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Jeremiah Wright's sermon: The audacity to hope

News Editor | Posted March 17, 2008 3:00 AM

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In the sermon, Wright, who was then pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, talks about a biblical woman named Hannah who could not conceive children and compares her plight to that of those who manage to hope in the face of despair.

"In spite of being in a world torn by war, in spite of being on a world destroyed by hate and decimated by distrust, in spite of being on a world where famine and greed are uneasy bed partners, in spite of being on a world where apartheid and apathy feed the fires of racism and hatred, in spite of being on a world where nuclear nightmare draws closer with each second, in spite of being on a ticking time bomb, with her clothes in rags, her body scarred and bruised and bleeding, her harp all but destroyed and with only one string left, she had the audacity to make music and praise God."

Statement from Trinity United Church of Christ (Sunday, Mar. 16, 2008)

Nearly three weeks before the 40th commemorative anniversary of the murder of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Reverend Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.'s character is being assassinated in the public sphere because he has preached a social gospel on behalf of oppressed women, children and men in America and around the globe.

Dr. Wright has preached 207,792 minutes on Sunday for the past 36 years at Trinity United Church of Christ. This does not include weekday worship services, revivals and preaching engagements across America and around the globe, to ecumenical and interfaith communities. It is an indictment on Dr. Wright's ministerial legacy to present his global ministry within a 15- or 30-second sound bite," said the Reverend Otis Moss III, pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ.

During the 36-year pastorate of Dr. Wright, Trinity United Church of Christ has grown from 87 to 8,000 members. It is the largest congregation in the United Church of Christ denomination.

"It saddens me to see news stories reporting such a caricature of a congregation that has been such a blessing to the UCC's Wider Church mission," said the Rev. John H. Thomas, UCC general minister and president, in a released statement. " ... It's time for us to say 'No' to these attacks and declare that we will not allow anyone to undermine or destroy the ministries of any of our congregations in order to serve their own narrow political or ideological ends."

Trinity United Church of Christ's ministry is inclusive and global. The following ministries have been developed under Dr. Wright's ministerial tutelage for social justice: assisted living facilities for senior citizens, day care for children, pastoral care and counseling, health care, ministries for persons living with HIV/AIDS, hospice training, prison ministry, scholarships for thousands of students to attend historically black colleges, youth ministries, tutorial and computer programs, a church library, domestic violence programs and scholarships and fellowships for women and men attending seminary.

Moss added, "The African American Church was born out of the crucible of slavery and the legacy of prophetic African American preachers since slavery has been and continues to heal broken marginalized victims of social and economic injustices. 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."

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached the Christian tenet, "love thy neighbor as thyself." Before Dr. King was murdered on April 4, 1968, he preached, "The 11 o'clock hour is the most segregated hour in America." Forty years later, the African American Church community continues to face bomb threats, death threats, and their ministers' characters are assassinated because they teach and preach prophetic social concerns for social justice. Sunday is still the most segregated hour in America.

Articles written by a News Editor are unsigned reports written or substantially edited by an editor on the staff.

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Comments 6

wertyuiop
2008-03-17 03:41:34

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition. But we seem to be putting the candidates through our own home-grown American version. It's a little unfair, since we haven't yet drawn up a formal creed that we demand they adhere to. Let's do that now, so we can move forward to political issues, like health care and the war. What's the most American of religions? I would have said Mormonism, but the Romney campaign pretty much disposed of that. Catholicism's out. Baptists sometimes plunge off the deep end, so to speak. No fundamentalists, free-thinkers, Quakers, Shakers or holy-rollers, please. How about a good, Godly New England white-church Congregationalism, or some innocuous form of Midwestern Protestantism, something with covered-dish suppers and not too much emphasis on God or the supernatural. A social -- but not, God forbid, not a socialist -- church. We would require, or course, that the candidate's minister never preach anything that might strike us as odd or disagreeable or offensive. And that the candidate be eager to slip out of his or her religion like an old raincoat the minute it becomes an election liability. Isn't that the American way?

Jamal
2008-03-17 07:31:59

Frank Schaeffer, the son of the late religious right leader Frank Schaeffer, speaks candidly about the double standards that exists between black religious leaders and white preachers whoes message both offer serious critique of the US government. THIS IS A MUST READ! Please pass this on...

bacaangel
2008-03-17 08:57:02

WHAT MEDIA IS NOT REPORTING: RE: TRINITY CHURCH! Rev. Thomas (Pastor of Mainly White Congreation of UCC) denounces e-mail smear campaign against UCCâ€™s largest congregation - Written by J. Bennett Guess, Jan. 11, 2008 Obama, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president, has been a member of Trinity UCC for 20 years." "Trinity UCC is rooted in and proud of its Afrocentric heritage," Thomas said. "This is no different than the hundreds of UCC churches from the German Evangelical and Reformed stream that continue to own and celebrate their German heritage, insisting on annual sausage and sauerkraut dinners and singing Stille Nacht on Christmas Eve. ." While Trinity UCC is predominately African American, it does include and welcome non-Black members. The Rev. Jane Fisler-Hoffman, Illinois Conference Minister, who is white, has been a member of the congregation for years. "Trinity is a destination church for many members of the UCC, a multi-racial, multi-cultural denomination that is largely Caucasian," Thomas pointed out. "When in Chicago, many UCC members flock to Trinity to share in and learn from its vibrant ministries, dynamic worship and justice-minded membership. Contrary to the claims made in these hateful emails, UCC members know Trinity to be one of the most welcoming, hospitable and generous congregations in our denomination." [...] Rev. Steve] Gray, a member of First Congregational UCC in Indianapolis (mainly caucasian), has worshiped several times at Trinity UCC and is most impressed by the overflowing sense of welcome it extends to visitors. "When you're Euro-American, (White) the people [at Trinity UCC] are so exceedingly gracious, warm and welcoming. They hug you and say, 'Welcome to our church!'" This ramped-up smear campaign against the UCC's largest congregation and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's home church â€” Trinity UCC in Chicago â€” has raised the ire of the Rev. John H. Thomas, the UCC's general minister and president, who called the e-mail-driven claims "absurd, mean-spirited and politically motivated." The Main Stream Media has been filled with images and video of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's controversial statements for the past four days, 24/7, which Obama has strongly condemned. My concern, however, relates to equal time. When Senator Obama, who, after all , is actually the Candidate, gave a speech in Indiana, addressing his faith, diversity, and unity, it has gotten such a tiny percentage of coverage in comparison to Rev. Wright's controversial statements. The main stream media has asked the questions how is Obama to deal with this controvery and when he does they give very little atir time to his Answer. This is just not Right. Here is the link to the transcript/video of Obama's speech. Let's urge our friends in the blogosphere, and in every level of media, to Air this.

Jojo
2008-03-17 10:27:27

This is why race problems exist and always will in the USA, the black experience in this country is not the same as any other group, and, sadly, those other groups never have any interest in the black experience, until they hear or read something they deem offensive, and, yet, will be deaf, blind and mute when they see the two worlds and the real issues in which this country works. Which is why it was odd to see that when Katrina hit, all these people were "shocked" that so many people were living in 2006 on less than $10,000 a year and trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty, and, didn't have bus fare out of town. And, the mainstream "media" can get back to me when they go after Hagee, Parsley, the Pope and all and the others who spew hate, but, get a free pass to back McCain.

alicia banks
2008-03-17 16:39:13

i want to vote for this pastor for president! i love all warriors who are brave enough to tell the truth about racism in amerikkka how refreshing it is to hear a black pastor do something more intelligent than gaybash... peace alicia banks www.geocities.com/ambwww

Hunter
2008-03-17 21:22:03

This is why I dislike religion and churches. I don't see how this is going to go away. The tactic was to scare white people into thinking that Obama is only for black people. He can't win! First, he isn't black enough. Second, he is muslim. Now, he is a black radical from the likes of the former black panthers. Give me a break. If Americans take this out of context, they are really stupid. And that type of ignorance is why Bush got elected the second time. I guess Americans haven't learned their lesson. Perhaps, they need to see the dollar fall even further, or maybe then need to be involved in a third war (with Iran), or maybe they have to stand in line for government cheese. I don't know what it takes for Americans to wake up, but what we have so far is not enough. Call me Anti-American, but I'm glad that healthcare cost are high, that Americans are losing their homes because they play into the notions of middle class, that seniors who overwhelmingly voted for Bush can't afford their prescription drugs, that this war has cost Americans billions of dollars and that the rich have gotten richer. That is price of ignorance. Americans were warned in 2000 and 2004, but they chose to ignore common sense. This is what you get. Hopefully, Americans will learn; but, then again, most Americans still believe gay marriage is a threat to the health, security and future of their families. What idiots!

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