MondayMorningInsight - Leadership & Encouragement for Church Leaders

Meet Obama’s Pastor…

Posted by: Todd
Posted on: Tue, January 30, 2007
Viewed 35
(5) comments so far

Obama, was not a churchgoer at the time, but he found himself returning to the sanctuary of Trinity United. In Wright he had found both a spiritual mentor and a role model.

Wright, 65, is a straight-talking pragmatist who arrived in Chicago as an outsider and became an institution. He has built a congregation of 8,500, including the likes of Oprah Winfrey and hip-hop artist Common, by offering an alternative to socially conservative black churches that are, Wright believes, too closely tied to Chicago’s political dynasties.

Obama, too, also came to the city as a young unknown. Emerging from relative obscurity with his win in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary race for a U.S. Senate seat, he found a growing audience by preaching the politics of social justice and common ground. He has encouraged Democrats to acknowledge the power of faith in the lives of Americans. Now, he is positioning himself as a presidential candidate who can unify the American people.

Obama says that rather than advising him on strategy, Wright helps keep his priorities straight and his moral compass calibrated.

“What I value most about Pastor Wright is not his day-to-day political advice,” Obama said. “He’s much more of a sounding board for me to make sure that I am speaking as truthfully about what I believe as possible and that I’m not losing myself in some of the hype and hoopla and stress that’s involved in national politics.”

The rebellious son of a Baptist minister, Wright was hired by Trinity United when he could find no Baptist church to take him. The congregation on 95th Street, then numbering just 87, had recently adopted the motto “Unashamedly black and unapologetically Christian.” They did not mind his fiery red Afro and black power agenda.

Wright has continued on an independent path ever since, often questioning the common sense of Scripture, objecting to mandatory prayer in schools and clashing with clergy who preach prosperity theology, a popular notion among black pastors that God will bestow wealth and success on believers.

In the process, he built a spiritual empire. The modest brown brick building that housed the church in the 1970s was converted into a day-care center when Trinity opened its new sanctuary in 1995 at 400 W. 95th St. Members run more than 80 ministries, including an outreach to gay and lesbian singles, --also unusual for a black church.

HT: The Dallas News Religion Blog

When he took over Trinity United Church of Christ in 1972, Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. was a maverick pastor with a wardrobe of dashikis and a militant message. Six years later, he planted a "Free South Africa" sign on the lawn of his church and asked other local religious leaders to follow his lead. None took him up on the invitation...

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RevJeff on Tue, January 30, 2007

- Wright has continued on an independent path ever since, often questioning the common sense of Scripture,… -

I guess this is what concerns me… does the Scripture have to agree with “comon sense” or are God’s thoughts higher than ours and His ways actually higher than our ways? Independent thinking and popularity do not make one theologically correct. WORLD magazine recently had a cover story on the next assualts being launched in order to “woo” the evangelical vote. I guess I’d rather hear that a man’s (or woman’s) views and record are .... than be bombarded with the “supposed” religious resume of every candidate and their pastor. I think Jimmy Carter was the last Presidantial candidate to fool Christians into voting for “God’s obvious candidate.”

Oprah attends his church? Wow, I hope he preaches the WORD, because she could use a little theological remodeling. I know nothing but this article about Rev. Wright Jr., but I’m guessing his independence is less of an assett than the media would like us to believe.
DanielR (a different Daniel) on Tue, January 30, 2007

Jeff, “I think Jimmy Carter was the last Presidantial candidate to fool Christians into voting for “God’s obvious candidate.”

I think you must have missed the last couple of elections. President Bush relied heavily on the “religious vote”.

As for Rev. Wright. I’ve heard good and bad. Most of the bad coming from social conservatives and those in “discerning” ministry.
Andy McAdams on Wed, January 31, 2007

I am always concerned with we get introduced to some famous person’s pastor and you can’t get much of an idea what of either of them believe. All I know is that they are both part of a denomination that has become increasingly liberal in their theological position and that Wright is the rebellious son of a Baptist minister. In most cases, Baptists are conservative and biblical centered…not all but most. Is that what he has rebelled from?

With Jimmy Carter at least we knew what the Southern Baptist believed. With Obama and Wright it’s, “your guess is as good as mine.”

Just take a look at the web site for the UCC http://www.ucc.org/aboutus/whatis.htm and see how they take a wide stand on most anything. There is no mention of the blood atonement of Christ, Salvation by faith apart from works, the inerrant word of God, a literal resurrection and second coming and so on. These things are the “foundation of faith.”

Their so-called position on “The Priesthood of All Believers” would make Martin Luther turn over in his grave.

If you look back at our last 10 presidents, most of them claimed some sort of church attendance, yet not all would be worthy of the vote of believers that frequent this web blog that wish a leader that is truly born again. From most appearance MMI is visited by biblically focused Christians.

If Pastor Wright is characteristic of UCC he has the freedom to believe what he wishes and not held to any position of doctrine. I only can hope that he would also be a rebel within the denomination and stand on the unchanging Word of God as his final authority for faith and practice.
Peter Hamm on Wed, January 31, 2007

Andy,

I know some UCC folks, and you are right on. I have NO idea what they believe about most everything, and I suspect they may be a bit confused, too… What I do know concerns me greatly.
denny on Mon, February 05, 2007

Prior to this post I had no idea where Obama went to church or if he had any faith affiliation at all. Now that I hear he attends a UCC I am compelled to write in hopes that none of my fellow readers fall for his charm and vote for him.

As for Jeremiah Wright, to be “a rebel” in the UCC all one needs to do is believe that the Bible is the literal word of God, that Biblical sexual ethics are relevent (and mandated) for today, and that the purpose of the church is to build God’s kingdom. Over 1/4th of the missionaries on United Church Board for World Mission do not believe in the virgin birth or that salvation is exclusively thru faith in Christ. Trust me, I did an extensive survey with a magin error of .5%.

The board has given missions money to help build mosques and promote Islamic bookstores as an act of peace between religions. The denomination promotes total acceptance of homosexuality, including ordaining openly gay ministers, and they lead the fight to keep abortion at any time of pregnacy, fully legal.

How do I know this? Because I was once a pastore in the UCC and a missionary supported by UCBWM as part of a “political” arrangement with the Biblical Witness fellowship, the UCC renewal group. I left the UCC over 10 years ago because i felt like a prostitute taking money from a “lover” I did not love.These days I say don’t so much say “I left” as “I was delivered.”

Considering Obama is part of the UCC I now understand why, at Christmas, my somewhat reserved brother-in-law asked me if I thought Obama could be “the antichrist.” I personally doubt that, but I have no doubts that the UCC comes from the spirit of antichrist (1 JN 4:3) and as the old saying goes, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”