At Trinity, defiance and prayer
CHICAGO -- Boldness has long defined Trinity United Church of Christ, the spiritual home of Barack Obama that is suddenly dominating headlines because of its former pastor's controversial rhetoric.
Trinity's size -- 8,000 members -- is bold. Its rollicking services, with hundreds of gospel singers and a heavily amped band, are bold. And, as much of the country now knows, the sermons of the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., are nothing if not bold.
So it's fitting that the church and its members, feeling unfairly targeted in recent days, are showing a defiant boldness in response. "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," the church said in statement issued on Sunday.
At a small prayer service this morning, worshippers expressed anger and frustration at how their congregation and Wright have been portrayed. "Every time you turn on the TV or the radio our church and our pastor are under attack," said the Rev. Barbara A. Heard, an associate pastor, as the faithful offered their assent. Of Wright, who retired last month, she said: "We don't want him to go out like this."
Heard asked the group to add a prayer for the congregation, and she urged them to stay focused on God. "It is easy to say you have faith when everything is going right ... or the church is not going through what it's going through today," she said. "Prayer is our key, right now."
She then led the worshippers through a devotion that recounted the many things Wright had done in the church and in the community over the past 36 years. They repeated together in refrain, "Thank you, Pastor Wright." Heard also sought to remind them of God's power. "When you walk through fire, you will not be burned," she said. "We are standing on a solid rock, Jesus the Christ."
They ended the service by singing the gospel hymn "Victory Is Mine."
I am sooo sick of the Rev. Wright snippets!!! IF you are old enough, TRY to remember the absolute worst things YOU'VE said. Now imagine them in video snippets played over and over and over again. Would expect your friends of 20 years to disavow, and disown you? Be honest. Now imagine that you have a friend running for office, and your images are played over and over , and over again. Is that a fair ,or further than a country mile, assessment of your character?
The media does not delve any further into Rev. Wrights character, accomplishments, or church, other than these snippets. Wake up people!
Do you really think that Rev. Wright could build and carry a congregation of 8,000 over 30 years, if he was only as the media has portrayed him?
Here is an opportunity for you to investigate for your selves. Just maybe you could gain some understanding of something out of your comfort zone. All you have to do is go to the Church web site. You could start a dialogue, and give THEM some insight out their comfort zone as well.
ABC news and Fox news are the WORST offenders.
I don't understand how they get away with this.
They are not fooling the majority of we Canadians, or other countries overseas.
In fact, they come off as clowns of their created media circus.
If these so called reporters do not understand what Obama could get out of a preacher like Rev. Wright, they have never done their job on race relations. They CERTAINLY aren't doing it now. Where is the investigation? Have they EVER set foot in a black church?
It's much easier to sit on their collective rear ends, play clips, and have their so called pundits yell and holler about it. "if MY preacher said that I'D walk out!"
This repeated rolling over of these sound bites is nothing short of brainwashing, and the media knows it. Controlled by the media, America it seems , wishes to remain racist and bigoted to the bitter end. The world IS watching, and to use the words of Rev Wright " the chickens will come home to roost in Americas front yard".
The issue is not the church per se. It is the racist retired pastor. He is no different than Jesse Jackson and will continue to divide this nation along color lines.
The black community has chosen its leaders badly since the murder of Martin Luther King. MLK spoke of hope and self service while the Jacksons, Sharptons and Wrights have pushed their problems on the white community. We (I am white) are not having babies out of wedlock at the rate they are. We are not killing each other at the rate they are. Mr. Wright lied about the problems in the black community to bolster his status. This is the same thing the other "leaders" since MLK have done. The biggest issue in the black community is poor leadership.
"we are standing on a solid rock, Jesus the Christ." Just words? These congregants have no one to blame for their demise but Reverend Wright. They also must take some of the blame, because most of them either nodded, got up and clapped, and praised Jesus. I am mixed race just as Obama, and I have experienced prejudice from black kids, because of my light skin. So it is a double whammy when you get it from both sides, but expecially from the black side because if you have one drop of black blood, you are categorically black, never mind one of your parents is white. As Americans we all whether white or black must come together for the good of society. Remember a house divided will fall.
remember that they killed MLK. if he had been alive today, he would have been at rev. wright's side.
#1 Martha Davidson, I agree with you 100%. If you go to the UCC website, at www.ucc.org, you can find more accurate information on Wright and his church.
There is no excuse for teaching hate in a place of religion that should be teaching peace. I personally have walked out of lectures when hate was taught...not when
it was told. My reading Night by Elie Weisel was not teaching hate, my teacher who said Weisel was exaggerating his experience was an idiot. I left the class. So did others, of all colors.
No, I do not believe MLK would have been at Wrights side when he said those hateful things. I think he would have stood with Bill Cosby and noticed that because of whites and those marches of Rev. King;s Obama is running for President. And, because of the hate mongering at his Church, he may not win. I so wanted
There is no excuse for teaching hate in a place of religion that should be teaching peace. I personally have walked out of lectures when hate was taught...not when
it was told. My reading Night by Elie Weisel was not teaching hate, my teacher who said Weisel was exaggerating his experience was an idiot. I left the class. So did others, of all colors.
No, I do not believe MLK would have been at Wrights side when he said those hateful things. I think he would have stood with Bill Cosby and noticed that because of whites and those marches of Rev. King;s Obama is running for President. And, because of the hate mongering at his Church, he may not win. I so wanted
After reviewing their web-site, I like to repsond to Martha Davidson. Depite their well intended attempt to make it look nice as a church, I got the impression that their web site is bullt upon racial prejudice. Jesus never told his disciples to build a church to promote a single (black) race. Let me explain what I am talking here. I am troubled to see their mission statement starting and ending with racial remark. They claim that their "job as servants of God is to address that problem (the problem of color line) and eradicate it in the name of Him who came for the whole world by calling all men, women, boys and girls to Christ." Bible never teaches to address the racial problem and to eradicate that problem through Christ. Our job is to love each other as Christ loves us. Church doesn't exist to let people realize the differences of our skin color, but to be blind of it. TUCC will never eradicate the problem of color line as long as their pastor blames others for the problem and promote hatred against other color. That is totally selfish approach to the problem. In the Bible, we do not find any problems associated with people's race. It was always people's sin (hatred, selfishness, unthankfulness, greed, and violence, etc.) by which God is deeply offended. Church which is focused on racial justice is simply missing the mark: Repent from sin and believe Jesus as your Savior, then you shall be free. The door of TUCC seems to be closed in that sense. TUCC needs to detone the black if they really want to accomplish racial justice and extend the loving hand of Christ to other races too. They need to be unselfish and thankful to the society they are living in.
1. After reviewing their web site, I like to respond to Martha Davidson. Despite their well-intended attempt to make it look nice as a church, I got the impression that their web site is built upon racial prejudice. Jesus never told his disciples to build a church to promote a single (black) race. Let me explain what I am talking here. I am troubled to see their mission statement starting and ending with racial remark. They claim that their "job as servants of God is to address that problem (the problem of color line) and eradicate it in the name of Him who came for the whole world by calling all men, women, boys and girls to Christ." Bible never teaches to address the racial problem and to eradicate that problem through Christ. Our job is to love each other as Christ loves us. Church does not exist to let people realize the differences of our skin color, but to be blind of it. TUCC will never eradicate the problem of color line as long as their pastor blames others for the problem and promote hatred against other color. That is very selfish approach to the problem. In the Bible, we do not find any problems associated with people's race. It was always people's sin (hatred, selfishness, unthankful ness, greed, and violence, etc.) by which God is deeply offended. Church, which is focused on racial justice, is simply missing the mark: Repent from sin and believe Jesus as your Savior, then you shall be free. The door of TUCC seems to be closed in that sense. TUCC needs to detone the black if they really want to accomplish racial justice and extend the loving hand of Christ to other races too. They need to be unselfish and thankful to the society they are living in.
Ah Canadian commentator, look at these other comments. To think that Reverend Wright said that America (the U.S.) is racist, and that Obama's campaign might be seriously injured because the U.S. is, indeed, racist and unable to even understand its own racism... Not the kind of irony I like. I wonder if Charly listened to Obama's speech, or just to Fox news. Obama tried to say that there is resentment and racism in both black and white communities, and that it is important for the country to get past it in order to heal. It was a brave, honest, nuanced speech that might not have made great sound bites. I am praying that we can get past this.
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