Damning America and Running for President

By now, all of you have no doubt run across the story of Barrack Obama and his Pastor Jeremiah Wright. While I was away in Mexico, this story was blowing up. To be completely honest, the first time I heard the story, I only saw the "God bless America...no, no, no..." bit, and thought to myself, if he's preaching out of Amos this sounds good.



Having heard more of his sermons, there are clearly things that make me nervous about Reverand Wright, particularly some of his conspiracy theories (the HIV one for sure), and there are a ton of theological points I would love to take up with him, but I do not think the right response is something like fear. Speaking of responses, here is Barrack's:


If you do not have the 36 minutes neccesarry to watch it, it is interesting read, and you can get the full transcript here: A More Perfect Union.
I am going to leave all of the political (and maybe historical) implications of the speech for right now and focus in on two theological/ecclessiological observations:
1. I wish Obama would have stood up and said, "My pastor's job is to speak prophetically. Whether I agree or disagree with him, his job is to share with me those things God wants me to hear. I can reject my pastor's teaching only with serious prayer in community, and only at severe risk to myself." This to me is a much more faithful Christian response than, "We all disagree with our spiritual leaders sometimes." Having said this, I do appreciate that Obama has not entirely distanced himself from his pastor of twenty some years. Also, how cool would it be if the skeleton in everyone's closet was that their Pastor was too unAmerican because he called out America for injustices?
2. As well contrsucted, and well written as this speech was, the central theme was that we should be nicer to each other and more tolerant. While I am in favor of being nicer to each other, this is the American gospel, and not the gospel of Christ. The gospel is not that we overcome differences and get past years of hostility by agreeing in a common goal, it is that in the cross and resurrection, Jesus tore down these dividing walls. It is that in Christ, things like nationalities and race are no more. My biggest problem with Obama's speech, was that while claiming to be a Christian, Obama can paint a picture of a more perfect union that doesn't need Christ to make it work and at the end of the day, at least Jeremiah Wright's sermon needed Jesus.