Pastor Problem

Like probably a million or so others, I watched the latest "pastor problem" video on YouTube. I sincerely hope that Barack Obama never sets foot in that church again.

Yes, that church. What bothered me more than the anti-white vitriol that the pastor was spouting was the enthusiasm with which the congregation was cheering the pastor on. Clapping and shouting "yes," even giving standing ovations in mid speech, this crowd was loving the content of this hate monger's racist rhetoric.

Is that what "black churches" are about? Fueling racial division? Certainly that's what this black church is about. The rhetoric of the pastors at Trinity does not necessarily give me pause about Obama's character, but the actions of the people in the pews does. These are the people he has been congregating with for twenty years and more, and there is no doubt in my mind that these people are very serious about their racism.

I do not think that my belief, held from childhood, that inequality based on skin color is wrong is a false belief. I do not believe that Dr. Martin Luther King was fighting the wrong battle when he argued for justice and decried revenge. I do not believe that African Americans as a people hate whites so badly that they want revenge more than they want justice.

But people can be led down an ugly path by demagogues, hate-filled angry men who preach revenge instead of love and peace and justice. That YouTube video, Trinity Church Chicago, is what it looks like when that happens. That video showed a very ugly place.

Barack Obama has a church problem, not a pastor problem.