Obama Speaks Out on Faith, His Church and His Pastor Rev. Wright

Posted by GottaLaff , Cliff Schecter's Blog at 3:06 PM on March 14, 2008.

Quick notes: Richard Wolffe was interviewed by Randi Rhodes:

Wolffe: Regarding the Obama/Wright matter. Obama wrote about it for Huffington Post.  He's made himself pretty clear on this.

[Here is an excerpt from a different interview that HuffPost linked to:]

Obama: This is a pastor who is on the brink of retirement who in the past has made some controversial statements. I profoundly disagree with some of these statements.

Q: What about this particular statement?

Obama: Obviously, I disagree with that. Here is what happens when you just cherry-pick statements from a guy who had a 40-year career as a pastor. There are times when people say things that are just wrong. But I think it's important to judge me on what I've said in the past and what I believe.

Obama's exclusive Huffington Post piece is here. Please read the whole thing. Excerpt:

Let me say at the outset that I vehemently disagree and strongly condemn the statements that have been the subject of this controversy. I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies. I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialogue, whether it's on the campaign stump or in the pulpit. In sum, I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue.

Because these particular statements by Rev. Wright are so contrary to my own life and beliefs, a number of people have legitimately raised questions about the nature of my relationship with Rev. Wright and my membership in the church. Let me therefore provide some context.

Randi: Tell him, Richard, to say: Religion is a private matter, where you go to church has nothing to do with how I lead the country.

Wolffe: That would be hard for him to say. He says the Democrats haven't done a good job in the public square, politicians shouldn't be led by their religious leaders, but he recognizes that faith is a motivating factor for most people and Democrats should be respectful of that. Religion and politics aren't completley separate. He's not saying his faith should be imposed on others, either.

The angry clips of Wright: The context is, the Trinity United Church of Christ is a white denomination... You're more likely to be embarrassed than intimidated, more likely to get hugged, they're a bunch of hippies.

Next: Wright, for all this stuff, he is widely considered within the black churches and theology, to be a man of integrity, incredibly moderate in spite of what you see here, an academic with a political edge to him, a pacifist, albeit a fiery speaker. He retired before he was too old to carry on, and he didn't pass it on to a member of his family, but a son of a civil rights icon... It's not a controversial or radical church. I caution about watching a couple of clips and thinking this is what he's like. 

Randi: [paraphrased] This kind of talk doesn't belong in church though.

Wolffe: I respect that, but Wright's message was a mixture of community activism, black church, and social responsibility, plus traditional white evangelical thought about self help. In politics, he started out talking about South Africa, and then all the way to Iraq, he's anti-war. Politics is always a part of his message.

Randi: This is a direction the churches are going in, which I don't agree with. I agree with Thomas Jefferson, preserve separation of church and state in the Constitution. Even Martin Luther King took it outside to the steps of the capitol. You can have a political view, but keep it out of the church. 

Wolffe: I understand entirely. But I've been to churches, and synogogues where rabbis have spoken repeatedly about Israel... He's not unusual, it's very widespread. Wright has no influence on Obama on his politics. Understand,  the problems that church faces on the South Side: HIV AIDS, job training, etc.  If this church doesn't provide for its community, who is going to? When you have a troubled community, it's inevitable that the leader of the church will speak out on issues. 

Barack Obama agrees with you, Randi, that condemning America is unacceptable in any form.

Obama:

Most importantly, Rev. Wright preached the gospel of Jesus, a gospel on which I base my life. In other words, he has never been my political advisor; he's been my pastor. And the sermons I heard him preach always related to our obligation to love God and one another, to work on behalf of the poor, and to seek justice at every turn. [...]

Let me repeat what I've said earlier. All of the statements that have been the subject of controversy are ones that I vehemently condemn. They in no way reflect my attitudes and directly contradict my profound love for this country.

GottaLaff is a regular blogger for Cliff Schecter's Blog