Election '08 - the Rev. Jeremiah Wright

May 1, 2008
To the Editor [area newspaper]:

I believe the Rev. Jeremiah Wright is a prophet out of the tradition of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Amos. They were known for harsh rhetoric, too: the earlier Jeremiah was accused of treason and thrown into a well; Isaiah, tradition has it, was sawn in two. None of us likes to have our errors spoken of, but Rev. Wright speaks of ours, whatever our shade of skin. Like the prophets of old, he likewise calls for transformation and reconciliation, a term I count 17 times in his prepared remarks at the National Press Club.

I recommend we all read a transcript from the Press Club -- and watch the whole 9/11 sermon, in which he was urging us to respond to 9/11 in a way different from Psalm 137, which revengefully speaks of dashing one's enemies' babies' heads against the rocks -- lashing out, not caring what innocents get hurt. Instead, Wright says, he was hearing from God that these first days are a time of self-examination, starting with himself.

I grant, Rev. Wright does not speak in the measured tones of diplomacy, nor did his forebears -- but I believe he is correct that he stands in the prophetic theological tradition, and we will benefit from his invitations to transformation and reconciliation.


Former chaplain in long-term care