"Preachers, Politicians, Power and a Surprise Announcement" by Rev. Thomas Schade

Tue Mar 25 14:27:51 EDT 2008

M I N I S T E R’ S   M E M O

“Preachers, Politicians, Power and a Surprise Announcement”

Ministers and preachers everywhere are basking in their new-found power. It
turns out that we hold the fate of the nation in our hands, at least the
prospects of all the Presidential candidates hostage to our opinion. If any
of the members of First Unitarian Church in Worcester are contemplating
running for President in the future (and I think that some of them could do
the job quite well, and with honor), they should remember that our services
are recorded, and that they will be held accountable for all that Rev.
Merritt and I say, no matter how, um “intemperate.” I think that prudence
dictates that anyone with political ambitions should be in church every
week, and if that is not the most naked effort to manipulate people into
coming to church, we’re still working on it.

Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ is all
over the news these days, because he is Barack Obama’s pastor and he said
some things that “harshed the mellow” of those that thought the USA had
entered into a post-racial era when Bill Cosby donned his colorful sweater
and became Dr. Clifford Huxtable on the Cosby Show back in the 80’s.

Rev. Wright is not named Jeremiah for nothing. Read the book of Jeremiah in
the scripture. Along with many repeated warnings of impending doom and
disaster for the ancient kingdom of Judea, there are some very interesting
stories. At one point in his career, Jeremiah preached regularly to the
crowds outside the Temple, wearing nothing but his underwear. Another time,
Jeremiah, while expounding on his favorite theme, that of Judea’s
unfaithfulness to God, called the Temple "a den of thieves,” and said that
it would not be surprising that God would destroy it, as God had destroyed
the temple at Shiloh. His listeners misunderstood him as calling for the
destruction of the Temple. Before he could say that he was being “quoted out
of context,” the crowd seized Jeremiah and was preparing to string him up.
This happened before talk radio, blogs and 24 hour cable news. Fortunately,
a relative of the King intervened and saved his life.

The Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright was the featured speaker at the Unitarian
Universalist Minister’s Association annual Ministry Days last summer in
Portland, Oregon. His theme was that “different is not deficient.” And even
though I am allergic to political piety and political correctness in many
forms, I thought he was interesting, humane and informative. He brought, to
me, some information about West African languages, and their grammar, that
survive in what gets called “ebonics” in African American speech. He was
scholarly and passionate. Just so you know that I have some experience with
the man.

Much of the dispute about Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama arises because
most people do not understand the relationship between the Minister and the
Congregant in the Free Church tradition, a tradition that not only includes
Unitarians, but also Congregationalists like the UCC, and Baptists, even
Southern ones. (Even the Rev. Gov. Mike Huckabee.)

Jeremiah Wright and Barack Obama, like you and I, are bound in a covenant of
free persons. Consider what a remarkable historical development such a
relationship is. The western Religious tradition, and Christianity in
particular, starts with the idea that God rules the world. From that, it
developed that God’s institution on Earth had authority over other persons
and the authoritarian church was born. And yet, it developed further into
the belief that God rules all persons equally, and not some people through
others’ authority.

The relationship between the religious leader and the rank and file believer
in our tradition became defined as mutual respect for each other’s freedom.
The religious leader is a preacher, one who persuades, rather than a priest,
one who performs rituals and sacraments. Mr. Wright cannot define Mr. Obama’
s beliefs, nor can Mr. Obama demand that Mr. Wright be restricted to only
those opinions that are useful for Mr. Obama’s ambitions. Their relationship
is one that respects the freedom of the other, and such relationships are at
the core of the free and respectful society this nation is moving toward.
They are dynamic relationships of give and take and mutual influence, not
domination and subordination. Whatever we think of Senator Obama and Rev.
Wright, we should be willing to explain our way of being religious to others
who may have other expectations.

And now for that surprise announcement.

I have requested and been granted by the Prudential Committee, a sabbatical
from June 8 to November 30 of this year. According to custom and my initial
letter of agreement to serve this church, I accumulate one month of
sabbatical time per year of service. This is my ninth year of service. I
took three months sabbatical in the winter of 2004. In both 2004 and 2008, I
am combining sabbatical time with one month of vacation.

I am 58 years old and have, if all goes well, about 7 years of ministry left
before I retire. I need this sabbatical time to refresh myself, recharge my
energy sources and refocus my ministry on what is most important for these
years ahead. Thank you for allowing me this remarkable benefit. Wouldn’t it
be better if more people had this chance to rest and refocus?

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