February 23, 2008

Trinity United Church of Christ YouTube Video Promotes Obama’s Political Web Site
by Bill Levinson

informavoracious at Free Republic wrote in response to our recent posting, ““Obama’s “church” website is already on whitewash. Their tenet of “allegiance” first to Africa now has been changed to a “commitment” to Africa.”” A comparison of today’s “About” page at http://www.tucc.org/about.htm with an archived version (December 31 2006) shows that Trinity United Church of Christ may indeed have removed material that Obama would not want his supporters to see.

The following material was deleted from the Web page, and does not appear at http://www.tucc.org/about.htm

We are a congregation which is Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian… Our roots in the Black religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an African people, and remain “true to our native land,” the mother continent, the cradle of civilization. God has superintended our pilgrimage through the days of slavery, the days of segregation, and the long night of racism. It is God who gives us the strength and courage to continuously address injustice as a people, and as a congregation. We constantly affirm our trust in God through cultural expression of a Black worship service and ministries which address the Black Community.

Trinity United Church of Christ adopted the Black Value System written by the Manford Byrd Recognition Committee chaired by Vallmer Jordan in 1981. We believe in the following 12 precepts and covenantal statements. These Black Ethics must be taught and exemplified in homes, churches, nurseries and schools, wherever Blacks are gathered. They must reflect on the following concepts:

1. Commitment to God
2. Commitment to the Black Community
3. Commitment to the Black Family
4. Dedication to the Pursuit of Education
5. Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence
6. Adherence to the Black Work Ethic
7. Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect
8. Disavowal of the Pursuit of “Middleclassness”
9. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the Black Community
10. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting Black Institutions
11. Pledge allegiance to all Black leadership who espouse and embrace the Black Value System
12. Personal commitment to embracement of the Black Value System.

The Pastor as well as the membership of Trinity United Church of Christ is committed to a 10-point Vision:

1. A congregation committed to ADORATION.
2. A congregation preaching SALVATION.
3. A congregation actively seeking RECONCILIATION.
4. A congregation with a non-negotiable COMMITMENT TO AFRICA.
5. A congregation committed to BIBLICAL EDUCATION.
6. A congregation committed to CULTURAL EDUCATION.
7. A congregation committed to the HISTORICAL EDUCATION OF AFRICAN PEOPLE IN DIASPORA.
8. A congregation committed to LIBERATION.
9. A congregation committed to RESTORATION.
10. A congregation working towards ECONOMIC PARITY.

Does “A congregation committed to the HISTORICAL EDUCATION OF AFRICAN PEOPLE IN DIASPORA” mean that Jeremiah Wright thinks Negroes should make aliyah to Africa? There are plenty of Ku Klux Klansmen who might agree, although they might have other ways of saying it. More to the point, though, is “A congregation with a non-negotiable COMMITMENT TO AFRICA” along with the statement that the membership of the Trinity United Church of Christ is committed to this ten point vision. Obama is a member of the Trinity United Church of Christ. Does this mean he has a non-negotiable commitment to Africa, or the United States?

By the way, most Christian churches have a non-negotiable commitment to the teachings of Jesus, along with the equality of all people regardless of race or ethnicity. Perhaps Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama feel differently, though, and this needs to be made clear before the election.

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The videos, by the way, say that the church is a “liberation church” that is “committed to Africa.” “We are an African people, and remain true to our native land.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioaChVw_pUw is extremely interesting. Here are two screenshots.

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Update: Jeremiah Wright says Obama is the “first” and possibly “only” honest candidate for the Presidency. We suppose he hasn’t heard of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt…

Trinity United Church of Christ official bulletin, March 18 2007
Letter to the New York Times (excerpt)

I have never been exposed to that kind of duplicitous behavior before, and I want to write you publicly to let you know that I do not approve of it and will not be party to any further smearing of the name, the reputation, the integrity or the character of perhaps this nation’s first (and maybe even only) honest candidate offering himself for public service as the person to occupy the Oval Office.

Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. , Senior Pastor
Trinity United Church of Christ