Wright’s theology “not new or radical”

Some of you may be tired of the whole Jeremiah Wright thing, but I’d be remiss not to let readers know about a great article that puts Rev. Wright’s preaching and remarks into their context, and then explains that context extremely well.

Salon.com’s Sarah Posner interviewed Dr. Jonathan L. Walton, assistant professor of religious studies at UC-Riverside. It’s an excellent interview.

Walton points out, among other things:

1. Black Liberation Theology has been around since the 1960s and can be found in the curriculum of the leading seminaries in the U.S.

2. While Wright and Martin Luther King are two different people, MLK had his own “God damn America” moment toward the end of his career. Walton also says that the sermon he was schedule to preach on the Sunday after he was assassinated was titled “Why American may go to hell.”

3. While Wright’s statements about HIV/AIDS may not be true, they can be seen as shorthand for frustration with the government’s lack of truthfulness on the Tuskegee experiments, Agent Orange, Gulf War Syndrome, etc.

Posner’s interview with Walton takes “black liberation theology” out of quotation marks [as it's been used in the press, as if it's something made up, as in "this so-called 'black liberation theology'"]. If you’re still puzzled and angered by Wright, but open to learning something new, this article will help.

“Vintage Wright”

We were fortunate to have one of our writers, Beckie Supiano, in attendance yesterday to cover Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s speech/Q&A at the National Press Club. Beckie’s article is posted on the DisciplesWorld website today.

Dr. Delores Carpenter, who was also there, called it “vintage Wright.” Like him or not, you’ve got to respect him for just going there and being himself, which it sounds like he did.

I haven’t had a chance to talk with Beckie yet, but I’m interested in hearing what her impressions were. Not just of Wright, but of the kinds of questions journalists asked him. From some of the reports I’ve read, it almost seems like they’ve got their collective minds made up about Wright. But we’ll see what Beckie thinks.

The big debate in what I’ve read outside the religious press seems to be “What should Obama do?”  Salon.com compiled an article from its staff today along those lines. I usually respect Salon’s approach but most of their staff reports just struck me as off-point. The question of what Obama should do is not the right one, in my opinion. Wright is his own man. As is Obama. One’s a preacher, the other, a politician. 

The best suggestions I heard from Salon’s staff were that Obama, with all eyes on him now, needs to stop this train-wreck-in-the-making and remind people of what’s going on while we’re all uncritically following this non-crisis: war, poverty, food crisis, destruction of the earth…stuff like that. 

By the way, Beckie said only a couple of journalists stuck around for the REST of the day’s events which included a teach-in at Shiloh Baptist Church, and a worship service. The whole event, including the National Press Club breakfast, was part of a two-day symposium on the prophetic witness of the African American Church, sponsored by the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference.  Yeah, I know, they had deadlines to meet and stories to file. Too bad though - they might have learned that there’s more to this whole “prophetic witness” thing than they can contain inside a set of quotation marks.

Brings to mind a great line from another prophet, Bob Dylan: “I’ll know my song well, before I start singin’…”

As the rest of the song goes, “…it’s a hard rain’s gonna fall.” 

Dan Mayes on “christian” businesses

Catching up on my Disciples blog reading, I came across a post on Dan Mayes’ blog called “Christian Feces.” Well naturally the title caught my attention. Dan offers his views on the idea of “Christian” businesses and the seperatist theology that they seem to imply.

An excerpt:

When told, “Shop there. They’re a ‘Christian’ business,” my response has usually been, “How are the prices?”

Are “Christian” businesses any less motivated by money? Does the appearance of a Jesus fish on someone’s dry cleaning business mean my shirts are going to come back any crisper or cleaner, or that I’m going to pay any less? Does the fish on the sign of the insurance agent mean I’m going to pay a lower premium or that my claims will be handled in a more honest manner?

Click here to read Dan’s whole post.

Sharing the Practice blog

Sharing the Practice is a blog edited by Bob Cornwall, Disciples pastor, newspaper columnist and editor of the journal by the same name. Sharing the Practice is affililated with the Academy of Parish Clergy, ”an ecumenical association of clergy committed to Growth in the Practice of Ministry.”

The blog has multiple contributors on a wide range of topics. Check out the latest post, a review of the movie “Fracture” starring Anthony Hopkins….

What is your theological worldview?

Found this on Michael Davison’s blog and also on Rethinking Youth Ministry , whose author, Brian, is an emergent/postmodern like I am. Below is the breakdown of my score. Take the quiz over at Quizfarm.

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern. You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don’t think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this. Emergent/Postmodern 75% Roman Catholic 64% Neo orthodox 61% Modern Liberal 50% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 46% Classical Liberal 39% Charismatic/Pentecostal 36% Reformed Evangelical 25% Fundamentalist 4% What’s your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

PS the guy in the photo is Brian McLaren.