In response to recent media reports on the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s inflammatory remarks behind the pulpit, the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago issued a statement Saturday defending Wright, who became pastor of the church in 1972 and retired this year.
“It is an indictment on Dr. Wright’s ministerial legacy to present his global ministry within a 15- or 30-second sound bite,” said the Rev. Otis Moss III, pastor of the Trinity United Church of Christ, in the statement.
In widely disseminated video clips of past sermons, Wright calls on blacks to condemn the United States for alleged racism and suggests government-sponsored terrorism led to the 9/11 attacks.
During his tenure as pastor of the church, Wright helped develop social welfare programs, including health care, a church library, prison ministries and scholarships, according to the statement.
In a separate statement Monday, the Rev. John H. Thomas, United Church of Christ general minister and president, criticized attacks against Wright. He said the intention of media personalities is to wound a presidential candidate and caricaturize a congregation.
“Are we to pretend all is well because much is, in fact, better than it used to be?” Thomas said in the statement. “Is it racist to name the racial divides that continue to afflict our nation, and to do so loudly?”
The Brite Divinity School, an independent institution located on the TCU campus, has recently come under fire for affirming its decision to honor Wright at a banquet March 29.
Calls to the Trinity United Church of Christ seeking comment on the award were not returned.
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