Spengler, Asia Times (Hong Kong), March 18, 2008
Senator Barack Obama is not a Muslim, contrary to invidious rumors. But he belongs to a Christian church whose doctrine casts Jesus Christ as a “black messiah” and blacks as “the chosen people”. At best, this is a radically different kind of Christianity than most Americans acknowledge; at worst it is an ethnocentric heresy.
What played out last week on America’s television screens was a clash of two irreconcilable cultures, the posture of “black liberation theology” and the mainstream American understanding of Christianity. Obama, who presented himself as a unifying figure, now seems rather the living embodiment of the clash.
One of the strangest dialogues in American political history ensued on March 15 when Fox News interviewed Obama’s pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, of Chicago’s Trinity Church. Wright asserted the authority of the “black liberation” theologians James Cone and Dwight Hopkins:
Wright: How many of Cone’s books have you read? How many of Cone’s book have you read?
Sean Hannity: Reverend, Reverend?
(crosstalk)
Wright: How many books of Cone’s have you head?
Hannity: I’m going to ask you this question . . .
Wright: How many books of Dwight Hopkins have you read?
Hannity: You’re very angry and defensive. I’m just trying to ask a question here.
Wright: You haven’t answered—you haven’t answered my question.
Hopkins is a full professor at the University of Chicago’s Divinity School; Cone is now distinguished professor at New York’s Union Theological Seminary. They promote a “black power” reading of Christianity, to which liberal academic establishment condescends.
Obama referred to this when he asserted in a March 14 statement, “I knew Reverend Wright as someone who served this nation with honor as a United States Marine, as a respected biblical scholar, and as someone who taught or lectured at seminaries across the country, from Union Theological Seminary to the University of Chicago.” But the fact the liberal academy condescends to sponsor black liberation theology does not make it less peculiar to mainstream American Christians. Obama wants to talk about what Wright is, rather than what he says. But that way lies apolitical quicksand.
Since Christianity taught the concept of divine election to the Gentiles, every recalcitrant tribe in Christendom has rebelled against Christian universalism, insisting that it is the “Chosen People” of God—French, English, Russian, Germans and even (through the peculiar doctrine of Mormonism) certain Americans. America remains the only really Christian country in the industrial world, precisely because it transcends ethnicity. One finds ethnocentricity only in odd corners of its religious life; one of these is African-American.
During the black-power heyday of the late 1960s, after the murder of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr, the mentors of Wright decided that blacks were the Chosen People. James Cone, the most prominent theologian in the “black liberation” school, teaches that Jesus Christ himself is black. As he explains:
Christ is black therefore not because of some cultural or psychological need of black people, but because and only because Christ really enters into our world where the poor were despised and the black are, disclosing that he is with them enduring humiliation and pain and transforming oppressed slaves into liberating servants.
Theologically, Cone’s argument is as silly as the “Aryan Christianity” popular in Nazi Germany, which claimed that Jesus was not a Jew at all but an Aryan Galilean, and that the Aryan race was the “chosen people”. Cone, Hopkins and Wright do not propose, of course, to put non-blacks in concentration camps or to conquer the world, but racially-based theology nonetheless is a greased chute to the nether regions.
Biblical theology teaches that even the most terrible events to befall Israel, such as the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE, embody the workings of divine justice, even if humankind cannot see God’s purpose. James Cone sees the matter very differently. Either God must do what we want him to do, or we must reject him, Cone maintains:
Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community. . . . Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love. [1]
In the black liberation theology taught by Wright, Cone and Hopkins, Jesus Christ is not for all men, but only for the oppressed:
In the New Testament, Jesus is not for all, but for the oppressed, the poor and unwanted of society, and against oppressors. . . . Either God is for black people in their fight for liberation and against the white oppressors, or he is not [Cone].
In this respect black liberation theology is identical in content to all the ethnocentric heresies that preceded it. Christianity has no use for the nations, a “drop of the bucket” and “dust on the scales”, in the words of Isaiah. It requires that individuals turn their back on their ethnicity to be reborn into Israel in the spirit. That is much easier for Americans than for the citizens of other nations, for Americans have no ethnicity. But the tribes of the world do not want to abandon their Gentile nature and as individuals join the New Israel. Instead they demand eternal life in their own Gentile flesh, that is, to be the “Chosen People”.
That is the “biblical scholarship” to which Obama referred in his March 14 defense of Wright and his academic prominence. In his response to Hannity, Wright genuinely seemed to believe that the authority of Cone and Hopkins, who now hold important posts at liberal theological seminaries, was sufficient to make the issue go away. His faith in the white establishment is touching; he honestly cannot understand why the white reporters at Fox News are bothering him when the University of Chicago and the Union Theological Seminary have put their stamp of approval on black liberation theology.
Many things that the liberal academy has adopted, though, will horrify most Americans, and not only “black liberation theology” (Queer Studies comes to mind, among other things). It cannot be in Obama’s best interests to appeal to the authority of Cone, whose unapologetic racism must be repugnant to the great majority of Americans, including the majority of black Americans, who for the most part belong to Christian churches that preach mainstream Christian doctrine. Christianity teaches unconditional love for a God whose love for humankind is absolute; it does not teach the repudiation of a God who does not destroy our enemies on the spot.
Whether Obama takes seriously the doctrines that Wright preaches is another matter. It is possible that Obama does not believe a word of what Wright, Cone and Hopkins teach. Perhaps he merely used the Trinity United Church of Christ as a political stepping-stone. African-American political life is centered around churches, and his election to the Illinois State Senate with the support of Chicago’s black political machine required church membership. Trinity United happens to be Chicago’s largest and most politically active black church.
Obama views Wright rather at arm’s length: as the New York Times reported on April 30, 2007:
Reverend Wright is a child of the 60s, and he often expresses himself in that language of concern with institutional racism and the struggles the African-American community has gone through,” Mr Obama said. “He analyzes public events in the context of race. I tend to look at them through the context of social justice and inequality.
Obama holds his own views close. But it seems unlikely that he would identify with the ideological fits of the black-power movement of the 1960s. Obama does not come to the matter with the perspective of an American black, but of the child of a left-wing anthropologist raised in the Third World, as I wrote elsewhere (Obama’s women reveal his secret , Asia Times Online, February 26, 2008). It is possible that because of the Wright affair Obama will suffer for what he pretended to be, rather than for what he really is.
Note
1. See William R Jones, “Divine Racism: The Unacknowledged Threshold Issue for Black Theology”, in African-American Religious Thought: An Anthology, ed Cornel West and Eddie Glaube (Westminster John Knox Press).
Original article
(Posted on March 17, 2008)
Comments
I have mixed feelings about the whole Jeremiah Wright ordeal. On one hand, I understand his feelings. As a white man, I choose to stand with my race just as he chooses to stand with his. Thus, I can’t fault him for his views. On the other hand, I also recognize that Rev. Wright would never attempt to understand my feelings or concerns so why should I try to understand his? The fact is, people like Wright are not intellectually consistent with their beliefs; they preach ethno-centrism and border-line hatred of other races yet would accuse a white man of being “racist” for the slightest perceived insult.
Posted by Conrad R. at 6:03 PM on March 17
Americans may not have any ethnicities, but we still have our races. Christianity, like all religions, is based on the scribblings of charlatans or loons thousands of years ago, and has no place in today’s rational and scientific world. Evolution and genetics have no time for Christianity, trying to fit morality into a Christian context is hopeless, we’ve learned too much to go back to such a childish way of thinking.
Posted by Diamed at 7:04 PM on March 17
“Trinity United happens to be Chicago’s largest and most politically active black church.”
This statement alone tells us all we need to know about the mindset of a vast number of blacks. Otherwise, how would a church such as this become the “largest”? Someone is filling those pews and listening to this guy preach, and it isn’t us. The truth is that black preachers have been teaching this “theology” from their pulpit for years. Black racist religious leaders such as the Reverend Jeremiah Wright are not the exception to the rule. They ARE the rule. And they can be found in every black church, in every city and town, spewing their white hatred to enthusiastic crowds. Rev. Jeremiah Wright simply got outed because of his association with Obama.
Posted by Cop at 7:56 PM on March 17
This is the sort of drivel that leads to PhDs in theology? All this does ultimately is expose religion as an exercise in exo-egotism.
Posted by Whiteplight at 8:19 PM on March 17
Who is shocked, really, by the content of Wright’s sermons? This is standard curriculum in black “churches”. And people wonder why blacks can never make it in a civilized society. For it is they who are the most racist creatures on the face of the planet. I have never witnessed a heavier preoccupation with race and disenfranchisement in my life than with what blacks display, from the civic leaders all the way down to the worthless street thugs.
The world is getting a strong whiff of what goes on behind closed doors in our black communities. These weekly lectures of hatred are rampant- this is no isolated occurrence. And by the way, it’s good to know that this is one of the largest and most popular black churches in all of Chicago.
Posted by N42 at 8:35 PM on March 17
“America remains the only really Christian country in the industrial world, precisely because it transcends ethnicity.”
That’s why I say God bless America!
Posted by Lisette at 8:48 PM on March 17
Black liberation theology is like everything else else black: It’s based on lies and ignorance, and it’s full of hate, but, most of all, it’s so silly only black mentalities could be fooled by the absurdity of it all.
Posted by Robert Kelly at 10:07 PM on March 17
“He analyzes public events in the context of race. I tend to look at them through the context of social justice and inequality.”
Nonetheless, Hussian Obama in this statement says what the article will not; The root argument is a struggle against the white man, seeking to overthrow the white man through the force of an understanding God, or if God is not sympathetic, then through raw force here on earth. Clearly an Us or Them argument.
Posted by Gun Runner at 10:11 PM on March 17
Oh, Morris Dees must be drafting his declaration of intolerance
for this theology this very moment adding it to his list of hate groups.
Posted by Simon Pure at 1:51 AM on March 18
As an “escaped from there South African”, now watching from afar in Spain in retirement the quickening destruction of that once great nation, I thought I had had problems but when I read the above and other items in AR, I realise that South Africa’s and Africa’s problems are part of a world-wide syndrome with a common denominator.
What is to do, that is the question? In South Africa, the ruling African national Congress, with an army largely sick with AIDS and other serious diseases is thinking of asking te whites to join up again as they re free of diseases being clean living, and te SA government has now reached the stage of paranoia meaning the “My God we have absolute power but we are failing to do the job at all well”. They are now planning to prevent aircraft/bombs from raining down on their football matches according to the latest SA Press reports, especially the 2010 FIFA World Cup. If anyone thinking of going to South Africa for any reasons reads the ongoing news of the murders and robbing/raping of tourists, they will keep away. It is even in most foreign government web sites as a warning which is a shame as there are still a lot of very nice people there, but when te poloice investigate officials at te airports who are suspected of tipping off armed criminals who follow arrivals to their homes, hotels and even embassies and then rob them of all their belongings, one has to be very careful.
If only they would spend the time and money on making the electrical power stations work, fixing the tap water so it is clean again and stop the raw sewerage from popping up in the streets and so on, and stopping engines falling of Boeing or any other aircraft during take-offs then they would not need to be so worried but perhaps that is the nature of the beast.
South African Apartheid, the concept of which which I now read is being proposed in the USA by black organisations by taking power in certain States (the black hypocrites), will be proven to have been better after all if history is written factually.
God bless America. I have fond memories of my two years working there when I was an aircraft engineer, in St Louis and Edwards AFB California. Just about all the Americans I met were great people.
Posted by Brian Deller at 6:28 AM on March 18
Pardon me, Diamed. But that is the most hate-filled, bigoted statement I have seen on this forum to date.
I can almost understand why men of your ilk were once burned at the stake, if for nothing else that having such unwarranted hubris.
You may disagree with the faith that gave us Western Civ, but you can’t deny it. You are not God, nor would I care to kneel down and worship at your feet, if such a callous deity were to present itself. As long as you remain non-omniscient, I’d suggest you temper your remarks on the faith that gave us all the benefits of Western Civilization, including this computer forum.
Posted by AlmostMusicPhD at 7:20 AM on March 18
Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community
Basically, this means that neither Wright nor Obama are Christians. Quite literally, they are something else pretending to be Christianity and now have openly admitted it.
There is a word for that….blasphemy.
Posted by at 10:51 AM on March 18
Obama holds his own views close. But it seems unlikely that he would identify with the ideological fits of the black-power movement of the 1960s. Obama does not come to the matter with the perspective of an American black, but of the child of a left-wing anthropologist raised in the Third World, as I wrote elsewhere (Obama’s women reveal his secret , Asia Times Online, February 26, 2008).
I disagree, on both points. There was a time when Obama was quite a bit more open about his views. In fact, he is about to bludgeoned by his associated with the terrorist, William Ayers. Pretty obvious what Obama’s views are when he has such close association with someone who urges people to “kill your parents”.
But, more specifically, Obama’s views were forged by his indoctrination into radical islam at such a young age. It has become fashionable to believe the lie that Obama was raised as an atheist and that claims that he was raised as a muslim have been discredited. The problem is…neither is true. There is STRONG evidence that Obama was indoctrinated into Islam at a young age. Simply put, he is lying about it. For a good overview of that evidence (and it is significant, albeit ignored by the MSM) you can read about it here:
http://www.freedomsenemies.com/
Note that this is only the tip of the iceberg with regard to Obama.
Posted by at 11:01 AM on March 18
Well, if God must be against the evil white race in order to have their support, and white people still exist- still even run all of the most powerful & successful countries and companies in the world, for that matter- then it is clear that by their own standards they had better close up the church and go home.
Posted by W.D. at 1:21 PM on March 18
We have South Africa in America going down right now and no one is saying a word about it,WHY?
Posted by White man at 6:21 PM on March 18
“Black racist religious leaders such as the Reverend Jeremiah Wright are not the exception to the rule. They ARE the rule. And they can be found in every black church, in every city and town, spewing their white hatred to enthusiastic crowds. Rev. Jeremiah Wright simply got outed because of his association with Obama.”
Posted by Cop at 7:56 PM on March 17
Yes, indeed they are the norm, and it is the black population that is the most racist group in this country, as black on white crime statistics reveal in and of themselves, discounting the roberries and considering only the rapes, assaults, murders and torture/murders.
What causes this?
Blacks cannot get ahead, because they have neither the intelligence nor ability. They can either admit to their shortcomings or they can concoct a whipping boy to fault. They’ve obviously chosen the latter by blaming whites for all their ills and incompetence. And when a black demagogue like the many within the black community preaches about white culpability they eagerly eat it up, and the especially stupid ones act out their rage as they did in Jena and the torture murders of Newsome and his girlfriend.
It will never end. Even now, with all the anti-white racism displayed in this latest incident the blacks and the media are concentrating on white racism and the black racist elephant in the room is ignored.
But, I’m not complaining, because it assists in bringing about the ultimate situation I prefer.
Worse is better.
Posted by Robert Kelly at 8:55 PM on March 18
An Obama presidency would be your worst nightmare. Questionable and incompetent Blacks would be appointed to all levels of government. Corruption would eventually become commonplace. Any attempt to remove him or his administration would be met by Black rioting and violence against unsupecting Whites. These Whites - many of whom voted for him - would be forced to take up arms as they become under siege.
What bothers me the most are the wide-eyed White liberals in such (nearly)all-White states as Wisconsin, Iowa, Wyoming and North Dakota etc. They have no idea of what Blacks are really like. They feel that by electing a Black president, they are in a sense righting the wrong that was slavery and their percieved “oppression”.
Posted by D. Andrews at 5:09 AM on March 19
I disagree with one of your statements. You said, It cannot be in Obama’s best interests to appeal to the authority of Cone, whose unapologetic racism must be repugnant to the great majority of Americans, including the majority of black Americans. It appears to me that while “Rev” Wright spewed his racist views from the pulpit, the entire congregation celebrated and rejoiced. I have also since seen in news reports blacks enterviewed about the matter and heard them state that these views and sentiments are common place among black churches throughout the United States. Doesn’t sound to me like they find this hate doctrine very repugnant.
Posted by at 7:35 AM on March 19
Yes, indeed they are the norm, and it is the black population that is the most racist group in this country, as black on white crime statistics reveal in and of themselves, discounting the roberries and considering only the rapes, assaults, murders and torture/murders.
Posted by Robert Kelly at 8:55 PM on March 18
I agree wholeheartedly, Robert. And these warped, vicious words don’t only touch the ears of adults. They also find the impressionable ears of the young. Black youth then walk out from their 1960’s era indoctrination, courtesy of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s, and straight onto the streets of 2008 America. After being thoroughly brainwashed by such vile anti-white commentary as provided by these numerous black religious leaders and their parent(s), is it any wonder why (as Obama claimed in his speech) “the bitterness is real”? We see the results of their teachings in the lop-sided interracial crime statistics.
Similar tactics can be seen by radical Islamists. The anti-American brainwashing techniques used by Islamic Extremists has worked wonders on their kids, no? We see these kids carrying rifles bigger than they are, shooting into the air and screaming the anti-American slogans that were psychologically planted into their heads since birth. If you haven’t seen it already, rent the documentary, “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West” and observe the children. I see the anti-white indoctrination that is (and has been) taking place in black churches as being no different. Young minds are extremely impressionable. To constantly have their heads bombarded with the words of these anti-white racists that hide behind the title of religious leaders is extremely destructive to their psychy. In my honest opinion, black churches are equivalent to the radical Islamist mosques, breeding and molding the next generation of terrorists.
Posted by Cop at 5:11 PM on March 19
Liberation theology is a school of theology within Christianity, particularly in the Catholic Church. Liberation theology focuses on Jesus Christ as not only the Redeemer but also the Liberator of the oppressed. It emphasizes the Christian mission to bring justice to the poor and oppressed, particularly through political activism. Some elements of certain liberation theologies have been rejected by the Catholic Church.
At its inception, liberation theology was predominantly found in the Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council. The data suggest that Christian socialism and the Catholic Left continue to constitute significant phenomena in many countries.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_theology
Here is where Cone and Wright got their cues from……they simply but the Black in front of it. Since 90 % of blacks support the democrat party that constantly points the finger at others for being racist I can not help but conclude that they support this anti-white rhetoric coming from black people. Birds of a feather always flock together.
Posted by Lisette at 3:29 AM on March 20
D. Andrews said: “An Obama presidency would be your worst nightmare. Questionable and incompetent Blacks would be appointed to all levels of government”.
Makes one think of South Africa doesn’t it?
Arc.
Posted by Arcadian at 4:19 PM on March 20
Young minds…To constantly have their heads bombarded with the words of these anti-white racists that hide behind the title of religious leaders is extremely destructive to their psyche.” (Posted by Cop at 5:11 PM on March 19)
And, as Shelby Steele points out in the article posted today from the
Wall St. Journal, Obama was quite willing to expose his daughters to this.
Posted by H. Dumpty at 9:25 PM on March 20
