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I so wanted to get in on this thread yesterday, but my dumb computer was acting up. Anyway, since then, I've been able to give a lot of thought to the matter, and this is what I've come up with so far:
1) The speech was brave and courageous, and things that needed to be said were said in regard to race and the path this country should take to heal old wounds.
2) In all honesty, Wright's comments didn't get under my skin. They shocked me, of course. They angered me for a flicker, but then I realized that I didn't have the full context of what his message was that day. I went to seminary and loved the study of liberation theology and social justice... I know that themes of both are frequently interwoven into messages into black churches. His message could have been along those lines, but the incendiary comments are the "sound bytes" we're stuck with.
3) I applaud Obama for not completely breaking ties with his pastor. What is that saying... oh yes, Hate the sin, but love the sinner. Obama is living his faith. It would be so easy and convenient for him to condemn the man, just as many others have done, but, even with the possibility of political suicide, Obama is remaining loyal to a man who has done so much for him. Back in the day (biblical day, that is), tax collectors were the Jeremiah Wrights of the day. They were despised and reviled because they were crooked and just the worst of human scum. Yet I remember a story of a great man who decided to eat with one. He turned the public spectrum on its head. I don't want to seem like I'm making Obama the savior or anything, but I think that part of his charm in the media is that the media has never really seen a candidate like Obama, who, in most personal cases in his life, has stood up to do the right thing.
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