In Easter Sermon, New Obama Pastor Charges Rev. Wright Victim of ‘Lynching’
In sermon at Trinity United Church of Christ on Easter Sunday, Rev. Jeremiah Wright was compared to Jesus Christ for facing aggressive media in wake of anti-American remarks. Wright was not present at the sermon. (AP Photo)
CHICAGO — The new pastor of Barack Obama’s church delivered a defiant defense of its retiring reverend Sunday, comparing media coverage of Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. to a modern-day lynching that resembles Jesus’ death at the hands of the Romans.
In a sunrise Easter sermon, Rev. Otis Moss III never mentioned Wright by name, but implied that his mentor, who has delivered sermons in which he likened the U.S. to the Ku Klux Klan and declared it damned for its “state-sponsored terrorism,” is facing the same challenges Jesus did.
“No one should start a ministry with lynching, no one should end their ministry with lynching,” Moss said.
“The lynching was national news. The RNN, the Roman News Network, was reporting it and NPR, National Publican Radio had it on the radio. The Jerusalem Post and the Palestine Times all wanted exclusives, they searched out the young ministers, showed up unannounced at their houses, tried to talk with their families, called up their friends, wanted to get a quote on how do you feel about the lynching?” he continued.
The criticism surrounding Wright has not softened the services at Trinity United Church of Christ, where Obama has been a congregant for 20 years. Instead, Moss defiantly defended their method of worship, referencing rap lyrics to make his point.
“If I was Ice Cube I’d say it a little differently — ‘You picked the wrong folk to mess with,’” Moss said to an enthusiastic congregation, standing up during much of the sermon, titled “How to Handle a Public Lynching.”
Wright’s sermons were criticized for casting the country as institutionally racist and Obama sharply condemned Wright’s remarks as racially divisive in a high-profile speech Tuesday, though the candidate would not renounce the pastor himself. Church officials said Wright, who is now on sabbatical and entering retirement after nearly 40 years of service with the church, was not attending any service Sunday.
Obama and his family were spending Easter on vacation and also were not attending services.
Though the church recently moved a once-prominent section on its Web site about the “Black Value System,” the congregation still describes itself as “unashamedly black and unapologetically Christian.” A plaque states this prominently behind the front desk.
The sermons Sunday, which kept references to Wright as a common thread, implied that the firestorm over Wright’s remarks has taken the church’s teachings out of context.
Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, the first female bishop in the AME Church, also delivered a sermon, in which she talked about visionaries like King and Gandhi and “Jeremiah” (it was unclear whether she meant Wright), and argued that their words weren’t about “anger,” but about “a passion that demands confrontation.”
“The purveyors of information are trying to be judge and jury over prophetic utterances,” she said.
The church program handed out Sunday also included an essay called “Not on My Watch” from the Rev. Samuel B. McKinney of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Seattle. McKinney said he was “greatly disturbed” by the “media feeding frenzy that has tarnished everyone in the process.”
“Dr. Wright represents the best among us … An attack on this man of God is an attack on all those of the cloth who believe in the social Gospel of liberation. And I will not stand for it,” he wrote.
Moss issued several pleas to congregants to donate to what he called the “Resurrection Fund,” stressing that during this time of battle, money is needed to defend the church. He offered no additional specifics about the fund, telling churchgoers he didn’t want to get into it because Trinity is streaming the service live on the Web and the services are available for purchase on DVD.
He concluded with another analogy, saying, “In order to crucify him you’ve got to lift him up … he had more visibility on the cross than he did during his entire ministry.”
FOX News’ Jeff Goldblatt contributed to this report.
Mary lee, They used the race card! they lynched thenselves when they used the pulpit for a political message in the first place. The pulpit should be to teach the word of God and the Bible, not to endorse a candidate.
Dallas
This clearly shows that it doesn’t matter who the messenger is at Trinity United because the message is always about Black Liberation Marxist Theology!
What a disgraceful abuse of free speech!
Why are we harping on what Rev Wright said and why are Fox News Lynching Obama? If it is not true why are the racist people that are keeping this going so afriad? Fox News are the ones that should be ashame of themselvs. The way they are trying to steal the election for Hillary is a typical example of what The Rev. Wright was talking about. I would like to ask mr Hugo a question. Would you like to be held responsible for what someone said or did? And did you hear the entire speech? I dont hear anyone complaining about the way Fox News is playing the race card. Obama didn’t make that speech Rev. Wright did. And Brad I can see who rules your church and it is not God nor the pastor. Dont forget that the church is for the sick as well as for the well. I doubt if you even go to church.
It is amazing how Obama’s supporters want to put Wright’s comments in context—I don’t recall ANY of you trying to put Geraldine Feraro’s comments in context OR Bill Clinton’s comments in context. Many of you crucified them BUT Wright who has said some of the most hateful things comments should be put into context.
We are sick of the double standard. Everyone wants to crucify ANYONE associated with Clinton who says controversial things BUT give anything Obama or his associates controversial comments a slap on the wrist!
The free ride for Obama is Over and Fo—keep doing what you doing!!
They are going to compare Wright to Jesus? Talk about shameful.
This man is not the victim of a lynching; these were his words, his thoughts, and his ideas. And as far as this being typical of sermons in the Black Church: (1) not all ministers and not all churches spew this type of garbage; (2) I have never heard my minister use this kind of language; if he did you can believe I would get my behind out of the pew and out of the church; (2) while Reverand Wright and Reverand Ross can say anything they want (and as an American citizen I will defend their right to do so) that does not make the statements right. I am so tired of the blame game; each adult citizen is responsible for his/her own actions. I will never try to minimize the effect of racism, sexism, ageism or any of the other isms in this country; but we have to at some point have an honest discussion about these issues because it affects us all.
You have got to be kidding me! If Clinton or McCain had a pastor that spoke such racial hatred and anti-American rhetoric their political careers would be over…. but because it’s Obama, it’s okay? What kind of double standard is that! I wouldn’t vote for Obama if he were the last man on earth, for his pastor has certainly shown us what he is made of - hate.
1st off, I’m not a very religious man. But I had my time in church, came close to being a preacher. But that’s another story.
As for Wright and others, they don’t belong in a church. Much less leading one from the podium.
A man doesn’t remain for twenty years at a church where he doesnt agree with the teachings of the pastor. Obama’s renouncing Wright’s words only after light was shone on his racist rhetoric is like closing the barn door after the horse is already out. As for Moss’s claims of a “lynching”, the question must be asked: at what point does being held accountable for your actions constitute a lynching? Sad that the Word of God would be used in a manner to cultivate racism.