This page was last updated on July 22, 2010.
Pastor is just living up to his first name; Elizabeth Asche Douglas; Beaver County Times; July 22, 2010.
Ms. Douglas is a local artist.
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“A recent writer said the Rev. Jeremiah Wright ‘hates the United States.’”
[RWC] The actual quote is “[Mr. Obama] sat in Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s church for 20 years and didn’t understand the reverend hated our country.”
This is the second letter in two days attempting to defend and/or rehabilitate Mr. Wright.
“Not so. Wright has shown his love for this country in military service with the Marine Corps (1961-63) and the U.S. Navy (1963-67).
“After college and divinity school, he entered the ministry. From 1972-2008, he pastored Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, taking it from 250 members to more than 8,000, the mostly white denomination’s largest.
“His sermons recall those of the African-American preachers who fueled the 1950s and ‘60s civil rights movement by denouncing injustice in the United States.
“He stands firmly in line with the Old Testament prophet whose name he bears, and whose prophetic rants have been important touchstones to African Americans and others who seek social justice.
“Just as Jeremiah challenged Israel to put aside its evil ways and live up to its covenant with the Lord God, Jeremiah Wright’s sermons have challenged our nation to live up to its constitutional covenant with all of its people.”
[RWC] As Ms. D’Eramo yesterday, Ms. Douglas apparently hopes readers never saw videos of Mr. Wright’s sermons or have short memories. Face it, there’s a reason Mr. Obama tried to distance himself from his close friend and pastor of 20 years. You don’t do this without cause. (Don’t get me wrong; I believe Mr. Obama agrees with Mr. Wright but knows saying so publicly would hurt him politically.)
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