Yikes! Yet another diary about Rev Wright.
Basically, this is about getting an understanding of his motivations. I see things being said about him that are simply unfair or incorrect. This might provide some enlightenment on the subject. Might.
[1] He is not a politician. In the end, he will be true to himself, and not "care" about Obama's political campaign or people who support Obama. He has his own agenda, period.
He doesn't care what you think... of him, or what he has to say. He is not politically correct. In fact, he is anti-politically correct. He is by instinct a contrarian. He goes against the prevailing wind. He is not at peace unless he is challenging something.
Some have said Wright is somehow "anti-Obama" or is trying to "throw Obama under the bus." NO! He almost surely prefers Barack over the other candidates. But he is NOT going to follow the campaign playbook or adhere to proper protocol or manners. Simply put, he couldn't care less about the politics, even if Obama suffers as a result.
[2] Basically... he has a "schtick." His preaching is often outlandish, even when compared to other Black pastors. It's like Wright is Chris Rock, whereas other preachers are Bill Cosby (who is a champion of "wholesome", inoffensive comedy.)
His high level of showmanship gets him in trouble with people who are unaccustomed to his style. However, for those who are accustomed to it, that style loses its jarring impact over time. It's easy to see how his congregation could "get used" to his over the top stuff.
[3] David Gergen made an amazingly insightful comment when the Wright story broke: African Americans have a different kind of patriotism. That is absolutely true.
Consider this parallel to the case of Catholics. When most Catholics see a priest, they have a positive, comfortable, and comforting feeling. But a person who was abused by a priest as a child will have a much different feeling.
So too it is with black Americans. For a black person, the idea of America will always include images of slavery and the physical and sexual abuse that went with it, racial discrimination and segregation, etc.
So for many blacks, the feeling of patriotism is muted by the facts of our heritage and the legacy we have been given. This is the perspective that Wright brings to his preaching. And if that sounds ugly... it's because it is ugly.
[4] The key to understanding the Black Church is to know that they speak truth to power.
One aspect of this is the belief that God comes before country. (Of course, this should be true for any religious leader.)
The idea of a Black preacher having to "scrub" his text so that it meets the majority culture's notion of nationalism is anathema to many Black clergy. Indeed, the idea that a sermon must be patriotic in any sense is intolerable and unacceptable.
Indeed, as far as the Black Church is concerned, when a pastor puts county on equal footing with God, said pastor has lost credibility... he has become a tool of the state and not an instrument of God.
This is why many black clergy see the attack on Wright as an attack on all Blacks churches. Because once you accept that the speaking of the gospel must be filtered to remove any content that is deemed as "unpatriotic" or otherwise "politically unacceptable"... then at that point, the whole premise of the Black Church (speaking truth to power) is destroyed.
If there is one thing you must get from this diary - that is it. And if you think about it, the attack on Wright is not just an attack on the Black Church - it's an attack on ALL churches. But nobody seems to understand that. Yet.
[5] The picture of Rev Wright as "anti-American" or "anti-white" is wrong. He is anti-EVERYTHING... that is bad.
As mentioned, he has given thousands of hours of sermons, we've only seen several minutes. Were we to see all of his sermons, we would see, for example, his admonishes against black on black crime, or parental abandonment of children.
This is the first real "injustice" that the media has done to Wright: they have isolated his comments, caricaturing his comments as typical liberal screeds. In fact, he has much to say about the "bad" aspects of black culture... but nobody listens, because those parts of his sermons are never televised. And that which is not televised (or put on the Internet) does not exist.
[6] The other injustice is the false picture of Wright that he is all talk. He is more than just fire and brimstone. Much much more.
In fact, his church has more than seventy active ministries and eight corporations, including a community development corporation, a health and hospice corporation, a higher education corporation, a day care center, two senior housing complexes, a federally chartered credit union, and an elementary school which has received a charter from the Chicago Public Schools Board of Education.
Trinity UCC is known for its benevolence and commitment to education. During his pastorate, Trinity UCC has given in excess of $1 million dollars in scholarships to high school graduates entering college. The congregation has also given in excess of $1.5 million dollars to assist members pursuing seminary education, and given over $500,000 to the Fund for Theological Education and several fully accredited (by the A.T.S.) seminaries including Chicago Theological Seminary, United Theological Seminary, The Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University.
THIS IS ALMOST NEVER MENTIONED IN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT WRIGHT. And I'm sure that pisses Wright off a lot.
[7] Wright has a touch of arrogance about him. He is a preacher, and many preachers can be self-righteous. He is has graduate degree level training. He is ex-military. He speaks several languages. He built a multi-million, multi-service church from nothing. He plays several instruments.
All of which leads to the fact that he doesn't suffer fools lightly. He will NOT sit back and allow the attacks on him by the press to go unanswered. He would not be where he is unless he was the kind of guy who fights against this stuff. Unless there is some divine intervention, he will continue to rail against his critics.
[8] Because he is a colorful figure, the media loves him. The media could chose to ignore him, but he is too good a story. And this is real reason the Rev Wright issue will not go away. Rev Wright sells.
[9] Rev Wright is a victim. He never asked for the visibility and notoriety he has gotten. In his recent talk to either the NAACP or Nat'l Press Club, he mentioned that many of his speaking engagements had to be canceled, because his presence was bringing too much heat on his prospective audiences. He mentioned that one school was rescinding their offer of an honorary degree. He has gotten death threats, and his church has gotten bomb threats.
Let's call it what it is. I cannot recall one person who has been the subject of such character assassination as Wright. And unlike Willie Horton, Wright has not committed any crime.
Wright is a pawn. Once the election is over, the Sean Hannity's and Greta van Sustern's(sp?) of the world will spit him out like over-chewed gum. Wright feels like his reputation and legacy are at stake, and in fact, they are. I foresee Wright continuing to fight against overwhelming odds - he is NOT going to beat Fox News - and make collateral damage of himself and the Obama campaign in the process.
This is not going to be pretty.