| DFW Area Pastors Divided over Rev. Wright |
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| by Tom McGregor | Mon, Mar 24, 2008, 08:06 AM |
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On the other hand, some local religious leaders claim that they had never heard such words as his coming from the heart of a pastor. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that, “the national uproar that followed the revelation that Wright’s sermon included comments how blacks should condemn the United States has made its way to Fort Worth. Wright is scheduled to receive a black leadership award Saturday from Brite Divinity School in honor of his 40-year ministry. The ceremony will not be held at the divinity school, which is at Texas Christian University, but at a location yet to be announced. Rev. Ralph Waldo Emerson Jr., senior pastor at Rising Star Baptist Church in Fort Worth, is quoted by the Telegram as saying, “I would hope the country not evaluate him or anyone else based on something that is said one time. It’s not like he came out and lambasted God.” “He had his own moment and made his own comments. A few comments in a sermon does not change where we stand with him.” To read the entire article from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, link here: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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Comments (17)
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written by Gehrig Saldaña , March 24, 2008 I can't believe Senator Obama would have gone to his church for over two decades and not have known his pastor, Jeremiah Wright, was preaching sermons with a subtext of anti-white vitriol and not have taken issue with his pastor's hatemongering rhetoric years ago. Republican or Democrat, it should not matter what side of the political aisle you're from. I would have been offended if I would have been at Senator Obama's church with my family and grand-kids while Senator Obama's pastor made obscene sexual gyrations while explaining Monica Lewinsky's encounter with former US President Bill Clinton and blurting off GOD DAMN AMERICA. At best, that's the kind of stuff one would expect to hear at an adult comedy club.
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written by David W. Gilbreath , March 24, 2008 Barack Hussein Obama did know the heart of his long time pastor and that is why he has attended church there for so long. Obama only cares for non-blacks when they help his cause.
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written by Dallasite1 , March 24, 2008 If a white pastor had spewed this kind of hateful rhetoric, nobody would be coming to his defense. Reverend Emerson is trying to defend the indefensible.
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written by Casey Thomas , March 24, 2008 This is ridiculous. What do you think you are achieving by using his middle name in your post. Have you listened to the full sermon from any of the sound bites? If you have not, you don't have room to make a judgement. Go to dallassouthblog.com and watch the video clip where he talks about the U.S. foreign policy before you make any further comments. Always get a message in context if you really want a good understanding. Dr. Wright was quoting a White ambassador when he READ those comments, they were not his! Don't get fooled by the spin.
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written by Casey Thomas , March 24, 2008 And by the way, it is Senator Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. He was named after HIS FATHER!
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written by Jason K. , March 24, 2008 So do Farwell and Robertson count? Because they espouse hate and vitriol and people defend them. Anyway, it has been said that to get anything done in the areas of Chicago Barack Obama was at and trying to help, you needed to belong to a church. I believe he belonged to this church in order to reach out to people and did not actually join it in the sense of going every week, etc. Apparently if you listen to the full context of the speech, it changes it a bit. I have not listened to the pastor's speech, so I can't really make a judgement on it. Anyway, if people are going to pass judgement on the man because of what his pastor said instead of what the man himself says, then you need to wonder what that says about yourself.
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written by KTS , March 24, 2008 Obama only went to that church to help his image in the black community. He was raised by a white woman. Went to well connected private schools. he has nothing in common with the African American community that backs him but he needed Rev Wright to get his start. In the end nothing will come of this.
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written by Right Wing Republican Volunteer , March 24, 2008 It is truly sad to see a preacher choose race over God.
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written by Farinata X , March 24, 2008 "If a white pastor had spewed this kind of hateful rhetoric, nobody would be coming to his defense." On the contrary, after the 9/11 attacks, wingnut pastors and Republican bagmen Falwell and Robertson said things very much like this, and plenty of people came to their defense. Oh, wait. They're white, so that was ok.
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written by Jonathan Green , March 24, 2008 It is the White Media that is finding itself having a problem with Rev. Dr. Jermiah Wright. Dr. Wright is preaching what has been preached for years in the African American Congregations. Black Theoloy. This started around 1966 in New York City and has long been carried by Prominent African American Ministers. Know the truth, do your research before responding out of ignorance. This is the media's beef with Barack Obama's Pastor Rev. Dr. Jermiah Wright. This style of preaching entitled Black Theolgy has long been in the Black Churches, here is a brief synopsis of its orgins. Black theology From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Black theology or Black liberation theology is a Christian theology of liberation. The field of black liberation theology received its name in the 1960s and includes in its history Pan Africanists from earlier centuries who used the teachings of Christianity and/or the vehicle of the black church as foundational to their efforts for securing a self-determining existence for Africans. Contents [hide] 1 Theological basis 2 South African and UK black theology 3 Black religious scholars 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External links [edit] Theological basis Black theology is theology from the perspective of the African diaspora. The message of black theology is that the African American struggle for liberation is consistent with the gospel--every theological statement must be consistent with, and perpetuate, the goals of liberation. This theology maintains that African Americans must be liberated from multiple forms of bondage—social, political, economic and religious. This liberation involves empowerment and seeks the right of self-definition, self-affirmation and self-determination. The modern American origins of contemporary black liberation theology can be traced to July 31, 1966, when an ad hoc group of 51 black pastors, calling themselves the National Committee of Negro Churchmen (NCNC), bought a full page ad in the New York Times to publish their "Black Power Statement," which proposed a more aggressive approach to combating racism using the Bible for inspiration.[1] James Cone and Dwight Hopkins are considered the leading theologians of this system of belief, although now there are many scholars who have contributed a great deal to the field. It was Cone who in 1969 published the seminal work that systemized black liberation theology, Black Theology and Black Power (1969). In the book, Cone asserted that not only was black power not alien to the Gospel, it was, in fact, the Gospel message for all of 20th century America.[2][3] [edit] South African and UK black theology Black theology was popularized in southern Africa in the early 1970s by Basil Moore, a Methodist theologian in South Africa. It helped to give rise to, and developed in parallel with, the Black Consciousness Movement. Black theology was particularly influential in South Africa and Namibia for motivating resistance to apartheid. Southern African black liberation theologians include Barney Pityana, Allan Boesak, Itumeleng Mosala and Zephania Kameeta. In the United Kingdom, Dr Robert Beckford is the most well-known black liberation theologian. He was the first in the UK to develop and teach a course on Black Theology at an academic level. Black Theology: An International Journal[4] is published in the UK. It is edited by Dr Anthony Reddie, who has written over 40 journal articles, essays and books and is the most prolific black theology author in the UK today. [edit] Black religious scholars North American black liberation theologians include: Martin Luther King Jr. Jeremiah Wright Katie Cannon James H. Cone M. Shawn Copeland Diana L. Hayes James Allen Hendrix, OP Dwight N. Hopkins Peter Paris Jamie T. Phelps OP Anthony B. Pinn Albert Raboteau J. Deotis Roberts Emilie M. Townes Theodore Walker, Jr. Cornel West Delores Williams Preston Williams Gayraud S. Wilmore
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written by GS , March 25, 2008 OK so "Black Theology" preaches, "God Damn America," and that the U.S. government is responsible for AIDS in the name of right of self-definition, self-affirmation and self-determination." Do we want a president who subscribes to this?
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written by James W. Walker , March 25, 2008 Rebuttal - Part 1 Statements made by the likes of Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell that are inappropriate or off the wall do not justify the kind of statements made by Rev. Wright from his pulpit. It is nonsense to suggest that Wright's statements have been "taken out of context." What possible context would justify suggesting that black Americans should instead sing "God____ America"? What possible context justifies suggesting that America's institutional racism justifies the 9/11 attack? Were the innocent people killed in that attack all racists deserving their deaths? These are simply false and hurtful comments and have no place in a church that professes to be Christian. There is a fine line between Black Liberation Theology and Black Seperatism. James Cone - It has been reported that Rev. Wright claims to have been inspired by Cone's teachings. This may not necessarily be a good thing. In Cone's book entitled “Black Theology and Black Power”, Cone stated that "either God is for black people in their fight for liberation and against the white oppressors or he is not." Based upon this perspective, Cone believed that "Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community. . . . Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love." It is a bit hard, it seems to me, to take this sort of rhetoric "out of context." It is also equally difficult to imagine a white minister saying anything like this substituting "white" for "black" and not being arrested for committing a hate crime. Cornell West, James Cone and the rest of the Black Liberation adherents complain that black Americans are not given the dignity they deserve and that they suffer from generations of poverty and racism. There is no question that many black Americans suffer from this today. Instead of calling for the "destruction of the white enemy," it seems to me that people like Bill Cosby and even Sen. Obama offer an approach that is far more constructive and offers a greater chance for genuine success. They are suggesting that black Americans assume responsibility for themselves. They suggest that black Americans should actually raise their children and accept the responsibility of parenthood. They suggest black parents should expect respect and manners from their children and that education should be given priority. The fact remains that many, if not most, black Americas are responsibile parents and do teach their children the importance of respect and manners and faith in God and values calculated to provide their children an opportunity to succeed in life.
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written by James W. Walker , March 25, 2008 Rebuttal - Part 2 Unfortunately, we see too many black Americans taking the cue from their pastors, like Rev. Wright and Cornell West and others, suggesting that black liberation requires more in the way of racial seperatism than genuine racial unity. It seems that these folks are so interested in encouraging their own identity as black Americans that they are taking their flock farther away from racial unity by setting up the "white enemy" as a scapegoat for all of their social and cultural challenges. Cosby has it right - they would best be served by focusing on why black on black crime is so prevalent in so many major cities or why black men too often neglect the responsibilities of fatherhood or why black children will too often complain that any one of their own that tries to focus on their education is "acting white". Justice Clarence Thomas is elevated to the US Supreme Court - an amazing professional accomplishment by any measure - and yet is derided as an "Uncle Tom" by certain of his fellow black Americans. These are cultural problems that should be addressed and Cosby is right to raise them. And nobody should overlook the criticism from many black Americans that Cosby has experienced simply for speaking his mind and offering an alternative perspective. There is no doubt that black and white Americans can benefit from the lessons of the Gospel in reconciling our differences. There is also no doubt that the Bible calls us as Christians to help the poor and sick among us. I believe, as well, that the Bible makes clear that God loves ALL of us, with no particular race having heavenly preference. Rev. Wright and his ilk ignore the incredible efforts made by millions of parishoners in so called "white churches" all over this country to provide all forms of support and encouragement to black Americans in need. Wright and his liberationist colleagues also overlook the fact that millions of white Americans have voted for Sen. Obama and are a major reason he is leading in both the popular vote and the delegate count in his party's national primary. The truth is that the inflammatory rhetoric offered by Wright and his colleagues espousing "black liberation theology" make reconciliation efforts more difficult. Blaming the "white enemy" for the cultural and social challenges facing black Americans only perpetuates notions of victimology and a sense of helplessness. Thomas Sowell's writings are an interesting rebuttal to black liberation theology, albeit on a secular level. Dr. Sowell opposed much of our federal government's welfare system, for example, precisely because it encouraged dependency and muted initiative in the black community. His success as an educator and author are undeniable.
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written by James W. Walker , March 25, 2008 Rebuttal - Part 3 In fact, black Americans have achieved and continue to achieve success in many areas of our society. A few notable examples include: 1. By 1913, (long before black liberation theology was espoused) over 1,000 inventions were patented by black Americans. 2. Jan Matzeliger developed the first machine to mass-produce shoes. 3. Elijah McCoy invented automatic lubrication devices for steam engines. 4. Granville Woods owned 35 patents to improve electric railway systems, including the first system to allow moving trains to communicate. 5. Garrett Morgan developed the first automatic traffic signal and the first gas mask. 6. Lewis Latimer created an inexpensive cotton-thread filament, which made electric light bulbs practical because Edison's original light bulb only burned for a few minutes. 7. McKinley Jones invented the movable refrigeration unit for food transport in trucks and trains. 8. Lloyd Quarterman worked with six other black scientists on the creation of the atomic bomb (code named the Manhattan Project.) Quarterman also helped develop the first nuclear reactor, which was used in the atomically powered submarine called the Nautilus. 9. The first successful open heart surgery was performed by Dr. Daniel Hale Williams. 10. The idea and implementation of blood banks around the world came from by Dr. Charles Drew 11. The air conditioner was patented by Frederick M. Jones. 12. Dr. Mark Dean holds three of the original nine patents on the computer on which all PCs are based. 13. Otis Boykin's inventions included several novel methods for manufacturing electrical components that are used in guided missile systems and computers. 14. Colonel Frederick Gregory was not only the first black astronaut pilot but the person who redesigned the cockpits for the three space shuttles. Gregory was also on the team that pioneered the microwave instrumentation landing system. In 2000, Bendix Aircraft Company began a worldwide promotion of this microwave instrumentation landing system. 15. Oprah Winfrey and BET founder Bob Johnson are billionaire media moguls. These are just a few examples of black Americans that have contributed significantly to the improvement of not just American lives but the quality of life all over the world. By means of a solid work ethic, belief in themselves, love of country and focus on their education and the opportunities that have existed and, in fact, continue to exist in America, they were able to achieve greatness in many diverse fields of study and endeavor. I suspect they also experienced the heavy hand of racism at different points in their lives. However, it certainly appears that, instead of adopting the defeatist view of victimology and blaming the "white enemy", they overcame the many challenges they faced. As a result, they offer an example to us all as to why racial reconciliation and old fashioned notions of self-responsibility will bear even greater fruit for generations of both white and black Americans yet to come. Rev. Wright can rail on all he wants, but the fact remains that if it were not for the likes of Dr. Mark Dean and Frederick Jones, I would not now be sitting in my air conditioned home typing this on my computer. They found a way to succeed and Rev. Wright would best serve his parishioners by encouraging them to do the same.
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written by Jonathan Green , March 25, 2008 Mr. Walker, I see you researched this very well, I commend you on your research. Howerver, Dr. Wright subjection is limited to his experiences. Wright's alleged beliefs and previous remarks became heavily scrutinized, due to his relationship with Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama. Wright has rejected the notion of preaching Black Liberaton by saying that "The African-centered point of view does not assume superiority, nor does it assume separatism. It assumes Africans speaking for themselves as subjects in history, not objects in history." Mr. walker, here is what Dr. Wright said about 911: In March 2008, ABC News caused a public uproar by broadcasting spliced[19] sound bites from a sermon that Wright gave shortly after September 11, 2001, in which Wright paraphrased Edward Peck,[20] former U.S. Chief of Mission in Iraq, former deputy director of the White House Task Force on Terrorism under the Reagan Administration and former U.S. Ambassador to a number of countries, who was appearing on Fox News, as allegedly having said: "We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye...and now we are indignant, because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought back into our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost." Wright went on to state: "Violence begets violence. Hatred begets hatred. And terrorism begets terrorism. A white ambassador said that y’all, not a black militant. Not a reverend who preaches about racism. An ambassador whose eyes are wide open and who is trying to get us to wake up and move away from this dangerous precipice upon which we are now poised. The ambassador said the people that we have wounded don’t have the military capability we have. But they do have individuals who are willing to die and take thousands with them. And we need to come to grips with that." Dr. Wright also made a valid point believe by many privately, "The government lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color" and "[t]he government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people...God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme". These are the facts!
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written by James W. Walker , March 26, 2008 Well, please excuse me if his extended quotes are less than comforting. I do not believe, privately or in any forum, that our government invented HIV as a tool of genocide against people of color or any people for that matter. While I have seen reports suggesting that AIDS and HIV are on the rise in the black and hispanic communities, I also recall a time when it was seen as being limited to the gay community and most of the men afflicted at that time were caucasian. History has since shown that the virus does not care how much melanin an individual might have in his or her skin. AIDS and HIV are causing havoc on a global scale, but I do not believe it is something the US government devised as a means of genocide. I am truly sorry you do. I do not believe our government gives any one drugs with an intent to then imprison them for possession. Methamphetamine is a prime example of how illegal drugs act as a plague on our society. It is sweeping both rural and urban areas like a wildfire. It leaves wasted lives in its wake. Still, I cannot fathom why anyone would argue that our government unleashed this or any other drug on our society to target the black community. If this were true, the government did a horrible job because it is afflicting people of all ages and skin color, people of affluence and many living in poverty. Just as we have seen with AIDS/HIV, methamphetamine does not discriminate on the basis of age, race or social status. These are very real problem our society must deal with, but I do not believe making them the target of what amounts to a wild-eyed conspiracy theory is going to help anyone. I understand how it may be effective for Rev. Wright to make use of an argument suggesting that one group's shortcomings are the fault of another group. This is the siren song of victimology. Why bother with the heavy lifting when you can simply complain about the weight. Bill Cosby challenges his fellow black Americans to look in the mirror and see what they might do to help themselves. There are so many examples of successful black Americans going back well over 100 years who have taken advantage of the opportunities this country has to offer. There are, as a result, so many individuals in so many diverse areas of expertise that can serve as genuine inspiration and constructive examples of what might be done with one's life - white or black. Millions of white Americans have responded to Sen. Obama's call for unity and reconciliation. This simple fact underscores the false premise inherent in Wright's "blame game." It certainly looks as if Sen. Obama will be the Democrat Party's nominee. He is leading in both the popular vote and the delegate count and it does not appear, due to the proportional allocation of delegates applied in the Democrat primary, that Billary will catch him. If America elects a black man as President and occupant of the most powerful office in the world, as it certainly might, what are we to make of Wright's liberation theology? Is his most famous congregant not the greatest renunciation of his conspiratorial theories? Are the millions of white Americans that have and will continue to vote for Senator Obama simply the ones that did not get the memo? Or is America still the one country in the world where any man or woman can achieve a dream if they are willing to fully apply themselves, have faith in God and assume the risk of success or failure in what calls them? The latter gets my vote.
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written by James A. , March 26, 2008 I don't know much about politics, but I do know about black people because I'm a black man. Mr. Obama is trying to bring people together to work and to live for a common goal. I believe it would be hard for Mr. Obama to be an hate-monger because of his background. His mother is a white female and I know every man has a love for his mother regardless of her race. Let's just step back and look at all the facts. If Mr. Obama wasn't a man of good character, he wouldn't be in this position to be president. I want each of you that talking about Mr. Obama or Mr. Wright to really think about the last time you said something good and contructive about another person. We must over come this crazy habit of judging people without all the facts. I pray that my chlidren will experience the feeling of love from inside and outside of the USA of today. Peace, and my GOD be with all of you. Write comment
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Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex area African-American pastors have jumped to the defense of Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., the former pastor of presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, who has received public scrutiny for giving controversial sermons. 
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