SubscribeObama’s Spiritual Mentor Brings Up Monica
From the DNC’s Baltimore Sun:
Flanked by the Sanctuary Choir of Trinity United Church of Christ, Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. preaches to his congregation.
Obama’s spiritual mentor
Powerhouse Chicago preacher draws attention, and plenty of controversy
By Michael Hill
January 16, 2008
CHICAGO - The packed house at Trinity United - some 3,000 in all - had been in the pews for almost two hours, energized by a 200-voice choir and a rousing dance performance Sunday, when the Rev. Jeremiah Wright stepped up to speak.
Wright is well-known in Chicago and in the black church world for taking over a small United Church of Christ congregation in 1972 and turning it into an 8,000-member powerhouse. More recently, his name has become familiar as the longtime spiritual mentor of Barack Obama, who joined the church in 1988 - a move Obama says was important to shaping his identity as an African-American.
The connection has thrown a spotlight on some of Wright’s more controversial remarks in a church that advertises itself as “unashamedly Black and unapologetically Christian” - at times espousing a black liberation theology that can sound as exclusionary as Obama’s message is inclusionary. He has also equated Zionism with racism.
On Sunday morning - amid intensified crossfire between Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Obama over the use of race in the Democratic presidential campaign - Wright was preaching from the Gospel of John, using his powerful style to link the story of the loaves and fishes to a contemporary political message…
Some argue that blacks should vote for Clinton “because her husband was good to us,” he continued.
“That’s not true,” he thundered. “He did the same thing to us that he did to Monica Lewinsky.”
Many in the crowd were on their feet, applauding - amazed, amused and moved by the fiery rhetoric of their preacher, who is about to retire.
It is just such rhetoric that has made Wright’s remarks an occasional staple on conservative talk shows. They often make the rounds in anti-Obama e-mail…
Just yesterday, Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen noted that a magazine associated with Trinity United once named Louis Farrakhan as its person of the year, praising the Nation of Islam leader. Cohen called on Obama to denounce such praise of Farrakhan, known for statements deemed anti-Semitic…
As in the past, Obama did not completely denounce Wright. The candidate’s 1995 book Dreams From My Father depicts Obama’s decision to join Trinity United as a fundamental step in affirming his identity as an African-American. Obama’s mother was white, he was raised in large part by her parents and he spent much of his youth in Indonesia with his mother’s second husband. He only met his father, a Kenyan, once.
Obama took the title of his more recent book, The Audacity of Hope, from the first sermon he heard preached by Wright, whom Obama met while working in Chicago as a community organizer…
If Wright’s rhetoric costs Obama some votes, others believe that would be more than offset by voters moved by Obama’s ability to bring religion back into the liberal political message.
Ronald Walters, a political scientist at the University of Maryland, notes that Obama is getting the support of many black preachers who flirted with the Republican Party during the Bush administration, finding its position on cultural issues such as gay marriage and abortion appealing.
“Jeremiah Wright is one of the most influential and well-known black preachers in America,” Walters said. “His church is in the center of black culture. It is not some cult. It is not something out of the way. It is a quintessential black church.”
Hopkins says those who condemn Wright’s message as anti-white do not understand it. For one, he notes that this is the largest congregation, and the largest contributor, in the United Church of Christ, a white church.
“And what he says is not against anybody, it is against the internal evils within the black community itself, the need to deal with those and confront them with strong values,” Hopkins said.
“The idea that one would come to Trinity and see symbols or rituals that are anti-white America or hear a Wright sermon against white people is very curious to me,” he said. “It’s impossible to hold 8,000 people together talking against white people.
“I just tell people if they want to come to Trinity, bring their dancing shoes,” he said of the music-filled services that can last three hours.
On Sunday, Wright seemed incensed over a column by avowed atheist Christopher Hitchens that had run the day before in the Chicago Sun-Times. Hitchens decried Obama for giving “his allegiance to a crackpot church with a decidedly ethnic character.”
Several times Wright singled out “white reporters” for criticism. He talked of blacks being held down by attitudes of white supremacy, criticizing blacks who obediently follow whatever path whites tell them to. But the scores of whites in the pews were warmly welcomed by the black congregation…
“They call it Wrightville,” Hopkins said of the neighborhood around Trinity United, “though he doesn’t like that.”
That’s because the church is active in so many areas - from Boy Scouts to financial advice to running a school in the hardscrabble area of low-rise projects and small storefront businesses bisected by a train track.
“He has built one of the most substantial institutions in the city of Chicago and in the country and predicated it on service to the community,” Walters said. “I can think of some mega-churches that are not that involved in the community. But Trinity United is.” …
It is gratifying to finally see some in the media begin to take up the issue of Mr. Wright.
But both this reporter and the (leftwing lunatic) Richard Cohen (who seems to have picked up on our Farrakhan piece) obviously still do not know the half of it.
And it would seem that they don’t want to know. And they muddle it even then.
For instance:
Just yesterday, Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen noted that a magazine associated with Trinity United once named Louis Farrakhan as its person of the year, praising the Nation of Islam leader.
Huh?
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan received the “Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. Lifetime Achievement Trumpeteer” Award at the 2007 Trumpet Gala held on November 2, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
The aforementioned article, in the Church’s November/December issue was just reporting on that fact, along with their interview of Farrakhan. The magazine is published by Wright’s daughter.
But such is what passes for journalism at the Washington Post and Baltimore Sun.
That’s because the church is active in so many areas - from Boy Scouts to financial advice to running a school in the hardscrabble area of low-rise projects and small storefront businesses bisected by a train track.
Yes. So was “Your Muslim Bakery.”
At least that is what they claimed to be doing.
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17 Responses to “Obama’s Spiritual Mentor Brings Up Monica”
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January 16th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
I don’t get it, Bill Clinton received sexual favors from Rev. Wright’s flock?
January 16th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Mr. Wright’s arguments are not limited by logic.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
What da man is saying is that Bill has screwed these people and is laughing at them. Whoulda thunk it? ROFLMAO
January 16th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Lipstick, Bill did not screw anybody. Oral sex is not screwing or”sexual relations” . It’s “my conduct with Ms. Lewinski was innapropriate ” or whatever the hell he said….
January 16th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
If oral sex is not sex then you wouldn’t mind if your wife gives anyone else beside yourself “oral sex” then. Since it’s really NOT sex. And if Oral sex is not sex then why is it innappropiate?!?! Sorry liberals your BS is not selling. LMAO
January 16th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Given the lipservice (pardon the pun) made of Obama’s decision to ’shaping’ his identity -’as African-American’- as a result of this ‘church’ and ‘pastor’. . .this particular comment:
-’If Wright’s rhetoric costs Obama some votes, others believe that would be more than offset by voters moved by Obama’s ability to bring religion back into the liberal political message’-
Has me wondering if that is simply a stupid journalist, another lipservice passage or something we all must seriously consider -
The church ‘helped’ Obama shape his identity to African-American - almost completely ignoring his white ancestry - might not this ‘church’ help Obama shape liberal view of religion into - what an African uber alles religion?a muslim religion?
I have to believe that these new ‘journalists’ simply study agenda and propaganda promotion and how to dress and style their hair properly - they certainly have no clue on the real definition of words, the construction of sentences nor the real meaning of what they write.
Either that or they truly do approve of the destruction of America, as we know it.
Either way - they are a scary breed of human.
January 16th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Chicago……anyone like Lip that thinks our military commits murder when making a kill in combat and that calling it murder is a good thing, needs more than a pill. What we used to call in the Navy, “All the class of a bent sh*tcan.”
January 16th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Lip: My Daddy taught me not to insult ANYONE’s wife. If your post was directed at ME, then PLEASE provide your address so we can get together to “discuss”. Anyhow, you COMPLETELY missed the point of my post. Nice talking with ya…..
January 16th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Thanks Warmonger. I forget about Lip’s toxic “murder” thread…It takes all kinds, I guess.
January 16th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Maybe it’s just me but anyone else find the combo of SG’s title and picture for this thread somewhat amusing?
“Obama’s Spiritual Mentor Brings Up Monica”
Hey Rev, hope she doesn’t bump her head on the podium, heh heh.
Sorry, just couldn’t help myself. ;o)
January 16th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
“Obama’s Spiritual Mentor Brings Up Monica”
heh heh heh,
Maybe Monica is “bringing up” Obama’s Spiritual Mentor
January 16th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Is it just me, or does Wright look like a shaved UBL in that photo?
(and sound as malignant as UBL otherwise)
January 16th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Sharps , is that above or below the podium ? CAIR-FUL the choir is watching .
January 16th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Above. Look at the putz’ face and gestures, then compare them to UBL or any other mohammedan rabble rouser.
January 17th, 2008 at 2:59 am
I wish I could ignore, completely, anything involving “PASTOR” Wright. I, however, cannot. I think I saw a question above, in humor, querying “I don’t get it, Bill Clinton received sexual favors from Rev. Wright’s flock?” One thing’s for sure, it’s not feasible for Monica to have been that one of his flock……..unless, of course, she’s at least some percentage black. Yeah, they don’t allow her race in that congregation(They would take her checks, however).
Why can’t I ignore the Pastor? Being a Christian and Anti-segregationist, I think it’s reprehensible for any “Christian” to endorse and literally admire Louis Farrakhan, AS PASTOR WRIGHT DID. “When Minister Louis Farrakhan speaks, America listens…(yeah, for the silent hummmmm of the flying saucer)For his commitment to truth, education and leadership, we honor Minister Louis Farrakhan with the Rev. Jeremiah W. Wright Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award.” Uhhh, did I miss the spaceship? Ahhhhhh, talk about agenda, good Lord. First of all, Obama is an incredible orator/author. However, SO IS JIMMY CARTER. Yet,many feel, he was the worst president in the last 50 years of the Nation.
WHY IN THE HELL DOES THIS SURPRISE ANYONE? I totally agree with the comment above, “The church ‘helped’ Obama shape his identity to African-American - almost completely ignoring his white ancestry - might not this ‘church’ help Obama shape liberal view of religion into - what an African uber alles religion?a muslim religion?” GOOD LORD, if Bush endorsed an even peaceful, anti-segregationist “WHITEY”, “DIAMOND MERCHANT”(OH, SORRY, THAT’S SHARPTON) OR Hispanic Activist , who had even SLIGHTLY controversial views on race, HE’D BE LYNCHED. Yet, Farrakhan can say things like, “White people are potential humans — they haven’t evolved yet”, “Murder and lying comes easy for white people”, and, my favorite, “God does not love everybody. He said he loved Jacob but he hated Esau. So if God is our example and he can love and he can hate then don’t be afraid to love and don’t be afraid to hate.” HE IS GOD, YOU PREHISTORIC, HATE FILLED, MANIC DEPRESSIVE, SCHIZOPHRENIC RACIST!!!!!!! YOU ARE NOT, PERIOD.
And, please, regarding the moonbat fascists, SAVE IT. I know, Obama immediately distanced himself from that endorsement, saying he admired him as a pastor, not always as a political mentor. I have a simple question, does anyone have a problem with a BLACK ONLY church besides me? Seems completely anti-Christ to me.. Anyone here have an issue with a possible President following the ideology of segregation? Just curious.
Monica, sweetie, I hope your purses are selling like “Farrakhan and Wrights trip to space” tickets.
“unashamedly Black and unapologetically Christian” is quite a slogan, eh? I’ve not met many white people in my life that would ever want him to be ashamed of being black. Maybe, however, Christ is ashamed of him calling himself “Christian” meaning Christ-like. We actually have an organization in our church, which happens to be led by Black members, who welcome every race, color and gender to come and share testimony…….all of which denounce this man speaking for them as a Black Christian. THEY HATE THIS TERM. One of these black members told me, “This man is the polar opposite of what Christ stood for. Christ is furious with this type of segregation. If He physically walked into this Church, He would turn over the pews and tell the Body to pluck out it’s rotten tongue, PASTOR WRIGHT, or move on to another Church”. False teachers come in many forms, just like Joel Osteen.
January 17th, 2008 at 5:21 am
“The idea that one would come to Trinity and see symbols or rituals that are anti-white America or hear a Wright sermon against white people is very curious to me,” he said. “It’s impossible to hold 8,000 people together talking against white people.”
Yes of course it is you f’ing moron, just as impossible as it was for the Nazis to get anyone together for the Reichsparteitag der Macht (Rally of Power) at the Nuremberg Rallies by speaking poorly of the Jews. God help us if anyone even remotely associated with these racist SOBs get in power.
January 17th, 2008 at 11:22 am
The UCC is a white church? Since when? Last time I checked, the UCC had nothing in their doctrine professing to be a white church. Talk about a racist statement!!
http://tinyurl.com/39jj4t
Sorry but the apologists in the MSM and elsewhere can’t change the facts of Wright espousing the virtues of a racist like Farrakhan.