In a prior blog, I shared my personal experiences of anger toward the United States when our policies supported what I considered either wrong or immoral positions.
Today, I reference again Pastor Wright from the vantage point of a highly distinguished academic with exquisite credentials as a moderate within theological circles. Martin Marty is a historian by trade but has been on the faculty of the University of Chicago as someone who has provided great insights into Christianity from his background as a Lutheran. He is by no means a liberal, even if a helpful source of ecumenism. And surely, he is not a right wing evangelist. From Wikipedia, you can briefly review his personal history. Another dimension of his value, the University of Chicago created the Martin Marty Center that speaks to his distinguished career.
These references to Martin Marty preface the point of this blog. He is a regular participant of the Trinity Church. He understand completely why Obama as well as many others attend the church. And he appreciates the talents of Pastor Wright. In an article published by Chronical of Higher Education, he reviews Pastor's Wright's history of service to our nation as Marine and a Navy Medical Technician. He studied at the University of Chicago where Martin Marty met him. His talents were such that he could have pursued an academic career but he chose the pastoral route. If there is anything that best captures his ministry, it is the hope that he shares with people, hope that his listeners can base their dreams on. Without minimizing the implications of some of his rhetoric, he also references the genre as found in the biblical accounts of his namesake, Jeremiah.
Martin Marty's article will help anyone who is trying to understand why Obama continued to participate in the Trinity Church for all these years and why he continues to be loyal to Pastor Wright.
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