Perhaps the least convincing defense I’ve ever read
and I’ve read some pretty unconvincing arguments on the web but this one’s a doozy! It’s by a member of Senator and presidential hopeful, Barak Obama’s Church who is a professor of theology at the University of Chicago and it is in defense of the sermons by retired pastor Jeremiah Wright. Now it’s entirely possible that there’s much more to professor Dwight Hopkins’ defense of what appears for all the world to be racist hate and divisive rhetoric and idiotic conspiracy thorizing on Rev. Wright’s part, but what we get in this ABC report is laughable (well, I laughed anyway):
Church member and University of Chicago theology professor Dwight Hopkins says Wright’s message has been taken out of context.
“The whole point to Dr. Wright’s sermons is to how do you make America a better America. If anything he’s a true patriot,” Hopkins said.
He also argues that the furor surrounding Wright smacks of a general attack against the idea of a black church born during slavery.
“It [let us try to remember that by “it”, professor Hopkins is talking about sermons containing “God Damn America!”, “the U. S. of KKK A”, “We created the AIDS virus for the genocide of people of color”, “The chickens came home to roost” on 9/11 and on and on; remember this as you try to keep back the laughter –Editor] tries to be a healing balm in the midst of some very challenging situations in the inner city and ghettos,” Hopkins said. “If we took a field trip to a thousand black churches across the country on Sunday, you would have a very serious wake-up call on the nature of those messages.”
Yes. I can see how rhetoric like that would start riots on a weekly basis make America a better place and incite hatred against whites and America be just like a healing balm. Or, as an alternative theory, professor, how about this: such preachers are hateful, racist, lunatics and you just can’t tell the difference. Your theory may come from a professor at a prestigeous university but, listening to those sermons, I think mine’s closer to the mark.
In any case, if Wright’s sermons are intended to make a better America and act as a healing balm, they are dismal failures in that role. Seriously, only someone who’s been listening to that crap week in and week out and then isolating himself in some ivory tower of Post-Colonialist, Black Victimization Theology could regard those sermons as balm intended to make America better. Listening to them makes me hate…imagine what it makes those who listen to it week in and week out over years feel. “Mmmmm! Feel the balm!”
The good professor has a bumper-sticker on his car that reads, “Hate America For Her Own Good!” In smaller print below that it reads, “It’s the patriotic thing to do!” [For those wondering, that part about the bumper-sticker is satire on my part. It’s not as funny as the professor’s defense of Rev. Wright’s particular brand of hate speech but then, I’m not a professor of religion at the University of Chicago. Apparently they’re a hoot!]