Barack Obama’s former pastor has been in the news. Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Jr., is said to have been the chief spiritual influence in the senator’s life. He performed Obama’s marriage to Michelle, and was the inspiration for his book. Now Wright has become a dead weight on the campaign and the senator has removed his name from his advisors.
All week I’d been hearing bits and pieces of this tale and was wondering what the preacher could have said that was so inflammatory. Tonight, on my way home from downtown New Orleans, a local radio station played a 3-4 minute excerpt of the sermon.
The pastor seemed to be preaching to a congregation of his own people along the theme of: “Jesus was a black man who lived in a white man’s world (i.e., the Roman Empire) and knew what it’s like to be the victim of hatred, slander, innuendo, and needless suspicion.” It was pretty much “the white man is the oppressor” and “he’s the cause of all our problems,” followed by “Jesus taught us to love our enemies.”
He got personal and crossed the line when he told how “Hillary never was the victim of prejudice because of the color of her skin,” and “Hillary never had a taxicab pass her up because of the color of her skin.” “Hillary never had anyone accuse her of being too white and no one ever called her the N-word.” That sort of thing.
Which is right, I assume.
A lot of half-truths, I’d say. Right much of the time, pointless part of the time, inflammatory half the time, and ill-advised almost all the time. I mean, what does he want Hillary to do, apologize for the color of her skin?
My main conclusion on this is: “Ignore him. He’s just preaching.”
Judge him by what he does. More than likely–I don’t know the man, so just guessing–he’s putting on an act here, preaching to the choir as they say, having a little fun stirring up his folks by slamming the white enemy.
Over thirty years ago, I sat in a conference room at the downtown Holiday Inn in Jackson, Mississippi, where Dr. Joseph Lowery was speaking. In a few days, he would assume the presidency of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a major player at that time in the civil rights movement in the South. These days we hardly hear anything out of them.
The group Dr. Lowery was addressing was predominantly Anglo, all Southern Baptists, and if I’m any judge, all fairly liberal on social matters. I will never forget one statement he made about the work he was about to enter at the SCLC.
“It will be necessary for us to escalate the rhetoric. But do not be disturbed. Judge us by our actions.”
Something to that effect. I’m strictly going by memory here.
Escalating the rhetoric. Inflaming his people with fiery words and oratory. Saying whatever is necessary to stir them into action.
Recently, one of Obama’s closest campaign workers told a group in Canada they should not be put off by the senator’s comments regarding trade relations with that country. “He’s just running for president,” they were told, implying that he was catering to his audience and not to be taken seriously on this matter. “After he’s president,” the spokesman promised, “the realities of the presidency will keep him from doing a lot of things he’s promising now.” Again, those are not the exact words, but it was the thrust of what was said.
Just rhetoric.
“Rhetoric” is a noun with two meanings which are almost opposites. On the positive side, it refers to the art of effective, persuasive speaking and writing. Old-timers can remember when rhetoric was taught in public schools. On the negative side, rhetoric refers to insincere speech that will say anything necessary in order to win the point. In this, the latter case, synonyms are bombast, bluster, wordiness, verbosity, longwindedness, puffery, windiness, and hot air. (Thanks, Mr. Roget.)
The word “pandering” comes to mind, to be blunt about it. And that, according to Mr. Webster (we depend on these two men–Roget and Webster–a lot around here!) means “to take advantage of another person’s weakness.” I think of Senator Obama going into the crowds of unemployed autoworkers in Michigan and promising them that when he’s president, he will restore their jobs. Saying anything necessary to secure their vote. He’s certainly not the only candicate doing that, but that does not make it less shameful.
To “escalate the rhetoric” then means turning on the hot air, putting on a little show, strumming the chords of one’s audience in order to win them over. You’ve heard it said that a speaker “played his audience like a harp.” That’s the idea.
It’s bad enough when a politician does it. It’s unforgiveable almost when a preacher does it.
If there is one place where puffery and exaggeration, windiness and bluster, pimping and pandering, have no part, it is in the pulpit. The rule should always be “truth in love.” (Ephesians 4:15)
“Lord, give these two gifts to your Church: preachers who want to serve you more than to entertain their congregations, and church members with discernment to recognize and the courage to reject the bombast of egomaniancs. Amen.”
“Ignore him. He’s just preaching.”
Unfortunately, many who sit in the pews and listen to us Anglo preachers have already come to that conclusion about us. Sad to say.
But don’t blame them, we deserve it because in our own way, with our own issues we have done what you so perfectly described Dr. Wright as doing: “…putting on an act here, preaching to the choir as they say, having a little fun stirring up his folks…”
And unfortunately we, too, have been guilty of escalating our own rhetoric and not letting our walk match our talk. God forgive us and help us. If we ever expect preaching to have impact again, then our deeds will have to match our words.
This issue is not just a “black thing,” we are all culpable. Joe, I join you in the prayer, “Lord, give these two gifts to your Church: preachers who want to serve you rather than entertain their congregations, and church members with discernment to recognize and the courage to reject the bombast of egomaniancs. Amen.” And I pray that it begins in my church.
How could Obama sit under this kind of ‘preaching?’ and not be aware of what was being taught? His feeble efforts to disassociate himself from his pastor/mentor is not gonna win him any friends. Methinks this is symtomatic of the politics of this day….no one understands why the common man is fed up with politicians! We are citizens in this world but we are not of it. No political party is the answer to America’s needs. I don’t know which is worse…one who sits under this kind of spewing or one who simply doesn’t know what (she) believes.
Joe,
I echo some of Ron’s thought but I must take this a bit further. The pictures I’ve seen of Obama at church also include some very impressionable children. It is one thing for a man with some discernment to sit under the preaching of dr. Wright. It is quite another to expose your children to this. Even Mrs. Obama seems to have gleaned some of the negative opinions of her preacher. Most often Mothers have the greater influence upon children than fathers. The rhetoric is anti-American, racist and without any health of honor. Change the color and a few of the names and this kind of stuff could come out of a Klan ralley. It’s part of the problem and not the solution and to tag such rhetoric with either “God Bless His Heart” or “Jesus help us love them” is an affront to the Cross. Yes, let the walk match the talk match the walk. With you children sitting under these kinds of messages I would not expect an Obama to enlist in military service so why would it be good to have one as Commander and Chief? The potential is scarey! I’m so glad we have a God that can impress some sensibility upon the minds and hearts of so many American. I pray that these will turn our in November and regardless, I will pray FOR the next president. GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!
By the way, your blog clock is 6 hours fast!
Posted by: Bill Martin 6:10 PM MST March 16, 2008
What nobody seems to realize is how little Obama is at his home church. He’s been running for president for 13 months, and every Sunday needs to be in a different church to make his case known. This same can be said of his entire adult life! From the time he was a community organizer, he’s known the best way to contact large groups of people to motivate is the church.
It’s possible Michelle has heard many vitrolic sermons, but in a church that size, I betcha the kids are in children’s church.
This is a black guy preaching to blacks, and we as whites simply cannot begin to comprehend what blacks have gone through, and their cultural way of speaking that to us seems inflammatory but to them is nothing more than “soul-stirring.”
This tempest is generated by whites who don’t understand. It’s not a hatred of America. It’s a castigation of the compromise white America has made to a sin-filled culture.
What would happen, I wonder, if white Christian pastors would inspire their parishioners to dress modestly, live disciplined lives and humble ourselves before God and each other?
“…we as whites simply cannot begin to comprehend what blacks have gone through, and their cultural way of speaking that to us seems inflammatory but to them is nothing more than “soul-stirring.””
I’m not going to accept that excuse Karen. Any white preacher who made similarly “soul-stirring” comments about black people would be run out of town on a rail and denounced as a klansman — and rightly so.
I listened to this man’s hate filled bloviation against persons who are white and I could not help but wonder, Barack’s Mother, is by his own definition as ‘white as milk’, should he hate her? The preacher himself appears to have a good bit of ‘white’ in himself as well. This observation brings home the truth that all hatred, hurts the hater most of all.
I happen to have been quoted last Sunday on FoxNews about this very topic. In the years I have been in the ministry I have made the following two observations (among others). Observation #1, pastors typically don’t change their type of content nor change their delivery style very often, if at all. Point being, if Senator Obama has sat in this church for much of the last twenty years he has this type of inflammatory speech on several occassions. Observation #2, parishoners frequently cite something I said in a message several years ago. Point here being, people remember what the pastor says from the pulpit. (Admitedly, at times I wish they would act like it.)
Senator Obama has had amble opportunity to disengage himself from the pastor and the church based on spiritual reaons. To do so now is only for political reasons.