First it was the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, and now the Reverend Michael Pfleger. What's with Obama's crackpot preacher pals?
One is white and one is black. And there are probably more of them that the Obama campaign is trying to muzzle as we speak. But does Obama seem peculiarly unfortunate in his choice of mentors and allies, or is there an ideological basis to what these preachers are saying?
Chicago, where Obama is from, is the capital of what may be called the Black Liberation Theology movement in the United States. This movement is a legacy of the 1960s, and has more to do with Malcolm X than Martin Luther King.
Malcolm X, you may recall, denounced Christianity as a racist religion which had created what he called a "blond, blue-eyed Jesus." Malcolm X called on blacks to repudiate this bigoted religion. He himself embraced the Nation of Islam with its own peculiar theology.
Some black activists, notably a theologian named James Cone, agreed with Malcolm X. But their solution was not to abandon Christianity. Rather, they countered what they saw as the white man's Christianity with a kind of black equivalent. In this view, Christ was not blond and blue eyed but rather black and Afrocentric. Picture Christ with an Afro and dashiki leading a revolutionary liberation movement against the white Pharoahs and you'll get the picture.
Cone and others spearheaded a new interpretation of the Bible which is now read as a story of emancipation from white racist oppression. Unfortunately what black liberation theology does is to take all the old racial stereotypes and simply invert them. Consequently the new theology was no less race-conscious and prejudiced than the one it sought to replace.
The Reverend Jeremiah Wright explicitly associates himself with black liberation theology. I don't know about Pfleger, but his rhetoric also reflects the same themes. Ironically there are some whites like Pfleger who are attracted to the doctrine of white oppressors and black martyrs. Presumably these whites hope that by allying themselves with black virtue they can escape the moral stigma of being white.
Obama and his campaign managers have been trying to promote the lie that this bizarre cult of black liberation theology is actually mainstream teaching in the black church. And again there is a strain of condescending white liberalism that is quick to agree. "Yes, of course they say crazy things in the black church, Mildred, but you have to understand the terrible things those people have been through."
In reality you only have to sample black churches across the country to see that this is a calumny against black Christians, who are mostly traditional in their understanding of the Bible and who don't spend their Sundays chanting "God damn America!"
I'm relieved that Obama has finally summoned the good sense to quit the Reverend Wright's Trinity Church. Ultimately what Obama needs to repudiate is not only the odd Reverend who happens to embarrass his campaign but the racist ideology that calls itself black liberation theology.
Reader Comments ( Page 3 of 44)
31. you owe me another irony meter, Jane.
"People that are racist have elevate themselves to the level of God determining what is good and bad. God created everything and called it good."
So that applies to homosexuals as well?
And you were wrong about the origins of racism. After all the god of your bible was very racist. Read how he treated the egyptians, midians, gentiles, and babylonians. The origin of racism is simply a mental program that groups things into categories and places a qualifier on them as us / them or mine / yours. In the case of racism, this mental program clusters blacks together and puts them strongly in a 'them' category, which fosters distrust and makes a person more likely to be skeptical and negative about them.
Sin has nothing to do with it.
Somber at 10:28AM on Jun 2nd 2008
32. Res Firma,
So it was there as a scathing satire? Probably, but if the book said "Puppies should be burned alive" and "Cripples are useless" I'm sure there would be "scholars" lining up to rationalize it, just because it's "The Bible".
Mokele Mbembe at 10:35AM on Jun 2nd 2008
33. Mokele Mbembe
When you become serious about studying Christianity, please read "Theology for Beginners" by Frank Sheed. The theology of the trinity is clearly explained.
janesophie1 at 10:41AM on Jun 2nd 2008
34. janesophie1,
I've always been curious about the mode of derivation of christianity from judaism. How much veracity do you take from the Torah and Old Testament theology? For example, why don't gentiles use mezuzot, or tefillin?
Mokele Mbembe at 10:51AM on Jun 2nd 2008
35. Dian Moffat
The terms "black and white" are inaccurate when describing people. Skin color is not indicative of ethnic origin. There are people in Australia and India that are darker than any person from sub-Saharan Africa, but have European features. Likewise, some North American tribes were as pale as Europeans and had Asiatic features. Some Europeans are tan, while others are the palest of humans. It is more accurate to identify humans by continental origin. Jesus was not European or African. He was southwestern Asiatic. The Semitic peoples came in many shades. David was ruddy, but Moses' wife Zipporah was described as black. It really should not make any difference what color skin people had in the bible. It is wrong to apply our racism to ancient peoples. The point of the bible is how God loves humanity, despite our rebellion toward him and even provided the perfect vehicle for reconciliation; Jesus Christ.
janesophie1 at 10:55AM on Jun 2nd 2008
36. Jane-
Don't you find it odd that it is always 'Mary' who keeps popping up throughout history? Oh, sure, we see the occasional 'Jesus' on a grilled cheese sandwich or somesuch, but 'Mary' shows up FOR REAL.
Conclusion:
The Goddess is Alive, and Magic is Afoot!
Pagans Rule and Churchies Drool!
Rejoice, the end of 'their' world is near!
Enough silliness already people, grow up an evolve into the future!
Robert at 10:58AM on Jun 2nd 2008
37. janesophie1,
I get what you're trying to say about Jesus' color, but it does matter to people that the canonical image of their savior may be a propagandistic depiction. I've felt this is why Islam forbids any visual representations of Muhammad, that the image of the messenger distracts from the message.
Mokele Mbembe at 11:01AM on Jun 2nd 2008
38. janesophie: "God provided the sacrifice in place of Isaac."
Have you ever asked, Why did God require the sacrifice in the first place?"
You might say that it is payment for our sin, but why does God demand blood be spilled for sins committed?
AndrewV at 11:03AM on Jun 2nd 2008
39. when speaking of the black liberation movement or any movement for that matter; man has to realize the movement is caused by some injustice.
fact: blacks were dominated by a group of european men who,claimed to be christian.
fact: slavery and it's horrors were carried out by men who again claimed to be christian.
fact: racism and it's evils today are carried out by those again who claim to be christian.
color is irrelavant if you are christian,hate is not preached or taught if you are a christian, man has used christianity as a means to dominate and control anothers life and lifestyle.morality can not be legslated. we miss the point about black liberation movement or churches. it's goal is to liberate{free} a people who have been in bondage by people claiming to be christians ie.. blond hair blue eyed white man. when in fact Jesus is jewish, and there are many ethopian jews. the point is we can not serve a God who hates us and teaches us to hate ourselves; as the european/american christians have done. Christ came to seek and save that which is lost, last time i looked that would be mankind the human race. Christ represents mankind not one perticuliar race of people, christ picked the jews as his chosen people to lead mankind to himself it had nothing to do with them being jews. if in fact it did circumcision would not have been needed, to distinquish God's people from everyone else.
blacks have had to fight for every right given to man from God, and for people to diminish their experience good or bad is an insult. we have had to empower ourselves. it's ironic because, i don't agree with farrkhan on many issues but he has done great things for black men... ie getting them off the streets he offers an alternative lifestyles; they are self sufficient etc.. the only reason we have a black anything is because we were denied everything by whites who claimed to be christians. i would call every man to examine himself; to see if he is in the faith or not? racism has no role in christianity. all men have a choice to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour or be eternally separated from him ...ie hell. many blacks have migrated to becoming a muslim/liberation movements because they can't pray to a God that white america has misrepresented to them. i like the apostle paul wish above all that my people would be saved and salvation comes only through Christ. there are a lot of people who will have to give an account for their behavior: what they have done and said that may have caused someone to remain lost.blood is on the hands of many.what gets to me is people act like we created racism, as if we said yea, i really want these people to hate me, kill me , destroy everything i am, based on the color of my skin. it makes no sense to me. we have to defend ourselves against something we had no control over. people are without compassion and love for each other. Jesus said " How can you say you love me who you have never seen, and hate your brother who you see every day"? we have come so far, yet really we have not gone anywhere. i would expect that from the world but not from people who claim to know Christ. Where is your Chrisrtian character? the word says you will know them by their fruit. what fruit are you bearing? Galatians 5:22
twiggy at 11:15AM on Jun 2nd 2008
40. The elephant in the living room here, people, is that when it comes to skin pigmentation, race is not specifically mentioned anywhere in the Bible.
If race is such a big issue to Judaism and Christianity, why aren't there scriptural references to skin coloring? And the Bible says nothing about the skin coloring of Jesus for the same reason. It wasn't and isn't important.
There is no Biblical endorsement for racism. On the contrary, it is Darwinists - such as Hitler, who thought he was helpfully advancing the process of natural selection by weeding out all of those genetically unfit "useless eaters" - who are more likely to be racist.
And the late Margaret Sanger, a big liberal and not a Christian, made sure there were plenty of Planned Parenthood clinics in the inner cities of America to reduce the population of blacks, who she thought were inferior.
"Christian racism" is 99% myth. There is far more racial and ethnic diversity on the Campus of Bob Jones University, for example, than there is on a typical secular private or public university campus.
And white supremacists are a bunch of pagan Biblical illiterates who think the book of Job tells one how to find employment. That's why they'll never read it.
Dave at 11:17AM on Jun 2nd 2008
41. You know...Jesus only had a rumored relationship with Mary Magdalen....and he was sure followed around by a large group of men....always talking about love against hate, peace against violence...
Maybe Jesus was homosexual.
Strados at 11:30AM on Jun 2nd 2008
42. Strados; there is an apocraphal gospel that REALLY REALLY REALLY implies that he was. I forget which one... secret book of mark, maybe?
Ryan Anderson at 11:32AM on Jun 2nd 2008
43. Hee hee hee hee hee hee...
Well it WOULD explain a few things Strados...
Somber at 11:32AM on Jun 2nd 2008
44. Strados,
If she really looked like Monica Bellucci, good for him!
Mokele Mbembe at 11:33AM on Jun 2nd 2008
45. Mokele Mbembe
The explanation of why many Jewish practices were lost to Christianity is two fold. There was a debate in the early church on whether it was necessary to convert to Judaism to become a Christian. It was decided that it was not a requirement. Observance of the laws would have prevented conversion of gentiles. Many aspects of Judaism were no longer needed because of the Cruxifion and Resurrection; i.e. temple sacrifices. Dietary laws were discarded after Peters’ vision. (Acts 10).
The second explanation is the rejection of Jesus as Messiah by most Jews. The Jewish aspect of the faith was “lost” as people unfamiliar with it became the principle converts. Christianity eventually became a Gentile religion. Interestingly, in Liturgical branches of Christianity, i.e. Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Anglicanism, etc. you can observe remnants of Jewish practice. Many people are rediscovering the Jewishness of Christianity. I am happy about this trend. I love Judaism and understand Christianity better from my study. I once attended a Seder celebrated by a Catholic priest whose mother was a convert from Judaism. She continued to observe the High Holy Days. This priest showed all the links between the Mass and Passover. It was fascinating.
It is my opinion that the tragic history of anti-Semitism would not have occurred if the Jewish roots of Christianity had been properly understood. Certain passages in the New Testament are misconstrued; for example, the gospel of John. When John criticizes Jews it needs to be read within the context of a family dispute. He was Jewish. Obviously, he is not expressing hatred of himself and his own people.
janesophie1 at 11:34AM on Jun 2nd 2008