Lotus,

Thanks for your reply. I don't believe I've pardoned them at all. I've pointed out, correctly I believe, that there are many nuances.

And while I don't agree with Minister Farrakhan, for example, I'd be a bit hard pressed to compare him with the likes of Pol Pot, Stalin, etc.

That's all.

Peace.

And it is, of course, such a good thing that the 43rd president governed from such a center as he did. That's part of the reason he's been such a huge success as president.

If Obama is elected - and he serves four years or eight years - I hope that we will all meet again on this site to weigh the presidencies of both men. I'd be willing to bet Obama will be found to have been more centrist.

Trinity UCC is large because it has, over the course of the last four decades, done extremely creative ministry in the southside of Chicago - a place with many complexities in the neighborhoods of that city. It was a church that was dying when Jeremiah Wright was called to serve as its pastor.

Jeremiah Wright, in fact, used his skills and gifts from God to give shape to that wonderful and so-called "mega church" ministry. One is utterly foolish if they think the work of 36 years can be encapsulated in a four second soundbyte. Incidently, I've heard him preach in person and he is a powerful preacher. One of the best, in fact, that I have ever heard. His style is not my style. I'm far quieter, reflective, gently prodding. Both of the styles are found in Biblical discourse. You might have heard of Elijah. Of Amos. Of Jeremiah. They were not wallflowers. Amos preached only one sermon before being run out of town. Was his - and their - message(s) not from God?

Second point - Do you know all the layers of complexity with Farrakhan and Wright's relationship? I'm no support of Farrakhan at all and I certainly don't agree with everything he says or does by any stretch of the imagination, but do you know why Wright might have praised him? I bet you don't. And if you don't have a clue, you shouldn't make charges.

Third point - in regards to the Roman Catholic priest who made his inflammatory comments which was the "straw that broke the camel's back" regarding Obama and his home church. Here's the truth. There are Christians - laity and clergy - who are, to be kind, off the charts for whatever reason. I bet everyone who reads these letters and who go to church on a regular basis has heard something they don't agree with - even intensely. But we call on the Obamas with outrage and hate that they should they quit their home church because of it. The church that has nurtured them and given life-enhancing relationships. How dare us in our arrogance.

The "problem" with Rev. Wright is that he had a member of his church running for president. And the political forces in opposition would - and will - do anything to bring down someone opposing their candidate. Why else would someone scour through 36 years of sermons? I preach every week and I have no interest in hearing the sound of my own voice ad nauseum. Why would anyone else focus on this person, all those years, save to find whatever piece of "damning evidence" they could possibly find?

Here's the good news when we all get through with this. Will Campbell, the Southern Baptist iconoclastic preacher without a pulpit wrote in his book *Brother to a Dragonfly* "We're all bastards but God still loves us anyway."

You see, God loves Jeremiah Wright. God loves Ted Haggard. God loves Jim Bakker. God loves Jimmy Swaggart. God loves us regardless of our politics, whether we have it "right" or not, and even though we stumble through life as though looking through a glass darkly. One day we will see clearly.

I'm hoping, trusting, and believing that's true.

Regarding abortion, gehgoeson, well said. Well said indeed.

Not to mention the comment about Jeremiah Wright. The man does 36 years of excellent ministry, yet is demonized by a four second sound byte that is pulled out of the sermon and is out of context. Wright also said in that sermon "God Bless" America - but we don't hear that mentioned by the right, do we?

As a Christian and as a Pastor, I can only hope Obama does win, if for no other reason (though I do have others), than to answer these people making these outrageous claims about him. He is not Muslim. He is a Christian. He isn't a socialist. He's actually positioned himself to be fairly centrist, albeit to the progressive side. America is hardly going to be destroyed by his presidency if he is elected. This woman in a previous post reminds me of the woman at the McCain rally a few weeks ago who said Obama was an "Arab." It's so sad that we have people who believe the mistruths being told about Obama.

I, for one, will appreciate that his presidency would bring a wider Christian viewpoint into the public arena. We are not a nation of (only) right-wing Christians, though some recent presidents have acted as though we are. And it's time that the right leaning Christians accepted the reality that Christianity is a wider tent (or bigger ark, take your pick) then they have believed. And then they need to not be freaked out by it.

Is it not correct that Dan Quayle belonged to the same fraternity as G.H.W. Bush? I've always thought that was the reason that Bush picked him.

I guess it's true that God DOES work in mysterious ways....

Why the heck is Gov. Palin winking at us?