Obama’s Church Fires Back
File; Barack Obama with Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. (AP Photo)
The Chicago church attended by Barack Obama is fighting back against media coverage of its controversial pastor, issuing a statement on Sunday, saying reports on the inflammatory remarks by Rev. Jeremiah Wright are an attempt to attack “the history of the African American church.”
“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,” the leaders of Trinity United Church of Christ wrote Sunday in a statement distributed to the media.
Claiming that Wright’s 36 years as pastor of the church — the largest United Church of Christ congregation, with 8,000 members — is being demeaned, Rev. John H. Thomas, UCC general minister and president, said, “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 … 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.”
Neither Wright nor Obama was present at the church on Sunday, but all of talk news has been on the subject of the pastor, whose many sermons have been captured on video and replayed across television and the Internet over the past few weeks.
Some of the more flamboyant sermons have included statements saying that the U.S. created the AIDS virus to kill African Americans and that the United States was asking for the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks because it had supported “state-sponsored terrorism” against black South Africans and Palestinian
Obama’s campaign has tried to distance the candidate from his Wright, the man who coined the phrase “the audacity of hope” that became the title of Obama’s bestselling book.
Speaking in a conference call on Sunday, Obama’s advisers acknowledged that the pastor was supposed to appear at the announcement of Obama’s presidential campaign last year, but was cut from the program in part because they knew he was controversial and didn’t want him to become a target or distraction, both of which he nows appears to be.
But even as attention is focused on Obama, Hillary Clinton’s supporters have refrained from pouncing on the opportunity to link Obama to his 20-year-long spiritual adviser.
“I mean, as you know, I prefer Senator Clinton for a whole lot of reasons, but I don’t cast aspersions on Senator Obama for what somebody else said,” Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told “FOX News Sunday.”
Calling Trinity’s social justice and outreach programs “inclusive and global” Moss added that not much has changed since the era of Martin Luther King’s sermons for equality. He claimed that African American churches, “born out of the crucible of slavery and the legacy of prophetic African American preachers since slavery” continue to treat marginalized victims of social and economic injustices in the face of prejudice.
“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,” he said, adding “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.”
Click here to read the Trinity United Church of Christ statement.
FOX News’ Caroline Shively contributed to this report.
Enough is enough with your guilt by association format. I have been a big fan of Hannity over the years, but he and your whole team seems to be over the top with trying to pin Sen’s Obama and Clinton with the sins of third party supporters. Hell I’d vote for Sen Clinton in a heart beat if I wasn’t worried about her wild a_ _ husband running around the White House and Globe unsupervised. Shots about an otherwise ignored frustrated minister for more than 30 years. Well you finally got him out front. Hannity with his on the street inquiry about Sen Obamas accomplishments… what did Hannity do to qualify for hundreds of thousands a year to fill the air waves with such nonsense reporting? I used to think you were Fair and Ballanced, not so sure any more.
If you the church, can’t take the truth, the old saying is “If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen”
Blacks stick up for Blacks whether right or wrong. You could be a murder and rapist and they’d come up with some excuse. Maybe Hillary can’t say it but in my opinion the media started this by blowing up Bill’s “fairytale” comment and saying it was racist (how in gods name is that racist) and then the black community found their “out” to vote for Obama. They are traitors for turning against Hillary. That pastor is a total wack job. He was on Hannity and Combs and wouldn’t even let them fininsh their sentences. the people of his congregation are wack jobs and if Obama is there, I wouldn’t trust him with my kids let alone this whole entire country. Don’t do it, Please, vote Hillary, not Mccain because he wants the war to continue which seems like a form of terrorism too. The Iraqees aren’t going to get “nice” anytime soon and we souldn’t be telling them how to run their country.
I did not see a single statement on any of the items he said being used as shock value in his sermons. Just generalized reply that claims this is standard statements used in African American Church’s. The claim that all of the statements Pastor Wright used were for shock value. Does that mean he doesn’t believe what he said?
I believe we need to have a public response on each statement.
The reverend’s words are HIS words. If the church believes what he said, then they can stand behind him if they please, but they CANNOT say that the media is painting a caricature of him when they are his own words.
It seems what they’re trying to do is to say we’re wrong for not liking what he said-with which I disagree. They can believe what they want, but they can’t MAKE me believe their perverted views, if that’s the kind of thing they actually believe.
I believe Pastor Wright is wrong! And I believe he and Senator Obama owe America an apology! People in Illinois were duped. If Mccain ever said anything derogatory about black America .he would be gone! That’s Wright I forgot Obama doesn’t see a black America he doesn’t see a white America he just sees America! The same way Pastor Wright and Louis Farakum see America!
Chinese Saying #1: 路遥知马力, 日久见人心
This says: You can only know a horse’s power after he walks long way and you can only know a person’s true heart after knowing him for long time.
So for Senator Obama - You knew Pastor Wright for 20 years and you should know who he is. You are lying you don’t know what Wright stands for.
For folks who voted for Senator Obama - Now time passes by and you know who he has been with.
For folks who has not voted for him yet - You need to work harder to not let Senator Obama get away with this.
Chinese Saying #2: 物以类聚, 人以群分
This says: You group things by their kind and you group people by their thinking.
Senator Obama has been friend with Wright for 20 years, what do you think? He is just under a different mask.
Time to wake up and stop him.
On Obama’s Pastor, I have two questions for American media. If my priest is a pedophile, does that make every Parish member pedophiles and should I quit being a Christian? It’s obvious where the media stands, how they want to influence ignorant Americans and the direction they have been dying to confine this election.
America has been busy peddling democracy all over the world, yet they are the most ignorant nation in the world. This might be news to most Americans because they are so out of touch with the rest of the world. How can you profess to be the leader of the world yet you can’t deal with identity politics? Race and gender genocide still exist in this country. Gov. Ed Rendell said openly that people from his state are so ignorant that they would never vote for a black candidate. This is 2008, for goodness sake. On Obama’s Pastor, I have two questions for American media. If my priest is a pedophile, does that make every Parish member pedophiles and should I quit being a Christian? It’s obvious where the media stands.
HOLY MOLEY! I had no idea this went on in a church. HOLY MOLEY again for Fox News running this 50 times an hour. Fox is showing how controlled the news media has become. Hannidy has looking absolutely rabid over the church thing and the rest are following him way to close.
Everyone needs to take a look at LinkTV for some refreshing change to corrupt news casting.
I expect this posting will be cut.