The angry pastor
March 19, 2008
Two things.
First of all, it’s entirely possible to belong to a community of people and yet disagree, strongly, with some of the positions they may take. This is particularly true of churches which often resemble family groups rather than narrow political parties. The church I attended most frequently was pastored by a PromiseKeeper, but the associate pastor was someone who believed the questions of Christ’s divinity, virgin birth, and resurrection was a trivial one. Even with such a sharp divide in church leadership, we still (mostly, somehow) managed to get along.
Secondly, conservative white preachers have been saying terrible things about America for, well, longer than there’s been an America. As Steve M. points out, this is certainly true in recent memory. Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, you may recall, blamed Americans for the 9/11 attacks. McCain’s buddy Reverend Hagee blamed our cultural permissiveness for the Katrina disaster.
It’s common rhetoric. The only difference is white liberals have heard this kind of crap come at them from white preachers so long they kind of shrug it off when it comes from black preachers, too. But the disciples of Falwell, I suppose, are so used to swimming in clergy-approved self-righteous indignation it comes as a shock when they are blamed for something from the pulpit.
Posted in 
content rss
March 20th, 2008 at 3:18 am
It’s really a shame you miss the entire point of this discussion. It has nothing to do with his race OR religion. It has everything to do with the fact that a presidential candidate has aligned himself with, and has profound respect for, a man whom over the past 20 years has spewed hate for the majority of Americans and what they stand for. It also has to do with the fact that the candidate, on many occasion, has stood up for his pastor and continues to stand by him, excusing/explaining away what Rev. Wright has said for the past many years. He still fails to see or accept the pastor’s diatribe for what it truly is, hate of America and her people.
Secondarily, We now have direct proof this candidate has no problem telling America bold-faced lies. For the last week he has been claiming that he knew not of his Pastor’s hate-filled rhetoric, when in his speech on Tuesday morning he acknowledges his awareness of it. Which is it??
People that continually bring race into this discussion have missed the boat completely as to what matters for those of us that expect more from our leaders than empty rhetoric and worthless promises of hope. The very notion that one individual thousands of miles away in an office is going to lift you from poverty, bring your children off the streets, take violence out of schools, and cure your every malaise is simply foolish at best and dangerously naive at worst.
What ever happened to self reliance and holding ones-self to a higher standard in an effort to achieve a better standard of living?
March 20th, 2008 at 3:45 am
Randal, what Pastor Wright said is not any worse than, and in some ways is more accurate than, right-wing religious rhetoric against America over the last many years. I don’t think you bothered to follow any of the links or think to hard about the so-called “anti-American sentiment” present in the religious right. McCain has eagerly sought and received the endorsement of pastors who’ve “spewed” a remarkable amount of “hate” against American liberals. In fact, it happens so often it’s rarely news any more.
Is this characterization even fair? I don’t know and I frankly don’t care. “Lies” only seem to matter to some people when they’re technicalities about trivialities told by the left, not when they’re about, oh, reasons for going to war and sacrificing our blood and treasure half a world away.