All About Noah


Why The Black Church Ignores Barack Obama

This is Hillary Clinton’s private hell: that Barack Obama has
positioned himself to dictate the terms of her campaign and, potentially, her administration. Barack Obama may be the smartest candidate to run for president in generations. His run is brilliant. Nothing less than historic. I have not heard the name “Barack Obama” mentioned from a black pulpit in this city.

These past weeks presented a thundering

significance to the work of Dr. Martin Luther King: a black man ran for president. A black man not only ran for president but was taken seriously by the American people and, even moiré notably, the American press. A black man ran for president and, even more shocking, his blackness was not so significant as his youth. That black America is actually torn between voting for this black man or voting for the memory of a president who is beloved by them speaks volumes about the hope and dream of Reverend King: that race shouldn’t matter. That our loyalty is divided between two fine candidates leaves us wondering if we should vote for one simply because he is black, wondering if his being black is reason enough to elect him president. That we’re even *asking* that question, that we are no longer so oppressed and so desperate that we’d support anyone simply because of the color of their skin, tells me we have made grand strides towards true equality. Equality meaning that this man can run for president, be taken seriously, and be scrutinized by the American people—black and white—for who he is and not for the color of his skin.

Of course, my cynicism will indeed kick in somewhere here: I don’t for a minute doubt many whites and perhaps many blacks as will hesitate when they’re inside that voting booth. That our good intentions and speeches, our chests swelled with pride at no longer being bigoted, might not stand against the old devils of prejudice and hatred once the curtain is closed behind us. I have absolutely no doubt many people went to the polls to nominate Obama and instead selected Clinton—that the polls in this year’s presidential race will thusly be suspect: as we all talk a good game, but nevertheless vote our fears.

This knee-jerk voting is the Republicans’ best hope in 2008. almost nobody wants a Republican president after President Bush’s disastrous, near-infamous, administration. But many of us, in the quiet of our homes, must realize: (1) those poor choices were about President Bush, not about all Republicans (though we can surely fault all Republicans for backing the president’s reckless policies) and, (2) millions of people, that curtain closed behind them in November, will second-guess themselves before voting for either a woman or an African American.

Democrats tend to be the party of hope. Republicans the party of fear. People vote for Democrats because they hope for something. People vote for Republicans because they’re afraid of something. I have absolutely no doubt the Bush Administration will orchestrate something for us all to be very afraid of come November, just in time for the elections. But the bigger fear is that Dr. King’s dream, 40 years later, is still not fully realized.

There is no mention at all of politics at my church—at any black church here that I am aware of. Sunday morning is all about Gospel entertainment and flowery, toothless homilies which demand nothing more of us than an hour of our attention. We learn nothing, we feed on nothing. We do not grow. The world beyond our church doors is a vague abstraction, cryptic references to “The World” and so forth, while not prepping God’s people to journey through it. I don’t have much stomach for black churches here, because they are, in large measure, woefully out of touch with the world to which they purport to minister. Churches should be light houses, shining beacons of hope across barren wilderness. Most church pastors I know couldn’t tell me the name of even one family that lives on the same block as their church. These are just people we drive past coming and going, we have no idea. And whatever is going on down at City Hall is obviously not our problem.

It’s interesting to me that, when the Nation of Islam gathers together and walks down to City Hall, everybody gets nervous. When we do it, nobody even notices. The black church here is of absolutely no threat to anyone. There’s not one articulate voice among us who has much of anything to say about, well, anything going on, here. Instead, we’re all preaching Noah and the Ark. Mind you, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with preaching Noah and the Ark as Noah and the Ark can bring sinners to repentance, but Noah and the Ark requires little of us. And we, as God’s people, should have grown well beyond Noah and the Ark years ago. Meanwhile, our country precipitates an unjust war, Noah and the Ark. Our economy is in shambles, Noah and the Ark. Our teenage girls are getting pregnant in record numbers, Noah and the Ark. There are more black men in penitentiaries than in college, Noah and the Ark. Our children and their children continue to drift away from God, Noah and the Ark. So many of our churches exist in a bubble, in a time warp, where, apparently, nothing is going on beyond the church doors that need concern us. Places where the pastor can actually be comfortable being this uninformed, being this much of an idiot, that he has absolutely no opinion about anything going on in the world. His is the ministry of ostriches, his head stuck in the sand, his rear end teed up to be run over by whatever may come his way. And this is the overall quality of leadership in far too many of our churches.

Once upon a time we were soldiers. Warriors. Fearless. Now we’re domesticated. Frightened. Lazy. Ignorant of most anything going on around us. When we stroll down to City Hall it’s mainly to reach the ribs joint on the other side. Nobody is concerned about us because nobody respects us. Nobody respects us because nobody fears us. Nobody fears us because we’ve abandoned the privilege of divine thunder, no longer children of the King of Kings but now frightened, timid, domesticated get-along folk of absolutely no consequence to the powers and rules of this world. Sunday is all about Noah.

Sermons are an art form. Sermons should make our blood boil. Should instill us with hope. Should move us to action. Should educate and correct us. Should *inspire* us.

While I do not believe the church, as an institution, should be a political entity or be politicized in any way, I do believe the church, as an institution, has a duty to inform and to educate the followers of Jesus Christ about what’s going on in the world around them. There’s a fine line in there between telling God’s people to vote and telling God’s people *who* to vote for. But, just because the church should not, must not, endorse any particular candidate, it doesn’t mean the church should not educate people about the political process, about current events, about what’s going on.

Studies have shown the majority of American people actually get their news from non-news sources. The average age of nightly news broadcast viewers is somewhere around 60. It is a very small percentage of the American people, most of whom get their news in brief one-liners streaming off of Yahoo or AOL, in tight news clips on Good Morning America or in comedy monologues on the Tonight Show. It’s not even a black-white thing: most of us are simply poorly informed about, well, everything. Sunday morning, the pastor has a captive audience who trust him to teach and preach. We could be preaching sermons in context with what’s going on in the world, keeping our people informed and placing events into biblical context. Instead, Sunday is all about Noah; the church existing in some odd nether-realm, utterly disconnected from reality as we know it. And, since the church refuses to talk about current events, all of our news and information comes from secular sources, polluted by secular views and secular values. The black church has abandoned its people to the likes of FoxNews and MSNBC, who are never going to parallel political views to Holy Scripture.

I have no idea why this is done. I assume it’s about protecting our non-profit status. But that status is endangered only if we endorse a *specific* candidate. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the church discussing the political process, discussing why it’s important to vote and what’s at stake.

Subsequently, all most church folk know about Illinois Senator and Democratic hopeful Barack Obama is that he’s black. And, here at least, there seems to be a collective yawn among church folk that Obama is neck and neck with New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination. I find that yawn disgraceful, the product of ignorance and of the chronic myopia gripping the black church. Obama’s run is nothing less than historic. That an African American—man or woman—could not only run, but be taken seriously, and not only be taken seriously but *win*—should be an enormous shock to the bigoted American system. This is Black history in the making. But, here at least, all we do is yawn.

I have not heard the name “Barack Obama” spoken from a pulpit in this city. Not even in the context of the senator’s historic significance. And, I know these guys, these pastors: it’s not about fear of losing their 501c(3)’s—they don’t mention him because they’re not thinking about him. Because, to most of these guys, Obama kind of flies beneath their radar, their main concerns being the offering plate, their egos, and their paychecks. Most black pastors here are simply not well-informed, do not stay up on current events, have no intellectual curiosity whatsoever, and no demonstrable passion for education or public service. For these men, it’s all about Noah. As a pastor, I would never tell anyone in my church who to vote for. But I would applaud the Senator’s run, and I would pray for the Senator’s family, and I would teach our children about the significance of this moment in history. I’d pull my head out of my behind and open my eyes to the world we actually live in, the world beyond the Ark.

What do most of us know about Senator Barack Obama’s positions on the issues? For many if not most church folk: little or nothing. Barack Obama is a Liberal Democrat—a label Republicans have successfully besmirched over the years, making it like unto a cuss word. Abraham Lincoln was a Liberal Republican—and we thank God for that. “Liberal” only means progressive, open-minded, intellectually available. Conservatives tend to cluster together, preferring uniforms and hats, talking points emailed from downtown. Conservatives are much better organized than liberals because liberals are *liberals*—free thinkers who do not necessarily gel together into blocks as easily as conservatives who, more than not, simply accept things at face value and do what their leaders tell them to.

Obama is pro-choice, pro-stem cell research, pro-equal rights for gays while not necessarily for *special* rights for gays and dodging the gay marriage issue, preferring to leave the matter to the states (where, constitutionally speaking, it actually belongs). He is pro-gun control, favors reform of mandatory minimums in drug sentencing guidelines. These are the key issues that trouble the religious right. If they trouble you as well, then maybe Obama is not your candidate.

Obama opposed the war, opposed the surge, and is, I believe, the only candidate to have opposed the Iraq war from the start. In foreign policy, he believes Bush’s ideology has overridden facts and reality. In terms of free trade, Obama believes, “People don't want cheaper T-shirts if it costs their job.” He believes, “Being poor in this country is hazardous to your health.”

He’s a good guy. Should you vote for him? You need to make that decision for yourself. But, whether you do or not, we should all—as African Americans—pause to give God thanks for where he has brought us, brought this nation, from.

Okay, here’s the math: Hillary Clinton is likely to win the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. Nationally, she holds a double-digit lead over her next biggest contender, Illinois Senator Barack Obama. The problem is, Hillary needs Obama, while Obama doesn’t need Hillary. Obama is freer to ding Hillary along the campaign trail, while, as we’ve seen, Hillary must chose her words regarding Senator Obama very carefully. This is Hillary Clinton’s private hell: that Barack Obama has positioned himself to dictate the terms of her campaign and, potentially, her administration. While, conversely, Barack can all but ignore Hillary. And, when Hillary wins the nomination, she absolutely must chose Obama as her running mate. If she doesn’t, she loses the black vote. If she loses the black vote, she loses the election. Obama, on the other hand, can select anybody he wants for his vice presidential nominee—ideally a strong southerner like John Edwards who, from all appearances, seems to be running for vice president anyway.

Barack Obama may be the smartest candidate to run for president in generations. Whether he wins or loses, he still wins. Hillary’s run made Barack’s run possible. Had she not run, I doubt Obama would have, either. She’s his firewall and now his guarantor of a seat at the table and an inevitable shot at the presidency. Obama’s candidacy is pure genius, a gangsta move. Hillary might get where she’s going, but her road to the White House passes right through the Barack Obama Toll Plaza. Should Obama win the nomination, it’s all over for Hillary. Should Obama win the general election, Hillary is a memory—unless she plans to challenge a sitting president for the nomination in ’12. By 20016, Hillary will be pushing 70 and not a viable candidate. A potential Vice President Obama, however, will only be 55 and the presumptive Democratic nominee. This is Hillary’s time, and the DNC war machine knows it. They are likely to sabotage Obama the way they tanked John Dean eight years ago—turning on their own in an effort to move a more electable candidate forward.

The truth of the matter is, I don’t believe either Clinton or Obama are electable. I believe this country remains in the grip of racism, and hate sells better than hope. I think America will talk a great game about the historic contest between a woman and a black man, but once those curtains close in the election booth, America will elect a guy who looks like the president, who talks like the president, who fits well behind a podium with the seal of the president on it. Neither Obama nor Clinton meet that criteria. It is, to my thinking, extremely unlikely that people—no matter how liberal—will be able to fully slough off the old demons of racism and sexism and elect a black or woman president. Either candidate would be a shoo-in for vice, whereupon we can all pat ourselves on the back for being so broad-minded.

John Edwards’ strategy seems obvious: let Clinton and Obama punch themselves out. America will eventually become disheartened by all the sniping and turn to Edwards, whose stock and trade is his boyish Bobby Kennedy-by-way-of-Bill Clinton looks. Edwards is a very smart, very strong candidate who is, regrettably, eclipsed by the novelty of the Hillary-Barack thing. His only hope—a dim and distant one at that—is that the two of them bump each other off or some terrible scandal breaks out, and the DNC turns to him. This strategy, however, is fueled by cash—lots of it. It only works if Edwards can raise enough money to hang in there.

The more viable Obama is, the more cash he can raise, The more cash he can raise, the longer he can hang in there. The longer he hangs in there, the more he can shape Hillary Clinton’s future. I don’t believe Obama will be the nominee—I don’t think the D-Triple-C will allow it. I think his own party will ultimately conspire to bring him down, while at the same time forcing Hillary to make him her running mate. I believe that’s the script. An Obama presidential nomination would most certainly cost the Democrats the election, especially if John McCain’s comeback sustains itself.

McCain, a Republican senator from Arizona, says he’s a conservative, but he’s actually more of centrist. So far as Republicans go, black folk really don’t hate McCain the way many of us hate President Bush (or, more accurately, the president’s policies). That should be his campaign slogan: McCain: Blacks Don’t Hate ‘Im. McCain is, more or less, The Tolerable Republican. Of the bizarre field of ’08 candidates, only McCain looks or sounds like a president. All the rest of them sound like guys who should be holding McCain’s coat.

As much as it is Hillary’s turn on the Democratic side, for the GOP, this is most certainly John McCain’s turn. McCain has been a good soldier, pretending to agree with a president I believe he loathes, and taking major hits for the team. America is as unlikely to elect the Mormon Mitt Romney as they are to elect a black man or a woman. I think Romney’s continuing viability scares the pants off the Republicans, who likely despise Rudy Giuliani for being so much like a Democrat, and are afraid Mike Huckabee—whom I like very much—may be the GOP’s Jimmy Carter.

I believe the back-room cigars are already being lit, with the GOP moving to form around their guy—McCain. Mainly because Obama doesn’t beat McCain. Hillary doesn’t either, but Obama gets pasted while Hillary will give McCain a good run for his money. But, stand the three of them up, and only McCain looks or sounds like a president. Only McCain has military experience, foreign policy experience, and major, major credentials and chops to be president. He’s not a perfect GOP front man, but the magic of McCain is that he ticks *everybody* off, but doesn’t tick off anybody *enough* to not like him. I don’t agree with McCain on everything, but, then, do I really need to?

A Romney nomination throws the election open to anyone. Besides the Mormon thing, Romney has scary eyes. I mean it: look at his eyes. He smiles, and his eyes dance a little, reminiscent of Richard Nixon. I like Huckabee a great deal, but he doesn’t inspire me. I want a leader who inspires me, one in whose strength and wisdom I trust. I think Rudy loses and loses huge if he is nominated, as does Fred Thompson, who began with such promise but regularly looks annoyed, like he’s been waiting too long for his dinner.

But I don’t think Clinton or Obama beats McCain. I don’t think anybody does. If McCain can hang in, raise some cash, win the nod, the Democrats will likely come full throttle at Obama, undermining his campaign and Swiftboating him out of the game, for fear of a catastrophic loss to McCain.

A great deal of this business will be decided this and next weekend, in South Carolina where it is raining and snowing and most certainly depressing turnout. For Huckabee and Obama, South Carolina is symbolically important: they both need to prove their wins in Iowa weren’t flukes. A Carolina loss shouldn’t cripple Obama’s campaign, but it will restore, to a great extent, the sense of inevitability to Hillary’s run—something Obama has worked tirelessly to dispel.

The “Super Tuesday” primaries of February 5 will, likely, be the make-or-break point for these campaigns. It is simply inconceivable that Hillary Clinton would ever drop out of the race. John Edwards will deal his delegates for a veep slot if he can get one. If Barack Obama is still a presidential candidate on February 6th, expect things to get precipitously nastier as his own party turns on him, now terrified the man may actually win the nomination.

Just don’t expect to hear about any of this from the pulpit..

Christopher J. Priest
20 January 2008
editor@praisenet.org
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