Oprah left the church, and why didn’t Obama?

Oprah could leave the church, but apparently Obama could not leave the church. Oprah made the correct judgment that Reverend Wright might hurt her if she were to stay in the church. So why did Oprah think Wright's sermons were incendiary but Obama didn't?

Yesterday, Greta Van Susteren had Allison Samuels of Newsweek on her show, "On the record" to discuss the latest Newsweek article about Oprah leaving the church. Allison was an African-American and an Obama supporter. Her response on why Oprah left was that she understood the black experience, and Obama didn't so it took him a little longer. Greta asked the logical follow up question, "I hate to quibble, but it took Obama twenty years to figure it out" I don't think Allison helped Obama much.

According to Newsweek in the article "Something wasn't right",

According to two sources, Winfrey was never comfortable with the tone of Wright's more incendiary sermons, which she knew had the power to damage her standing as America's favorite daytime talk-show host. "Oprah is a businesswoman, first and foremost," said one longtime friend, who requested anonymity when discussing Winfrey's personal sentiments. "She's always been aware that her audience is very mainstream, and doing anything to offend them just wouldn't be smart. She's been around black churches all her life, so Reverend Wright's anger-filled message didn't surprise her. But it just wasn't what she was looking for in a church." Oprah's decision to distance herself came as a surprise to Wright, who told Christianity Today in 2002 that when he would "run into her socially … she would say, 'Here's my pastor!' " (Winfrey declined to comment. A Harpo Productions spokesperson would not confirm her reasons for leaving the church.) continue reading

 

Dreams from My Father – Barack Obama

I just finished reading "Dreams from My Father" by Barack Obama. At times, it was a tedious read. This was one book you can definitely speed read, because there is a lot of fluff within the pages. Does it give you a lot of insight about Barack Obama? Not Really. You do begin to understand where Barack Obama's class warfare comes from especially between the African-American community and the White community. Barack Obama associates with characters that are pessimistic and angry. You also can't help but believe Obama is sucked into this world too.

In one chapter noted below, he talks about change, but he never says what he wants to change, he just wants to change. This narrative of course remains the same. He still talks of change but no one can figure out what he wants to change. He even admits he doesn't know what he is talking about when he says, "There wasn't much detail in the idea."

In the chapter he talks of change was during Reagan's tenure. He talks of Reagan, his minions and his dirty deeds. He wants change during a time of great change for the better. Reagan was responsible for creating optimism after the inept Carter years. Obama talks about change in the mood of the country. This period was a very optimistic time in American history. Reagan was responsible for ending the cold war without firing a shot, lowering interest rates from double digits, and creating an unprecedented economic boom. I don't get it. What is it that Obama wanted to change?

When Obama listens to the "The Audacity of Hope" speech, he sees himself in this world of pessimism and despair. But, Obama's world was nothing like that. Obama never lacked for anything. This is the dichotomy of Obama's world. He lived a life between the privileged and the middle class, and he went to the top universities, but he envisions himself in John Kerry's two America's where he is one of the have-nots, a member of the downtrodden he claims to defend scratching his way to the top.

I'll organize black folks was his statement on why he needed Trinity United Church of Christ. Trinity United church of Christ was only a stepping stone for his political ambitions.

Items of note in Barack's book:

Chapter 14 - This is the chapter where Barack Obama meets Reverend Wright – The audacity of hope chapter.

Barack approaches Wright on organizing the churches

Reverend Wright shrugged, "Some of my fellow clergy don't appreciate what we're about. They feel like we're too radical. Others, we ain't radical enough. Too emotional. Not emotional enough. Our emphasis on African history, on scholarship-"…

The title of Reverend Wright's sermon that morning was "The Audacity of Hope." He began with a passage from the Book of Samuel – the story of Hannah, who, barren and taunted by her rivals, had wept and shaken in prayer before God. The story reminded him, he said, of a sermon a fellow pastor had preached at a conference some years before, in which the pastor described going to a museum and being confronted by a painting titled Hope.

"The painting depicts a harpist," Reverend Wright explained, "a woman who at first glance appears to be sitting atop a great mountain. Until you take a closer look and see that the woman is bruised and bloodied, dressed in tattered rags, the harp reduced to a single frayed string. Your eye is then drawn down to the scene below, down to the valley below, where everywhere are the ravages of famine, the drumbeat of war, a world groaning under strife and deprivation.

"It is this world, a world where cruise ships throw away more food in a day than most residents of Port-au-Prince see in a year, where white folks' greed runs a world in need, apartheid in one hemisphere, apathy in another hemisphere…That's the world! On which hope sits!"

And so it went, a meditation on a fallen world. While the boys next to me doodled on their church bulletin, Reverend Wright spoke of Sharpsville and Hiroshima, the callousness of policy makers in the White House and in the state House. As the sermon unfolded, through, the stories of strife became more prosaic, the pain more immediate. The reverend spoke of the hardship that the congregation would face tomorrow, the pain of those far from the mountaintop, worrying about paying the light bill. But also the pain of those closer to the metaphorical summit: the middle-class woman who seems to have all her worldly needs taken care of but whose husband is treating her like "the maid, the household service, the jitney service, and the escort service all rolled into one"; the child whose wealthy parents worry more about "the texture of hair on the outside of the head than the quality of education inside the head."

"Isn't that the world that each of us stands on?"

"Yessuh!"

"Like Hannah, we have known better times! Daily we face rejection and despair!"

"Say it!"

"And yet consider once again the painting before us. Hope! Like Hannah that harpist is looking upwards, a few faint notes floating upwards towards the heavens. She dares to hope….She has the audacity to make music….and praise God….on the one string…she has left!"

Barack then writes,

I imagined the stories of ordinary black people merging with the stories of David and Goliath, Moses and Pharaoh, the Christians in the lion's den, Ezekiel's field of dry bones. Those stories---of survival, and freedom and hope---became our story, my story; the blood had spilled was our blood, the tears our tears; until this black church, on this bright day, seemed more a vessel carrying the story of people into future generations and into a larger world. Our trials and triumphs became at once unique universal, black more than black; in chronicling our journey.

Chapter 10 Pg 199

One of Barack's composite characters Rafiq with whom Barack had a close relationship.

In a sense, then, Rafiq was right when he insisted that, deep down, all blacks were potential nationalists. The anger was there bottled up and often turned inward. And as I thought about Ruby her blue eyes, the teenagers calling each other "nigger" and worse, I wondered whether, for now at least, Rafiq wasn't also right in preferring that that anger be redirected; whether a black politics that suppressed rage toward whites generally, or one that failed to elevate race loyalty above all else, was a politics inadequate to the task.

Chapter 6 Pg 122

Political discussions, the kind at Occidental had once seemed so intense and purposeful, came to take on the flavor of the socialist conferences I sometimes attended at Cooper Union or the African Cultural fairs that took place in Harlem and Brooklyn during the summers.

Chapter 7 – Here Obama talks of change. Doesn't mention what he wants to change, but he just wants to change. He hasn't a clue of what even needs change. I was reading it while asking myself What is he talking about? What does he want to change?

In 1983, I decided to become a community organizer.

There wasn't much detail to the idea; I didn't know anyone making a living that way. When classmates in college asked me just what it was that a community organizer did, I couldn't answer them directly. Instead, I'd pronounce on the need for change. Change in the White House, where Reagan and his minions were carrying on their dirty deeds. Change in the congress, compliant and corrupt. Change in the mood of the country, music and self-absorbed. Change won't come from the top, I would say. Change will come from a mobilized grass roots.

That's what I'll do, I'll organize black folks. At the grass roots. For change.

This is the man who is close to becoming president. God help us all!

 

Obama might have left church?

In appearance taped for airing this morning on "The View," Senator Obama makes news by saying he might have left Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ if the Rev. Jeremiah Wright had not retired.

In a clip posted by ABC, Obama says: 'Had the reverend not retired, and had he not acknowledged that what he had said had deeply offended people and were inappropriate and mischaracterized what I believe is the greatness of this country -- for all its flaws -- then I wouldn't have felt comfortable staying there at the church."

In other words, "if Wright doesn't retire after my 21st year of being there, I will retire." Hmmm - yeah right, we believe you Obama Not!!!!!!!!!!!

Deconstructing Obama

"It's not to say that there is already a revolution under way in the U.S. ... but yes, they are laying the foundations for a revolutionary change."
Daniel Ortega

Introduction

Last Friday, reverend Jeremiah Wright was on the Hannity and Colmes show trying to diffuse an explosive situation with respect to the reverend's comments. On the O'Reilly factor a member of Trinity Church, and another African-American woman appeared trying to defend Pastor Wright's comments. The parishioner went so far as to invite O'Reilly to the church. In my opinion, these guests only added to the controversy. Several times Reverend Wright mentioned black liberation theology. When I heard the words liberation theology, Daniel Ortega's Nicaragua came to mind. It had been years since I had heard those words.

Liberation Theology

I was married in Managua, Nicaragua in 1977, two years before the Sandinista revolution. My wife and I returned to Nicaragua in 1981. This was the first time we were to get a glimpse of the new Nicaragua run by the new dictator and leader of the Marxist-Leninist party, the Sandinistas Daniel Ortega two years after the Somoza regime was ousted in part by the support of President Jimmy Carter. We arrived in Managua on a hot and humid summer day at the Augusto C. Sandino International airport renamed to reflect the new revolutionary party's hero. The airport was too small for the bigger aircraft, so we had to stop in Guatemala to transfer to a smaller size aircraft. As we walked down the stairs from the airplane, which led to the tarmac, I couldn't help but notice a child about the age of 12 or 13 holding a submachine gun strapped over his shoulders standing guard. His youthful eyes were piercing as he checked me out from head to toe. He then ushered us to waiting relatives.

Nicaragua represented one of the last remnants of the cold war. The 1972 earthquake that leveled the capital of Nicaragua, Managua marked the beginning of the end for the Somoza regime in the country. A growing discontent among the Nicaraguan people prompted the then fragmented anti-Somoza factions to coalesce helping the Frente Sandinista Liberación Nacional, (FSLN) led by Daniel Ortega to gain strength and the populace to begin an active rebellion against the Somoza regime. The Sandinistas gained power as a direct result of the Carter administration's funding of the Sandinistas. In July 1979, the Sandinistas entered Managua, and Somoza fled the country. Nicaragua, a former ally of the United States, quickly aligned itself with Castro's Cuba and Communist Russia. A former friend of the United States was now a bitter enemy. The stanza in the Sandinista hymn, "luchamos contra el yanqui el enemigo de la humanidad", "We fight against the Yankee the enemy of humanity" reflects the anti-American sentiment felt by the Ortega government. Ortega views U.S. imperialism and U.S. capitalism as the evils of the world. The Sandinista regime destroyed any remnants of Nicaragua's economy. Part of Ortega's success and rise to power came from promoting and advocating a philosophy of Marxism-Leninism mixed in with a perverted form of Catholicism called "Liberation Theology."

Liberation theology has its roots in Latin-America and Catholicism, and it was used mainly as a tool to foment rebellion among the populace. "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:22-23. The Bible teaches that Christ came for everyone, the rich and the poor, the oppressor and the oppressed. However, this is not what liberation theology teaches. The message of liberation theology is Christ came for the poor, the economically dispossessed and the oppressed, and it is the duty of the oppressed to rise up against his oppressor. After all, Christ too was one of the oppressed. Liberation theology is about class warfare against the capitalist, and the oppressor. The Bible of course teaches nothing of the sort. The Bible teaches that the poor to whom Christ refers is actually the poor in spirit, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3. Liberation theology twists God's word in order to garner strength needed from the uneducated peasants for their own political end. Liberation Theology turns the gospel into a class warfare ideology. This is why Marxism-Leninism lends itself to liberation theology, and this is why Obama's church, Trinity Church can spew its anti-American rhetoric with such ease.

Black Liberation Theology

Black liberation theology is simply an extension of liberation theology and the black power movement of the 60s. It is a tool to help the suffering of the African-American as a result of slavery, segregation, the Jim Crow laws, and the poverty that came with these institutions to the exclusion of all else. James Cone, one of the architects of black liberation theology and mentioned by Wright on Hannity and Colmes March 15th stated it this way.

"A moral or theological appeal based on a white definition of morality or theology will serve as a detriment to our attainment of black freedom. The only option we blacks have is to fight in every way possible, so that we can create a definition of freedom based on our own history and culture. We must not expect white people to give us freedom. Freedom is not a gift, but a responsibility, and thus must be taken against the will of those who hold us in bondage."

Freedom will be taken against the will of those who African-Americans perceive are holding them in bondage. Jesus is a poor black man oppressed by the white man says reverend Wright. Racism is at the heart of black liberation theology, and the white capitalist is the cause of the continued oppression of the African-American. This is why you will hear the pastors at Trinity Church rail against the whites comparing the United States to Al-Queda, or accusing the United States of bringing in both the HIV virus and drugs to the African-American community. The United States is the one holding blacks in bondage, and we still keep the blacks oppressed no longer by slavery but by drugs, HIV, and the list goes on.

Trinity Church states as the following their ten point vision:

1. A congregation committed to ADORATION.
   
2. A congregation preaching SALVATION.
   
3. A congregation actively seeking RECONCILIATION.
   
4. A congregation with a non-negotiable COMMITMENT TO AFRICA.
   
5. A congregation committed to BIBLICAL EDUCATION.
   
6. A congregation committed to CULTURAL EDUCATION.
   
7. A congregation committed to the HISTORICAL EDUCATION OF AFRICAN PEOPLE IN DIASPORA.
   
8. A congregation committed to LIBERATION.
   
9. A congregation committed to RESTORATION.
   
10. A congregation working towards ECONOMIC PARITY.
    

Trinity Church's mission statement also states the following:

We are called out to be "a chosen people" that pays no attention to socio-economic or educational backgrounds. We are made up of the highly educated and the uneducated. Our congregation is a combination of the haves and the have-nots; the economically
disadvantaged, the under-class, the unemployed and the employable.

In fact, Trinity Church promotes education by giving out scholarships, and it is involved in a variety of charitable works. But, it has also in the past supported the radical Louis Farrakhan.

Trinity Church's Black Value System contains the following points on it's website.

The vision statement of Trinity United Church of Christ is based upon the systematized liberation theology that started in 1969 with the publication of Dr. James Cone’s book, Black Power and Black Theology.

Black theology is one of the many theologies in the Americas that became popular during the liberation theology movement

You can read the entire Black Value System upon which Trinity Church is based by clicking here.

The Church Service

On Palm Sunday, I decided to watch Trinity Church's service via the web. I was quite impressed with the talent of the church.

Young girls donned in purple African garb entered towards the front of the pulpit. They swayed in front of the congregation in an undulating motion dancing with an ethnic fusion to the beat of African gospel music. The dancers were beautifully choreographed. When the dancers stopped, the music continued, and the Reverend Otis Moss lll began to preach. The Reverend shouted, "I trust God is going to hook you up." He continued by making indirect comments about Obama saying how he had been reduced to a sound bite. The congregation began handing out palms in honor of Palm Sunday. The music never stopped. Palms began to sway to and fro. The music continued and the reverend continued preaching on salvation. The choir sang in the African tradition, "He is the great I am." The music was beautiful and emotional. There were a couple of solos sung by one of the members of the choir.

After the music part of the service, Reverend Moss came to the front and delivered his fiery sermon. At times his sermon, "Why the black church won't shut up" reached such frenzy; his words would rile the crowd. The parishioners would stand up and begin clapping their hands. Reverend Moss bellowed, "They are trying to shut us up, but we will not shut up. God is going to hook it up. We cannot shut up because God has called us to speak the truth of Jesus" Moss continued defending his church. He never explicitly mentioned Obama, but he asked for walls to be broken down.

Following the sermon, Reverend Moss conducted an altar call. The dulcet tones of the choir began to echo through the packed church. Reverend Moss began to call out, "If you do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ I want you to squeeze your neighbor's hand. If you do not have a church home, if you felt someone squeeze your hand, I want you to walk down with that person. This is your opportunity." The front began to overflow with a stream of people hearing the call, mostly youth. "This is your moment, this is your time. Do you see what God is doing? To build a relationship with Jesus Christ, this is where it begins… " intoned Reverend Moss. The music continued until the close of the service.

The talent of the African-Americans at Trinity Church was undeniable. Their charitable acts are also undeniable. The undercurrent of black liberation theology pervades the teachings at Trinity Church. If you did not realize what Trinity Church actually taught, the service may have been like any other service one might attend except for the political rhetoric. The service did seem to mainly center on Christ.

I have no problem with African-Americans getting back to their culture or their roots. In fact, it was enjoyable to watch. I even saw white faces among the multitude. The music and choreography of the dancers were superb. But, Jesus came for all. His was an inclusive gospel. Black liberation theology is about racism, it is about the exclusion of those who the African-Americans perceive as the oppressors, it is about an oppressed black messiah. Black liberation theology is the central part of Trinity Church, and this is troublesome to say the least.

Obama's Statement

In the Huffington Post, Barack Obama wrote the following in an attempt to defend himself.

The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach while I sat in the pews of Trinity or heard him utter in private conversation. When these statements first came to my attention, it was at the beginning of my presidential campaign. I made it clear at the time that I strongly condemned his comments. But because Rev. Wright was on the verge of retirement, and because of my strong links to the Trinity faith community, where I married my wife and where my daughters were baptized, I did not think it appropriate to leave the church.

This is somewhat puzzling. I knew of Wright's rhetoric a year ago yet Obama didn't. But it goes further than that. Trinity Church's doctrinal basis is on black liberation theology, and what Reverend Wright said is nothing more than espousing a belief system based on the doctrinal teachings of Trinity Church, a black nationalist church that has more patriotism towards Africa than the United States. Reverend Wright was also like an "uncle" to Obama. Obama sat in this church for twenty years. Obama not only had to know, but he must have approved of its teachings also. No one stays a member of an organization with which they disagree unless he/she has some other nefarious reason for doing so (i.e.: a stepping stone for his political ambitions.)

If Obama were white, and he brought his children every week to hear the rantings of David Duke or someone of the Aryan brotherhood, would he be villified? Yet, for some reason, there seems to be no problem when he, as a black man, brings his children to hear the rantings of a preacher spewing anti-American rhetoric. Moreover, Obama's mother is white yet Obama seems to only be interested in his black half. Something doesn't make sense.

President Obama

So what are we to think? Obama continuously tries to say this is not about race, but Trinity Church is all about race. Religious faith lies at the core of who we are. Trinity Church's teaching should also lie at the core of who Obama is. Does it? I don't know. What are we to make of the judgement of a candidate for president who attends a church that is ostensibly racist? What are we to make of a man who is trying to cross the racial divide, but then we find out he attends a church that espouses racism based in a false ideology called black liberation theology? We do know that his far-left socialist ideas had to come from somewhere. Maybe he doesn't believe in black liberation theology, but I for one don't want to take the chance. Do you?


Note: Barack Obama appeared to distance himself in the speech he gave in Philadelphia on whether he knew about the divisive comments of his pastor. His assertion that he had never heard these comments from Reverend Wright did lack credulity.