Different message: Rev. Wright sermon ‘not the norm’ here

By Tom Davidson
Herald Staff Writer

SHENANGO VALLEY April 27, 2008 09:46 pm

— The Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright’s controversial sermon that created a firestorm for one of his congregants, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, wouldn’t be something heard in most local churches, three Shenango Valley pastors say.
“Jeremiah Wright’s comments are not the norm in a black church,” the Rev. Dr. Angel De La Cruz said. He is pastor of Word Centered Presbyterian Church, Masury.
His congregation prides itself on diversity and tolerance and Rev. De La Cruz said Wright’s divisive language is something he wouldn’t use in his sermons.
“I would not damn the place I live; I would seek to pray for it and its blessing,” Rev. De La Cruz said.
Rev. Wright has been called to task for post-9/11 words that can be construed as un-American, but Rev. De La Cruz said it’s important to understand where Rev. Wright is coming from.
“It’s called black liberation theology,” Rev. De La Cruz said.
Rev. Wright is a “very smart man — he’s been educated in top schools — so this guy isn’t just off the street, he has been preaching this was for a long time,” Rev. De La Cruz said.
The Rev. Charles Johnson of Cedar Avenue Church of God, Sharon said liberation theology has a special place in African American churches because of the history of the black experience here.
That theology has “sustained us over the years,” he said.
Rev. Wright filled the pulpit at Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago’s South Side until last year and helped lead the church to grow from 72 members in 1972 to about 10,000 when he retired earlier this year.
He preached to a mainly African American congregation who’d been through tough times, Rev. De La Cruz said.
Rev. Wright’s fiery sermons about the injustices committed to minorities need to be taken in that context, Rev. De La Cruz said.
“Context matters; that is crucial,” Rev. De La Cruz said. “Look at the context of Chicago, the south side of Chicago. It’s a poor, blighted, activist area. He (Rev. Wright) has been formed by that.”
Rev. Wright stands up for racial and economic injustices that have afflicted many of the people hearing his words, Rev. De La Cruz said.
In some ways, Rev. Wright’s sermons are from the past, he said. “He represents a time, he represents the ’60s, the ’50s.”
The Rev. Thomas J. Bolling of Second Baptist Church in Farrell also emphasized the context of Rev. Wright’s words.
Pastors “have to do the best we can to inform people the best we can,” even if it’s an unpopular viewpoint, Rev. Bolling said.
“We can only speak most directly to those that affect us most directly, so I have to do the best I can to encourage the people I shepherd to make the most intelligent decisions,” Rev. Bolling said.
It’s also not uncommon for black pastors to speak to current events, to speak their minds about the state of the nation, Rev. Johnson noted.
“Most of the (black) pastors preach with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other,” Rev. Johnson said. “To help our members understand the times we live in from a spiritual perspective.”
Rev. Johnson said he probably wouldn’t use the terminology Rev. Wright did when he spoke, but defended Rev. Wright’s right to speak it.
“I don’t agree with it, but I wouldn’t hinder it,” Rev. Johnson said.
There’s also more to church than the pastor or the sermon, Rev. De La Cruz said.
“People are in churches for many, many reasons, not just the sermons.” There are faithful members who will stick with a church even when an unpopular pastor is serving, Rev. De La Cruz said.
And preachers are imperfect people too, he said.
“I know myself, I have said things I wish I could pull back. Then there are some things that need to be said and I’ll take the heat,” Rev. De La Cruz said.
Church members aren’t required to agree with their pastors all of the time, Rev. Bolling said.
“If people were to leave a church every time they disagreed with something in the pulpit, people would be leaving all the time. No one is responsible for what I say in the pulpit but me.”
It’s also healthy for Americans, both secular and spiritual, to question their country, said Rev. Johnson.
“I think there are some things in our history that we need to take a look at,” especially from the black perspective, he said. “History speaks for itself. The U.S. has had some very questionable practices as far as people of color goes and I think a pastor speaking to that to give people hope is a good thing.
“I think that as a great nation we have to preserve that right for people to speak their minds and speak their hearts. That’s what makes this nation such a great nation.”
Rev. De La Cruz lamented that Obama — a man who proclaims being driven to unite people — would be harmed by Rev. Wright’s words.
“It’s unfortunate linking (Rev. Wright) to a man (Obama) who I believe can reconcile people,” Rev. De La Cruz said.
And that’s what he says his emphasis is as a pastor.
“God calls us to be one people as Christians. Church can transcend (differences),” he said. “Real reconciliation must happen; that means you’re my brother and I’m your brother.”

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