Controversial preacher man Jeremiah Wright ain’t all bad – or is he? Sure, he damned America and brought disgrace to Barack Obama‘s presidential campaign, but he’s also come out for his homo brethren. Said Wright in a 90s-era sermon:
I refuse to limit my God, to lock God into my cultural understandings because culture is fickle. And culture is often wrong. Culture was wrong about slavery. Culture was wrong about women. Culture was wrong about Africans and Indians, and culture was wrong about Christ. I have been the pariah among many of my clergy colleagues who somehow see me as defective or not quite saved because I won’t join them in their homophobic gay bashing and misquoting of scripture.
Reverend Irene Monroe, however, remains unconvinced of Wright’s righteousness. As we mentioned yesterday, the lesbian minster takes major issue with Wright – and Obama – for speaking out against gay marriage as recently as 2005:
In the church’s magazine, The Trumpet his article “Maybe I Missed Something!” shows how LGBTQ issues are not a priority in his present-day prophetic social gospel intended to ameliorate the social conditions of all God’s African-American children.
…
And in his closing tirades on the issues, Wright stated this: “Are 44 million Americans with no health care insurance less important than ‘gay marriage’? Why aren’t Black Christians in an uproar about that? Maybe I am missing something!”
Wright’s supporters dismiss that message, offering personal tales of support. The Obama campaign, of course, distanced themselves politically, while Wright has remained mum on the issue as of late. And we have a feeling he’ll remain mum for the foreseeable future.
underbear1
Reverand Wright thank you for refusing to BASH LGBT Americans, and for reaching out to those of us living with AIDS. I’m so disappointed in Democrats, and the MSM who allowed you to be crucified 24/7, as if their 3 minutes clips of a lifetime of sermons defined all you are.
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-8/1210139/KillingAmerica.jpg
George
44 million Americans without health insurance IS more important than gay marriage. Of course.
Health care is an issue of life and death (around 18,000 unnecessary deaths a year due to lack of health care). It ranks far above my marriage rights in my book. Sometimes you have to put your priorities in order.
John Doey
I find it strange that gays everywhere are willing to accept J. Wright so eaisily after he said some nice things about them. It’s not exactly the best company to be in.
M Shane
I’m seing what George does: The Health care issue is considerably more important an issue to give your attention too, than gay marriage.
I’m not sure if people are dissy or what. Where is your compassion and common sense
akaison
I am seeing once again posts that argue either/or. Either one wants to address healthcare isues or gay rights issues. It’s not either/or. If you want to discuss healthcare (an issue of which I am passionate) go to Ezra Klein or read Krugman (Both are excelent o the subject), but don’t pretend that a website about gay topics is wrong to discuss gay rights issues. This is a little like someone who has Iraq as their issue saying that healthcare isn’t as important. And, yes, I’ve seen such arguments. It’s really not either/or. Open your mind up. Wright isn’t running for office. Obama is. I am more concerned with Obama’s actually policies than I am about what Wright thinks over the long term. This is a momentary blip that’s interesting,b ut not crucial.
David
I agree with AKAISON. Very well put.
africool
I’m not following Rev. Monroe’s criticism. I’d like to see ‘The Trumpet’ article in its entirety, but Monroe’s blog uses the same out of context quotes here.
It sounds like Rev. Wright is saying that with all the issues the Black community is dealing with, gay marriage is not something that affects us negatively like unemployment, bad schools, no healthcare, etc. When he says, “Am I missing something?” he’s implying that Blacks should not be up in arms about this. It should not be the wedge issue that the Republicans successfully made it to be.
akaison
That’s exactly what he is saying Afri. He’s saying that people voting for politicians who say they will deny gay rights are missing the point that it’s a basically a “What’s the Matter with Kanasas” situtation. They are voting against their own interests as citizens by denying others their interests as citizens. There is a lot to uncover in what he says. First, he makes an assault on the assumption that gay=sin by pointing out its historical anologies– ie, blacks were considered subhuman due to Biblical teachings during slavery. Yeah, people actually believed that slavery was justified under the Bible in the story of Hamm (I beleive) later church doctrines changed it. Not, everyone, ie, you still have the KKK and schools like Bob Jones University that the GOP frequents. Next, he points out the issues that should of interest to the African American community. Unlike the posters here, he doesn’t denigrate gay rights in doing so. He merely states that we all have interests that should be respected and understood.
M Shane
I agree completely with africool (above). If anything, for what we are presented, he appears to be saying that the “gay marrige” concern is a a relatively poor prioritization. In fact if anything, it is a pro-gay statement. Recall that some few years ago, a number of ministers were turning the single issue concentration that peole had to issues that had more applicability to their “christian” beliefs and humnistic concerns. I don’t see where interpreters otherwise are coming to the conclusion that it’s an antigay staement.
Brian
Please stop it with Reverend Wright. Who cares? Should America be deciding its next president based on what their minister happens to say or believe? I’d rather make my decision based on the issues facing this country.
oakling
Obviously we need both health care and marriage rights, but I do have to agree that health care is a more immediate problem. And that’s not even what he said – he didn’t say “gay marriage is less important than health care,” or “gay marriage is not a priority,” or as a lot of people are claiming he did, “I don’t support gay marriage.” He demanded to know why Black Christians aren’t in an uproar over the lack of available health care. And I think his implication is that people against gay marriage put a ton of energy into opposing it when they could be putting that energy into something positive and crucial like accessible health insurance.
Tarik
Obama and Wright are both asshats.
Darth Paul
I think Tarik has sand in his chocha.
akaison
He does not say either a) or b). That’s your own projection. But sadly projection is what voters do. You hear what you want to hear rather than understand what he says in the context of larger dialogue that’s been going on since before you decided to read what he wrote.
DanGOP
The latest pronouncement by Rev Wright is something I agree with. Horror of Horrors. But then again, George Wallace and Theodore Bilbo had their good points and smart ideas too.
underbear1
After Denver and Clinton’s DLC super delegates STEAL the nomination from Obama, you are going to hear Reverand Wright quoted all the way to November’s McCain presidency….”G*D DAMN AMERICA!”
Then the following elections, when the Democratic Party has lost all it’s new and young voters and African American voters, and LGBT Obama supporters…don’t say a f*ckin’ word.
Michael Bedwell
You can choose to “interpret” Wright’s comments about marriage equality all you want. But the following are FACTS that should be taken into consideration when attempting that.
Wright and his Trinity congregation are members of the United Church of Christ [its largest single congregation, in fact] which unlike, for instance, Southern Baptists, United Methodists, Roman Catholics, permits EACH of its over 5600 local congregation to essentially cherry pick from the theological and social gospel positions of its “General Synod” which “speaks to local churches, associations, and conferences, but not for them.”
It was the General Synod that in 2005 issued a statement supporting gay marriage equality that has led some to MISTAKENLY assume that all UCC ministers and local churches support it. An previously affiliated group in Puerto Rico broke from the denomination entirely because of this statement.
In the absence of any explicit indication on Trinity’s Website of its position, how can we know what they support? Simple.
The UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns has established “ONAâ€:
“ONA is ‘shorthand’ for Open and Affirming, the designation for congregations, campus ministries, and other bodies in the United Church of Christ which make public statements of welcome into their full life and ministry to persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities.†– http://www.ucccoalition.org/programs/ona/
While Rev. Wright’s Trinity United Church of Christ includes “Same Gender Loving†under its list of “Singles Community Ministry,†it is NOT one of the 40-some UCC churches in Illinois that have joined the Open & Affirming program.
I think that makes clear that Trinity and Rev. Wright, like Obama, however more progressive they might be in other ways, stop outside the door of FULL equality for LGBTs.
jababe
It’s funny how so many of us are disagreeing with a man who is simply pointing out injustices of America while we are still the lowest on the totem pole in terms of rights and liberties. You have the nerve to think that all is well with the way this country has treated people who are diffirent, or those who don’t serve our interests? I don’t get why so many of us can’t relate to what Rev. Wright has said. Good for Rev. Wright, he is seeing through the crap. Though he should find a better way to express his views, his is on the mark. Yes, it’s true in the black community–and white communites as well–you have these so called “new believers” who are preyed upon by these conservative pastors for whom homophobia is their one trick pony that they assign their congregation to opposing. That is why Rev. Wright’s church counsels, marries and fellowships with same gender Chrisitan families. Conservatives know that it actually is an either or issue; because we damn sure know that healthcare is on the same side as gay marriage. If you are voting against gay marriage; then you are consequently voting against healthcare in most instances. That’s was the comparison Rev. Wright was making–people are suffering without healthcare yet these so called new believers can feel justified because they are voting against gay rights.
akaison
Except that’s not the quote he writes here in this post so when you say choose to believe what we want it should have some relationship to what’s quoted.
jababe
Michael Bedwell
Stop copy and pasting and do the work of actually calling Trinity. There are actually people there you know that could answer your questions about their embrace of LGBT’s. Do they marry gays–yes, do they counsel and fellowship with gays–yes. What more do you want exactly out of a church?
jababe
Why are WE so distracted by this Rev. Wright nonsense–when McCain is bedfellows with Falwell? Do I need to remind you who he thinks is at fault for 911? Ok fine.
http://beertap.wordpress.com/
And let me go on record for saying I will support Madame if she is nominated, but I am also increasingly concerned about her hand in all of this. I am starting to finally see a connection to why she has accepted fundraising support from Rupert Murdoch. I don’t know about you folks, but that does make my skin crawl–and I can’t really get my mind around that one.
M Shane
Jababe:The Rupert Murdoch episode, which happened pretty early in her run, is still more than I can get my head around; that’s truly reason to wonder.
I realize that some people can’t see the forest for the trees.
Michael Bedwell
Please PROVE that Trinity “marries gays.” If that were true it, just like their gay singles ministry, would LONG AGO have been reported on.
In an article about Wright and LGBT rights in today’s “Washington Blade†that is largely a shamefulValentine, I found this confirming that the absence of his church on the list of “Open & Affirming” congregations is no accident:
“[T]he Rev. Ruth Garwood, executive director of the United Church of Christ Coalition for GLBT Concerns, said that while Trinity Church has the reputation of being gay-supportive, Wright and other church officials never accepted an invitation from her office to become an official UCC ‘open and affirming’ congregation for the GLBT community. At least three other UCC churches in Chicago have adopted the ‘open and affirming’ status and more than 100 UCC churches throughout the U.S. have adopted the status, as have churches in other denominations.â€
– http://washingtonblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=17266
The author apparently misunderstood Rev. Garwood in one area. The ONA site indicates that there are at least 727 active ONA congregations in the United Church of Christ.
Mary Lou Dobbs
So Kerry says that Obama is best qualified to deal with Muslims because he is “black”.
Obama says that his Grandmother is a “typical white” because she avoid blacks on the street.
Wright suggest, I assume, that my white friends that died of AIDS did so for the black man.
Now tell me again, how Bill Clinton is a racist?????????
Mr C
Once again Michael,
Still finding fault in Blacks. A Damn shame.
No matter what the DAMN stance is you have issues with us then want to go look for “SNOW QUEENS” who agree with you in blogs to justify it. NOT
Just say that your prejudice PLEASE!!!
Then find a WHITE PASTOR who lines up with Hillary and your views and wants to award you (or at least that is what you’ll think) your same LGBT rights and BE DONE!
BEING PREJUDICE IS A BITCH ISN’T IT?
jababe
Michael Bedwell sweetheart! I apologize for my tone before, I see you really are looking for answers and aren’t just playing Sean Hannity for LGBT’s. I did a great deal of soul searching and research before deciding to vote for Obama in fall of last year. I came upon some the same information about Rev. Wright that is being circulated right now, (hmmm- quite auspicious timing–after GF’s statements!) and figured it would come up in the election but I never thought people would try to demonize Obama this way, and least of all LGBT’s. Anyway, during my research I came to understand some of the controversial rhetoric Rev. Wright spewed and learned more about Trinity United. I read somewhere that UCC was pro-gay marriage, so I called TUCC to asked them a few questions about their views on whites and gay families in their congregation. Always get it from the horse’s mouth. It was a start, but that isn’t why I am supporting Obama, because we all know, for gay rights, he doesn’t go far enough. In fact if that were my only issue, I’d be sitting this one out. My last word on this subject is I just think the way this story and Rev Wrights comments are being handled is woefully biased, why the hell isn’t Falwell being harrassed for his comments on 9-11, made much more recently. It is reprehensible that all the other networks are now following suit behind Fox News. We are all in a shit-load of trouble if this trend continues.
fredo777
I’m conflicted, because, despite what’s said against him for being anti-gay marriage, the church’s website actually mentions a “singles community ministry” for “same-gender loving” individuals in the works.
fredo777
* Note: I didn’t notice that someone had already mentioned the “Same Gender Loving” portion of Trinity’s website here. My apologies, although I did post the same thing a few days ago on another comment here @ queerty.
Bill Perdue
The problem is not with Wright. His robust contempt for American racists, including those who mistakenly brand that attitude as ‘black racism’, is an entirely healthy and appropriate response to the racism woven into the very fabric of US society. Wrights analysis of the origins of the horrific criminal attack by terrorists on 9-11 is also correct – it is directly tied to US support for the racist apartheid policies of zionists.
Obama, McCain and Clinton are the problem. Clinton and McCain are Bush Stout and Obama is he Bush Lite. Like Billary Clinton, he’s a Democrat, a political hustler in a right centrist party who will say anything to get elected.
A vote for the Democrats or Republicans is a vote for a party that gutted ENDA, dropped the hate crimes bill and refuses to repeal Billarys DOMA and DADT. They did that so the Republicans couldn’t claim they were GLBT friendly or use our agenda as a ‘wedge’ issue. Billary and Obama didn’t offer a hint of protest when all that was going on.
Like Clinton and McCain Obama openly, arrogantly and unashamedly panders to gay bashing christian bigots. However Obama’s gay basher bedfellows like Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin and Bush’s ‘spirit’ advisor are chump change compared to Billarys. Her admirers include her Senatorial bible class littermates Santorum of Pennsylvania and Brownback of Kansas. Pat Robertson admires her ‘tacking to the right’ and Faux News owner Rupert Murdoch gave her a $100,000 ‘donation’ for services rendered.
Obama was the first presidential candidate to support the NAFTA Peru extension bill. The AFL-CIO, all Peruvian unions and most environmental and anti-poverty organizations oppose NAFTA which is crafted to cut wages, bust unions and is a rolling environmental disaster. Obama, Clinton and most Republicans support NAFTA and are telling lies when they say they do not. They have to if they want corporate money.
In spite of all his hype about the war one thing remains crystal clear, neither he, Clinton or the Republicans can or will end the war. A victory by the Iraqis will end it, just like the war in Vietnam was ended. Obama, in an especially witless policy statement said he would attack Pakistan, a nation with nuclear weapons. Obama and Clinton say they won’t end the war until 2013 at the earliest, and McCain of course want to fight for a century or two.
Like Clinton and McCain, Obama is a handpuppet for the HMO, pharmaceutical and insurance industries. Don’t get sick if one of them wins. The National Nurses Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO condemns Obama, saying “Obama has chosen to give more customers and more public funds to the for-profit insurance corporations. It’s an expensive gift and one that allows them to continue meddling in medical decision-making while raking in obscene blood-money profits.â€
The problem is that if enough people are stupid and vote for him he might win. That would be as disastrous as when Clinton (DADT and DOMA) or Bush 2 won. With Democrats like these who needs Republicans. A Republican candidate is a loud-mouthed baboon in a people suit with a theocratic christian attached at the hip. A Democratic candidate is a Republican in drag.
fredo777
So, basically, Bill, your point is that we shouldn’t vote for anyone…?
Bill Perdue
fredo777
Are you asking if I think it’s better to avoid another futile replay of selecting from a dismal list of lesser evil candidates and insuring four more years of war, bigotry and a declining standard of living? The answer is yes.
Voting for a Democrat or a Republican is a wasted vote unless you’re a rich, bigoted oil company executive. The vast majority of GLBT supporters of those two parties are in the last closet, the political closet. The rest of us should lodge a protest vote for any pro-GLBT socialist, communist or other leftist party. That’s better than joining the tens of millions of folks whose attitude towards the two party shell game is ‘fuck you, and fuck the party you rode in on.’ However, their boycott is perfectly understandable.
Jean-Pierre
Jeremiah Wright liberation theology views individuals and nations in sharp contrast as either victims or oppressors.
In this sharp Black and White view gays are simply ranked as not important to consider compared to more oppressed African Americans.
Also he has made many groups of people.
But the issues of gay rights are going to be won more on the idea of equality than liberation theology.
In any fight you need to attract allies, not be politically correct. So gays need to ask who supports gay rights?
How will gays in more than thirty states ever have the right to keep their jobs or visit loved ones in a hospital?
Many Democrats some Republicans
Many young people, some older people.
Many Catholics, Jews, some Protestants, very few fundamentalists.