More on Jeremiah Wright

Just a little surfing of comments on Jeremiah Wright's appearance at the National Press Club confirmed my suspicions that this wouldn't be a very good venue. Being that he's not a politician, he probably didn't know when to take a pass on a question. As a prophetic preacher, he hears the question and offers the answer. I think too that the press still can't understand the religious dynamic, and so even when nuanced Wright's statements pass them by -- and in search of soundbites that will fit their articles, they listen for the "statement" that has the most political impact. But if his remarks are tied to Barack Obama, let us remember that Obama didn't have any control over his former pastor nor did he ask Wright to speak at this forum.
In any case, I think that Diana Butler Bass has some fruitful words to say on this topic in a post at God's Politics. Diana writes:

Over the last several days, I watched Rev. Jeremiah Wright in discussions of faith, theology, history, and culture on television. The three-plus hours I devoted to PBS and CNN amounted to some of the most sophisticated and thoughtful programming on American culture and racial issues that any news station has offered in recent years. And, for those who really listened to Rev. Wright, he moved from being a political liability in the current presidential campaign to demonstrating why he is one of the nation's most compelling spokespersons of the African-American community and of progressive Christianity.

I do think he is incisive as well as provocative -- and that's something the church needs. I also think its something the broader community isn't always able to take in. In large part that is due to the fact that the church hasn't done a very good job of passing on the tradition.

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