Defenses of Wright Pour In

In addition to the myriad posts in defense of Rev. Wright that have appeared on blogs around the country, a few more high profile defenses have shown up in the last few days. The theme running through them is the revelation of Wright in broader context, while in no way excusing the tone or incendiary nature of the remarks that have found a home on the cable news channels. This is laudable, but not likely to sway the opinion of most blue-collar whites, who would benefit most from the perspective - primarily because their choice of news outlets can generally be narrowed to those which can be digested without too much effort, i.e., while sofa surfing. Saying that these news outlets do them a disservice is to state the obvious.

The most notable treatments of Wright of late have been from Martin Marty and Rev. Dean Snyder. Marty is a Professor of Religious History at the University of Chicago. He was one of Wright's instructors, a periodic attendee at Trinity UCC, and calls Wright a friend. His defense is, well, fair and balanced. The other supporting words, whose timing couldn't be better, are from the Dean Snyder, pastor of the church Hillary and Bill Clinton attended for their eight years in the White House. Rev. Snyder describes Wright as "an outstanding church leader" to whom we do an injustice if we "evaluate his dynamic ministry on the basis of two or three sound bites." I doubt that Rev. Snyder cleared this comment with Sen. Clinton or her campaign advisers before issuing it, but then again, maybe that's how its supposed to work in a democracy with a functioning separation of church and state.

Wright's Message vs. His Methods

It is clear to me from so many of the reactionary comments concerning Rev. Wright that precious few of the commentators have ever set foot in a black church, or have any significant acquaintances that have. If they did, they would realize that Rev. Wright is not an anomaly in the black community. In fact, his ethnicity aside, he is not really an anomaly in evangelical Christianity. First, to call Wright and those like him racist or anti-American is ludicrous. Yes folks, many black pastors lace their messages with imagery and hyperbole that tie scriptural accounts of struggle and triumph to the struggles of their parishioners. This is an act of relevancy. It is not racist. There is no call for retribution. There is no call for violence. There is no call for hatred. There is no call for incivility. Rather, the call is to reflection, repentance, and dedication to God and his principles.

Please hear this - when a black minister points out the existence of institutional racism in the greater society, or the ungodly acts of our government, he is attacking the passivity and apathy of his listeners. To what end? In the Christian message, change begins within, not through external acts like violence. This message calls the hearers to personal accountability. It teaches them that they cannot depend on the greater society to solve all of their problems nor to rescue them. It reinforces to them that there may even be cases where either the government or government-supported industry may disregard their safety or well-being – as in the Syphilis experiments on blacks. It teaches them that those in power don’t always have their best interests at heart, but that God does! This continues to be an important message is some corners of the black community, especially those where blacks may have been victimized due to their prior passivity or undue trust in the supposedly benign acts of the greater society, i.e., whites. It is this message of personal responsibility, of pride, of enduring faith, and yes, of strength that draws young black men to the church. No doubt, Senator Obama connected with some aspect of this message as a young community organizer in Chicago, and once settled in his new "church family," felt no need to leave, despite the occasional odd comment from the pulpit.

Better Wright than wrong, again.

Alas, while I hope Senator Obama doesn't lose the nomination because of this, I have doubts. The divides in this country run too deep. For example, I can't expect say a white Presbyterian to feel comfortable with attending the majority of black churches in America. Just as they might not feel at home at an historically black college. Not because blacks would ostracize them, but because they would be exposed to acts of racial/cultural pride that they might be offended by. The Black community has, through its institutions - of which the church has been preeminent - continually attempted to reverse the psychic and social damage of slavery and poverty. Some of this has involved Afro centrism, which focuses on having pride in your cultural heritage, and not feeling ashamed of it. It does not promote hatred of whites. It promotes loving one's self.

It seems to me that blacks are most acceptable when they are docile. Sorry to burst your bubble, but most blacks deal with the dichotomy of being patriotic members of our society and at times vocal dissenters every day. America is great, but she is not perfect. America deserves our loyalty and service, but not serf-like docility. Black leaders since the 50's have sought to harness this dynamic in productive ways, but not to quench it. Rev. Wright's approach to sermonizing is aimed at harnessing the productive energy (faith -> action) of his constituency. His hyperbole may not suit some, but guess what? He is not talking to you. He is talking to a membership composed of people from Chicago's south side. Do you think you can motivate his 10,000 members to good works? Do you have the tools to serve as a bulwark in such an impoverished community? The whining I often see reminds me of the unrealistic attitudes civilians sometimes have towards the military and war. They want soldiers to be Boy Scouts when circumstances require them to be warriors, sometimes at great psychic cost.

Many of the things that Rev. Wright says have been said by other evangelical ministers, both black and white. Maybe not as colorfully, but they have been said. When he says God Damn America, he is echoing a chorus of religious commentators who have reflected on whether God would continue to shed his grace (unmerited favor) on this nation. In the kindler, gentler delivery of a Pat Robertson, it usually comes across as an appeal based on 2nd Chronicles 2:14 (KJV), which reads, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." What usually follows is a diatribe that warns what could happen if we don't follow this admonition, i.e., war, disease, poverty, cultural decay, etc. Many times this imagery is capped off with "evidence" by citing that when the historical nation of Israel sinned, God would punish them. Again, if you are not an evangelical, maybe you have not heard these kinds of sermons before. No excuses, just facts.

Better Wright than wrong

It is unfortunate that Wright's sermons have come to hurt Senator Obama. For those who are not evangelical Christians, they may not be familiar with preaching and the way it is viewed by many, if not most evangelicals. A sermon is not a written speech, nor does it carry the weight of doctrine. It is often filled with allegory, analogy, emotion, etc. Further still, sermonizing in a Black church takes on additional dynamics, rooted in the Black experience in America.

Many may be surprised, but these sermons are not always flag-waving, zombie-like promotion of the American status quo. Rather, they are usually challenging on a personal level. Challenging to complacency, and more often than not, aimed at people who may lack the erudition to wrestle with issues of faith solely through impassioned self study. Again, some may not know this, but Reverend Wright is not atypical in the Black religious community. I have sat and listened to my fair share over the years, and the sermon clips that are played (out of context) are not particularly unique.