Hate from the Pulpit

Senator Barak Obama’s quest for the presidency has been in major turmoil over the last few weeks. These problems have stemmed from controversial comments made by his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. These statements were made from the pulpit of his church which Obama attended for over 20 years. For those of you who have not heard these comments, let me just say that they were incendiary, anti-American, racist and needless to say, not very Christ-like. (Click Here to see the video)

But the fact that Jeremiah Wright would make such hateful comments doesn’t surprise me at all. The truth is, he is not the only “Man of God” that has chosen to use his platform to advance an agenda that has nothing to do with God.

Just this week the San Francisco Chronicle wrote about sermon delivered by a Rev. Amos Brown on Easter Sunday. According to the Chronicle:

The Rev. Amos Brown's Easter sermon at the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco didn't have much to do with Jesus' crucifixion or resurrection from the dead and instead covered everything from skyrocketing gas prices and the subprime mortgage crisis to race relations in the United States and presidential politics.

During his fiery Sunday morning speech, he called President Bush a "one-eyed man," told the predominantly African American congregation that the country is as segregated now as it was 50 years ago and said "America is running on fumes right now ... we are on the wrong road."

So, instead of using the occasion to recognize the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ; Rev. Brown chose to berate the President of the United States, and declare the recent criticism of Obama to be a conspiracy hatched by white America. I must have missed that part of the Easter Story…

Like the Pharasis in Jesus’s time, Jeremiah Wright and Amos Brown have taken to perverting their roles as Shepards, leading their congregants not to Christ, but to a modern day “Black Nationalism” that is based in hatred and mistrust of America; White America, specifically.

Now this is not to say that these men are not entitled to express their opinions. But God holds those who represent him to a higher standard.

I will not go as far as saying the Barak Obama agrees with all of his pastor’s views. But I do believe that his decision to sit under the teachings of a man who possesses such heartfelt views does raise legitimate questions about his judgment.

And his lack of judgment in the selection of his pastor should serve as an indication of how he will go about selecting his advisors, should he become president.

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Craig, you know we had Pastor Brown as a featured speaker for the NAACP Prayer Breakfast in 2004, so we were able to experience him first hand. Is is opinionated? Yes. Is he controversial? Yes. Is he someone people listen to? Undoubtedly.

My point? Pastors have a sacred duty to provide for the spiritual welfare of their congregants. They are responsible for teaching, nurturing and growing souls and assisting people in their spiritual walk. Some pastors have even taken on an expanded role, helping people find their way in an increasingly complex world.

AIDS, poverty, homosexuality, abortion, discrimination, failed leadership - these are all issues that impact churchgoers, and churchgoers are searching for some direction. In the absence of objective information in the secular world, they look to their pastors. I would also argue that God's word calls us to not only pay attention to the spiritual world, but also the natural world.

I will not selectively criticize pastoral leaders for taking the opportunity to speak on real-world issues when a larger audience is paying attention. I wasn't in the room when Pastor Brown spoke (really, I wasn't!). Maybe Pastor Brown could have used a Christ-centered lense when making the point to call attention to the troubles of America. But I think its important that pastors - especially those preaching to congregations facing significant challenges - that they address the whole person.

Pastors utilizing "Black Nationalism" or "Black Liberation Theology" to reach disaffected audience members are trying to reach their audience where they are at(BTW, I doubt that the two pastors you mentioned adhere to Black Nationalist theology in any real sense). The fact is that mistrust exists on both sides of the racial divide, and these pastors are putting into stark relief the issues that are impacting the men and women in their congregations. The point is to get people past mistrust and to a place where they are ready to stand up and take responsibility for themselves. Neither man has advocated violence; neither has advocated rebellion against the government; and neither has called for seperatism from White America.

Your claim that pastors like Brown and Wright are not leading their congregations to Christ is short sighted and inaccurate. You are not sitting up in either of their churches on a weekly basis to form such an opinion. Maybe they could have both used more tact in presenting the case, but I am not prepared to cast them into hell for leading their congregations.