A Pulpit-and-Pews Gulf on Obama’s Ex-Pastor

New York Times ^ | 2 May | Campbell Robertson

[flowerplough]

The Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., under fire for statements that have embarrassed Senator Barack Obama’s campaign, has found staunch support in the pulpits of black churches around North Carolina. The people in the pews, however, are far less accepting.

In interviews at churches in cities and towns including Charlotte, Greensboro, Lumberton and Goldsboro, ministers expressed the view that Mr. Obama and Mr. Wright had been attacked by a superficial and biased news media. Many said they were teaching Mr. Wright’s sermons in Bible study classes. They are delivering lectures on the roots of Mr. Wright’s style of ministry and preaching against what they see as attempts to make Mr. Wright a divisive figure.

( ... )

But many parishioners are not nearly as sympathetic to Mr. Wright, saying they are disappointed with him for taking a personal dispute public with little concern for the harm it would do to the Obama campaign. (This sentiment is particularly strong among younger voters.) Others call Mr. Wright arrogant and untrustworthy, and still others say he is fighting old fights.

“He needs to take the political and keep it separate from the spiritual,” said Rita Harrison, 48, an Obama supporter who was cutting hair at Allison’s Salon in Whiteville. “Why would you risk this man’s campaign because of some personal comments? Because that’s what it is, it’s personal.”

[Question Liberal Authority]

I thought that Wright’s comments were “taken out of context” and “looped over and over”.

[nmh]

LOL!

Tune into Glenn Beck and hear more. It’s “not out of context”. It’s sick and racist.

[wolfpat]

If more black churches are accepting Rev. Wright’s views as correct, that would explain something.

The church I went to when I was growing up was Fundamentalist Baptist. The minister preached the Bible and nothing else. If there was a verse in the Bible against something, they’d die before they’d do it. This church was ultra conservative, and ultra white (although I later found out that there was a large, older black audience for the radio broadcasts. “That’s old time preachin’”)

Over the last decade, there have been increasing numbers of black people joining this church. I guess they’ve lost their spiritual homes, and had to find a new one.

[Loyal Buckeye]

I have not heard any of Wright’s entire sermons, but I’m sure they are eye openers for a lot of people.

[Yollopoliuhqui]

Someone or some group has to download the text of as many of Wrights sermons that are available, excerpt all the inflammatory passages and put them in a monster list with citations of the sermon’s date and also arranged according to subject- hate America, black liberation, africentrism, etc. These passages can then be put next to text from Marx & Co., Black Panther and Black Muslim writings and speeches.

[schu]

BLT reminds me of southern slavery/slave owners/southern power base using the Bible to justify this horrible institution. I think an interesting study would be a comparison of the two world views.

Wish I was a sufficient scholar and had some time to do this .... ;-)

schu

[Drango]

POPCORN!