Weighing in on the latest “pastor disaster” (Pfleger)
I’ve tried to stay out of partisan politics on this site. So I won’t say much about the candidates here, except that I won’t let the unnecessary anti-White racist rhetoric that a couple of pastors “preach” from their pulpits, most unfortunately from Barack Obama’s own church, affect my opinion of him, who I voted for in the primary, and hope to vote for in the general election. But on the topic of Father Pfleger’s “sermon” last Sunday that hit the Internet this week, I agree with the Clinton campaign, that “Divisive and hateful language like that is totally counterproductive in our efforts to bring our party together and have no place at the pulpit or in our politics,… We are disappointed that Senator Obama didn’t specifically reject Father’s Pfleger’s despicable comments about Senator Clinton, and assume he will do so.”
If I didn’t know better, I would think that both Rev. Wright and Father Pfleger were working for the Republicans, for all the damage they’ve caused to Obama’s credibility and his presidential campaign in a “guilt by association”, “where there’s smoke there’s fire” sort of way.
I would have thought that Father Pfleger would have known better, after the recent media coverage over the Wright flap.
If Obama loses the election, I will blame both pastors for introducing racist hate-speech into the presidential race that didn’t need to be there, and for casting public doubt about Obama, because he belongs to that church where their “sermons” were preached. Most unsettling, where that church is concerned, is that the congregation seemed to laugh and clap at Pfleger’s theatrical mockery.
I can’t even find the words to describe my disgust over this. Not only did Pfleger do damage to Obama, and offend Clinton, he misused the pulpit and misrepresented his own Church — policy, spirit, reputation, and calling to represent God in the world — and maybe even (is anyone listening?) could cause the IRS to look into whether or not Obama’s church should lose its tax-exempt status for its repetitious pandering politics as it’s “gospel message”.
I used to consider Pfleger a force for good, when I’d hear about him in the news, speaking out on various issues, like guns. Now I see him as a part of society’s problems, because his “sermon” illustrates that he feeds on stirring up racist attitudes, instead of unifying communities. This is the 21st Century. I realize that racism is still alive and well in this country. But it’s people like him, who speak like it’s still 1968, that keeps the fires stoked. (And in case he isn’t noticing the buzz, the videos on the Internet are also feeding the anti-religion crowd, who seem to enjoy finding examples of Christianity at its extremist worst to prove their point that religion is an abuse of power.)
Pfleger has hurt his own reputation as a community activist. I now see him as part of the problem, and not part of the solution. And I wonder if he has “issues”.
Maybe Barack Obama should be allowed to preach at his own church. It would be interesting to see if the congregation would welcome his message as warmly as they accepted Pfleger’s. And if not, then maybe he needs to find a different church.
I suspect that a sermon by Barack Obama would be less political than a rant by either Wright or Pfleger.
(I’m happy to be an Episcopalian, where our clergy seem to understand very clearly the importance of keeping secular politics out of our pulpits, and where the sermons tend to tie in with the Lectionary readings, with the goal of building up the community of faith. We have our own problems. But this doesn’t seem to be one of them.)
June 1st update: I heard that Obama resigned from that church. Here’s an article: Obama Resigns 20-Year Affiliation With Trinity Church.
“I’m not denouncing the church and I’m not interested in people who want me to denounce the church,” he said, adding that the new pastor at Trinity and “the church have been suffering from the attention my campaign has focused on them.”
I don’t believe the church and the new pastor have been suffering from the attention Obama’s campaign has focused on them. I believe they are suffering because of the kind of outrageous preaching that goes on there. They have really painted a picture of themselves. (Their reaction toward Pfleger’s message was more than polite.) I’m glad Obama finally resigned.
And this: UPDATE” Father Pfleger: ‘They Want To Kill Me…It’s Been Ugly’