I have some input that would help Barack Obama to deal with this incessant Rev. Wright clip, but it is difficult to pass it along to him. Maybe his staff will read my e-mail. In the meantime, I am sharing it with you.
I am writing as the daughter of a Church of the Brethren minister and a Bible scholar, two parents with master’s degrees, and lifelong learning.
Ministers are not obligated to support the government. That is not their job. Ministers speak from the Biblical narrative, which includes prophets who told the kings that they were off track, cautioning them in no uncertain terms that they were moving away from God. That is exactly what Rev. Wright was doing in his sermon. He is a good preacher, and Barack made a mistake when he said he did not approve of the message. That set him up for, “Why did you keep listening?”
Barack should make it clear that Rev. Wright was doing what good preachers who are grounded in the Biblical narrative do. It is not Rev. Wright’s job to be a patriot; he is a minister and his allegiance is to God. Barack is in a better position to be a president and leader of the United States of America that he loves by having an ear to dissent.
This article appears in May 1-8, 2008.