Denomination Wrestles With Pastor’s Statements

[TacticalPeek]

Source: NYT

May 3, 2008

Denomination Wrestles With Pastor’s Statements

By NEELA BANERJEE

Just as Senator Barack Obama has spent this week trying to stem the damage to his campaign from statements by his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., the small, theologically liberal Protestant denomination both men belong to, the United Church of Christ, has been grappling with the impact of the controversy upon its members.

On Thursday, the Rev. John H. Thomas, the denomination’s president, posted an open letter on the United Church of Christ’s Web site acknowledging that members have been dealing with “the same broad set of emotions and frustrations that have been expressed nationwide in recent days and weeks.”

Mr. Thomas said he had heard concern from members about the well-being of the church and its congregations.

“While there is high regard for Reverend Wright’s ministry and leadership at Trinity U.C.C. in Chicago during the past 36 years, and for his prophetic, scriptural preaching,” Mr. Thomas wrote, “many of us today are troubled by some of his controversial comments and the substance and manner in which they have been communicated, both by him and as characterized by the media.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/03/us/politics/03church.html?ref=us

[Kali]

1. ...

:wow: interesting

[MADem]

2. OUCH. nt

[Joe Bacon]

8. Yet nothing about Hagee

Not a peep from the press whores...

[depakid]

18. Actually Frank Rich (not a whore) had something to say in Sunday's Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/opinion/04rich.html?em&ex=1210132800&en=e5d5126f1b93ece3&ei=5087%0A

Not that you'll find much anywhere else....

[Joe Bacon]

19. The same Frank Rich who lied about Al Gore

Until that liar apologizes to Al Gore for making up lie after lie, I could care less about Franky the eternal gasbag.

see Bob Somerby's Daily Howler Archives to see what a worthless fart Frank Rich is at http://www.dailyhowler.com

[Rene]

20. Watch the vieros....the ENTIRE congregation was stomping, clapping, cheering and agreeing with wrigh

that was a totally pervasive attitude in the entire congregation as witnessed by their own outrageous actions on film. you'll never convince me they hid that behavior when the obamas were in the pews.

[susankh4]

3. Glad to see them addressing this.

I really feel for the UCC at this time.

K&R

[salin]

4. I'm UCC and I am not troubled...

[jody]

5. UCC unlike other denominations does not have a rigid doctrine and strong central governing body.

United Church of Christ

Whether UCC accepts or rejects Wright's statements is itself a test of whether very diverse religious groups can coexist.

I'm betting they cannot and Trinity will have to choose between Wright and the UCC affiliation.

[Sam Ervin jret]

6. And this is relevant to this election, Why? Because the MSM says so?

[sneakythomas]

7. Why its relevant

The Romney's long time adherance to church that taught - well the stuff Wright was complaining about - for years wasn't relevant? Each of us gets to decide what we think of it, but I think the question is relevant.

[coalition_unwilling]

9. Shame on the UCC - 99.9% of what Wright said is factually true.

And shame (to a lesser but still significant extent) on Obama.

The one statement Wright made that I believe is factually false -- that the U.S. government created and deliberately introduced the HIV virus into the population -- is understandable, given what the U.S. government did do (absolutely 100% factually documented) when it allowed black soldiers with syphillis to go untreated just so that the government could learn more about the disease's progression.

But whatever, corporate whore media. Don't start by determining whether what Wright said was true. Start with the flawed premise that what Wright said was false and then condemn Wright for his outrageous anti-American statements.

News flash: the truth ALWAYS prevails (albeit sometimes not in one person's lifetime).

[EFerrari]

10. I couldn't agree more.

What have we all become that dissenting voices now have to be disowned, tamped down, castigated?

And what have we become that it isn't the truth of those voices but the social pressure that is the trigger for this shunning?

I am ashamed of the world that my sons will have to deal with.

[coalition_unwilling]

12. Much as I like and admire Obama, I have to say that I am a little

disppointed that Obama hasn't told the American corporate whore media to go f*ck itself (in more diplomatic language, of course).

The historical precedent for this is Harry Truman's long friendship with Kansas City mobster Tom Pendergast. When asked by reporters why he was attending Pendergast's funeral, Truman replied (in the blunt fashion I admire Truman for), "Because he was my friend."

That's how you tell the American corporate whore media to go f*ck itself without using the 'f word'.

Come to think of it, if just once, only once, a mainstream American candidate would tell the American media to go fuck itself and actually use the 'f word,' such a move would endear that candidate to millions of Americans like me who have been itching to hear someone say it who has the proverbial microphone.

[pop goes the weasel]

14. get the syphilis story straight

It's no wonder that Wright has a far-fetched idea about AIDS when so many people on DU have repeatedly gotten the story about CDEC's syphilis study wrong. The definitive historical work on the debacle is <i>Bad Blood</i>. You might have read it back in college. If so, read it again.

[ryanmuegge]

15. Well, beyond the HIV and syphilus stuff, I don't think it's particularly outlandish

to say that the US government has killed a lot of people in other countries. Guess what, those people are angry about it. It's incredibly naive to act as if our foreign policy didn't have at least something to do with 9/11 or the bombing of the embassy in Kenya...or what have you.

To even have a debate about our use of force is forbidden by the media. That's what's disturbing about this Rev. Wright shit. Whether or not we should have a heavy-handed foreign policy seems perfectly debatable from an intellectual perspective. Anybody who questions the morality and pragmatism of a heavily interventionist foreign policy is "crazy." That's the message being communicated by the media with this controversy.

We're still waiting for Bush's "foreign-handed," libertarian-style foreign policy he promised in 2000 when he had to pretend to be "moderate."

[jasmine621]

17. Wright is right. Obama will do and say what polliticians say.

After sixteen years at Trinity you can't tell me Obama doesn't have many of the same views that Wright has. It's for damn sure that Michelle does. Here thesis gives a good glimpse into what she really feels.

[Blue_Tires]

21. +1

[SargeXXX]

11. Rev. Wright is soooo last century.

Lets look to the future insead.

[coalition_unwilling]

13. And that's why any decent historian worth his or her salt likes and admires

Wright . . . because 99.9% of what he said is factually true. Incredible in the United States of Amnesia.

[John Kerry VonErich]

16. Must be the IRS knocking on their door.

nt

[brentspeak]

22. What the heck does that mean???

[John Kerry VonErich]

23. Someone must have sent a complaint to take away the church's tax exempt status.

Was those soundbites come from the time before Wright retired? Just need to check my suspicions.

[brentspeak]

24. "Suspicions" about what?

Why would Wright's comments threaten the UCC's tax-exempt status?

[EFerrari]

25. There is no basis to revoke their status. No one is telling anyone

how to vote.