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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.
