 Sunday, May 6, 2007 |
|
Much has been said
recently about Barack Obama's relationship to his pastor
in Chicago, Dr. Jeremiah Wright. Dr. Wright, Senior
Minister of the Trinity United Church of Christ, was our
guest speaker for HBCU Sunday just two months ago. He is
one of the nation's most effective practicing
theologians. His sermons, in addition to being
spirit-filled, are theological treatises that can stand
alongside any of the works produced in the Academy.
The rub is that Wright preaches from the
perspective of Black Liberation Theology. Some see
this theology as separatist because it promotes Black
Pride, Black economic power and Black cultural awareness.
In a heated debate, one conservative television talk show
host accused Wright of reverse racism. Some are calling
for Obama to distance himself from his pastor so as not
to divide Americans on racial lines.
An interesting aspect of all this is that Barack Obama,
whose roots are in Kenya, spent much of his young life in
Muslim communities. His father's family is a mixture of
Christian and Muslim. His step grandmother, whom he calls
his grandmother, is herself a devout Muslim. It was
the Afrocentric preaching of Jeremiah Wright and the
Afrocentric worship of the Trinity Church that led
Senator Obama to Christ. With the hatred between Muslims
and Christians escalating out of control, to have someone
in the Oval Office with a deep appreciation of both the
Muslim and Christian worlds would be an awesome advantage
for interfaith dialogue and global peace. If that
should be the case, Black Liberation Theology would not
be a divider but a unifier of the human family.
Wouldn't that be an irony of ironies?
Readings for May 13,
2007: Acts
16:9-15; Psalm 67; Revelation 21:22-22:5; John 14:23-29
or John 5:1-9
***
OUR PURPOSE
Building the Village by Caring
Concept: Our pastor, the Reverend Wallace Charles Smith, envisions a holistic Ministry of Building by Caring, which includes a 3-tier approach - Care for Ourselves (spiritually), Care for Our Relations (family, friends and members), and Care for Our Community (outreach). In building our capacity to care we will also create an atmosphere that will increase our church's membership, winning more souls to Christ; they will know we are Christians by our love;.
