March 21, 2008
On the other hand...
In order to not be entirely negative about Obama, I should point out that in some sense I don't think his association with Rev. Wright is that big of a deal. I don't like the fact that Wright seems to be channeling race-based resentment and anger. That's just not helpful. But I do believe that the prophetic role of the pastor, an office which Wright holds, occasionally requires calling out the flaws of the country in which the pastor resides. The language he used may have been inappropriate in that particular context, and it's certainly unpopular, but it's not inherently objectionable. He's pointed at real problems and called on God to judge injustice. I'm all for that, and you should be too.
I saw various YouTube clips of the sermon that got everyone all hot-and-bothered, and my first thought was, "Huh, that's a bit strong on the race angle." That's it. I was kind of taken aback by the commentary afterwards. It's like the culture, particularly the political culture, refuses to countenance the idea of a preacher saying that God will judge the wicked if he happens to be pointing at us.
The upshot of thinking that all people are sinful is that this sort of talk stops being terribly problematic. I'd have been much happier with Obama's speech if he'd denounced the racial divisions Wright seems to be championing while affirming the concept behind them: God will judge injustice, and America, like any other nation, will be judged accordingly. Now that would have taken balls.
