behalf of the poor, and to seek justice at every turn.”
First a small thing: I predict Obama will come to regret saying that the sermons he heard Wright speech “always” related to spiritual matters. That’s just the sort of unequivocal word that prompts investigative journalists to find the gotcha example that contradicts the statement.
More important, those first two sentences in this passage from his Huffington Post statement are key to Obama turning the Jeremiah Wright controversy from a potentially devastating negative into a positive. In addition to repudiating Wright’s statements (which he’s now done), Obama also has to further remind people that the main purpose of church (and Rev. Wright) is spiritual not political.
This serves two purposes. First, it reminds people that Obama is not Muslim. No kidding. I think every sentence of elaboration that Obama can offer about his walk with Christ will both help with the Wright situation and the “B. Hussain Obama” issue.
Secondly, it subtly highlights something that people find irksome about the way preachers play, and are depicted, in the political world. Most of the ministers that get TV air time in political season are political preachers, or what my colleague David Kuo calls “poli-pastors.” If you see Pat Robertson or James Dobson on TV enough you come to think that the purpose of most preaching is influencing politics. But the poli-pastors are the exceptions, not the rule. I’m not one who decries the religious influence in politics, but we should remember that most of what most preachers preach most of the time is spiritual not political.
By emphasizing that about Wright, Obama both helps with his political dilemma and also signals that he actually understands what it’s like to sit in the pew on a regular basis, and that for him, his spiritual home is mostly, well, spiritual.
posted March 16, 2008 at 8:31 am
Yeah, I thought it was pretty smart of Obama to emphasis the spiritual aspect as well. You could see that the political wasn’t always the focus even in the rant about Hillary because the pastor ended with his love of Jesus (although a black Jesus which I believe is idolatry).
I also thought it was smart of Obama to talk about the transition in the black community of the old guard to the new. It distances himself from his pastor and explains why he doesn’t spout the same political rhetoric of his pastor (in his CNN interview).
But I think he made a mistake in saying that he would have left the church had he known what Wright had said about 9-11 and his other racist rants. I don’t buy that he didn’t know what his pastor said, it would have the talk of the congregation for months afterward (unless it was the type of think that the pastor usually said). It would have been smarter to say that his rants were less frequent than his gospel message and he was there for that. That would have been much more believable.
posted March 16, 2008 at 8:55 am
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13: 34,35
That was quoted of Jesus to His disciples shortly before Jesus was going to be executed.
Where is the love in Wright’s sermons for white people? He vilifies and hates white people over and over in the snippets we were given. I can’t imagine how the man teaches and preaches in total. Michelle Obama gives us a glimpse from her offering of only now being proud of America. William Wilberforce should be the equal of Martin Luther King Jr. in every African-American heart. As should every Christian white, Black or otherwise. What is more alarming is the acceptance of Kwanzaa (a pseudo religion invented by a racist) in Obama’s Church workings and declarations. Undoubtedly the press will ignore this story because it is easy to see that from Hollywood to New York to Maine, the media is in bed with Obama, but this won’t go away anytime soon within the Christian community, as it appears that Wright has no love at all for anyone but Blacks, Christian or not.
posted March 16, 2008 at 9:23 am
In the interview I saw of Obama he said he would have left the church if he had seen a pattern of such prejudicial rants from his pastor which, he added, he did not see.
posted March 16, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Obama also has to further remind people that the main purpose of church (and Rev. Wright) is spiritual not political.”
Forget reminding the people, he should be reminding Rev. Wright. And someone might want to remind the IRS and have them look into this, too.
posted March 17, 2008 at 12:56 am
Sen. Obama is a astute and viable individual. He worked the streets with Rev. Wright.
My take is that he had to know the full scope of the teaching of Rev. Wright. Whether in the pew or in private conversationl.
Data states Sen. Obama had on or about 20 years of pew work with Rev. Wright. Now Sen. Obama either had his hearing aide switched off and or his mind was on the legal legislative affairs of the day. The latter is not unrealistic as Sen. Obama made a fast track to the Senate House.
The Senator is not responsible for the statements of Rev. Wright. However, he is responsible for the welfare of his soul, spiritually and politically and therefore should have removed his wife and children to a parish where the spiritual nurture would not be in question.
Those who wish to follow Rev. Wright, that is their provided constitutional choice and the freedom to do so for which I shed my blood during WWII. Folowing Rev. Wright is polictically correct among some members in the Afro-American community. However, we must be willing to bear the consequences of our choices. Rights have validity only when they are responsibly accomplished.
Pro Deo et Patria Padre Jeff
posted March 17, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Sen. Obama was extremely negligent in not being there that day so he could walk out!
Seriously, there is nothing he can say or do that will satisfy the people that already despise him. The same with Sen. Clinton. So, why waste time trying?
posted March 17, 2008 at 1:33 pm
I hate to be cycincal here, but I think Rev. Wright plays real well in south Chicago. Rev. Wright is probably just one of the many unsavory characters that any politician has to deal with to get things done. Haggard, Hegge, Roberts, Sharpton, Farrakhan etc. are all crazy or insightful depending on who one asks. As a politician one has to deal with all of them.
posted March 17, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Steven,
You’re focusing on the words, but it’s too late for Obama to paper over this embarrassment with soothing rhetoric. The Wright connection blows Obama’s cover as a kind of post-racial unifier which, to be frank, was the main premise of his value and appeal. The country is not interested in electing a kindler, gentler version of Al Sharpton. It might play in south Chicago, but it doesn’t “play in Peoria.” Agree with you, though, that Obama erred with his categorical denial — the press will definitely be sniffing around for the one exception that makes Obama out to be a liar.
A month ago, a McCain/Clinton runoff in November seemed unlikely, but a month from now a majority of Democrats may conclude that a McCain/Obama runoff is impossible.