'Wright's anti-American rhetoric and far-left politics echo mostly white Religious Left elites much more so than the traditions of historically African American churches' --Mark Tooley, Executive Director UMAction

 

Contact: Loralei Coyle, 202-682-4131, 202-905-6852 cell, lcoyle@TheIRD.org; Radio Interviews: Jeff Walton, jwalton@TheIRD.org; both with The Institute on Religion and Democracy

 

WASHINGTON, March 18 /Christian Newswire/ -- Senator Barak Obama's retiring pastor has come under intense criticism for his searing critiques of American foreign policy, including his call for God to "damn" America and his suggestion that 9-11 was deserved.

 

A member of the nearly all white and fast declining 1.1 million-member United Church of Christ (UCC), Rev. Jeremiah Wright pastors Chicago's Trinity Church., which is the UCC's largest congregation. Officials of the UCC are among the furthest left among major American church denominations.

 

UCC President John Thomas has fulsomely affirmed Wright's ministry, declaring on March 17 that many "would prefer to avoid the stark and startling language" that Wright employs.

 

IRD Director of UMAction Mark Tooley commented:

 

"Instead of directly engaging the Rev. Wright's intemperate language about our nation, the UCC leadership quickly redirects attention to the ostensibly harsher crimes of U.S. foreign policy.

 

"Senator Obama quickly disavowed Wright's unpleasant remarks about America. Unfortunately, Wright's own denominational officials could not discern any problems with the pastor's harsh words.

 

"Wright's anti-American rhetoric and far-left politics echo mostly white Religious Left elites much more than so than the traditions of historically African American churches. His liberal views on homosexuality further separate him from the beliefs of black churches. Wright should be seen as a product of declining liberal Mainline Protestantism, not as a representative of the black church."

 

The Institute on Religion and Democracy, founded in 1981, is an ecumenical alliance of U.S. Christians working to reform their churches' social witness, in accord with biblical and historic Christian teachings, thereby contributing to the renewal of democratic society at home and abroad.