Pastor Problems

An interesting piece of this presidential campaign concerns the relationship of Barack Obama to his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, who it seems has been rather inflammatory from his pulpit concerning the U.S., racial issues, and a whole lot of other topics. Obama's in some mildly warm water over this because he has claimed a fairly close relationship with his pastor. Opponents are calling it a kind of guilt by association.

Let's put the inflammatory stuff aside for a moment (after all, there are plenty of pundits out there who are all over this). Here's the question in my mind: When was the last time you got in trouble for something your pastor said? Shoot, pastors, when was the last time you said anything in the pulpit worth getting in trouble for?

Let me be clear: I don't agree with what Wright said, though there's often a (very) small grain of truth in every critique (no matter how ridiculous it sounds). Nonetheless, for good or ill, this particular pastor had no problem speaking his mind. You can argue that faith and politics shouldn't mix, particularly in the pulpit, but that can be an argument in semantics. All preaching is, in some sense, political in that it addresses both people and social systems and their relationship to God. Personally, I do my best not to address polarizing issues but try to point to the biblical narrative and let it guide our thinking together (though sometimes the narrative itself is polarizing!). In an attempt to be prophetic, Wright went way too far out in the desert, of course, but it's the prophetic role of the pastor that I'm interested in here.

We're all subject to getting a paycheck from our congregations, we have families to feed, we enjoy our pulpits, etc., but I wonder how many times that keeps us from really bringing the heat and light of God's Word? What's shocking about this story is not so much what was said (stuff like Wright spouted is always out there) but that it came from a preacher. The culture seems to expect us preachers to be kind of milquetoasty, serving spiritual pablum instead of prophetic punch. Joel Osteen is selling positive thinking books by the truckload and a lot of folks think that's what preachers should stick to. Funny thing is, though, when you look at the sermons in the Bible, including those of Jesus, there's very little milquetoast and a whole lot of meat. Jesus, John the Baptist, Jeremiah, Elijah, et. al. all spoke the truth to power and not always in digestible sound bites. The prophets weren't beholden to patriotism or political structure, which made them thorns in the side of the religious and political establishment.

Yeah, it's usually better to use reasoning, tact, and dialogue than a rant to get your point across. Relationships, forgiveness, thoughtfulness, and reconciliation don't seem to be part of Wright's repertoire, at least in this case. Still, I can't help but wonder what would happen if more preachers would find their prophetic voice and challenge this culture that is as idolatrous as that of ancient Israel, if not more so.

If you're sitting out there in the congregation this week and your pastor says something that makes you wince, don't storm out the door or send the transcript to CNN. Ask him or her about it. Start a conversation. That's really where change and understanding happens, isn't it?

Just a thought.

Comments

[Rich Pak]

This is the Rich, the seminarian in Chicago from Utah, again.

I frequently visit Trinity UCC (many of my classmates are members) and have heard Jeremiah Wright preach on many occasions. Trinity is one of the most friendliest and welcoming congregations I have ever visited, which is remarkable considering its size. It is a complete contrast to the rather cold detachment I felt when I visited Willowcreek, another megachurch in the Chicago area.

The media snippets are a disgrace and completely decontextualize the life and ministry of Trinity UCC and Wright. Even the "God damn America" statements make sense when heard in context of his overall sermon (with of course a sensitivity to black preaching styles), which itself is easily Youtubeable. Please don't use those snippets to write off Wright (there's a pun in there somewhere) as someone who is not interested in forgiveness or reconciliation.

Wright indeed has some glaring flaws, which should not always be explained away. But I have yet to visit another church as welcoming, vibrant, and faithful to its call and mission to proclaim the gospel. Trinity is not a safe church. It is not merely a nice church. It is a place that demands discipleship and mission. Trinity is truly a tour de force in its positive impact on the Southside of Chicago, not to mention within its own predominantly white denomination.

Here is a link to a recent article written by Martin Marty on Jeremiah Wright that really speaks to your post: http://chronicle.com/free/v54/i30/30b00101.htm