What the Pundits Mistake About Obama's Church

[Emit]

What the Pundits Mistake About Obama's Church

For almost a year, Fox News and other conservative pundits have hinted that Sen. Barack Obama is either a closet Muslim or a black separatist Christian. Of course both half-formed and contradictory mischaracterizations have been debunked by most within even their own punditry circles. But yet again, this month Fox's Hannity and O'Reilly as well as Slate columnist Christopher Hitchens and the editorial board of Investors Business Daily have succumbed to attacking Sen. Obama over his church's black ethos.

On air and in print, they worry about Trinity's (United Church of Christ) "Afrocentric" commitments to the black community and black work ethic. Hitchens called the church racist. And over and over, Hannity and O'Reilly parrot the old light-weight racist rhetorical question: how come they can have black theology (or a month) but we can't have a "white theology" without being called racist?

This concern can be addressed logically with a brief understanding of Black Liberation Theology. Upon examination, it becomes clear that Trinity UCC has an inclusive and even an intellectually exemplary Christian community...

~snip~

Dangerously, these pundits opine without understanding the basics of their opponents' ideas. As early as March 1, 2007, the Rev. Dr. Wright attempted to explain his church's historic connection to Liberation theology in Nicaragua and mentioned Dr. Cone, yet Hannity cut him off repeatedly, preferring to call him separatist and play up Wright's ties with non-Christian Louis Farrakhan -- a cynical and specious attack. Again, this stems from a misunderstanding about the role of the church in African-American life.

University of Chicago scholar of religion Martin Marty writes:

So Trinity is "Africentric," and deals internationally and ecumenically with the heritage of "black is beautiful." Despite what one sometimes hears, Wright and his parishioners – an 8,000-member mingling of everyone from the disadvantaged to the middle class, and not a few shakers and movers in Chicago – are "keepin' the faith." To those in range of Chicago TV I'd recommend a watching of Trinity's Sunday services, and challenge you to find anything "cultic" or "sectarian" about them. More important, for Trinity, being "unashamedly black" does not mean being "anti-white." My wife and I on occasion attend, and, like all other non-blacks, are enthusiastically welcomed.

Clearly, if one spends even half an hour reading the sources or listening to the folks, there remains no logical or theological reason for worrying about Trinity. There are bigger issues in the world.

~snip~

So why do these attacks persist? It's the old bedfellows of TV ultra-conservatism: willful ignorance and fear. They fear what they don't understand. And in an effort to hide this race-based trepidation, they interview ignorant black proxies, like this most recent guest, Jesse Lee Peterson, who is lauded on the white supremacist (h/t Pastor Dan) site, Storm Front. Sean Hannity actually sits on the board of his organization.

The real tragedy here is that as Hannity and O'Reilly and Hitchens, et al, continue to mix their ignorance with their fears and conflate black theology with "reverse racial hatred." To Hannity and O'Reilly and Hitchens, African-Americans whine about discrimination when they are really only talking about their own community. In so doing, these pundits play right into the hands of overt white supremacists and closet racism, both of which feed off media-fanned doubts about discrimination and cultural pride. Here I quote directly from the Stormfront site: "blacks will keep doing the two things that they do best - hate and whine." If Black Liberation Theology can be understood after a pretty quick read of the facts or actually listening to the Rev. Dr. Wright, what does this imply about the goals and information value of Hannity, O'Reilly, and Hitchens?

The best of the American tradition of liberty for all includes the intellectual freedom -- and responsibility -- to listen to others before attacking them. By continuing to confuse thoughtful, redemptive, contextual Christian theology with reverse racism, these pundits spread cultural ignorance and fan racist fears.

http://blog.faithinpubliclife.org/2008/01/on_the_msm_attacks_on_trinity.html

[MADem]

1. This concern can be addressed logically with a brief understanding of Black Liberation Theology.

Perhaps it can, but the truth of the matter is, most people aren't going to develop that understanding. They just aren't.

And Rev. Wright giving an award to Minister Farrakhan simply served to further confuse the issues in the minds of those who are NOT desirous of achieving that "brief understanding."

That might not be what you want to hear, but I suspect it's a pretty valid assessment of the situation.

I think the "hope it just blows over" course of action is the more likely one. Of course, it WILL be revisted in the General Election contest if Obama is the nominee.

[bhikkhu]

3. Jesus doesn't wave anybody's flag

And pastors are entitled and obligated to call sin of whatever form for what it is. I would hope that would be sufficient for understanding without any complicated theological points...

[MADem]

5. That's true. Render unto Caesar, and all that.

However, God DAMN America sort of goes against that rendering unto Caesar bit as well. It's the opposite of flag-waving--it's wiping one's ass on a particular flag, and Jesus doesn't do THAT, either.

If we're going to discuss simplistic and oft-cited Biblical assertions, that's as good a summation as any.

Look, the sooner Obama can put this behind him, IF he can, the better for him.

Trying to "sell" people on Reverend Wright's theses is simply a non-starter. There's nowhere, now how, and no damned way that "God DAMN America" can be explained away, or placed in ANY context, by "Black Liberation Theology." Just fuggedaboutit. Not happening.

Distance is the best bet--lots of it. And no shortage of well-aimed disavowal, as well.

And if Obama can send Rev. Wright on a ten month cruise to nowhere, no phone, no light, no motor car, not a single luxury... he should do it. ASAP.

[The_Casual_Observer]

4. Obama apparently doesn't buy it either, or at least thats what he is

claiming right now.

[Swamp Rat]

2. "these pundits play right into the hands of overt white supremacists and closet racism"

The same can be said of a few posters here. x(

[Emit]

7. I see that, Swamp Rat

and it pains me to witness on DU

[Emit]

6. kick n/t