OK set up the DVR for this one. Should be interesting to hear Rev. Wright express his perspective. From what I have heard he may be taking Obama to task in some way regarding Obama's rejection of his message. I would like to hear his defense. It's really easy to play soundbites and jump on the bandwagon to demonize someone for something taken out of perspective today. There is certainly much more to the story than we have heard as yet.

April 25, 2008

More than 3,000 news stories have been penned since early April about Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama. But behind the five second loop is a man who has preached three different sermons nearly every Sunday since 1972. In his interview on BILL MOYERS JOURNAL, Reverend Wright discusses what drew him to the pulpit and the recent controversy surrounding him.

[B][URL="http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/about/airdates.html"][COLOR=#0000ff]Check local listings.[/COLOR][/URL][/B]

Reverend Jeremiah Wright

Jeremiah Wright was raised in Philadelphia's Germantown neighborhood, his father was a prominent Baptist minister and his mother a respected educator. In the early 1960s, Wright left college at Virginia Union University and signed up for the United States Marine Corps. After his required duty ended, Wright transferred to the Navy and served three more years as a medical technician.

After leaving the Navy, Wright transferred to Howard University in Washington, D.C. to complete his undergraduate degree. He went on to take degrees from Chicago Divinity School and United Theological Seminary. After spending some time teaching religious history, Jeremiah Wright elected to instead pursue "public ministry". Public ministry, as his friend and mentor Martin E. Marty explains, means focusing on: "conventional pastoral roles and carrying the message and work of the church to the public arena."

Trinity Church

[IMG]http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04252008/images/wrightpreaching.jpg[/IMG]Jeremiah Wright became the pastor of Trinity Church in 1972. At the time, it was a struggling congregation with only 87 members. In his interview on BILL MOYERS JOURNAL, Wright explains that his predecessor, Reverend Dr. Reuben Sheares, coined the phrase "Unashamedly black and unapologetically Christian" to answer a two-fold problem that he felt black Christians faced as African-Americans and Christians: "Blacks coming out of the '60s were no longer ashamed of being black people, nor did they have to apologize for being Christians. Because many persons in the African-American community were teased enough, Christians, of being a white man's religion. And no, we're not ashamed of Christianity. And we don't have to apologize for who we are as African-Americans." Some aspects of Trinity's philosophy falls within tradition of Black Liberation Theology. James Cone in first laid out in BLACK POWER AND BLACK THEOLOGY in 1969.

[URL="http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04252008/profile2.html"][B][COLOR=#0000ff]View an interview with James Cone and find out more about the crucial role of black churches in American history[/COLOR][/B][/URL]. Trinity Church has grown in size and scope under Wright's leadership. He and his congregation have made pilgrimages to Africa, welcomed women leaders and gay members and made Trinity a social force with over 70 ministries addressing community needs ranging from youth groups to day care. The Church today boasts a congregation of 8500 members — making it the largest in the otherwise predominately white United Church of Christ denomination.

Published on April 25, 2008. Guest photo by Robin Holland

Re: TONIGHT, Fri Apr 25th: Rev. Jeremiah Wright to appear on PBS' 'Bill Moyers Journa

I saw some excerpts of this interview this morning on the news. In the snippets I saw, he doesn't back away from his comments, but he actually comes across as a pretty level-headed guy. His basic message was that he has been taken out of context and that to someone that listened to the entire sermon, his message would have been clear.

Again, though, I only saw like 30 seconds of him, so who knows what all he'll have to say.

Re: TONIGHT, Fri Apr 25th: Rev. Jeremiah Wright to appear on PBS' 'Bill Moyers Journa

Interviewed by Bill Moyers.... who gives a shit?

That would be like asking most of you guys on this board to be interested in hearing Karl Rove interview Dick Cheney. ;)

Re: TONIGHT, Fri Apr 25th: Rev. Jeremiah Wright to appear on PBS' 'Bill Moyers Journa

[quote=subterFUSE;596887]Interviewed by Bill Moyers.... who gives a shit?

That would be like asking most of you guys on this board to be interested in hearing Karl Rove interview Dick Cheney. ;)[/quote]

Dick Cheney gives interviews? What universe does that happen in? I guess you could compare it also to Bill O'Reilly interviewing Cheney on state-run television, [cough] Fox News. Still, I cannot see that happening.

Re: TONIGHT, Fri Apr 25th: Rev. Jeremiah Wright to appear on PBS' 'Bill Moyers Journa

I think the Rev. Wright and Moyers doing this interview is digging up a controversy that was nearly dead and burried. Hmmm. Is someones church getting a new community center, and I wonder who exactly is fitting the bill for it.

Re: TONIGHT, Fri Apr 25th: Rev. Jeremiah Wright to appear on PBS' 'Bill Moyers Journa

Well... here's how I see it, anyway.

Rev. Wright is just another shrewd opportunist a-la Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton. The guy has made a fortune by preaching in a predominantly black church, stirring up the crowd with his energetic sermons. But I honestly don't think he believes an ounce of the things he's on camera saying. From the clips you'd think he hates white people and just about everything else in the USA. Yet he is building a 10,000 sq. ft. home in a wealthy, predominantly white, golf community. :lol:

He's just pandering to the crowd. They like hearing that everything is a conspiracy against them. He's just feeding them what they want to hear, and it works to his financial benefit. Just like Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton. :roll:

Re: TONIGHT, Fri Apr 25th: Rev. Jeremiah Wright to appear on PBS' 'Bill Moyers Journa

[quote=CactusBeats;597078]Dick Cheney gives interviews? What universe does that happen in? I guess you could compare it also to Bill O'Reilly interviewing Cheney on state-run television, [cough] Fox News. Still, I cannot see that happening.[/quote]

I was just using that unlikely hypothetical to make the point that having a seriously left-wing guy like Moyers interviewing Wright was not exactly capturing my interest. I know like 99% of people on any music related forum are liberals, so I was just making a comparison for the other side. :)

Re: TONIGHT, Fri Apr 25th: Rev. Jeremiah Wright to appear on PBS' 'Bill Moyers Journa

[quote=subterFUSE;597275]I was just using that unlikely hypothetical to make the point that having a seriously left-wing guy like Moyers interviewing Wright was not exactly capturing my interest. I know like 99% of people on any music related forum are liberals, so I was just making a comparison for the other side. :)[/quote]

Point taken. Much respect, seriously. It's important for people from both sides to talk. I like to hear how the other side sees it. That is how we can find common ground. It's not about being right or wrong, but how we can both work to get to the center. You do what is right for you and I will do what's right for me.

cheers mate

Re: TONIGHT, Fri Apr 25th: Rev. Jeremiah Wright to appear on PBS' 'Bill Moyers Journa

Did anyone happen to catch any of his speech at the National Press Club this morning? CNN was playing it, so I heard parts of it as I was getting ready to head to work. Say what you will about him, but the guy is an interesting speaker. Not "interesting" as in, "I agree with everything he has to say," but " interesting" from an almost performance art standpoint. Colorful character, to be sure.

I did think the overall [B]message [/B]was fairly positive, by the way. Not sure I agreed with all of the underpinnings of his message, but the message itself was a good one.

Re: TONIGHT, Fri Apr 25th: Rev. Jeremiah Wright to appear on PBS' 'Bill Moyers Journa

I have not watched the speech, but will agree with you that he is an expert at addressing his public. My question is whether he truly believes what he says?

It is clear to me that he has built himself a fortune pandering to his "black church." But I sincerely doubt he actually believes half the shit he says to his congregation. He's a brilliant and shrewd opportunist. I don't think the guy is an outright racist hater. It's just an act for his followers. They want to hear that everything is a conspiracy against them. He supplies that to them. But he's building a home in a white golf community.

I am probably as hardline a conservative as you could ever possibly expect to find on a music forum like this one..... (and the funny thing is, I'm actually more of a libertarian) but I feel sorry for Barack Obama. I think he is being treated so unfairly through this situation. He has tried to distance himself from Rev. Wright. But the Rev. has become blinded by his newfound national fame, and won't shut up. He doesn't care if he is hurting Obama's chances for the presidency. In fact, I would not be surprised if Wright were deliberately trying to hurt Obama's chances for winning because of his own interests. Perhaps Rev. Wright thinks that if Obama loses, it will make for a better argument for white majority racism against a black candidate? And that would mean more money for Wright as he continues to preach over the coming years.

Am I way off-base?

Re: TONIGHT, Fri Apr 25th: Rev. Jeremiah Wright to appear on PBS' 'Bill Moyers Journa

[QUOTE=subterFUSE;597628] In fact, I would not be surprised if Wright were deliberately trying to hurt Obama's chances for winning because of his own interests. Perhaps Rev. Wright thinks that if Obama loses, it will make for a better argument for white majority racism against a black candidate? And that would mean more money for Wright as he continues to preach over the coming years.[/QUOTE]

That is verbatim from rush limbaugh's mouth yesterday. :lol:

Re: TONIGHT, Fri Apr 25th: Rev. Jeremiah Wright to appear on PBS' 'Bill Moyers Journa

I thought his whole "attack on the black church" was a weak and transparent way to invoke race as his defense for personally being a virulent racist.

Re: TONIGHT, Fri Apr 25th: Rev. Jeremiah Wright to appear on PBS' 'Bill Moyers Journa

[quote=Jenks;597744]That is verbatim from rush limbaugh's mouth yesterday. :lol:[/quote]

Really?

Yikes. I don't even listen to the radio. :lol:

Re: TONIGHT, Fri Apr 25th: Rev. Jeremiah Wright to appear on PBS' 'Bill Moyers Journa

Obama was apparently underwhelmed by Wright's performance at the NPC:

[QUOTE]In his harshest criticism yet of his former minister, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama said he was “outraged” by Wright’s comments at the National Press Club Monday, and “saddened by the spectacle.”

“I have been a member of Trinity Church since 1992. I have known Rev. Wright for almost 20 years,” he said at a Winston-Salem, North Carolina press conference Tuesday. “The person I saw yesterday is not the person I met 20 years ago.”

Obama said he was outraged by Wright’s remarks that seemed to suggest the U.S. government might be responsible for the spread of AIDS in the black community, and his equation of some American wartime efforts with terrorism. And he seemed to signal a complete break with his former minister.[/QUOTE]

[url]http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/29/obama-says-hes-outraged-with-pastors-comments/#more-6772[/url]

Maybe this will finally put this to rest -- but if I know the media, who wants more than anything for this race to continue, it won't.

Re: TONIGHT, Fri Apr 25th: Rev. Jeremiah Wright to appear on PBS' 'Bill Moyers Journa

[quote=toasty;597386]Did anyone happen to catch any of his speech at the National Press Club this morning? CNN was playing it, so I heard parts of it as I was getting ready to head to work. Say what you will about him, but the guy is an interesting speaker. Not "interesting" as in, "I agree with everything he has to say," but " interesting" from an almost performance art standpoint. Colorful character, to be sure. .[/quote]

what a performance - it was hysterical! you cant even call that a speech - he clearly went there with a performance peice in mind.

unfortunately - history might record this as the downfall of Obama's campaign :(

Re: TONIGHT, Fri Apr 25th: Rev. Jeremiah Wright to appear on PBS' 'Bill Moyers Journa

[QUOTE=toasty;597386] I did think the overall [B]message [/B]was fairly positive, by the way. Not sure I agreed with all of the underpinnings of his message, but the message itself was a good one.[/QUOTE]

Now that I've seen the cartoonish Q&A session following Wright's speech -- which I really hadn't seen when I originally posted this -- I feel compelled to clarify that I was speaking about the message of his prepared statements, which were focused on unity and moving past cultural division.

I don't know what the "message" of the Q&A session was, because the whole thing was frankly bizarre. The condescending tone, the dancing, the conspiracy theories -- obviously driven by ego or a desire to make some headlines. I don't want my prior post to be misinterpreted as having anything positive to say about the Q&A part, which I saw later that night. Very odd indeed, and I don't blame Obama for being pissed off about it --which he clearly was, from the demeanor of his press conference.

Re: TONIGHT, Fri Apr 25th: Rev. Jeremiah Wright to appear on PBS' 'Bill Moyers Journa

[quote=Huggie Smiles;597984]what a performance - it was hysterical! you cant even call that a speech - he clearly went there with a performance peice in mind. [/quote]

I woud also likt to clarify I was referring to his performance at the NAACP meeting (not the press conf). you can see some of it here, and then link the other parts: slip to about 60 secs into it adn he takes off.

[URL]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wfrjiADBBA[/URL]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wfrjiADBBA[/youtube]

Re: TONIGHT, Fri Apr 25th: Rev. Jeremiah Wright to appear on PBS' 'Bill Moyers Journa

I still can't decide if he actually believes what he is saying.

Re: TONIGHT, Fri Apr 25th: Rev. Jeremiah Wright to appear on PBS' 'Bill Moyers Journa

To risk pointing out the obvious; perhaps the reason some are so offended by what Rev. Wright has to say and the reason that black and white perspectives can vary so much is because the way whites and blacks have treated each other historically is offensive. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why that is so hard for people to understand. It doesn't mean I necessarily agree with everything someone else says, but it does mean that I can understand (with or without further explanation) why they might feel that way.

Hope I didn't confuse any black & white thinkers out there (forgive the pun).