Obama's Pastor: Reverend Jeremiah Wright

After watching the video clip of Reverend Jeremiah Wright, I wonder why some folks think he should not be called an American? I think his words that God should damn America were a bit strong. However, he has a valid point that God can and will judge America for its sins as a nation. Throughout the Old Testament we see this pattern in the history of Israel before and after the period of the divided kingdom. God does indeed judge both individuals and nations. Sometimes even entire families or clans suffer because of the sins of a patriarchal leader, according to the ancient near eastern customs. Anyone who reads the Bible as a whole cannot avoid this observation. The trouble with Christianity today is that we get the expurgated version of the Bible from the pulpit.

That being said, I would certainly not agree with the theological liberalism of the United Christian Church, Wright's denomination, which denies supernaturalism and even the deity of Christ. But I do agree that the critique offered by Rev. Wright and other Black Americans should be heard. I for one am no liberation theology advocate but what Rev. Wright said is a legitimate critique of the domestic and foreign policies of our country.

The fact is we are not a Christian nation. The United States certainly had Christian influences during its foundation but that does not translate into a "Christian" nation. Our democracy is a pluralism of differing religions and Christian denominations and we should never forget that essentially our form of government is secular, not a theonomy. Our history, like the history of the Christian church itself, is a mixture of events and actions where we got it right and where we as a nation got it wrong. I might mention the Civil War, slavery, the Jim Crow era, the Vietnam War, and now the war in Iraq.

We believe in the principle of free speech so how could it possibly be "un-American" to speak out in voices of dissent when we are opposed to policies imposed by our government? We might not agree with those voices of dissent but sometimes dissent can open our eyes to injustices in which we have unknowingly participated.

Just my opinion. Click on the link above to see the video clip of Rev. Wright's comments.

May God have mercy on us all!