How Jeremiah Wright became America's religious boogeyman

theGRIO REPORT - After Robert Jeffress, senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Dallas, commented, 'I am not a Jeremiah Wright on the fringes' when questioned about his comment that Mormonism is a cult...

TheGrio Staff

Oct 14, 2011

Jeremiah Wright just can’t seem to get a break, can he?

After Robert Jeffress, senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Dallas, commented, “I am not a Jeremiah Wright on the fringes” when questioned about his comment that Mormonism is a cult, several questions began to be asked.

First, why would Jeffress randomly pull Wright’s name from his hat? And secondly, is there such a thing as the Jeremiah Wright effect?

Shaun King, founder of the Courageous Church in Atlanta, GA, has a theory regarding the first question.

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“He probably did it for self preservation,” King said. “Jeffress probably got nervous and might have seen where things were going in the media and politically.”

But Jeffress’ comment and actions are also ironic for King. He said Jeffress making the statement causes some to consider Jeffress as Rick Perry’s Jeremiah Wright because he said it.

“Prior to him saying it, the thought never crossed my mind.”

It is ironic that almost four years after snippets of a sermon Wright gave condemning America for its actions hit the airwaves, Wright’s name is back in the headlines. How does a situation, almost four years old, have the ability to be resurrected — no pun intended — from the dead?
King thinks the relationship President Obama had with Wright prior to being elected may have had something to do with the story gaining traction in 2008, and even today.

“Obama made it clear in his autobiography how extremely influential Wright was in his life,” King said. “When people started hearing Wright’s clips, especially when you cut and paste segments out of context, and then you see Obama saying this man was influential in my life you get a lot of people thinking if this is true, then maybe I ought to be nervous.”

But Wright speaking out against the injustices of the world is nothing anything different from what pastors and preachers have done in the past. So what is it that sets Wright apart?
Lerone A. Martin, assistant professor of the History of American Religion and Culture at Eden Theological Seminary in Saint Louis, sheds some light.

“Wright indicted an entire country,” he said. “What Wright did, Wright used the old style of preaching rooted in the ways of the prophet narratives of the Old Testament. Because the nation has done wrong, God will present judgment unless you repent. This is what God will do. He indicted an entire country for the things America has done.”

Wright, a black man, called out the majority, Martin said.

Kenyatta Gilbert, assistant professor of homiletics at the Howard University School of Divinity, agrees. He believes Wright was “left out there hanging in 2008.”

King adds, that while many might have seen the clips, or heard them, and felt the spirit of what Wright was saying, “For this country, what Wright said, does not fly with most people.”

Gilbert said there is nothing unique to Wright or Jeffress. He becomes really concerned with pastors, like Jeffress and others, who use aggressive tactics to get their position supported.

“This is how I see it; it really does not matter what your confession is, as long as the spirit behind it,” he said. “We all interpret the Bible a certain way. At the end of the day, your faith confession, if Christian, must in the end be about love.””

When he sees pastors like Jeffress, Gilbert said he has empathy for them. He said Jeffress and the like they truly feel they have an exceptional status with the Creator to which others are not privy.

“He is in a legacy of people who have thought the way they think for a long time,” he said. “He has found a moment in time to expound what he believes and it just happens to be at the expense of Rick Perry”

So who’s pimping? It is a question that Gilbert contemplates regarding Jeffress and Perry.

“Are politicians pimping pastors of these mega churches,” asks Gilbert, “Or are pastors pimping these politicians?”

He considers it to be weird.

“You pastor a 10,000 member church. Why would someone take that much of a strong biblical stance on an issue for a politician,” Gilbert questions. “Why would you do that if it were not something in it for you?”

Gilbert sees it as power defending power, in order to keep the power.

Martin believes a lot of this is smoke and mirrors. For one thing, evangelicals – most specifically, southern Baptist – are sticklers for right belief.

“Nevermind issues about the poor, the disadvantaged. We want these huge moral issues: abortion, same sex marriage. This is the same strategy that got Black folk to vote for Bush,” he said. “It does distract voters from focusing on other issues. We are not asking religious voters to drop abortion or same sex marriage. We are asking them to broaden their area of concern.”

He references something else Jeffress said.

He finds it interesting that this pastor, who does not consider Mormons to be Christians, will vote for the Mormon over the Christian in the election.

“It all comes down to moral beliefs,” he said. “Obama claims to be a born again Christian but his beliefs do not line up with evangelicals.”

King finds it all rather peculiar.

“Romney and Obama are probably the most moral presidential candidates we have had in decades. Both of them are celebrated fathers, and are very ethical and moral leaders,” he said. “I get the feeling people would rather you be Christian in name first rather than Christian in deed. America is like that. It really complicates the whole campaign when people start to question your faith.”
“I do think it is really unfortunate the way that Wright has been typecast because he has done so much more,” Martin said. “The way those clips were set up were really horrible.”

King adds, that while many might have seen the clips, or heard them, and felt the spirit of what Wright was saying, “For this country, what Wright said, does not fly with most people.”

Kenyatta Gilbert, assistant professor of homiletics at the Howard University School of Divinity, said there is nothing unique to Wright or Jeffress. He said he becomes really concerned with people who use aggressive tactics to get their position supported.

“This is how I see it; you can be on the end of Jeremiah Wright and go off the deep end. It really does not matter what your confession is, as long as the spirit behind it,” he said. “We all interpret the Bible a certain way.”

When he sees pastors like Jeffress, Gilbert said he has empathy for them.

And the same can be said about Jeremiah Wright. He is painted as liberal, and he is on most issues, but that was handed down to him as well.

So who’s pimping who? It is a question that Gilbert contemplates.

“Are politicians pimping pastors of these mega churches,” asks Gilbert, “Or are pastors pimping these politicians?”

He considers it to be weird.

Gilbert sees it as power defending power, in order to keep the power.

Martin believes a lot of this is smoke and mirrors. For one thing, evangelicals — most specifically, southern Baptist — are sticklers for right belief.

“Jeffress said, ‘I think that if Mitt Romney wins the nomination, he will lose against Obama.’ But if it comes down to Mitt Romney and Obama, he will vote for Obama. He does not see Obama as a Christian even though Obama identifies as a mainstream Christian,” Martin points out.
He finds it interesting that this pastor, who does not consider Mormons to be Christians, will vote for the Mormon over the Christian in the election.

“It all comes down to moral beliefs,” he said. “Obama claims to be a born again Christian but his beliefs do not line up with evangelicals.”

King finds it all rather peculiar.

“Romney and Obama are probably the most moral presidential candidates we have had in decades. Both of them are celebrated fathers, and are very ethical and moral leaders,” he said.

“I get the feeling people would rather you be Christian in name first rather than Christian in deed. America is like that. It really complicates the whole campaign when people start to question your faith.”