That Mr. Obama would choose such a church as Trinity United Church of Christ, and would listen for 20 years to a pastor who uses such language and expresses such bigotry and racism, and would refer to Pastor Jeremiah Wright as his spiritual advisor, is a sure reflection of Mr. Obama’s judgment and a telling stance on his intent for our country.
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Available on You Tube are other videos of Pastor Jeremiah Wright with langugage that I refuse to have on my blog. This one is bad enough.
I know my husband well, and I am sure that if we were in church and listening to a preacher who began to speak in such vile and demeaning ways, and who used profanity in his sermon, Jerry would rise, gather his family and walk us out of that church.
I shudder when I think of the possibility that Barack Hussein Obama will become President of the United States of America.
________________________________________________________________________
My devotional blog is here.
Shirley Buxton 
36 replies on “Pastor Jeremiah Wright’s Inflammatory, Profane Sermons”
I’m thankful for the post.Truly looking forward to read more. Cool.
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Good morning, DT–Thanks for visiting my site and for commenting.
I also could go to a church where I did not agree with everything the pastor said. In fact there are very few people who agree to the nth degree on everything.
But if my disagreements with the pastor involved his straying away from truth and decency, I could not stay in that congregation. I would always love him if he had shown me Christ, but I could not listen to such filth over the pulpit.
People change. Think about this. Judas was chosen by Jesus as one of his disciples–yet in the end, he rejected Jesus and sold him out for 30 pieces of silver. Maybe Judas at one time took people to Jesus–probably did–but had he gone on to pastor a church, and knowing his philosophy of being a thief and a hypocrite, I could not have him for a pastor.
It’s all very sad, really.
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I like hearing diverse views of religion and all kinds of issues. In that way, I can form my own opinions. If a pastor brought me to Christ, preached helping the poor and being aware of greed, and if I agreed with most of what he preached, but rejected some of it, I’d keep going to his church. I don’t seem to agree with anyone 100 percent.
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Hello, Aundraous–
Welcome to my blog. Hope you return often.
I have not heard a complete sermon of Rev. Wright, but I’m sure he has preached some fine ones with excellent content.
In the parts of his sermon I have heard, I object to
1. His racists remarks.
2. His cursing in the pulpit
3. His damming America
4. His calling Israel a dirty word
5. His saying that America invented Aids
…
It wouldn’t matter to me how fine his other work is, I just couldn’t sit under a pastor who spoke in this way.
If Rod Parsley speaks that way, I couldn’t sit under him either.
Wish you well
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Have any of you even heard or read the whole sermon? Have any of you read he sermon? Do any of you even know Rev Wright. Just to say Rod Pasley said alot of racis remarks and he favors John Mccain and Mccain calls him a spiritual advisor.
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Good evening, Leslie.
Welcome to my blog. Hope you’re here a lot.
Certainly I agree with your assessment that America is not perfect–far from perfect is our country, and I for one believe we should talk about its imperfections and study carefully our history. All of it. We should face it squarely. We should hear carefully both sides of all the issues, and as far as we are able, we should be honest about ourselves and our actions. I certainly agree with that.
However, there are appropriate ways to have these discussions, and the videos I have observed and heard did not reflect appropriate behavior from a pastor–in my opinion.
My husband is a pastor–has preached thousands of sermons–and I certainly know out of the millions of words a preacher says, he will from time to time misspeak. I have heard my husband phrase things in a way that I absolutely know he did not intend to say.
However, I have never heard him curse. I have never heard him endorse a principle, when he in fact disagreed with said principle. Just never had it happen. The issue here, Leslie, is “from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.”
I believe you and others who acclaim Pastor Wright’s good qualities. I’m sure he has them, and that he has delivered worthy sermons. It doesn’t surprise me to hear that his church has honorable outreach programs.
But I personally could not sit under a pastor who, despite his good qualities would:
1. Make racist remarks
2. Say that the HIV virus was invented by the United States government in order to commit genocide against people of color.
3. Use the word s— in the pulpit. (It doesn’t change my opinion just because Tony Campolo may have used the word. It is disgusting to hear such a word over the pulpit.)
4. Say G D America repeatedly.
5. Say America gives illegal drugs to people
One more thing, Leslie. It’s interesting that the Trinity Church of Christ is defending Pastor Wright’s remarks, while now Mr. Obama is denouncing them. I wonder why that is.
Barack Obama
I really do appreciate your being here, glad we can disagree, but be rational and polite. Please return often.
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Finally–last post, I promise 🙂
Wright borrows some of the things I heard in the clips from others:
Tony Campolo (who some evangelists don’t agree with, and I must admit, have only read a few things about–I’ll have to check him out more thoroughly)
but here is a reference to one of his quotes:
http://lifeasamorehart.blogspot.com/2008/02/brian-tometony-campolo.html
And (with regards to the Hillary comment)
Muhammad Ali’s response to being drafted for service in the Viet Nam war:
http://www.aavw.org/protest/homepage_ali.html
Lastly, to add a little more perspective:
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=7333
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Consider this: during 20 years a minister (who preaches every sermon) will deliver over 1000 sermons
(about 1420). An average sermon (at a Black church, anyway) will be 20-30 minutes. (gives you more than 35000 minutes)which translates into over 2 million seconds and you are focusing your attention on approximately 100 of those seconds. There are numerous other sermons and references to them available on line that you can read:
http://www.preachingtoday.com/ se…cityofhope.html
http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/ …wright_4309.htm
http://www.ltsp.edu/news/2002- 20…wer_wright.html
to show a few.
Read them and ask yourself if you find any hatred within. Then ask yourself, honestly, if a man who has a white parent and was raised by white relatives would have a personal relationship with someone who constantly talks about hating them?
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I’m glad that your blog seems to be open-minded so I will respond with something I have told others: (I’m going to use more than one post, since it’s a little wordy)
The comments that you are responding to are 30-second bits out of thousands of sermons given during a 30+ year career. Since I’ve actually heard Wright speak on several separate occasions I can let you know that he does speak on a variety of topics, including faith and overcoming problems within the African-American community. In fact the many outreach programs of the church address these same things. Additionally, As many pastors do, Wright is addressing some of the issues that directly affect his church community in Chicago. Of course, those sermons wouldn’t make the nightly news or get you to comment.
There are many people who understand that everything the United States has produced and done was not positive. Our foreign and domestic policies have been far from perfect. I’ll skip slavery and the laws that were passed afterwards (since many people don’t want to discuss those things) and go to things like the funding of guerilla fighters in third-world countries (which almost always comes back to haunt the US), helping to assassinate heads of state (Pres. Ford officially banned this policy in 1976), the internment of Japanese Americans, giving Native Americans blankets with small pox, the injection of syphilis into men in Tuskegee, Alabama for purpose of ‘research’… The list could continue.
The point is this: the United States, most of us would agree, offers magnificent benefits and opportunities for its citizens, yet it is not without serious flaws. A simple study of history proves that. To consider someone who calls the United States out on some of its hypocrisy a “racist” or a “nut” for doing so is unfair. To note the obvious, that Obama’s experiences as a black man are vastly different from those of Hillary Clinton’s is not racist. It is not anti-American to want your home country to live up to its promises and to its purpose. The idea that patriotism requires one to believe, ‘my country, right or wrong” and not challenge the wrong gets us nowhere.
Just like the US, Rev. Wright has some magnificent points and some not-so-great ones. Yet to condemn him without looking at the totality of his sermons or his involvement into the community is wrong. And to condemn Barack Obama for attending his church for 20 years because you’ve heard a few peices of a few of Wright’s sermons is silly. Anyone who is married can tell you that while they love and support their spouse they don’t agree with and support all their actions or statements–does that mean they should leave the marriage?
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Helen – yes my son gets what he earns, but the person next to him should get what they earn. I don’t believe in giving bonus points because of skin color. SAT’s, ACT’s, and all federal and state jobs require testing and give extra points for skin color. My son could score a 95 on a state test and a person of another skin color may only score 85 but they would get the job because of the bonus points turning their 85 into a 100. I’m sorry, Helen, this is reverse discrimination and ALL discrimination needs to cease.
We live in a priviledged country. There are poor blacks and poor whites, there are black single moms and white single moms, there are rich blacks and there are rich whites, etc. Can you tell me what privileges white people get? I don’t guess I know of any. Maybe South Carolina is vastly different than California. (Helen, it’s hard to understand one’s attitude in writing. Please accept my remarks as sincere and kindly.)
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[…] Christ in Chicago, March 2005. (Trinity United Church of Christ/Religion News Service) “The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach while I […]
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Equality, discrimination, racism and slavery these are real words with real definitions. After all it is the very apperance of these words on this blog that were spoken by a “preacher” that has caused this passionate conversation. I think everyone would agree our response and cognitive thoughts are pieced together through the words we have heard and by the definitions that precede them.
I come from an upper middle class family that happens to be “white”. I happen to be a “preacher . I happen to have many black friends, and have never witnessed any of the “words” above in action.
I have a few questions for Mr. Wright and those that sadly think like him. What tribe in Africa is he from? Which boat was it that brought him chained and enslaved, and finally can you take us to one person (living) that is a slave master?
Sadly………SLAVERY was a reality in our Country. Equally as sad there are those that will negate the good that brave men and women gave their existence for–the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Dr. King and Rosa Parks.
For some that fill the pulpit fresh tear-filled material must be hard to come by.
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Racism, bigotry, cursing, meanness, and speaking negatively about America is always WRONG!
Doing so from behind a pulpit is even MORE WRONG!
It doesn’t matter what color your skin is.
Yes! It is incomprehensible that such action is defended. I do not at all understand.
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What Wright assumed that everyone knew (and everyone in his church does know) and what he alluded to by mentioning the few white people who were present in his church, is this: When a black person blames whites, he is not speaking about every white person individually. He means racism (against black) is so systemic that we don’t realize it exists.
Jana, I don’t know where this extra points to blacks is taking place. I never heard of anything like that. I know sometimes scores on the SAT or ACT are judged differently for minorities. Is this taking place in class, because if so, it’s crazy.
As for how much white people have to give, I don’t know. Even if you son is sitting next to someone who gets “bonus” points, no one is taking them from your son. He gets what he earns. No one is taking from him, especially not the kid who got the extra points. Who and how many will get into college, we don’t know? And getting in doesn’t mean one will succeed.
What white Americans don’t want is to give up privilege. We want our children to have opportunity. That’s the same thing blacks want. We have to get everyone on the same page first.
But how? Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in his book “Where Do We Go From Here? Chaos or Community” that whites were quite willing to make things better, but not to go on to equality because it would cost them more than they were willing to give. Apparently, he was right. We might have to sacrifice the financial well-being of our children to bring about equality.
Will God ask this of us? I don’t know. I only know he gave his son.
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Sis: Buxton:
If you would like to a second Black Preacher, but with a different point of view on Mr. Obama.
Send me and e-mail and I will forward it to you. I will not pot it on a blog without your OK!
Mervi
Okay, email coming.
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I have been around churches all my life.
I am a recipient of reverse discrimination, having been born & raised in a town whose population was about 40% black.
I have traveled *& attended churches in the western USA extensively.
One thing i found is the reguardless of skin color Jesus loves & DIED for everyone.
I have a co-worker & friend who is black.
When we discuss lifes issues it is never racism or colors, but it is what a pathetic state the world has decended into. The will of God is this : That none should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance.
When & if we do that the racism-chism will melt away & the will of the Father will be accomplished.
Anotherthing. Most of these posts have referred to Bible – scripture.
According to the endtime scenerio in Revelation the things on earth will not & cannot get better.
Every country will fall & give its servitude to the Antichrist.
Individually, it is the responcibility of the children of the Most High to do the will of the Father, thereby saving the lost.
Two scriptures i refer to a lot.
2 Pet. 3:9 and Is. 5:14 which says, Its not the will of the Father that ANY should perish , & that Hell hath enlerged herself & opened her mouth without measure.
Biblically, Sin will run its course………& all the psudo equality – liberation laws ever created & yet to be created will not take away the sin in mans heart. ONLY repentance will do that.
Good morning, Joseph. Welcome to my blog. Hope you’re here often.
I agree with what you are saying, and understand that in many ways these developments just reveal the truth of the prophecies of the Bible. Yet, you and I are doing right by speaking against these evil ways. It would not be right, even though we know the world will “wax worse and worse” to merely sit silently.
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In response to Helen’s comments regarding Afrocentrism being more inclusive. As a young white male I sure didn’t feel included in those comments. Maybe if I would just hate the United States I could be included.
Jay, some things that have been said in this column are completely incomprehensible.
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The reoccuring theme I’m hearing is that after hearing what this “Pastor” said there is no way you will vote for Barak Obama. Well, none of you were going to vote for him in the first place were you? So nothing lost. I too was not going to vote for Obama long before these comments were made.
I wouldn’t be surprised if these words actually rang as truth to the ears of the Obama Base…. What say you?
Jay, I can’t speak for everybody here, but as I have clearly stated in other columns, I have no intention of voting for Barack Obama, nor will I vote for Hillary Clinton. However, it is important that everyone who reads my blog knows of the poor judgment of Mr. Obama and will consider seriously what a mistake it would be to vote for him. For whomever is elected–whether I vote for him/her or not–will be my president, the President of the United States. It is a sobering thought to consider that Mr. Obama would hold that office.
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In response to Helen’s comments – We both agree that blacks were oppressed and we still have racial profiling today, but it is a two-way street. Because of civil rights, laws were changed and the restrictions to blacks were removed. My white son must score high on a test to achieve and blacks are given bonus points to put their score above my son’s score. The nutty thing about that is my son can sit next to a black student, my son score an 80, the black student score an 85, and then the black student will get additional bonus points receiving a score of 100. Why are we doing this? If I were black I would be offended that people thought I was too dumb to pass and needed the points. If we are going to give bonus points, why don’t we give it to the ones with learning deficiencies? Why is it based on color? The whites have stepped back, given privileges, apologized, and tried to make amends. How much more do whites need to give? Will preaching a message of hate towards white helpful? Is pushing whites down the solution? After hearing such hatred towards whites being spewed from a pastor, is it any wonder there are whites who are still skeptical of blacks? I’m not saying it is right, but we must realize this street goes two ways. If you want complete reform, both blacks and whites must lay aside hatred – period. Just as not all Americans are of European descent, not all black Americans are of African descent. We don’t need Eurocentric nor Afrocentric opinions if the views are that of separatism and hate towards another race. What we need is the love of God and the following of the ten commandments. I don’t think preaching hate and cursing over a pulpit is “just another point of view.” It is disdainful and divisive.
Having said all that, I do admire you, Helen, for supporting the rights and freedoms of blacks and women. I, too, believe in equality, but equality will never come hating whites and putting all the blame on the whites. This generation is not to blame for the oppression blacks and women suffered. There are areas that are still lacking and they will forever lack when messages of hate are preached. Until both sides are color-blind, we will remain a nation divided.
P.S. I think the area you live has more racial tension than where I live. Maybe you see more racism than we do here in California. Our state is probably one of the most progressive states for equal rights.
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And as long as we see things that way, we will remain two peoples in one country: a nation divided.
Sad.
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It’s a different emphasis. Likewise, the book White Woman’s Christ and Black Woman’s Jesus shows that difference in point of view. See
It is racist to insist on a Eurocentric life view, when many Americans are not of European descent. Afrocentrism is a lot more inclusive.
It’s just two ways of looking at something. Point of view matters.
Of course this is another way of looking, a different emphasis, another point of view. Unfortunately, such sermons and their different emphasis, other way of looking and point of view do not originate from God’s Word. As such, they should be disdained.
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This man is NOT a man of God.
Church is for the following:
Worship the Good God who provided for my every need this week.
Praise for a Great God.
Singing to MY Great God.
Thanks for My Salvation.
Church is celebrating Christ and his redeeming Blood.
Church is NOT what this Evil Agent of Satan is promoting.
I do hope and pray he loses his non-profit status for endorsing a candidate.
I pray for his “sheep” in his flock that they will know the REAL Jesus.
Amen!
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Hatred is hatred no matter what color the speaker is. No matter what afrocentricity really is….hatred from the pulpit?? Come on everyone….
Dean, I’m stunned to hear of such sermons, and to reckon with the fact that people blindly (?) defend such hateful and vile remarks.
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Like you, Shirley, it doesn’t matter to me what color Jesus was, but I don’t believe he was African. He was Jewish by birth, born in Bethlehem, Israel, and as a young child his family fled to Egypt. Most likely, he had an Arabic appearance. Regardless, the issue is having such a man as Jeremiah Wright for a pastor and considering him to be a mentor. Birds of a feather flock together and that is why I am not for Obama for president.
In regards to Helen’s comments. I have been in several black churches, heard many black preachers preach, and never heard such vile things spoken from the pulpit as that of Jeremiah Wright. There is a very large (several thousand members) black, Baptist church that my son has sang for several times. Although the majority of the congregation is black, they do have other races and their pastor would never speak such racial rhetoric nor would he curse from the pulpit.
This time I must disagree, Helen. Afrocentric needs to be thrown out the window if racial tension is to be eliminated. This type of preaching is not honorable and incites racism. There is another clip of Wright speaking and he says, “God hates this sh–.” To use such language in the church and the name of God is near blasphemous. Furthermore, to call white people enemies continues to provoke hatred. These people are no longer bound, the majority of the people in Wrights church are successful and wealthy, nothing is preventing them from succeeding. It is now time to preach forgiveness, acceptance of all people, and healing. Healing can never come if you continue to “pick the scab.”
Jana, thanks for your support and thoughtful remarks. I’m aghast at this story, and at the defense of such preaching. I never dreamed such sermons were being preached.
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This is liberation theology, such as taught by James Cone. Liberation theology teaches that Jesus came to set mankind free – that freedom and equality matter – and that Jesus knew the need for freedom because he was Jewish. Much of the black church focus is on liberation form bondage, such as the years in the wilderness. Slavery taught the black man bondage, but Jesus sets him free.
I’ve only read a couple of Cone’s books, especially “Martin and Malcolm and America.”
Such teaching may be liberation theology, but it is not biblical theology. It flies in the face of the teachings of Jesus Christ. I’m shocked and disgusted to hear such sermons spoken in the name of God, and maintain that the acceptance of Jeremiah Wright as a spiritual mentor is revealing of Barack Obama.
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Shirley, They weren’t racism. They were Afrocentric rather than Eurocentric.
Helen, the definition of racism is: prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race.
Do you honestly believe Jeremiah Wright’s sermons weren’t stuffed with prejudice, discrimination and antagonism?
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I know several black preachers, and have heard them preach numerous times. They would never curse in the pulpit. I have heard thousands of sermons by white preachers and have never heard one curse.
Cursing and shouts of racism go far beyond “relaxed language” in my estimation.
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Because this seems pretty typical to me. I’ve not been in a lot, but I know a few black pastors. All are Afrocentric and much more relaxed in their language. I’m talking about black Baptist preachers, not Pentecostals who are pretty much like white Pentecostals.
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Your guess is wrong. I’ve visited several black churches. Why do you ask?
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Shirley, It’s my guess you’ve never been to a black church.
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Good evening, Helen.
I surely don’t know the precise shade of the complexion of Jesus Christ, nor does it make any difference to me.
It does concern me greatly that a strong contender for the presidency of the United States, Barack Obama, would go to a church where the pastor is racist and adamantly curses the United States of America.
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What??? This is what I’ve been saying all along.
Of course, “Jesus was a poor, black man.” He was from northern Africa. He wasn’t as black as those from below the Sahara desert. So was Jesus, too, not black enough–just like Obama?
White Into Black
Sin.
Freed
into that darkened sky—
Friday.
How can one be born
when one is old:
washed—
in the flood from His side,
beneath the piercing sword?
Surely
I will abandon my watery grave—
alive:
pale as ancestors, plunged
into its flow—
black as my Jesus, comely:
a bride.
first published in Domicile
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We live in very precarious days.
My father always told me about this day and age we live in. “Between evening and morning, we could wake up to a change world” – not too far at all in the future.
Unfortunately, we cannot get up and walk out. But we can work for the Lord!
You have it right, Catherine. Our only hope is in the Lord, and our job should press us ever more forcefully–that of spreading the good news of the Gospel.
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If Barack is voted in one thing positive about it, people who think like this will no longer be able to blame everything on the “white” leadership of this country. This is very sad!
AP
It’s beyond sad–it’s terrifying.
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“Jesus was a poor, black man.” He was Jewish for Heaven’s sake!
This could be an example of church + competitive politics = trainwreck.
Welcome to my blog. Hope you’re here often. Think you may be right–we’re seeing a trainwreck.
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Obama’s pastor probably is “telling” as to what Obama condones and probably does give a bit of an insight into how he might run the country. He will not have my vote.
Tommyjoe, this is appalling, and I do believe may derail what seemed his nearly sure nomination.
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