The pastor of my church, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who recently preached his last sermon and is in the process of retiring, has touched off a firestorm over the last few days. He's drawn attention as the result of some inflammatory and appalling remarks he made about our country, our politics, and my political opponents.
Let me say at the outset that I vehemently disagree and strongly condemn the statements that have been the subject of this controversy. I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies. I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialogue, whether it's on the campaign stump or in the pulpit. In sum, I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue.
Because these particular statements by Rev. Wright are so contrary to my own life and beliefs, a number of people have legitimately raised questions about the nature of my relationship with Rev. Wright and my membership in the church. Let me therefore provide some context.
Most importantly, Rev. Wright preached the gospel of Jesus, a gospel on which I base my life. In other words, he has never been my political advisor; he's been my pastor. And the sermons I heard him preach always related to our obligation to love God and one another, to work on behalf of the poor, and to seek justice at every turn.
The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach while I sat in the pews of Trinity or heard him utter in private conversation. When these statements first came to my attention, it was at the beginning of my presidential campaign. I made it clear at the time that I strongly condemned his comments. But because Rev. Wright was on the verge of retirement, and because of my strong links to the Trinity faith community, where I married my wife and where my daughters were baptized, I did not think it appropriate to leave the church.
Let me repeat what I've said earlier. All of the statements that have been the subject of controversy are ones that I vehemently condemn. They in no way reflect my attitudes and directly contradict my profound love for this country.
With Rev. Wright's retirement and the ascension of my new pastor, Rev. Otis Moss, III, Michelle and I look forward to continuing a relationship with a church that has done so much good. And while Rev. Wright's statements have pained and angered me, I believe that Americans will judge me not on the basis of what someone else said, but on the basis of who I am and what I believe in; on my values, judgment and experience to be President of the United States.
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ADDENDUM -- POSTED TO THE OBAMA BLOG:
The country is getting a needed education. FOX's campaign will not achieve their purpose. By the end of this more and more will recognize that what Jeremiah was saying was merely a recapitulation of what Malcolm X said, minus the threat of an eye for an eye which was also a part of Malcolm's message. By the end Malcolm had achieved a state of peace and was not preaching a separatist message. The reality is that every human being is a spectrum from the most base and infantile to the sublime and trancscendent. Character is where one is on the spectrum. Barack and anyone with open eyes knows full well the part of the spectrum where the reaction is one of anger and hurt and hostility. He also knows and believes that we as a people can move forward just as Malcolm did. In his whirlwind tour of the MSM last night Barack made it clear that this is a teaching moment for America. I think that is what this is basically about, bringing more people to a more mature understanding of the pain in our past and the hope in our future. Truth marching on.
It is also a theological education. The Biblical prophets voiced the judgment on a disobedient nation. It was not treason. It was faith and the hope of repentance and change.
Best, S 3/15
