Context matters: MLK a hero, Wright a fanatic?

Barack Obama's former minister, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, appeared with Bill Moyers recently on PBS. It was a long overdue interview that struck at the heart of the biggest issue surrounding Reverend Wright: context matters.

Moyers and his staff, in what was an obvious rebuttal to Fox News and their coverage of the controversy, played longer versions of the excerpts we have all seen from a few of Wright's sermons--statements he made over the course of more than 20 years.

It was a direct challenge to what has become pervasive in our increasingly media-driven culture: ever-quicker perception making.

To be fair, more context does not justify some of Wright's more controversial statements (the one about the HIV virus in particular); but, context does allow for a greater understanding of his sentiments.

The problem, as I see it, is that many white Americans want to be disgusted by Wright in order to stave off even a passing consideration that there may be elements of truth in his vitrolic rants. Merely his presentation, it seems, is enough for many to turn a deaf ear to his polemic.

And why not? Who wants to be labeled an anti-American fanatic as Wright has been? Who wants to take the time to hear someone out once that person's essence, their very being, is ostensibly known? The effect is this: Reverend Wright, based on what I know of him (essentially nothing) is a bigoted fanatic who hates his country and, by connection, Barack Obama is not fit to be the president. Now that's what I call due diligence...

MLK a hero, Wright a fanatic?

We are now 40 years removed from the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and I cannot help but to wonder what would have been made of King's message today--you know, the message that sometimes gets lost in some of the more grandiose events of the civil rights era in this country.

Like, for instance, what is the difference between Reverend Wright talking about America's "...chickens coming home to roost" and this:



When Wright made his now infamous "not God bless America...God damn America" statement, he was talking about justice--just as King was more than 40 years ago. He wasn't lashing out in hatred against his country. He was decrying the injustice of innocent death in Iraq (and elsewhere) just as King did with respect to Vietnam.

Wright is a Christian man, just as King was a Christian man. As a Christian man myself, I know how important it is to be reminded of the message of Christ and how no ideology, no matter how self-serving, can replace it.

America is not, and has never been, this "Messianic force" that King spoke about.

Don't believe the lies.

"Justice is indivisible..."