Did Rev. Wright go too far and was he just addressing issues many Americans believe but are afraid to say openly?

Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. has come under attack for expressing his views on a wide range of issues. Some sensitive, some not. His comments have sparked attacks against him and his associates from rightwing hatemongers in America like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck.

He is being ostracized. U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, who is a member of his church, Trinity United CHurch of Christ on east 95th Street, has been forced to renounce him because of pressure from the news media and hate-driven fanatics in the media and in American politics.

The topic will be one of those addressed on Tuesday's radio show (4 to 6 PM, WCEV 1450 AM Radio) on www.RadioChicagoland.com. If you are not in the Chicago area, you can listen to the show as it is broadcast at www.WCEV1450.com.

Here is a statement from Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright's Jr., web page:

Thank you for your interest in Trinity United Church of Christ and for your consideration of our member, Sen. Barack Obama, in the Democratic primary election. Due to the high volume of emails and inquiries, we are unable to respond to each one personally. We were overwhelmed with “hits” after Senator Obama’s historic victory in the Iowa democratic caucus.

Barack Obama has been a member of Trinity United Church of Christ for nearly two decades. As a young community organizer, new to Chicago, Barack met with Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., Trinity’s Senior Pastor, seeking advice. He received good counsel about the complexities of life in Chicago and the challenges faced by residents in poor communities like South Chicago’s Altgeld Gardens.

The United Church of Christ (http://www.ucc.org), Trinity’s denominational affiliation, is “a community of faith that seeks to respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed.” It was founded in 1957 through the union of several different Christian traditions. Not only does Trinity not exclude anyone from membership or attendance based on race or ethnicity, but:

The majority of UCC members are white; the conference minister of the Illinois Conference of the UCC (Rev. Jane Fisler Hoffman) and her husband (both white) are members of Trinity (You can watch a video of Rev. Hoffman speaking at Trinity about her positive experiences there.);
Trinity has been instrumental in working with and lending financial and staff support to the development of new UCC churches in Gary, IN (with the Indiana-Kentucky Conference of the UCC, Milwaukee, WI (with the Wisconsin Conference of the UCC), and Benton Harbor, MI (with the Michigan Conference of the UCC). There is no anti-American sentiment in the theology or the practice of Trinity United Church of Christ. To be sure, there is prophetic preaching against oppression, racism and other evils that would deny the American ideal. Trinity is “Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian.”

Trinity was founded in 1961 and had 87 families when Dr. Wright started his tenure in 1972. Currently, as Dr. Wright anticipates a 2008 retirement, there are more than 8,000 members, 70 ministries, and three Sunday worship services. You and your family can watch these services online at 7:30am, 11:00am and 6:00pm CST.

If you require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact Senator Obama's office:
Devorah Adler at dadler@barackobama.com Joshua DuBois at jdubois@barackobama.com Yours in Christ!