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Friday, 28 March 2008
Wright context doesn't change message
OK, I finally got around to watching one of those longer clips of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright -- specifically, one that contains the "God Damn America" part. I've been told many times that I just needed to get the context to understand that what he said shouldn't be understood in the stark way that I have understood it.
The Rev. Joe Darby, in his op-ed piece on today's page, suggested the same point:
... America is still focused on a few ten-second sound bites from Rev. Wright’s 30- or 40-minute sermons
Anyway, I watched this six-minute, 48-second clip -- and it doesn't change a thing. "God Damn America" still means "God Damn America." There's no part in which he says, suggests or even hints that he didn't really mean it, or that he thought America was in danger of damnation, and he wanted to save it. No, if anything, it's clearer that he meant what he said.
But I think some of the well-meaning folks trying to explain all this to me are actually misunderstanding me. Start with the assumption that I somehow lack information. Aside from the above quote suggesting I need the context of the remark, the Rev. Darby also says:
Dr. Wright’s critics also need to learn more about the historically black church and its clergy...
I surely don't claim to be an expert on the black church, especially in the presence of Joe Darby, who lives it. But no one has told me anything about the black church, in the course of "explaining" Mr. Wright to me, that I did not know. Sure, maybe something is lost in translation, but so far I've seen no indication that that's what is at work this time.
But what Mr. Wright said is clear. The six-minutes-plus of context that went before "God Damn America" was exactly what I would have guessed went before it. Essentially, it was a review of history, mixed with a small dollop of political partisanship (the comparison of not-so-bad presidencies with the current one). Short version: The government has upheld oppression of black people during the course of American history.
Folks, I'm an American history major, and I've lived in this country for most of 54 years. What part of the rather sketchy overview in that sermon do you think I didn't know already? If I'd been sermonizing, I could have added a lot to it -- including the fact that the blood offering of the Civil War, as horrific as it was, seems to have been an inevitable sacrifice to expiate the sin of slavery. And I would have said the evil didn't end there, nor could it, there being original sin in the world, and no one of us since Jesus Christ born free of it.
But I wouldn't have said "God Damn America." Not in a million years. For me, the point of bringing up evil is to try to overcome it -- as I believe two people Mr. Darby mentions (King and Bonhoeffer) were trying to do.
Sorry, but I can't accept that the Rev. Wright was saying "things that challenge America to rise above its sins of prejudice and greed." No, if he'd said America was in danger of damnation, or headed straight thataway, rather as Jesus said to the Pharisees in the example cited by my colleague Warren Bolton this week, that might have been seen as a challenge, perhaps even a well-intentioned warning. (Personally, although he had more right, being God, than anyone else to do so, I don't remember Jesus ever damning anything more sentient than a fig tree.)
But Mr. Wright didn't call on us to do anything. Instead, he called on God to damn America.
One last point -- Mr. Darby seems to assume, as have other writers, that those who say things like what I just said are against Obama. Well, I'm not. But just because I like a guy, I'm not going to sugarcoat a problem. As I said, Obama gave a brilliant speech, but he did not succeed in separating himself from what the Rev. Wright had said. He couldn't. If he had disowned him at this point, it would have been crass opportunism, and beneath him.
So this guy I like -- Obama -- has a problem, one he can't get rid of. Just as another guy I like, John McCain, is way old -- nothing he can do about that, either.
I would suggest that if anyone out there supports a candidate and thinks that candidate is perfect, he should look a little harder. Nobody meeting that description has come along in two millennia. Thus endeth my sermon for today.
Posted by Brad Warthen at 04:01 PM in 2008 Presidential, Barack Obama, Blogosphere, Race, Religion, The Nation, The State, Today on our opinion pages, Words
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Comments
WooHoo! Brad hit a homerun.
Voting for Obama is like buying a car without kicking the tires or having the oil checked. Americans have this love affair going on with Obama and are not seeing the absence of substance. He is a very UNaccomplished and UNdistinguished man despite many opportunities to make a mark; most obvious is his failure to challenge the hateful and racist speech of his mentor, Jeremiah Wright.
Apparently Obama has such strong emotional ties to this racist hate-mongering preacher that he is unable, or unwilling, to acknowledge that Wright's influence is inappropriate and indeed harmful.
If the American Citizens elect Obama despite the knowledge of Wright's influence over him it will be an acceptance, and a tacit blessing, of the union.
.
Posted by: JanetP | Mar 28, 2008 5:47:44 PM
Actually, Janet, I like Obama. My point here -- which I thought I made clearly enough (read the last three paragraphs), but this subject seems fraught with miscommunication -- is that liking Obama is insufficient reason to try to explain away what the Rev. Wright said.
Posted by: Brad Warthen | Mar 28, 2008 6:12:48 PM
Amen!
Posted by: Ralph Hightower | Mar 28, 2008 7:13:20 PM
Brad,
First, Rev. Wright shouldn't have said what he said, and Sen. Obama has said so.
Second, as for context, consider the Southern Baptist rule that wives are supposed to graciously submit to their husbands. Not just submit but graciously. This concept is what Rev. Wright is talking about. Not only are blacks supposed to suffer through racism, they're supposed to ask God to bless the government that makes them suffer.
Third, Rev. Wright, to my ears, clearly explained that governments come and go. That Roosevelt's America is a different America than Reagan's America and Clinton's America and Bush's America.
Fourth, what Rev. Wright said was clearly meant to be the opposite of God Bless America. Perhaps God Curse America would have been a better opposite, but it doesn't have the right ring to it. So what he is saying is that people listening should decide that some of the Americas should be reviled, cursed, declared as evil, whathaveyou, while other Americas should be thought of with high regard, saintly, whathaveyou.
That's what Rev. Wright is saying, if I look on it very generously. Some of our governments should be judged as being evil, like Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia, he's saying. He's not saying that our grand experiment in republican democracy -- a government of the people, by the people and for the people -- should go to hell.
Finally, I agree with Sen. Obama that Rev. Wright should not have said what he said.
Regards,
Michael Rodgers
Columbia, SC
Posted by: Michael Rodgers | Mar 28, 2008 7:34:17 PM
I'm with you, Brad, until you let Obama off the hook.
Preacher says "God damn America" in my church, context be damned, he sees me not again and faces a petition to have him disrobed.
Had Obama had the character people desperate for a charismatic leader have projected onto him, he would have done just that.
Posted by: weldon VII | Mar 28, 2008 7:53:23 PM
Jeremiah Wright is only one of a hundred people just as bad who are close to Obama.
Al Qaeda sympathizers.
Louis Farakhan and other haters of whites and Jews.
Weather Underground bombers.
Chicago politicians caught taking bribes.
Real estate hustler caught paying bribes, and selling the Obamas a mansion for a fraction of its market value.
Marxists galore.
Posted by: Lee Muller | Mar 28, 2008 9:09:00 PM
Brad,
I only read the first paragraph before I wrote this comment. It's the american way.
I understand you're a history major, just like Rice is a student and history and didn't learn a thing, but in this case you might want to look at the old testament, specifically the writings of the prophets, before reviewing a sermon.
Posted by: Marie | Mar 28, 2008 9:25:08 PM
You think the civil war was fought to end slavery? What was reconstruction for? So much for the history major part of your premise.
Posted by: Marie | Mar 28, 2008 9:27:32 PM
Well said Michael.
Brad, as pious as you are, I'm surprised you can only see this in political terms. He was speaking of "damn" in biblical terms as in God would not be pleased. He referred to the Bible immediately after saying it.
Weldon, I bet your church is not a fundamental fixture in the black community. Many whites want to dismiss the context as ancient history. The grandparents of black high school students today were lawfully treated as 2nd class citizens. This is very relevant context to many African-Americans whether you accept it or not.
Out of 20 years worth of sermons, there are a mere handful that were this extreme - if there were more they would be well publicized by now. This indicates we are seeing only a portion of what he preached.
On Youtube, I found a sermon in which he led his congregation in being subjected to an aids test. This is an important social and religious leadership function because in 2005, 50% of all aids cases in the US involved blacks. This is an example of the social gospel Obama cited.
There is no evidence Obama turned to Pastor Wright for political gain - some 20 years ago. As for many of us, choosing a church is a highly personal choice. Distancing himself from Wright is also a highly personal issue. If I felt compelled to leave my church, it would be a very difficult undertaking. Yet, McCain seeks out Pastor Hagee, a man of God who dismisses Brad, I, and other Catholics as cult members. McCain did so for purely political gain and he gets a free pass.
My point is not to excuse Wright for words that betray God's love, but to bring context to a complicated issue that so many have wanted to simplify. His words don't create the animosity that is felt in the black community, his words often reflect it. I am disappointed that there seems to be an unwillingness or even worse, an inability to consider such a possibility among so many whites.
Posted by: Randy Ewart | Mar 28, 2008 9:36:33 PM
Brad is race-baiting again. Why not blog about Hagee's comments regarding the Catholic Church and his subsequent endorsement of McCain?
Or why not blog about Falwell's and Robertson's comments on 9-13-01, and the Republicans constant pursuit of their support and their followers' support?
Because Brad is a race-baiter, that's why.
Posted by: Sonny Burnette | Mar 28, 2008 10:39:01 PM
Here is the Gospel according to McCain supporter, Pastor Hagee:
Hagee's version of "America's chickens coming home to roost" - blaming America for incurring the wrath of God via Katrina. After using "GD", a similar statement made by Pastor Wright was what resulted in the most criticism of him.
Hagee explaining how Catholicism is a cult - he uses the terms The Great Whore (widely used derogatory term for the Catholic Church) and the "Roman Church".
Hagee taking a strong political position regarding immigration and denounces Harry Reid as not supporting troops in his sermon. Infusing politics into his sermon is acceptable because it's a republican position, I guess.
All the while, Hagee has been getting from Caesar what is Caesar's to the tune of a million plus per year - AMEN!
Again, McCain actively sought out this man's endorsement for purely political gain and he gets a pass. Obama faces a highly personal dilemma, "rejects and denounces" the offensive words of Pastor Wright and his judgment is called into question. Alex, what is a double standard?
Posted by: Randy Ewart | Mar 28, 2008 11:52:17 PM
Brad - I just read your blog post that followed some obviously good thought on your part after my op-ed. You said in your response, "I don't remember Jesus ever damning anything more sentient than a fig tree." I try not to throw out Bible quotes, because a lot of folks use a verse or two the same way the media sometimes uses short sound bites - to prove a point. This time, though, I'll break my rule! Read Matthew 23 - the entire Chapter. Jesus didn't mince words in dealing with a problem in what was a theocracy, and if "damn" means to call for ruin or condemnation with regard to the powers that be, then Jesus did a pretty good job - especially in verse 33.
Posted by: Joe Darby | Mar 28, 2008 11:59:06 PM
Randy, you're right, my church is not a fundamental fixture in the black community.
It's a United Methodist Church. Most of our members are white, but the district superintendent is black.
As I wrote previously, more pointedly, there is NO context that excuses "God damn America" being preached from a pulpit.
I don't buy the "It's OK; he was preaching in a black church; that makes it all right" argument. Preaching hate to counter hate has no proper place, and the Bible teaches turning the other cheek, not hate.
Wright violated the third commandment (that nitpicky little thing about not taking the name of the Lord thy God in vain) from the pulpit.
He urged God to damn the country that gave him the freedom of religion and freedom of speech to say what he said.
Had he said "God bless America, especially black America, and even white America, in spite of America's racial sins," I would understand.
Posted by: weldon VII | Mar 29, 2008 12:06:38 AM
Again, the wrong thing to say is what Rev. Wright said.
The right thing to say about America's struggle with its promise of freedom is Langston Hughes' poem, "Let America Be America Again."
The poem speaks about a variety of people's experiences. It begins with:
"Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.
(America never was America to me.)"
And it concludes with:
"We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain--
All, all the stretch of these great green states--
And make America again!"
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15609
Posted by: Michael Rodgers | Mar 29, 2008 12:11:06 AM
Ok Weldon, where's your outrage about Robertson, Falwell, and Hagee preaching that 9-11 and Katrina are the fault of homosexuals and abortionists and America's acceptance of this?
Wright was clearly using "damn" in biblical terms just as these white pastors had done. Blaming Americans for the death of Americans is acceptable as long as you don't use the word "damn"?
BTW, read my 2nd to last post again. I did not condone his words because they were said in a black church. I attempted to give context to a complicated issue.
Posted by: Randy Ewart | Mar 29, 2008 12:25:32 AM
Again, Rev. Wright should not have said what he said. He went for shock value and landed in hate speech.
Here's how I'm figuring what he was trying to say:
God: God is God, and God works through nature and people.
Damn: Damn means to declare as evil for all eternity. Who's going to do the declaring? People.
America: Rev. Wright did not mean America as a country. Rev. Wright meant America as ____'s America, the way we say Hitler's Germany or Stalin's Russia.
Brad and Weldon have suggested that Rev. Wright meant America as a country, and I disagree. Although I'm not sure who Rev. Wright wanted in the blank. Roosevelt for the Japanese internment camps during WWII?
Langston Hughes means America as a country, a government, a people, and an idea.
Lindsey Graham says, "America is an idea." & "No group owns being an American."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sEfrFoAIn4
OK, with all that discussion then, what I figure Rev. Wright was trying to say is, "We should declare before God that ____'s America should be forever judged as evil."
Hmm. I still don't like it. It reminds me of what some people say who want to continue to fly the Confederate flag from the Statehouse grounds -- they put Lincoln in the blank!
Posted by: Michael Rodgers | Mar 29, 2008 1:03:16 AM
1st things first brad, the context of pastor wright's sermon was not wholly of his own thinking. a significant part of the context came from former ambassador edward peck. he paraphrased ambassador peck on a key point that the ambassador made in an interview, and called that portion of that particular sermon a "faith footnote".
it's time to give all this a rest. many relevant as well as many irrelevant points are constantly made, but this is truth: those who (most probably being caucasion) now want to revile pastor wright probably thought nothing of him when these comments were made in 2001. these same people probably did not even know that pastor wright actually made these comments in 2001. these same people probably ignored other pastors like john hagee, jerry falwell and others who made similar comments. for those who may have become aware of these comments any time between october 2001 and october 2007, they probably simply dismissed the comments as some idiotic (insert racist term here) preacher who no one (most probably caucasion) cares about. so, why are his comments now significant? because they make a (black) presidential candidate look unpatriotic to be associated with pastor wright. as unimportant as those comments were (to those taking offense) back in 2001, they are still unimportant today because the self-examination that pastor wright suggests that this country needs to do is still undone (and is conveniently not included in your blog, brad).
and if there is any doubt as to whether or not this country is subject to damnation (is this a better way to say it brad?), you have to look no further than the foundation (the constitution) upon which it stands to read the writing on the wall. for in that constitution lies a tenet that rebelliously flies into the face of the command of the so-called God that most americans say they revere, worship, etc. and that tenet that the so-called founding fathers gave to you (because i don't accept it) is freedom of religion, i.e. worship whoever or whatever you want, whenever and however you want.
for those that believe the Good Book, refamiliarize yourself with Exodus 20:2-6 and 1 Samuel 15:22-26, and please study so that you will be familiar with what those scriptures actually mean.
the chickens are coming home to roost, check the book of revelations for the truth of the one world order.
pastor wright spoke the truth, whether anyone likes the way he said it or not.
Posted by: wil | Mar 29, 2008 1:04:11 AM
guilt by association. folks are looking for a reason to vote against a black guy. it makes people feel justified when they use another man's words to define another person. let's be honest the majority of people in this state are racist. racism will end when people discover the true meaning of jesus christ.
Posted by: pam moats | Mar 29, 2008 1:05:47 AM
First of all, Jesus never damned anything. His soul purpose in coming to this world was to redeem mankind from their sins. He did not condemn the because the world is condemned already. Also, there are several scripture verses that tell the followers of Christ to pray for and be obedient to all those who are in authority; i.e. the government because God himself established it. I enjoyed your blog Brad. I had a letter to the editor on Monday that used several scripture verses to show that what Pastor Wright did was wrong. Thank you.
Posted by: Earl Pathel | Mar 29, 2008 3:31:40 AM
Jesus said this @ Mark 16:16:
"He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."
Pretty strong words. I'm choosing to believe them.
In yesterday's [The State] editorial pages, R.D. Fitzsimons wrote:
"Should we ask God to damn our country...? Above all, should any of us accept such thoughts as trivial and non-binding? "
My God is a powerful God. And for a "man of the cloth" to issue those words "GD America" in ANY context, and FROM the "pulpit" so flippantly, one has to wonder for which side he is recruiting. It is appalling.
The Rev. needs to read a little here:
"...these things has thou done and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.
Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces..."
***Psalms 50: True and False Religion
Verses 21 - 22 KJV ***
The Rev. may be lucky to have God get a hold of him, rather than some of the rest of us.
Posted by: bird | Mar 29, 2008 7:13:50 AM
Hey Brad, I usually do not like most of what you write in your editorials, but with this blog, I have to agree. I am a born again Christian white man who is married to a black woman. I still plan to vote for Obama if it comes between him and John McCain. My wife is in support of Hiliary for her own reasons. Keep up the good work Brad.
Posted by: Earl | Mar 29, 2008 7:29:05 AM
Great review of the racist bigot that Obama uses as a mentor! Any clue as to his thoughts that are influenced by that nut? It is the same old rant! Blacks are disproportionately in prison, disproportionately stopped by police, disproportionately represented in this or that area of our society! What a crock that way of thinking becomes! An example is the stun gun incident when a trooper used the stun gun against a black woman who obviously had no respect for the law, law enforcement officers or the public! Her attitude is pervasive in the black community with no respect for anything or anyone! If I were a law enforcement officer, I would have a hard time deciding not to be aggressive in such cases! It is not the law that I must not use all the force at my command to prevent injury or death to myself or someone else! The sheriff's deputy that was first shot and then killed the drug dealer is accused of using excessive force. He should have just tried to wound that thug! Wrong, his only mistake was not shooting that thug first to protect himself and the other officers present! It is time the courts, the legislature and others back law enforcement 100% in all but the most aggregious cases, damn the naacp, jesse, al, lonnie and others!
Posted by: zeke | Mar 29, 2008 7:30:07 AM
White folks don't have a institution that can be directly compared to the "black church", except maybe that thing that we call "extended family." Stuff happens within families and we can't distance ourselves but so far from it.
Posted by: Larry e. Creel | Mar 29, 2008 7:39:39 AM
God is love.
The devil is hate.
Take your choice from above...there is no in between.
Tim 4:3 "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."
PS...the false prophet presents himself in many forms...so be very, very careful. The false prophets can quote scripture, dress in robes, or be elected to office. They can be white, or black, male or female.They can be republican or democrat.
And they are among us always.
Posted by: Holly | Mar 29, 2008 8:00:27 AM
Zeke, thank you (and Lee)for buttressing Obama's point about the racial tensions that exist. I'm guessing you didn't intend this with your selective representation of the black community, but your angst is understandable as Obama explained.
We can cite the same scripture to justify different conclusions. My point is there is clearly a dynamic in the black community that whites may have a hard time comprehending. A well meaning professional who eats breakfast at the Summit can not sympathize with the challenges facing people of color living in the poor urban areas.
None of these previous bloggers nor this blog's namesake can state with certainty that his "damn" comment was not in the context of some biblical judgment. Yet, you choose to ignore any possible context and assume the worst. Many also choose to ignore similarly divisive and ungodly comments from white pastors.
Posted by: Randy Ewart | Mar 29, 2008 9:18:26 AM
