Obama’s Spiritual Mentor May Put Church in Hot Water
(Trinity United Church of Christ/Religion News Service) Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., senior pastor, Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, March 2005.
By Jeff Goldblatt
CHICAGO - Barack Obama’s controversial pastor and the church he’s served for 36 years may be in hot water over statements he has made from the pulpit in support of the Illinois senator’s run for the White House.
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. preaches that he follows the righteous path, but when it comes to the federal tax law, his Trinity United Church of Christ may have crossed the line.
Although Wright delivered what was billed as his final sermon last month on his path to retirement, prior to his departure he delivered commentary from the pulpit now being scrutinized in which he praised Obama.
“There is a man here who can take this country in a new direction,” Wright said during his Jan. 13 sermon, according to recordings obtained by FOX News.
It was not the first time Wright appeared to endorse Obama, who was baptized at Trinity United, has been an active member of the church for two decades and receives spiritual mentorship from Wright.
The title of Obama’s second book, “The Audacity of Hope,” was taken from a sermon by Wright.
During a Christmas sermon, Wright tried to compare Obama’s upbringing to Jesus at the hands of the Romans.
“Barack knows what it means living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people,” Wright said. “Hillary would never know that.
“Hillary ain’t never been called a nigger. Hillary has never had a people defined as a non-person.”
In his Jan. 13 sermon, Wright said:
“Hillary is married to Bill, and Bill has been good to us. No he ain’t! Bill did us, just like he did Monica Lewinsky. He was riding dirty.”
FOX News purchased the video recordings of Wright’s sermons from the church.
“It’s pretty clear an indirect endorsement of Barack Obama - that’s not something you’re supposed to do according to the tax code,” said Andrew Walsh, a professor at Trinity College who specializes in religion in politics.
The tax code bans churches from participating in or intervening in a political campaign. Violations can result in the loss of a church’s tax exempt status.
The Obama campaign issued a statement in response to FOX News’ inquiries about Wright’s sermons.
“Senator Obama has said repeatedly that personal attacks such as this have no place in this campaign or our politics, whether they’re offered from a platform at a rally or the pulpit of a church,” said Bill Burton, a campaign spokesman.
“Senator Obama does not think of the pastor of his church in political terms. Like a member of his family, there are things he says with which Senator Obama deeply disagrees.”
Click here to visit Trinity United Church of Christ Web site.
Obama defended Wright’s longtime activism for blacks in America last week at a campaign event in Ohio.
“Jeremiah Wright … has said some things that are considered controversial because he’s considered that part of his social gospel,” Obama said.
The Internal Revenue Service wouldn’t comment on whether it is looking into potential tax violations at Trinity United. The church declined to make Wright available for an interview.
Congregant Dwight Hopkins, a professor of Theology at the University of Chicago, said there is no basis for the IRS to go after the church.
“From the church side they will say it’s theology,” said. “If it wasn’t a senator running for president and it wasn’t his church, then I think we could say all kinds of things.”
The IRS has written dozens of letters warning churches against political advocacy from the pulpit. Yet it has revoked a church’s tax-exempt status only twice in the last half-century.
Walsh said it’s not typical for the IRS to enforce the rules.
“There’s a tension here between the desires of the religious leaders to say important things in the public marketplace and the IRS rules, and so most of the time, the IRS does not enforce these rules,” Walsh said.
The public scrutiny of these sermons comes in the wake of last month’s revelation by the head of the United Church of Christ that the IRS is investigation a speech Obama gave at the denomination’s national conference last year in Connecticut.
In a certified letter, Marsha Ramirez, IRS director, EO Examinations, wrote:
“Our concerns are based on articles posted on several Web sites including the church’s which state the United States Presidential Candidate Senator Barack Obama addressed nearly 10,000 church members gathered at the United Church of Christ’s biennial General Synod at the Hartford Civic Center, on June 23, 2007. In addition, 40 Obama volunteers staffed campaign tables outside the center to promote his campaign.”
The church and the Obama campaign have denied that any inappropriate political advocacy occurred during this speech.
Wright’s sermons often address themes of white supremacy and black repression, and critics have called them racially divisive.
Some remarks attributed to Wright that have been posted on the Internet and cited in press accounts include:
“Fact number one: We’ve got more black men in prison than there are in college.
“Fact number two: Racism is how this country was founded and how this country is still run.
“We are deeply involved in the importing of drugs, the exporting of guns and the training of professional killers. … We believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in God. … We conducted radiation experiments on our own people. … We care nothing about human life if the ends justify the means.
“And … And … And! God! Has got! To be sick! Of this shit!”
Click here to hear an audio clip of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. WARNING: Contains offensive language.
Once Wright’s remarks were widely publicized last year, Obama backed out of his plans for his pastor to speak at his Feb. 10 presidential announcement.
Obama met Wright after college while working with local churches in Chicago to tackle problems of drug abuse and unemployment in inner-city neighborhoods. Wright preached an Afrocentric theology that interpreted the Bible through shared suffering of African Americans.
For Obama, this experience was a spiritual turning point. He has written that he had been exposed to various faiths during his life but never formally adopted one until after meeting Wright.
“Inside the thousands of churches across the city, I imagined the stories of ordinary black people merging with the stories of David and Goliath, Moses and Pharaoh, the Christians in the lion’s den, Ezekiel’s field of dry bones,” he wrote in his memoir, “Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.”
“Those stories - of survival, and freedom, and hope - became our story, my story.”
We must face the fact that racism exist and Obama is trying to bring unity. The truth is you all do not want it so you throw these attacks to confuse the nation that believes in unity and mostly the young. Young people I have one thing to say racism is true among all but you must fight for your future to bring unity because this hate is what has made this country and place this country where it is today unequality. No one can benefit from it anymore. I truly believe a person with both race is the answer. Jesus christ sat and ate with sinners
WAKE UP AMERICA!!!! Obama chose to learn from a man who hates whites, who damns America and who only is thinking about black people and their “suffering”.
Run, Run away from this man…his pastor is a WOLF in sheeps clothes and Obama has willingly learned from him and followed him for 20 years….This tells us a great deal about Obama and what he believes…
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This issue was brought up several months but the media sweap it under the carpet…. especially by MSNBC/CNN…Thank You FOX for doing this. We are still in SHOCK. We watched Barack Hussein Obama being interveiwed by Fox…and you could tell he (Obama)wasn’t being honest about knowing that Rev.Wright was preaching hate. The language is so offensive…how could people bring there children to this church? It is on the record that Obama & Wright talked and agreed that he (Wright) would have to distance himself from Obama. So, Obama knew what this evil man was preaching for 20 years & that it would hurt his bid for the White House. They hate white people but Obama took the white rich, white blue collar,white poor Donations & Vote. Do you feel BETRAYED & FOOLISH now? It seems very odd that Obama has won almost all the Caucues and very few PRIMARIES. We have friends that voted in the “BELTWAY” Washington. They were not ask for ID in the WA caucus…it was a mess, unorganized & anyone could of voted. We have heard the same thing about the Texas caucus. Does anyone know if you can check the caucuses that have been held for voter fraud??? We have never supported Obama because our son is a Sgt, in the Marine. He is a Combat Media Photographer and has done 2 tours in Irag. We could not vote for someone who’s name sounds like the 2 Evil men we were hunting for. One we found in Iraq & one we are still searching for in Afganistan. It has nothing to do with RACE. Why does Obama not want to use his middle name? Michelle O. has said some mean & hateful things about America… I guess she was listening to Rev. Wright. Why hasn’t the Kennedy’s or John Kerry came to his defense yet??? They have been using this race card from day one to win the White House and it has worked …We just hope American wakes up and sees the writing on the wall. WE are supporting HILLARY! “OSAMA” BIN LADIN - Afganistan
Barack “HUSSEIN” “OBAMA”
Sadam “HUSSEIN”- Iraq
Marine’s Family & Friends
Just another typical instance of a black preacher spewing hate and showing his true racist colors. Blacks are more racist than whites. Hell, they segregate THEMSELVES from other races communities.
you seem to only print racist comments and list 80% of the comments on Obama haters.. Fox news where are my comments? And where are the rest of the comments that others hve made for Obama? He is not perfect how can a man be racist hat was raised by an Caucasian Mother?
He has credited his mother and her parents for his sucess in life?
Why do blame Obama for what Another Man has said?
He has openly denouced this man and what he said… Has Mccain Denouced Rod Parsley or Hagee for their racist, anti-homosexual, anti-muslim comments?
I am appauled this has reached this level all muslims are not terrorist …..Why does your media allow print that would associte muslims with terrorist? It makes it bad for People who are muslims who wish to live a good life in America. I am not muslims but I think it is unfair. To those who want the choice to worship God on how they want to. Isn’t that why people live in America in the first place.
The Pastor was fiving his last speech. He said comments that he felt was true … What about Rod Parsley being MCCAIN’S Spitual Leader …Rod Parsley hates Homsexuals and Muslims is this Right? All Hate is Hate… This is obvioulsy a Double Standard!!!! There is no scandal on McCain’s Spiritual Leader…..Umm? I wonder Why????
As a follow up to my letter months ago, I warned that if phony Obama is President of the United States there will be more racial tension then ever before. You hear it beginning now everywhere on the radio waves, newspapers, networks and word of mouth. We are on the verge of pockets of civil war (mark my word) and it has to do with race, discrimination against women, slavery of god (yes the oldest slave) God is not a man, and blind faith. Look at what is happening around us, I mean look further than your back yard, other states, nations, countries. America is in trouble and I pray we can find a way out of this mess.
I am a Hillary supporter but she may not get the nomination. Blind faith. That is another subject for later. It is time to evaluate how we as a people are going to deal with this burning discrimination. No one person is going to fix this hatred in our country. The president is only a figurehead and the people need to fix this. Where do we begin. Start first by thinking of god as a no gender no name god, Then free yourself and rid yourself of hatred, racism and discrimination. Friends in god will help us all. Keep your eyes open for FIG. Go Hillary.
Now it is getting interesting… reading most of the blogs.. my oh my… I find that the American people are still somewhat naïve, funny or simply do not want to either confront their past to embrace their future.
With no insults meant, please allow me to say that America has failed the world. So, it is somewhat very amusing to follow this election campaign. While, I have noticed some bring spot here and there, I must observe quite regrettably that America is so afraid to talk about their internal ideological, historical, cultural differences (call it “discourse” as David mentioned on CNN tonight).
Growing up in Africa, we look up to America as the protector of the poor, the land of quality and freedom… did I forget opportunity? As I grow up I watched as in my own amazement as my ideology and view changed, shifted back and fort while acquiring western education, learning my culture, asking questions about religion, races, slavery.
I listen to the elders in the village; I went to school, listened to my Grand mom’s stories at night, then listen to the Pastor on Sunday. I must have a confused mind.. I sometimes tell myself Today I live in North America and watching you Americans talk is so funny.
You want to spread freedom to the rest of the world, create democracy and opportunity to all men living on earth. Tibet, Kosovo, Afghanistan, did I forget Iraq…?
One articulate lady said that “for the first time in her adult life… she is proud of her country” And funny enough most American read those words, word to word. Where are great minds of America?… what happened to the Roland Regeans and Kennedys?
The world is in crisis and the little ones have lost all hope in the giant one. A French official said this week “America has lost is glitter”… You might think is it a joke… This wee, the Pentagon awarded American largest air defense contract to Airbus, Bill Gate told congress he needs to import more foreign workers, the US Dollar is acing to the floor and you want to win a War.
Choose wisely.