Racism and the voice of a prophet

by Kent Harrop

Recently Sen. Barack Obama gave a speech offering a sweeping assessment of race in America. The catalyst, were sermon excerpts of his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Rev. Wright is a nationally recognized preacher in the United Church of Christ. Rooted in the African American tradition, Rev. Wright leans heavily upon the prophetic tradition of the Hebrew prophets and of Jesus.

In some of his sermons, Pastor Wright cast our government as racist, violent and corrupt. Critics of Senator Obama were critical of his attending a church, where a pastor would make such statements. In response, the senator sought to distance himself from some of his pastor's more controversial statements, while continuing to affirm the right of his pastor to speak from his heart.

What has gotten Jeremiah Wright and by association Senator Obama into trouble, is the prophetic tradition of the African American church. This tradition reads the Bible through the lens of oppression. It is a fact, that African Americans lag behind in access to health care, in infant mortality, in life expectancy, in employment and in fair treatment by the judicial system.

Preaching into such a context, African Americans have looked to the Bible and the church for hope and guidance. They have looked to their preachers, to speak truth to power, a word of challenge on behalf of the poor and oppressed. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. understood this when he said: "That the church is to be the conscience of the state".

Rev. Wright has gotten into hot water, because he applied the teachings of Jesus and the prophets, to the injustices of our time. This means that from time to time, he was intemperate in his words. Just as Jesus and the prophets, often got under the skin of the powerful. In truth Jesus was crucified on the cross of empire, because he refused to dance to the music of Caesar or Caiphas. Rev. Wright's namesake, the prophet Jeremiah, was thrown down a well and left to die, because he challenged the corruption and priorities of his nation.

Wright's crime is laying bare the myth of America being a benevolent, color-blind society. To prove Pastor Wrights point, we need only observe this political campaign, where politicians and commentators of all political persuasions, focus upon Senator Obama's race. Are we a racist society? Yes. And most of us who are white, don't want to acknowledge this truth.

I recently said to a group at church: "I am racist, sexist and homophobic". In saying this, I sought to emphasize that I, like each of us, are a product of our own culture and experience. I know I carry bias with me, simply because I have never been a woman, or gay or of another race. All I have to draw upon is what I know. And, what I know has limits.

It is my belief, that the first step to moving beyond our isms (racism, sexism etc.) is to look for and name the bias' that we each carry. A second step is to intentionally enter into community with people who are different, who offer another way of looking at life. A third step is to listen with the desire to understand. A fourth step is to look for the common threads in our various life stories. Such common threads can bring us together.

Taking on the thorny topic of race, Senator Obama said: "I have asserted a firm conviction, a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people, that, working together, we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds - we have no choice, if we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union."

Regardless of who you are backing in this political season, Rev. Wright's prophetic witness and the resulting backlash, remind us that America has a long way to go, before the ugly wound of racism is healed. Let us use this time, to reflect and talk about the uncomfortable topic of racism...and let us open ourselves to the truth of the prophets and the healing way of Jesus.

Kent Harrop is the chairman of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon and the pastor at First Baptist Church of McMinnville