So, as we go into what seems to be the umpteenth week of talking about Rev. Jeremiah Wright, I want to know why white preachers associated with other politicians aren’t receiving this same level of scrutiny.

For example, John McCain sought out and got the endorsement of John Hagee. Hagee runs a church with over 17,000 members and is a televangelist. However, Hagee also has some views that many would consider extreme. But — surprise — there is no call for McCain to reject and denounce Hagee.

I have added a couple of clips at the end. The first is where Hagee refers to the Catholic church as “the great whore”, a “false cult system” and quotes Hitler as a way of likening the actions of the Catholic church to some of Hitler’s atrocities.

The second clip shows Hagee hawking a book (”In Defense of Israel”) in which Hagee says that Jesus never saw himself as a Messiah. In other words, he is saying that Jesus never saw himself as the Christ, which I would say is pretty interesting for a Christian minister.

Rest assured, there’s much more on this guy out there and I intend to share it with you. As I understand it, he has made some very interesting statements about why Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and a “slave sale” fundraiser he held in 1996.

At any rate, here are the clips so you can see for yourselves.

Also, here’s a sort of rebuttal of Hagee’s book by a member of the same Christian United for Israel group as John Hagee:

Popularity: 4% [?]

It occurred to me that a lot of folks didn’t really hear the words of Rev.  Jeremiah Wright before going off on him.  Well, I take that back…they did hear about 10 seconds of his sermon but, didn’t bother to hear more because it was easier to be spoonfed their opinions by pundits than it was to find out the real deal for themselves.  For those who have not heard the sermon in context, I offer a broader excerpt of it.  You can see and hear that the sound bite the media took doesn’t quite sound the same when listened to along with the statement preceding and following it.

Edit: In case those haven’t seen the context of the “God damn America” statement, you should check this out in its proper context, as well.

Popularity: 65% [?]

I read something today that made me take pause. The reason that it so caught my attention was that it came out of Cincinnati and it was not some right-wing rant about Rev. Wright but, instead, a thoughtful support of his right to express his views.

Adam Clark, an assistant professor in the Department of Theology at Xavier University, delivers his message in both eloquent and plain tones to explain why America should quit trying to view what Wright said through a political lens and, instead, look at his statements through lens of both Christian theology and the Black Church tradition.

Wright, however, is a preacher; his oath is not to the Constitution but to the Gospel. The statements of Wright may be out of step with the presidential politics of the Obama campaign, but they are not out of step with biblical faith. The forceful denunciations of America’s invasion of Iraq, her support for the unjust practices of foreign governments as well as the invocation of God’s wrath for the inhumane treatment of blacks and people of color are not the crazed anti-American ranting of an old uncle, but statements about the meaning of faith in a God who upsets the powers through identifying with the poor and marginalized.

The presidential candidacy of Obama can be assessed on its own terms. But the uproar over the rhetoric of Wright is largely a result of America’s unfamiliarity with the history and language of the black church. The political character of black sermons such as Wright’s are not rooted in the give and take of electoral politics, they derive from biblical faith. The black church has historically identified with the minority Jewish population of the first century. They regard the Jewish population’s relationship to the Roman Empire as similar to their own relationship to the American Empire. This identification has caused black Christians to make a distinction between the biblical Jesus and the American Christ. The American Christ is a product of the American middle class, a deity who endorses empire and converts his followers into being pro-war, pro-death penalty and anti-abortion. The biblical Jesus reveals a God who is provocative, a God who upsets the powers and is eventually rejected and crucified by them.

The language of the black church that conveys this oppositionality does not translate well into the arena of presidential politics. It was never intended to. The black church’s language is the language and worldview of a people who have been at the margins of social power - a symbolic language, not a literal language. Words seldom have a one-to-one correspondence with events. Black religious language is inherently evocative, hyperbolic and impassioned - aimed more toward devotion than debate. It is intended to convey divine ecstasy and anger to parishioners, not dialogue among pundits.

Mr. Clark, thank you for your excellent analysis.

Popularity: 9% [?]

For a while now, I have stayed away from the whole Rev. Jeremiah Wright fiasco. Trust me, it’s not that I’m afraid to talk about it. It’s because that, on its face, this is more “contrived” than “controversy”.

What do I mean? I see this as not so much people being offended by what he said. I believe that people are offended that a black person would have the audacity to say such things. You see, if you’re a white minister and you blame 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina on gays, even though you’re tied into presidents and political parties, it’s no big deal. But, if you’re a black minister and you call out the country you served for as a Marine over its foreign policy, that’s just unacceptable and you become public enemy #1.

Now, how deep does this racial acrimony go with some critics? Well, we have seen media pundits, specifically Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity and Pat Buchanan go after both Rev. Wright and Sen. Barack Obama over Wright’s remarks for what has been weeks, now. They go so far as to say that Obama should have denounced Wright long ago and walked away from that church. You see, despite a 30-year track record of service in the south side of Chicago that has seen him help people of all colors, genders, sexual orientations and health statuses (including an AIDS ministry), the body of Wright’s work should be invalidated by what amounts to about 5-10 minutes of statements, much of which, if argued on their merits, could be construed as true or at least in need of deeper discussion.

Now, I point out O’Reilly, Hannity and Buchanan because, as I said, they criticize Obama for not walking away from his church. Now, why do I call them out? You see, all three are Catholics. Now, if you remember, the big thing in the news a few years back was how the Catholic church in America, from the top down, had covered up rampant pedophilia among its clergy, primarily priests.

You see, we are not talking about a few statements by one person in one church. We are talking about the actions of the leadership of the Catholic Church in this country knowingly allowing molesting clergy to continue to move from parish to parish, only to molest other children. This went on for decades. Furthermore, when finally having to answer for this cover-up, the church ended up spending millions in hush money and court settlements, of which I’m sure included donation money from Mr. O’Reilly, Mr. Hannity and Mr. Buchanan. However, this was not enough to drive these three out of the Catholic Church.

So, my question to these three is why didn’t they denounce the Catholic Church in this country when they found out about these rampant abuses? How could they have walked into a Catholic church or let their children or grandchildren be involved in a church when the possibility of being molested by a priest existed? Isn’t this a question of character?

In the end, in their upside-down existences, a few “bad” words outweigh many good deeds. In their world, black people should be silent or, at least when speaking, should only express gratitude for the the white people who “have done so much for them”. In their world, to paraphrase Chris Rock, “if it’s all-white, then it’s all right”, meaning, in this case, that it’s only bad if a person who is not of their color, political views or sexual persuasion does it (you can choose their order of preference).

In the end, to them, words speak louder than actions and it’s okay to live in a glass house and throw stones.

Popularity: 8% [?]

You might not know how I feel about prosperity pimpin’ preaching but, let’s just say I’m not a fan. More importantly, I am concerned about how certain people prey on the faith of followers to create extravagant lifestyles for themselves. Like I’ve stated before, the Bible tells of how Jesus threw the money-changers out of the church but, they came back with a vengeance.

Now, many decades and, easily, billions of dollars later, the Senate is starting to look into what these megachurch ministers are doing with the money contributed to their ministries. This is, primarily, the work of Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee. His goal is to determine whether or not these pastors are complying with IRS rules in regards to the money they are personally receiving in their roles as ministers. As you know, despite their opulence, these churches are tax-exempt.

Six months ago, Grassley sent out questionnaires to 6 ministries. To date, only one, Joyce Meyer Ministries, has responded to Grassley’s request, along with supporting documentation. Those that have not responded include Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and Bishop Eddie Long Ministries of Lithonia, Ga.; Randy and Paula White of Without Walls International Church and Paula White Ministries of Tampa, Fla.; and Kenneth and Gloria Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries of Newark, Texas.

However, there are two ministries that are basically telling Grassley to go to hell (sorry, I couldn’t resist). They are Benny Hinn of World Healing Center Church Inc. and Benny Hinn Ministries of Grapevine, Texas (who said he would not respond until 2008) and Creflo Dollar of World Changers Church International. Dollar had his lawyers tell Grassley that “the investigation should be referred to the IRS or the Senate panel should get a subpoena for the documents.”

According to many of these preachers who did not comply, the IRS already knows about their finances but, according to Grassley, he is uncovering things the IRS never knew.

Who knows? Subpoenas might be coming soon. If so, I’ll have my popcorn ready and my TV tuned to C-Span.

Popularity: 18% [?]

I often use this phrase to describe the price at which some black folks will sell you down the river. Today, I saw something that made me wonder how good the money must have been for Creflo Dollar to totally lose his mind. To be honest, I never trusted the dude. Really, how can you trust a minister whose last name is “Dollar”? But, seriously, what I saw displayed a new low for evangelical ministers, in my eyes, and should clearly indicate how people are being propagandized by this government and its appointed mouthpieces. Just look at a recent letter from Creflo Dollar to his followers, titled “United We Stand, Divided We Fall”.

When a nation is on the brink of war, the worst thing its citizens can do is allow themselves to become divided. The Bible says that there is a time for war and a time for peace (Ecclesiastes 3:8). In fact, Jesus said that in the last days there would be wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6). When this country was attacked on September 11, 2001, there was a fierce public outcry. America wanted her enemies to pay. Now, two years later, those same Americans are protesting the war against terrorism.

President Bush is worthy of your prayers and support. He is a man who rises early every morning to seek God and His wisdom through prayer and the study of the Word. This is not the time for Christians to picket, carry protest signs or throw their opinions around. The election is over, and the man in the Oval Office is the one we, as Americans, voted in. Numbers 32:7-13 makes it clear how God feels about a nation divided during a time of war.

This country needs unity, and it begins with the church. It is your responsibility as a believer to pray for the president, others in leadership, this nation, the men and women serving in the Armed Forces and our enemies–whoever they may be. Forget about your political affiliation or preference. You are first and foremost a Christian.

Begin by making these confessions:.

• In the name of Jesus, I declare that I will not allow any corrupt communication to proceed out of my mouth concerning President Bush or others in leadership (Ephesians 4:29).
• I declare that he is a man of wisdom, and he is strengthened and guided by the Holy Spirit. I wholeheartedly support the decisions he makes for this country (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
• I lift up every man and woman serving in the Armed Forces. I declare that they walk in favor, wisdom and safety and that their lives are redeemed from destruction (Psalm 91:7; Psalm 103:1-6).

If you have taken part in any protests or have allowed any corrupt communication to flow out of your mouth concerning the president, repent and begin to show your support for him by calling his name out before God. Pray for wisdom and wise counsel regarding the decisions he must make for this nation. Obey what the Word says in 1 Timothy 1-2 and 1 Peter 2:13 and: 1) continue to pray for those in authority over you; and 2) submit to that established authority. In doing so, you honor God, our president and thousands of service members. When the temptation comes to murmur or complain, rejoice that there is a man in the White House who walks and talks with God daily. Remember, united we stand, divided we fall (Matthew 12:25)!

—Dr. Creflo A. Dollar

Did you catch this part — “Obey what the Word says in 1 Timothy 1-2 and 1 Peter 2:13 and: 1) continue to pray for those in authority over you; and 2) submit to that established authority. In doing so, you honor God, our president and thousands of service members.”

Creflo Dollar is equating following George Bush with following God? The saddest part about this is that there are some sheep people who will be dumb enough to fall for this foolishness.

Creflo Dollar, TD Jakes and others have shown me that they are truly the masters of multitasking — they are both full-time pimps and full-time hoes. So, they get their money on both ends (pun intended). However, what we are seeing is not just something to shake your head about, it is a reason to be really concerned. Anytime a so-called “man of God” instructs you to stop using the brain God gave you, it is time to walk…no, run away from that man.

Popularity: 41% [?]

Last week, I saw how so many people were eulogizing Jerry Falwell as some strong man of conviction and character. I saw him as a charlatan and a crackpot. Remember, this was the guy who saw some grand gay conspiracy in the “Teletubbies” and blamed what happened on 9/11 on gays, abortionists, pagans, feminists and the ACLU.

However, some are willing to look more deeply at the life of Falwell and call him on his use of his position as a minister to justify overt racism.

Thankfully, George Curry is willing to call this out and discuss an undeniable part of Falwell’s legacy — his flaming racism.

“Decades before the forces that now make up the Christian right declared their culture war, Falwell was a rabid segregationist who railed against the civil rights movement from the pulpit of the abandoned backwater bottling plant he converted into Thomas Road Baptist Church,” Max Blumenthal writes in an insightful article in The Nation magazine. “This opening episode of Falwell’s life, studiously overlooked by his friends, naively unacknowledged by many of his chroniclers, and puzzlingly and glaringly omitted in the obituaries of the Washington Post and New York Times, is essential to understanding his historical significance in galvanizing the Christian right. Indeed, it was race -not abortion or the attendant suite of so-called ‘values’ issues - that propelled Falwell and his evangelical allies into political activism.”

Four years after the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education outlawing segregated public schools, Falwell gave a speech titled, “Segregation or Integration.”

His message was unmistakably clear: “If Chief Justice Warren and his associates had known God’s word and had desired to do the Lord’s will, I am quite confident that the 1954 decision would never have been made. The facilities should be separate. When God has drawn the line of distinction, we should not attempt to cross that line.”

So, let’s be real. The foundation of Falwell’s success was built at the expense of the rights of black people so, expect no tears here now that he’s gone.

Popularity: 33% [?]

My mother taught me something early in life: be good to the people you meet on the way up because these are the same people you’ll see on the way down.

In other words, don’t turn your back on where you come from because you never know who you might need to lean on in the future.

So, when Barack Obama talks about his Christian faith then, naturally, there is likely a church in the picture. This is the place where he is going to be fed spiritually and fellowship with like-minded believers. This is place where he is going to hear the words that give him inspiration.

But, it appears that when one wants to be President, even one’s faith is negotiable.

Obama is a member of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. This is a predominately-black church on Chicago’s south side. In the church, the deal with Christianity from an Afrocentric perspective. In other words, they understand that the experience of black folks in America is different. So, they talk about the upliftment of the black community and the need to be responsible black men and women. Basically, they advocate doing all the things that conservatives claim that black people need to do for themselves.

So, who would have a problem with black folks being responsible men and women, handling their business and building up their communities? Apparently, a lot of folks. Somehow, in America, you can be black as long as it doesn’t come up in the conversation. Even worse, if you express some cultural pride, you’re a black separatist.

This brings me back to Obama. Apparently, some people in his camp want him to deny the very people who helped him get where he is. Obama’s spiritual advisor is Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., senior pastor at Trinity United. Because of the politically-active and unapologetically-black positions the pastor takes, Obama’s handlers had him dis-invite the pastor from giving the invocation at Obama’s Feb. 10 presidential announcement.

So, upon word from his handlers, Obama has begun distancing himself from the person he calls his spiritual advisor.

In regards to this, I have heard some discuss how, if he wants to be President, Obama needs to do this. However, I know a lot of black folks with whom this won’t sit well. For one, many in the churchgoing crowd will ask what type of man turns his back on his pastor for political reasons? For those not in this group, some will ask, “if he is willing to compromise on this, what else is negotiable?”

Understand something — this has a great deal to do with him being black. Before he ever took office, George Bush’s family had dealings with the family of Osama bin Laden. By the time Bush was campaigning, bin Laden had his followers had bombed the World Trade Center, an embassy in Kenya and the U.S.S. Cole in Yemen. However, no one called Bush on the carpet for his family doing business with the family of a known terrorist. Hell, on September 11, 2001, George Bush’s father was meeting with Osama bin Laden’s brother the day the planes struck the towers. But, this didn’t stop the younger Bush from getting a second term.

Now, contrast that to this pastor who has been outspoken against apartheid, who helped organize the Million Man March and whose membership includes openly-gay worshipers. Apparently, Pastor Wright is too black and too “radical” for Obama’s handlers and, by extension, Obama.

Obama has lost some major points with me today. Some will say that he is running for President of the United States and not President of Black America. However, what I remind people is that black folks are a part of America and you can’t turn your back on your people and still expect their support.

So, Barack Obama, who are you?

Popularity: 74% [?]

Yesterday, I came across this article, “Post 9/11, Islam flourishes among blacks”, and immediately thought, “what are they talking about?”

In essence, the article talks about black folks converting to Islam as if these is some recent change and somehow tied to 9/11.

Futhermore, they only slightly mention the role of the Nation of Islam in popularizing the religion in black America.

The fact of the matter is that, in addition to people like me who grew up Christian, there are black Muslims, Hebrew Israelites, Rastafarians and even those who observe traditional African religions. So, when I read things like this I am left wondering who does their research.

But, I think there’s some coded language going on with this article. By claiming a rise in black Muslims after 9/11, there is an inference of black people being inspired by the acts of that day and wanting to become Muslim as a result. Or, to take it further, “America, watch out! Negroes may be aligning with terrorists!”

The fact of the matter is that, despite the xenophobia of those in the media, many black folks in this country have lived in communities of diverse religions and don’t immediately assume the absolute worst of people based on religion.

Therefore, I have to ask who this story is really for and what are they really trying to convey with it.

Popularity: 43% [?]

I am no fan of megachurches and the “prosperity gospel” that comes out of them. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in people doing better. But, I also believe the church to be, primarily, a place of hope and help for all people, a place where people of all income levels can feel free to come and a place that stresses helping the world over strictly helping one’s self.

Dr. Robert M. Franklin won’t be making any friends with the prosperity preachers. He has written a new book, titled Crisis in the Village, that details how the African-Americans are losing ground and, in part, he attributes it to preachers who stress the individual over the collective.

“I am convinced that the single greatest threat to the historical legacy and core values of the contemporary black church tradition is posed by what is known as the ‘prosperity gospel’ movement,” he writes, explaining that the black church has assimilated into a culture that is hostile to marginalized people, such as the poor, the HIV-infected, homosexuals and immigrants.

According to Franklin, one-fourth of the black community lives in poverty. But many churches are devoting more time to “building their local kingdoms” and less time aiding and uplifting the poor.

…

Regarding the overall uplifting of black communities, Franklin calls the African American Methodists to take responsibility to leading the educational renewal of the entire village; the black Baptists to answer the call for leadership in assisting people that have been incarcerated to reenter the village with integrity and support; the black Pentecostals to step up to positive youth development, especially with the most at-risk youth. These three faith traditions target the majority of African Americans, Franklin noted Tuesday, as he called all other denominations to action.

We’ll just have to see on this one. I doubt that, when black preachers can buy Bentleys, mansions and helicopters based on the messages they preach, they will be changing up the message any time soon.

Popularity: 35% [?]