Chicago , Sunday Telegraph
02-11-07
Black power sermons test Democrats' faith
By Philip Sherwell in Chicago, Sunday Telegraph
In the large modern foyer of the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago's
predominantly black South Side, a wooden sign boldly proclaims: "Unashamedly
black and unapologetically Christian".
In a traditional embroidered African tunic, Pastor Jeremiah Wright preaches his
black empowerment sermons each Sunday to packed congregations in the
otherwise run-down district.
Oprah Winfrey, the television celebrity, has worshipped here. But the church's
12-point Black Value System will soon gain national prominence as attention
focuses on the religious convictions of another member of the Rev Mr Wright's
8,500-strong flock - Barack Obama.
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Yesterday Mr Obama formally launched his campaign to become America's first
black president. In a country where a candidate's spiritual beliefs are a make or
break factor, the charismatic Democrat is coming under scrutiny about his
church's creed.
Most notably, Mr Obama will be asked to explain its "disavowal of the pursuit of
middleclassness" - a phrase that is bound to sound like an attack on the
"American Dream" to many suburban voters.
The exhortation to worshippers to become "Black Christian Activists" and
"soldiers for Black Freedom" will also be used by his political foes to try to
undermine the broad appeal he is cultivating across race and religion in the
American heartlands.
It is a fresh twist to the recent debate about Mr Obama's roots, when some black
activists suggested that he is not really "African-American", since he is not the
descendant of slaves. The senator, the son of a Kenyan college scholarship
student and a white woman from Kansas, trails his main Democratic rival, Sen
Hillary Clinton, in black support.
Now Right-wing commentators and internet bloggers have started to highlight his
church's belief system. "Mr Obama's blend of politics and religion is very
important to him and he likes to portray himself as a great unifier," said Fran
Eaton, the editor of the conservative Illinois Review.
"But I would question whether a man who wants to be president should not be
steering clear of a church that is so divisive\u2026 so antagonistic to a European
view of history. This is not a casual thing. He is very committed to this church."
Mr Obama has spoken confidently about his faith and reached out to evangelical
Christians. But when he hits the campaign trail in Iowa, New Hampshire and
South Carolina, the key early caucus-primary states, he may struggle to convince
voters not to be alarmed by Trinity's tenets.
Worshippers are, for example, advised: "While it is permissible to chase 'middleincomeness' with all our might, we must avoid the psychological entrapment of
Black 'middleclassness'."
This could cause him headaches, said Steffen Schmidt, an Iowa political
scientist. "There is a fundamental cultural premise in this country that
'middleclassness' is a good thing. In the United States, middle class values are
sacred. They are viewed as the glue that binds society together."
Mr Obama sought to head off any controversy last week. The senator, 45, who
describes the Rev Mr Wright as a mentor and spiritual adviser, acknowledged
that he too was struck by the call to disavow "middleclassness" when he first
visited the church 20 years ago as a community activist who had just moved to
Chicago.
"As I read it at least, it was a very simple argument taken directly from the
Scripture: 'To whom much is given, much is required'," he told the Chicago
Tribune. More generally, he argued, the document "espouses profoundly
conservative values of self-reliance and self-help" for black advancement.
The senator will doubtless use similarly soothing neutral tones when he is on the
hustings. But Al Kindle, an Obama adviser, said that the tenets were based on
experiences of slavery and segregation.
"This is nothing to do with capitalism or Marx," he said. "The message is that
even if you move forward, don't forget those who have not had the same
opportunities."
On its website, Trinity UCC declares: "These Black Ethics must be taught and
exemplified in homes, churches, nurseries and schools, wherever Blacks are
gathered. We are an African people, and remain 'true to our native land', the
mother continent, the cradle of civilisation."
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