CNN is running extensive clips from Rev Wright’s recent appearances. I sorta like his preaching style. I can see why it upsets people, but I can also see his charm and wit coming through.
I haven’t seen any of the clips. What aspect is it that appeals to you? Is he particularly eloquent? Emotional? Well grounded scripturally?
Well, that’s one thing you can say about charismatic religious leaders - they’re certainly charismatic.
Here’s a 6-minute clip of Wright’s speeches that’s a bit longer than the “he hates America” soundbites that have been playing, and gives his comments more context.
Can you? All I see is a guy shouting. Emphasis on every single word is the same as no emphasis at all.
I like him, too. I watched his speech to the NAACP the other night and, although I found some of his thoughts on educational theory a little questionable, I thought he was a fantastic speaker. I could totally get all fired up and ready to face the week if I heard him speak every Sunday morning.
Bill Moyers interviewed Rev. Wright and played longer excerpts from his sermons. He seemed like a fairly decent person, overall, and his sermons really didn’t seem to me any different than a lot of the fiery Baptists sermons I heard in my youth, except for the reasons why he was calling on God to ‘damn America’. White preachers railing from the pulpit about this country sliding into sins like adultery and fornication and greed, and calling on God to judge us all harshly and make us turn from our wickedness and humble us was a common theme. Judging by some of the Great Awakening sermons like ‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’, I’d say that fiery speeches calling on God to damn sinners, individually or as part of a government, probably isn’t anything like new.
His wit, for one thing. I think preachers with a sense of humour can be very effective.
But also, he struck me as very good at responding to the criticisms that have been levelled at him.
For example, at the Press Club, one of the questions he got was about the “Chickens coming home to roost” comment and how he could justify it. He responded to the questioner: “Have you seen the entire sermon?” The questioner said “No”. And he responded, “Well then, I don’t have to answer that question.” It seemed flippant, but it made a point - he’s being criticised for the sound-clips, taken out of context, by people who’ve not watched the whole sermon. His flippant refusal to respond to shallow people helped to highlight how unfair it was.
But then he did respond, anyway. He explained that when he made the “chickens coming home to roost” comment, he was actually quoting the Iraqi ambassador, who said it at the time of 9/11. And some of the other things he was saying in that sermon, which have attracted criticism, were similar quotations. He was responding to a major event in the nation’s life, incorporated thoughts from other people, and responded to them in his sermon. He didn’t deny that he had a very pessimistic view of some aspects of the American experience, but simply made the point that a sermon can be a very complex statement, and must be listened to in its entirety.
That was my reaction to the issue as well - thank you for putting it so well. Firey preachers often talk about damnation for sins. Rev. Wright’s concern is on the social sins of a nation, while other preachers focus on decaying sexual mores in the nation. You may agree with one and disagree with the other (or any permutation you like), but in both cases, damnation is seen as the possible outcome.
I saw some clips of him on the Daily Show’s “Charismatic Black Preacher Round-Up” last night and I thought he was funny as hell, particularly when he was doing impressions of past presidents. They have the clip on the Daily Show’s website.
As theologically pathological as I find “Sinners in the Hands…” to be, Jonathan Edwards never called on God to damn anyone in that sermon. He warned people of the damnation that supposedly awaited them if they didn’t repent. BIG difference!
I watched his National Press Club appearance yesterday & I realized that I was seeing what liberals saw when they watched Jerry Falwell. Smug self-congratulating pomposity.
A bit better context, but not by much.
I did a lame pitting comparing Rev. Wright to the What’s Happening character Dee. The NPC speech yesterday was all “I’m representing the Black Church. How dare you attack the Black Church?”
And yet he goes on to say
I don’t deny that the bombast can be appealing, but his worldview is still abhorrent. cite