Does Obama belong to a racist church?

Question

I think so. The preacher is totally for black separatism.

Answer 1

Now when i answer this i don't want you to think i am racist cause some of the best people i ever met were black but in my opinion most blacks want separtism. They are more racist and more prejudice than most white people. They want it their way and if it isn't the way they want it then they are being victims of racism

Answer 2

It would seem so.
Check out their website and see for yourself:
http://www.tucc.org/about.htm
Imagine if you were to substitute the word "white" for every time the website says "black." You would have no doubt that the site was racist.
It's interesting, though; Obama never uses this kind of rhetoric that I've heard of.

Answer 3

I thought it was impossible for blacks to be racist? Just whites, every time we turn around and no matter what we say!

Answer 4

I heard about that church and I agree with you.

Answer 5

If he does, then he'll fit in just perfect with most of our great leaders of our country.

Answer 6

Can you give me some proof of that ?

Answer 7

all churches are racist.

Answer 8

No, absolutely not.

"Barack Obama, along Oprah Winfrey and many other Chicacagoans, belongs to Trinity United Church of Chirst. The church follows black liberation theology. "Liberation theology is a school of theology that focuses on Jesus Christ as not only the Redeemer but also the Liberator of the Oppressed. It emphasizes the Christian mission to bring justice to the poor and oppressed, particularly through political activism."Wikipedia

Why is there a need for a black liberation theology?
One of the major focuses of liberation theology is, as mentioned above, to bring justice to the poor and oppressed. According to the Pastor Jeremiah Wright, "It [black liberation theology] originates in the days of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade." Throughout American history, African Americans have been the poor and oppressed, for the most part only due to their skin color. Thus, it is practical for blacks to unite together under a specific liberation theology that is relevant to their struggle.

Kevin Considine, graduate student at Catholic Theological Union, comments on Obama's church for religionandspirituality.com :
"Recently the Illinois Democrat has been criticized for something that should be a positive: his church affiliation. No, not because he attends church. And not because he's being honest about rooting his politics in his faith.

No, he's taking flak because his church, Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, has linked traditional Christian faith to black empowerment and combating "middle-classness." What this means is that the church's theology preaches a foundation of loving God and loving one's neighbor by attempting to apply these tenets to real life in the community. So, the church champions ideals such as the black family, racial justice and a materially humble lifestyle as ways to live out discipleship to Christ.

To be honest, I'm not sure how this is a problem. But the revelation that an African-American family is attending a vigorous and socially conscious black church is apparently a touchy subject. One could, ahem, speculate about the motives behind such touchiness. But let it suffice to say that Sen. Obama's church affiliation has raised some hackles.

For example, Fox News pundit Sean Hannity has suggested that the church is divisive and borders on being a separatist cult. And MSNBC talking head Tucker Carlson has claimed that Obama's church proclaims a "racially exclusive theology" that seems to "contradict the basic tenets of Christianity." This is because, in Mr. Carlson's opinion, Christianity is explicitly "anti-racial."

Right. As if Christianity is far off in another dimension and completely divorced from the messiness of everyday life. As if holiness and righteousness are possible without confronting the evils that exist in our midst.

Exactly what tenets of Christianity can a church that describes itself as "unapologetically Christian" be contradicting? They seem to be doing just fine with Jesus' command to love the Lord your God and love your neighbor. And they seem to truly embrace the demand for social justice that has deep roots in Scripture. Their dedication to the gospel may be challenging to many of us, and that's a good thing, but it's disingenuous to call them divisive and separatist when they clearly focus on God as revealed through Jesus.

And if by "anti-racial" Mr. Carlson means that there isn't a clearly mandated Christian response to racism because it isn't a current problem, then he's deluding himself. The problem persists, and thus racial reconciliation and justice are indeed Christian mandates. They go part and parcel with following Christ.

Having said that, I think that the critiques of Trinity Church of Christ reveal more about us as a country than about Sen. Obama or his critics. It shows that there are some versions of Christianity that make us comfortable and some that don't.

If a church's theology preaches Jesus through self-reliance, personal morality, building wealth and colorblindness, then we don't have much problem with it. But if a church's theology talks about community building, personal and social responsibility, the sin of materialism and black empowerment or racial reconciliation, then we become uncomfortable.

This difference is similar to what theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer called the distinction between cheap grace and costly grace. Cheap grace is what makes us comfortable, because it doesn't ask much of us. Costly grace, however, challenges us to be Christ-like by sacrificing and taking up our cross. It asks us to risk our comfort and get our hands dirty in the real world. If there's any confusion between the two, it's safe to say that Jesus' call and gift is that of costly grace.

This is the grace that Sen. Obama's church seems to proclaim. For they're not out there preaching the gospel of health and wealth. That is, they don't theologize that the God of Jesus Christ is some great ATM machine in the sky that will provide goods to consume. Instead, they're dedicated to loving God, serving others, nurturing the souls of its congregants and bridging the divide between the poor, middle and upper classes within their church community. In short, they're interested in authentic witness to the Gospel within a specific context.

If this makes some uncomfortable, so be it. At least they're following Jesus in a way that aims for righteous transformation of the real world rather than a pie-in-the-sky kind of way.

Now I'm not saying that Sen. Obama is a victim here. Nor am I trying to get votes for him, although I must admit that I've sent a few bucks to his campaign. And I'm not saying he's a saint, either. Heck, I don't even know the man.

My point is simple. I'm sure there are many ways that the media can criticize Sen. Obama's candidacy. But his church is not a liability. And they should be ashamed for trying to make it seem like one. "
Link

David Brody, a Christain Broadcast News correspondent, visited Obama's church:

"When I was out in Illinois covering Obama’s big presidential announcement in Springfield, our CBN crew went to Chicago and asked to shoot video inside the Church. A week before, I had put in multiple requests but I received no response. So on Sunday we walked into the Church and asked if we could film.After waiting about 15 minutes or so, they agreed and we started to videotape. After 20 minutes or so of videotaping, the Church said they meant still photography not video. There seemed to be a little miscommunication here. We immediately stopped filming. We ended up using still shots from the video that we had in our possession. I desperately tried to convince them to let us use the video but they said no.

During my time inside their service, it seemed pretty normal to me. The worship was very charismatic, the music was up-tempo and the people seemed like they were really into it. I didn’t hear the preacher speak, so clearly that is extremely important. I can’t speak to that. But the people we dealt with were extremely nice. " Link

From State Of The Qusan, referring to Hannity's coverage on FNC of Obama's church:
"I don't know where they got this kneegro to go on TV and spew this BS but, being from Chicago, I've been to Trinity United Church of Christ. Many of my friends are members. Oprah Winfrey was once a member. It's a typical black church, albeit it has many affluent members, and I cannot believe that anyone would stoop this low. It's just disgusting!"

Mission Statement of Church:
Trinity United Church of Christ has been called by God to be a congregation that is not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ and that does not apologize for its African roots! As a congregation of baptized believers, we are called to be agents of liberation not only for the oppressed, but for all of God’s family. We, as a church family, acknowledge, that we will, building on this affirmation of "who we are" and "whose we are," call men, women, boys and girls to the liberating love of Jesus Christ, inviting them to become a part of the church universal, responding to Jesus’ command that we go into all the world and make disciples!

We are called out to be "a chosen people" that pays no attention to socio-economic or educational backgrounds. We are made up of the highly educated and the uneducated. Our congregation is a combination of the haves and the have-nots; the economicallydisadvantaged, the under-class, the unemployed and the employable.
The fortunate who are among us combine forces with the less fortunate to become agents of change for God who is not pleased with America’s economic mal-distribution! W.E.B. DuBois indicated that the problem in the 20th century was going to be the problem of the color line. He was absolutely correct. Our job as servants of God is to address that problem and eradicate it in the name of Him who came for the whole world by calling all men, women, boys and girls to Christ."Link

Pastor Jeremiah Wright:
"Black theology is one of the many theologies in the Americas that became popular during the liberation theology movement. They include Hispanic theology, Native American theology, Asian theology and Womanist theology.

"We were always seen as objects. When we started defining ourselves, it scared those who try to control others by naming them and defining them for them; Oppressors do not like “others” defining themselves."

"African-centered thought, unlike Eurocentrism, does not assume superiority and look at everyone else as being inferior.

"There is more than one center from which to view the world. In the words of Dr. Janice Hale, “Difference does not mean deficience. It is from this vantage point that Black liberation theology speaks. "
Link

Barack Obama:
"If I say to anybody in Iowa -- white, black, Hispanic or Asian -- that my church believes in the African-American community strengthening families or adhering to the black work ethic or being committed to self-discipline and self-respect and not forgetting where you came from, I don't think that's something anybody would object to. ... I think I'd get a few amens."
Link

As for the claim the church is more loyal to Africa than America, "while the Trinity website contains a "10-point Vision" that calls for its congregation to make "a non-negotiable commitment to Africa," there is no statement on the website that such a commitment supersedes a parishioner's commitment to the United States. Moreover, a fact sheet on the White House website is titled "The U.S. Commitment To Africa's Growth And Prosperity," and the Bush White House has reaffirmed its "commitment to Africa" as recently as 2005." (Media Matters)"
http://www.obamapedia.org/page/Obama+Myths