Obama's Ties To Church Examined

Chicago's Trinity United Church Of Christ Promotes "Black Value System"

(AP)  Obama seemed to preach some of the church's teachings earlier this month at a commemoration of the 1965 civil rights march in Selma, Ala. He said his generation of blacks needs to strive for something beyond getting "some of that Oprah money" and that "materialism alone will not fulfill the possibilities of your existence."

At Trinity's lively, music-oriented services, some members wear African-style dress. A red, black and green flag of the pan-African movement stands by the pulpit. On a nearby plaque, Trinity's motto reads, "Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian."

For nearly two decades, Obama has identified strongly with Trinity and hasn't been shy about discussing his closeness to its pastor.

Wright's use of "audacity of hope" in one sermon inspired Obama to borrow those words as the title of his best-selling book, "The Audacity of Hope."

In an earlier memoir, "Dreams From My Father," Obama also tells how he was moved to tears during that sermon by Wright, an early proponent of the black liberation and black theology movements that gained ground in the 1960s.

Obama describes what he calls "a forceful wind carrying the reverend's voice up into the rafters" and how he "felt for the first time how that spirit carried within it, nascent, incomplete, the possibility of moving beyond our narrow dreams."

The son of a white mother from Kansas, who was skeptical of organized religion, and a Kenyan father, Obama was raised in a secular household. He spent part of his childhood in Indonesia, where he attended a Catholic school and a public school where he took Islamic religion classes.

He explained how his spiritual journey culminated that day he walked toward the altar at Trinity in a 2006 article on the United Church of Christ's Web site, writing that as he knelt beneath that cross, "I submitted myself to (God's) will and dedicated myself to discovering His truth."

He added that he was drawn to activist churches like Trinity because, in them, "I was able to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death, but rather as an active, palpable agent in the world."

Trinity's critics, though, say it emphasizes black causes to a fault.

Fran Eaton, who writes for the conservative blog Illinois Review, singled out Trinity's 12-point value system, which includes a commitment to "pledge allegiance to all black leadership who espouse and embrace the Black Value System."

"I would feel uncomfortable with a church that used the word 'white' instead of 'black' when it talked about these things," she said. "It seems to me we are going backward if we're basing our churches and the help they give on skin color."

Melissa Harris-Lacewell, a politics and African studies professor at Princeton University and an Obama supporter who attended Trinity when she lived in Chicago, dismisses such criticism, saying it only shows "most white Americans, most of the time, can be utterly ignorant of how black people worship on Sunday."

She added that pinning Wright's left-leaning politics on Obama isn't fair.

"The question is what Barack Obama believes, not what Reverend Wright believes," she said, "because Barack Obama and Reverend Wright may be in agreement on some issues and deeply in disagreement on others."

[us_infidel]

When blacks own 99% of the country, then I will worry about black churches. It's not about association, it is about POWER.

Got it?
Posted by j0hnwi11iams at 01:39 AM : Mar 21, 2007

Well, blacks only make up about 16% of the US population. I would argue that they already yield a disproportionate amount of power....and they want more. Get that?

[j0hnwi11iams]

When blacks own 99% of the country, then I will worry about black churches. It's not about association, it is about POWER.

Got it?

[grazinggoat]

In front of sheeps, a politician is a sheep, in front of cows, he is a cow, and in front of pigs he is a lard. Why do some politicians have to be identified to a church, a synagog, or a temple? Politicians should declare neutrality and to a certain point agnostic, which is hard. Be declared a believer in a Creator would be more than enough. Leave the details of worshipping to the people, followers of the religious institutions. They just are institutions, with members, like unions or association of consumers, a hurd of goats, grazing...

[kansas1946]

As a "swing" voter, and an independent, I would vote for Obama and I would vote for Edwards. I would not vote for Hillary. As to this piece about Obama's church, I think it is much ado about nothing, and a silly fluff article. Isn't everyone getting a little tired of the "My church is more Godlier than your church" ***. Who cares what church someone belongs to or doesn't belong to. As long as they don't want to force their religious beliefs on the rest of us, they are entitiled to their beliefs.

[agnim]

"Oh yes, blame the media and minority community leaders for the racial divide...

Posted by huskerarmy at 05:14 PM : Mar 20, 2007"
Take it easy, buddy, just the media.

It is the racist media morons who are always hounding Obama about race and racial issues, a tactic the racist media morons do not do with white candidates!

And with the whites being the majority population in the country and the ones promoting racism for centuries, seems like the white candidates are the ones the racist media morons should be asking about THEIR WHITE RACISM, yes? LOL

[scott4261]

And expounding on the primary thought:
I am greatly concerned that too many states having early primaries will give us the nominees by the end of February. This is likely to amount to a popularity contest and not really allow for the issues to drive who gets the nominations. I have no problem whatsoever with a populous state like California setting the tone for the nominees, but front-lading too many states on February 5th is a mistake, in my judgment.

I almost wish for the old days when we had a breather from politics before the year of the election, the candidates all campaigned in that year, and then the nominees were chosen at the conventions.

[scott4261]

Not since Bobby Kennedy's run for the presidency in 1968 have I seen a candidate with as much genuine interest in the issue of poverty as I see in John Edwards. Since that is an issue I'm very passionate about, he has won my support.

I will vote for the next Democratic nominee, no matter who it is. But if it's Hillary Clinton, I'll have to hold my nose as I'm voting - much like I did when I voted for John Kerry in 2004. I hope the Democratic primary voters will select someone who will stand up for average Americans and quit this nonsense of trying to pick the "safest" candidate, because that is a proven strategy for disaster come election day.

[scott4261]

blrichard, that's looking more and more likely.

hopetrumps, what about Edwards/Richardson? I know you have your criticisms of Richardson, but his foreign policy experience is unmatched in the fields from either party. And if he isn't on the ticket, I certainly hope he ends up in the next ptresident's cabinet.

[blrichard]

I'm wondering whether Clinton and Obama or going to destroy one another and give Edwards an opening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czM-wRuUyyE

[scott4261]

I don't think Al Gore would settle for being VP a second time around. On the other hand, I don't think anyone would say no to being Gore's VP. Gore/Edwards sounds good to me, but the point is moot because I don't think that Gore will run. Now, Bill Richardson...that's a guy who has more experience than Hillary, Obama and Edwards combined and I wouldn't bat an eye if he were to emerge as a contender in the top tier.

[scott4261]

I wouldn't believe eveything that you read. This is article is just meaningless, really. Obama would make a good president. So would Edwards. Edwards/Obama is what I'm hoping for.

[huskerarmy]

"The bigots in the media are always doing everything to fan the flames of racism and keep this divisive scourge alive in America."
Oh yes, blame the media and minority community leaders for the racial divide... the familiar kind of refrain that is so often spoken in unadulterated congregations of lily white Republicans.

[huskerarmy]

"MLK would be sadden by how little his folks have come.."
Undoubetly, so would your High School English teacher.

[huskerarmy]

Once again the reactionary racists are drawn to a race story like moths to a flame. And once again they blatently disregard the true dynamics of political power in this country. When whites practice ehtnocentric behavior, it has as it's intent and result a detrimental effect on those who are looking to share power with them. However, when historically oppressed minorities practice ethnocentric behavior it serves to instil pride and confidence and is mostly impotent towards the intrensic power of the intrenched white majority. To pretend that the behavior is of equal moral and ethical footing, without regard to it's purpose or effect, is a wholely dishonest mechanism that has been used for decades to prepetuate the status quo.

[bill1fj]

I don't want a white president or a black president.

I WANT A PRESIDENT THAT IS COMPENTENT AND HONEST, unlike what we have now.

[randalds]

You mean like....25 years ago.....1982? You can't have it both ways. It's either wrong or it's not. So, if it's ok for Obama's "church", then it should be ok for whites, yes?

I don't buy your "black man shuffling down the levee" argument. It's time to grow up and stop blaming present day people for things we had nothing to do with.

Posted by US_Infidel at 03:04 PM : Mar 20, 2007

I love it when people use the "you can't have it both ways" argument. It's almost always used with a false premise or comparison (like in this one) and I promise you that when you look at their comparison and dig the dishonest or specious parts out of it, that 99.9% of the time you can indeed "have it both ways".

[agnim]

The bigots in the media are always doing everything to fan the flames of racism and keep this divisive scourge alive in America.

[jsilver2th]

Really if I had to vote today Obama would not be my first choice but picking apart his church is pretty absurd. Black Churches arose in the US because the dominate churches didn't welcome or serve their communities.

With White House religous advisors like Ted Haggard and Mitt Romney's Mormonism the people that live in glass houses shoudn't be throwing stones.

[us_infidel]

during times when the broader community only saw us as slaves, second class citizens and other. Posted by baybreeze2u at 02:36 PM : Mar 20, 2007

You mean like....25 years ago.....1982? You can't have it both ways. It's either wrong or it's not. So, if it's ok for Obama's "church", then it should be ok for whites, yes?

I don't buy your "black man shuffling down the levee" argument. It's time to grow up and stop blaming present day people for things we had nothing to do with.

[Syndicate]

I don't care for Black supremicist and will not vote for one of their members.