« Sunday Morning Talking Points From The DNC | Main | Gen. Petraeus Comments On New Pres. Wanting Withdrawl »
March 17, 2008
Obama's Church Fights Back
Obama's church accuses media of character assassination
CHICAGO
The church attended by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) fought back Sunday against mounting criticism of its pastor, accusing the media of character assassination and “crucifixion.”
Otis Moss II, the current pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, used his pulpit to defend his congregation and its past minister, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., from a wave of controversy stemming from inflammatory statements made by Wright.
"We have listened and watched as the wonderful work of our church has been vilified this week," he told about 3,000 congregants on Palm Sunday morning. "This week should be special for us because I guess we know a little something about crucifixion."
The church also released a statement that began: “Nearly three weeks before the 40th commemorative anniversary of the murder of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Reverend Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.’s character is being assassinated in the public sphere because he has preached a social gospel on behalf of oppressed women, children and men in America and around the globe.”
Trinity, an 8,000-member church on the South Side of Chicago, came under intense scrutiny over the past week for statements made by Wright that harshly criticized American society as racist and blamed U.S. leaders for the Sept. 11 attacks.
Moss delivered a fiery sermon Sunday, defending the African-American church’s right to speak out about social issues. He stressed Trinity's work in its still-impoverished community, mentioning the church's scholarship programs, drug counseling, SAT prep classes, and missions to Africa.
"Our very sanity is connected to the church. If it hadn't been for the church we would have lost our minds in the insanity of racism," he said, in a sermon titled, "Why the Black Church Won't Shut Up."
Although Moss never mentioned Obama explicitly, he alluded to his most famous parishioner in a prayer asking God to "do something amazing in this country" and "break down walls that are centuries old."
Neither Wright or Obama were present Sunday.
Moss’s sermon also echoed the inclusiveness theme that runs though Obama's stump speeches, highlighting how the church welcomes worshipers of every color, creed, and sexual orientation.
In the statement released to reporters, Moss said called criticism of Wright and the church an “attack on the legacy of the African American Church which led and continues to lead the fight for human rights in America and around the world.”
Obama's relationship with his church has been a long-running hot button issue for his campaign. But new tapes that circulated of Wright last week reignited a firestorm of criticism.
"God bless America? No. God (expletive) America!" preaches Wright in one particularly fiery sermon circulated in news reports last week.
In a Friday column posted on The Huffington Post, Obama both rejected and condemned Wright's statements.
"The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach while I sat in the pews of Trinity or heard him utter in private conversation," wrote Obama.
On Friday, Wright also stepped down from Obama's African-American Religious Leadership Committee. The 66-year-old pastor is currently in the process of retiring from his position as head pastor of the church.
Obama first distanced himself from Wright early last year, when he withdrew an invitation for the pastor to deliver a public prayer at his announcement for the Democratic nomination.
But in his commentary, Obama made clear his strong ties to his congregation.
Wright built the church from a small flock of less than 100, to a strong pillar of African-American Chicago. The church preaches an Afro-centric theology, describing itself as "Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian."
Their black heritage is seen throughout the sanctuary. Painted glass windows depict famous scenes from black history, like the founding of the NAACP, and church officials wear bright African print tunics and robes.
In Wright's farewell sermon, early last month, he did not mention Obama by name but alluded to his biography and stump speech slogan.
"But, if you use your mind, instead of a lost statistic in a hate-filled universe, you just may end up a law student at Harvard University. In fact, if you use your mind, you might end up as the editor of the Harvard Law Review. If you use your mind, instead of [being] a statistic destined for the poor house, you just may end up a statesman destined for the ... Yes, we can!" he told cheering congregants.
On Sunday, business went on mostly as usual at Trinity. The 150-person choir rocked, 10 babies were blessed, and congregants prayed.
But Moss was well aware that he was hosting some guests. At least a dozen reporters sat in the pews, taking notes on the services. Moss asked them to be respectful and his congregants not to grant any interviews.
"Some people, looking for their 20 minutes of fame," Moss teased his flock, "No interviews."
Here is the full text of the statement, with the headline, “AN ATTACK ON OUR SENIOR PASTOR AND THE HISTORY OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CHURCH”:
Chicago, Ill. (March 15, 2008) — "Nearly three weeks before the 40th commemorative anniversary of the murder of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Reverend Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.’s character is being assassinated in the public sphere because he has preached a social gospel on behalf of oppressed women, children and men in America and around the globe.“Dr. Wright has preached 207,792 minutes on Sunday for the past 36 years at Trinity United Church of Christ. This does not include weekday worship services, revivals and preaching engagements across America and around the globe, to ecumenical and interfaith communities. It is an indictment on Dr. Wright’s ministerial legacy to present his global ministry within a 15- or 30-second sound bite,” said the Reverend Otis Moss III, pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ.
During the 36-year pastorate of Dr. Wright, Trinity United Church of Christ has grown from 87 to 8,000 members. It is the largest congregation in the United Church of Christ (UCC) denomination.
“It saddens me to see news stories reporting such a caricature of a congregation that has been such a blessing to the UCC’s Wider Church mission,” said the Rev. John H. Thomas, UCC general minister and president, in a released statement. “ … It’s time for us to say ‘No’ to these attacks and declare that we will not allow anyone to undermine or destroy the ministries of any of our congregations in order to serve their own narrow political or ideological ends.”
Trinity United Church of Christ’s ministry is inclusive and global. The following ministries have been developed under Dr. Wright’s ministerial tutelage for social justice: assisted living facilities for senior citizens, day care for children, pastoral care and counseling, health care, ministries for persons living with HIV/AIDS, hospice training, prison ministry, scholarships for thousands of students to attend historically black colleges, youth ministries, tutorial and computer programs, a church library, domestic violence programs and scholarships and fellowships for women and men attending seminary.
Moss added, “The African American Church was born out of the crucible of slavery and the legacy of prophetic African American preachers since slavery has been and continues to heal broken marginalized victims of social and economic injustices. This is an attack on the legacy of the African American Church which led and continues to lead the fight for human rights in America and around the world.”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached the Christian tenet, “love thy neighbor as thyself.” Before Dr. King was murdered on April 4, 1968, he preached, “The 11 o’clock hour is the most segregated hour in America.” Forty years later, the African American Church community continues to face bomb threats, death threats, and their ministers’ characters are assassinated because they teach and preach prophetic social concerns for social justice. Sunday is still the most segregated hour in America."
Wild Thing's comment........
Moss delivered a fiery sermon Sunday, defending the African-American church’s right to speak out about social issues.”
No one is saying you can’t speak out on social issues. Its the America is racist, the white man caused 9-11, hate America, hate white people etc. that is disgusting.
Sorry but playing the victim card will not fly.
Posted by Wild Thing at March 17, 2008 12:40 AM
Comments
... so KKK David Duke could also justify his hate by speaking out loud via the First Amendment? Adolf Hitler would have found a home for his Third Reichstagge in ... CHICAGO - "Sieg Heil Obama?" These militant Chicago wackos must really THINK that WE THE PEOPLE are stupid, deaf and dumb, eh? Too bad Bugsy Moran and Al Capone are gone...?
Posted by: darthcrUSAderworldtour07 at March 17, 2008 04:52 AM
We had a born again bombadier that used to watch the movie ROOTS backwards because he claimed it had a happy ending? He was no different than Pastor of Hate Jeremiah Bullfrog Wright! HATE is HATE in black and white, white and black, etc...
No hate crimes are necessary and the Ten Commandments are in the Holy Bible, Old Testament, Exodus chapter 20! The Holy Bible is printed in black and white.
Posted by: drstrangeloveb52isok at March 17, 2008 05:04 AM
Does he forget that there were white slaves, too? And native Americans and orientals? And what about the Hebrew children who have been brutally treated since the times of Maccabeus and Antiochus? Please, don't shove that victim card in my face!
The Irish couldn't find work (NINA--no irish need apply) and had to do things unimaginable to make ends meet. The Irish were also starved out by the British who took any good food for themselves and left those rotting praties (potatoes) for the Irish. (the old attitude--if we can't get them out, we'll starve them out.) And the Spanish/Irish coal mine slaves in Wales. Yeah, they were told they could go home to Ireland, but they weren't given any boats.
The Natives were pushed onto reservations, taken from their homes and left to die.
So these people have no room to talk about how bad we are. It was us bad White Americans who freed them and gave them a voice to be heard, so no, I don't play that game.
Posted by: Lynn at March 17, 2008 05:15 AM
Isn't it strange as soon as they are challanged they say they have free speech. According to Pastor Wright, the black man does not have any freedoms. Because the Evil Rich White People took them away. Now which is it.
They are claiming freedoms which are clearly granted in the Constitution, yet for 40 years they have been calling America, the Country, that has protected their right to trash America. But also they are to be held accountable for that hate which has been generated for the past 40 years.
Especially, when one raised in that Hate-filled community is passing himself off as the great savior of the whole country. When his backbround is nothing but hate for the White man, and suddenly that hate is brought to light.
Lay down with dogs you are gonna wake up with fleas. The democrats are trying to run interference for him, but this is too big and is going to get bigger.
But the Churches defense is typical democrat, they are claiming they are a victim, of , what else, White Racism.
Posted by: Mark at March 17, 2008 07:29 AM
I am somewhat disgusted that the media doesn't understand that a minister has a right to assess why a situation like 9/11/01 has occured. It was immediately reported that many went to their Bibles right after the attack in search of Bible prophecy concerning that event. The problem is that the Bible does have the answers and the prophecies concerning this and a whole string of events that led up to this and more events to come. It is found in the Prophecy of Old Testament's Book Of Habbakkuk. God led me to this while in prayer in the Spring of 1995, as I was praying for a man of God that was tempted by a lawyer Judd Hirsch to carry out Justifiable Homicide of which he said he submitted to Pat Robertson's Law school,of which I believe is Regent's Law school. This particular reverend was placed on death row in Florida as a result of carrying out what Hirsch said could be defended. Once the event occured, Hirsch and the school rescinded the journal report of how someone who shoots an abortionist could use the defense of Justifiable Homicide. I had prayed for this man on death row, I was asking how could he be executed, at that time I was unaware of how he was enticed by a lawyer to do this. He had been a protester outside an abortion clinic in Florida, and was seeing Hirsch for a noise disturbance ordinance.
We all have heard the story of Moses and his act of what he believed was justifiable homicide when he slew the Egyptian, after possibly saving a fellow Hebrew from a beating death. Once his fellow Hebrew slaves planned to rat him out of which Moses would have been executed if he had stayed, he fled into the wilderness of which God spoke to him in the burning bush. God never once spoke of judgement against him for his murder or slaying, he instead used him for a great feat of leading his children out of bondage. He never instructed Moses to return and face his death penalty, nor did God deliver it to Moses himself. The Bible clearly identifies that God waited for those who sought your life to be dead before Moses entered back into Egypt.
I could immediately see Roe v. Wade, the description of evolution, that in effect has led mankind to believe he hasn't a Creator, a God, a thus Ruler over them. This enabled mankind to commit acts of genocide, the teaching of evolution itself has enabled Hitler to justify the extinction of races not fit to live, as he used Social Darwism, ethnicity posters depicting racist statements in public to justify his eventual genocide. America's history has had their part in this with the genocide of the Native American Indian population, of which they still live in isolation and poverty, of which media disregards them as part of the social fabric of America.
I didn't realize that the description of the actual attack on the World Trade Towers was part of the prophecy and what it fully meant until after it occured. The prophecy mentions a siege of strongholds, of government officials. This could most likely occur before Bush leaves office, because of the description of the man whose soul that is lifted up isn't upright in him. He also is under the curse of Tecumseh's brother Tensakatowah, of which the History Channel reported that presidents elected in the years ending with zeros would die while in office, which started with William Henry Harrison, a direct problem whose militia killed Tecumseh and had continually driven tribal nations from their ancestral homelands.
Bush's great grandfather, Prescott Bush started the secret society of the Skull and Bones Society, of which he dug up Geronimos skull and it is still encased in their national headquaters. So the Bush's really have a large hand in this tie to the curse, and I believe it is him, as Tribal nations are God's blessed people who had observed God's laws. This is all lead by God to bring judgement against the corrupt in both nations, and each nation is used as an instrument to carry out judgement on the other. America has judged Iraq twice, which is the modern day nation of the Chaldeans of the Bible, Abram's homeland before he became Abraham,of which his first son, Ishmael and his mother Hagar returned to after Sarah desired her departure. Iraq is the capital of the Muslim beliefs, of which these are the people that are described as carrying out the judgments.
Posted by: Shelley Watkins at March 17, 2008 01:43 PM
Darth, LOL good ole Bugsy Moran and Al Capone they would not stand for this crap for 5 seconds. hahaha
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 17, 2008 11:54 PM
drstrangeloveb52isok, haha well that is one way to watch it.
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 17, 2008 11:57 PM
Lynn your exactly right, there were white slaves and they do not want to mention it.
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 17, 2008 11:59 PM
Mark good one, your so right. They yell our freedom of speech as soon as they are in trouble.
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 18, 2008 12:00 AM
