A PASTOR SPEAKS

I tend not to be overtly political, and I don't let politics (or my faith) affect my choice of friends as a general rule. This also seems to be the rule with the pastors at my church, so it seems to me a good model to follow. Ironically, Senator Obama is now having to answer questions about what sort of role model (if any) his former pastor served. In response, one of the pastors at my church penned this letter to the editor, which I share as food for thought:

I’m not a Democrat (or a Republican) but a European-American Christian curious about the corporate news feeding frenzy over Barak Obama's former pastor’s preaching.

Media ignorance about Christianity may explain the apparent misconception that people in the pew agree with everything a preacher says.

But many don’t understand the prophetic nature of African-American sermons since slavery. Too many Americans confuse Christianity with support for U.S. economic and foreign policy and don’t notice the indictment of greed, injustice, and jingoism in the message of Jesus and the Prophets. (“…Blessed are the peacemakers…”).

Why has John McCain gotten a pass on wealthy right-wing preacher John Hagee's endorsement, except for passing mention of his anti-Catholic rants? Hagee's virulent distortion of Revelation as a prediction of violent apocalypse leads to unquestioning support of the secular Israeli government, disregard for Palestinian Christians, condemnation of Muslims, and the anti-Semitic conviction that Jews must ultimately convert.

Seems like a fair question to me.