c. 2008 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) Even by the standards of his frequently controversial church, it’s been an eventful few weeks for the Rev. John Thomas, president and general minister of the United Church of Christ.

In February, the UCC announced it was the subject of an Internal Revenue Service investigation over a speech by presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama at a church convention last summer.

This month, controversy erupted over sermons delivered by Obama’s longtime pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who led a predominantly black UCC congregation in Chicago for 36 years.

Thomas talked about Wright’s sermons and the IRS investigation. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Q: What are people around the UCC saying about the controversy surrounding Wright?

A: Some people are quite upset and outraged at what they heard on these brief little clips on the news. Others are angry because they feel Rev. Wright’s views have been taken out of context _ it doesn’t reflect the man who’s so well known in the UCC. By and large, there’s a lot of pain for what he’s going through and anger that he’s not being treated fairly.

Q: Have you talked to Rev. Wright since the situation erupted?

A: I have not. He’s been away and not available for comment.

Q: Do you think there are legitimate reasons to be concerned over some of his remarks and the fact that he’s been a longtime spiritual leader to a major presidential candidate?

A: You have to assess the whole body of his preaching and not phrases here and there, like what you’ve heard on the television. You want to listen to the entire sermon and also look at the congregation he’s shaped over the years. It’s not shaped around hatred, it’s been very supportive of a predominantly white denomination. It’s fair game to assess the background of a candidate’s spiritual life, but it needs to be a fair assessment.

Q: Do you agree with Rev. Wright’s remarks about AIDS _ that it was invented by the U.S. government to oppress minorities?

A: While I’m reluctant to comment on any one sentence in a sermon lifted from its context, and particularly reluctant in light of the clear intent of many in recent days to attack the integrity of Dr. Wright using this kind of citation, if the question posed is “Do I think the U.S. government invented AIDS to oppress minorities?” my response would be “no.”

Q: You’ve said that sermons you’ve heard at Trinity UCC have been “prophetically challenging.” What do you mean by that?

A: Jeremiah Wright has always been prepared to offer a strong, biblically based critique of American society, whether it’s persistent racism, indifference to poverty or reliance on weapons to solve our problems. He uses provocative language and he’s very blunt in his criticism, much as the biblical prophets were. He challenges us to be a better church and a better nation.

Q: Had you ever heard him say things as controversial as those now circulating in sermon blips, such as the AIDS reference?

A: No, I never heard that kind of language firsthand.

Q: What was your first reaction when you heard it on the news?

A: My first reaction was: This does not reflect Jeremiah Wright or his preaching. It’s so clearly taken out of context. I’m more shocked by the attempts to discredit Rev. Wright than I am shocked by the language (he) used.

Q: You’ve said it’s not the UCC’s place to censure its pastors. But are there occasions when you would step in and say something to a pastor who was using anti-gay language, for instance?

A: There are certain givens: We are not going to tolerate racist language from the pulpit. There are certainly diverse perspectives on human sexuality in our denomination, but we are not going to tolerate rhetoric about gays and lesbians that’s demeaning or will incite prejudice and violence.

Q: Have you ever confronted a pastor over something like that?

A: No. I’ve never had occasion to do that.

Q: Did you talk to Sen. Obama before his speech last summer to ensure it wouldn’t get the UCC in hot water?

A: We had numerous conversations about that. The invitation was very clear that he was to talk about how his personal faith informs his public life. He really only referenced his campaign once in the entire speech. That may or may not have been appropriate but it was certainly not the dominant theme. As far as I’m concerned, he honored our invitation very well.

Q: What was your immediate reaction when he did reference his campaign?

A: My first reaction was: I hope he doesn’t go further with this. And he didn’t. There was a moment of anxiety, that this is not really what we wanted. But he quickly moved on and focused on other things.

(A full transcript of this interview is available at http://www.religionnnews.com/weblogs/religionblog/)

KRE/PH END BURKE

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A file photo of John Thomas is available via https://religionnews.com.