South Side Chicago church's tenets spark criticism of Obama by some conservatives

[DeepModem Mom]

Chicago Tribune: Race, religion sensitive subtext in presidential campaign
South Side church's tenets spark criticism of Obama by some conservatives
By Manya A. Brachear and Bob Secter, Tribune staff reporters
Published February 6, 2007

....conservative critics already have begun a buzz on the Internet about (Barack Obama's) adherence to the creed of the prominent South Side church he attends, Trinity United Church of Christ. The congregation posits what it terms a Black Value System, including calls to be "soldiers for black freedom" and a "disavowal of the pursuit of middleclassness."

In an interview late Monday, Obama said it was important to understand the document as a whole rather than highlight individual tenets. "Commitment to God, black community, commitment to the black family, the black work ethic, self-discipline and self-respect," he said. "Those are values that the conservative movement in particular has suggested are necessary for black advancement.

"So I would be puzzled that they would object or quibble with the bulk of a document that basically espouses profoundly conservative values of self-reliance and self-help."

In his published memoirs, Obama said even he was stopped by Trinity's tenet to disavow "middleclassness" when he first read it two decades ago in a church pamphlet. The brochure implored upwardly mobile church members not to distance themselves from less fortunate Trinity worshipers.

"As I read it, at least, it was a very simple argument taken directly from Scripture: `To whom much is given much is required,'" Obama said in the interview.

That was then. On Saturday, Obama is expected to thrust himself into the hothouse atmosphere of presidential campaign politics, where the principles and teachings of Obama's church might require some explanation for, say, some white, middle-class voters in Iowa or New Hampshire....

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-0702060164feb06,1,5408274.story

[Dean Martin]

1. Well Jesus did tell the rich man to give all his money to the poor

and he said it was harder for a rich man to pass through the eye of a needle than to get into heaven.

Christians are not supposed to value materialistic things. I see nothing wrong in that church's message. Sounds to me like many many more Christian churches need to practice not distancing themselves from less fortunate folks.

[EST]

3. I must take exception to a mis-characterization of Jesus the

Christ's tenets. It is not that christians are not supposed to value material things, it is that if your obsession for things stops you from experiencing your christianity, dump 'em!

Those possessions are not necessarily material, either.
Anything that you allow to keep you from growing to fit the precious, beautiful being that you are should be examined and removed from your path. This is true for all people, not just aspiring christians.

[Dean Martin]

6. That's an interpretation

That seems to be an interpretation of words written 2,000 years ago and they have to be taken at face value. We can't interpret something written as text because we weren't there. The text says "sell everything you own and give it to the poor."

I don't agree with anyone who tries to say "Well what he is saying here is this...." when that's not what the words say.


However I think the real issue is they're making a big deal out of conservatives having a problem with it. Most conservatives I know have a problem with everything. They're almost always looking for something to complain about.

[TankLV]

8. It's what the INTERPRETERS of what was actually said WROTE.

Whether what was said is what was written is extremely doubtful...

The idividual WRITERS used their own INTERPRETATIONS for what they IMAGINED what was said.

The earliest writings are about a hundred years past the death of the Christ...

[Dean Martin]

9. I'm aware of that

Paul's writings are the earliest to mention Jesus, from around 60 ad I think. The actual 4 gospels ESTIMATED time of writings are about 100 years after the alleged Christ died, and that's a guess, because there are no writings from even 100 years afterward, and no mention of him from contemporary writers.

I wasn't going to get into all that though. I'm just trying to say I see nothing wrong with Obama's church urging its followers not to distance themselves from their poor members.

[sandnsea]

2. The white working class voters won't need any explanation

and there's more of us than there are of upper class whites anyway. Now THIS is the biggest non-scandal scandal so far. ALERT: Obama follows Christ's teachings!!! Good grief. It's going to be a looooong year.

[donco6]

4. Obama's response should have been . . .

"Yeah. Those are my church's values. Next question?"

There's no need to defend them at all.

[KingFlorez]

5. It's more like Conservatives who focus on one group of people

Conservative candidates spend time focused on fringe right-wingers and an extreme agenda.

[AlinPA]

7. Old Alan Keyes supporters?