Black Liberation Theology not Biblical!

WRIGHT IS WRONG!
By Steve Fair

Should an individual be held accountable for remarks their pastor or spiritual mentor state in a public sermon? Should a political candidate be questioned on the tenets of their religion? If a person is running for the highest office in the land, should they be questioned on their theology- their view of God? That’s some of the questions being debated in the media today, primarily because Senator Barrick Obama’s former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, made a number of very controversial statements in his sermons. To get a handle on the entire situation, we must examine the basis of what Wright believes.

The Rev. Wright advocates “black liberation theology,” which views the study of God from the perspective of an oppressed people. Black Liberation Theology seeks to interpret the gospel against the backdrop of historical and contemporary racism. The message of black theology is that the African American struggle for liberation is consistent with the gospel--every theological statement must be consistent with, and perpetuate, the goals of liberation.

The theology maintains that African Americans must be liberated from multiple forms of bondage- social, political, economic, and religious. This liberation involves empowerment and seeks the right of self-definition, self affirmation, and self determination.

In the preface of his book Black Theology and Black Power, the Rev. James Cone, a Methodist and the pioneer of Black Liberation Theology stated, "For me, the burning theological question was, how can I reconcile Christianity and Black Power, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s idea of nonviolence, and Malcolm X's 'by any means necessary philosophy?'"

Where did Liberation theology originate? According to fellow blogger, Dr. Bobhttp://docisinblog.com/, who is a physician in the Pacific Northwest, “Liberation theology sprouted from Marxist syncretism in Latin America, and has subsequently spread to many liberal Protestant denominations as well. Its core premise — the centrality of class warfare in human relationships — is inherently incompatible with the unity of Christians in Christ.” Black Liberation Theology emphasizes race instead of grace.

Basically, Liberation Theology is an attempt to interpret Scripture through the plight of the poor. It is largely a humanistic doctrine. If the liberationist would set aside his viewing of scripture with preunderstanding, he would discover that the gap between the rich and the poor is not the cause of man's predicament; it is merely one symptom of it (Jer. 5:26-29). It was not primarily the establishment that needed to be overthrown; it was man's sin - his selfishness and greed - that needed conquering (1 Pet. 2:24). It was not fundamentally a political revolution that was needed, but a revolution in the human heart - something found only in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), who came not to be a model political revolutionary but to die on the cross for man's sins as the Lamb of God (Matt. 26:26-28). Did Christ liberate His people? Yes, but from spiritual death, not financial poverty.

Does Senator Obama believe the tenets of Black Liberation theology and is he an evanglical Christian? It’s a fair question, particularly since former Governor Mitt Romney had to answer questions about his affiliation with the Mormon Church.

In an interview with his hometown newspaper, The Chicago Sun Times, Obama was asked if he considered himself an “evangelical.” He responded by saying, "Gosh, I'm not sure if labels are helpful here because the definition of an evangelical is so loose and subject to so many different interpretations. I came to Christianity through the black church tradition where the line between evangelical and non-evangelical is completely blurred. Nobody knows exactly what it means. "Does it mean that you feel you've got a personal relationship with Christ the savior? Then that's directly part of the black church experience. Does it mean you're born-again in a classic sense, with all the accoutrements that go along with that, as it's understood by some other tradition? I'm not sure." Obama said about the Rev. Wright, “Most importantly, Rev. Wright preached the gospel of Jesus, a gospel on which I base my life.” “In other words, he has never been my political advisor; he’s been my pastor. And the sermons I heard him preach always related to our obligation to love God and one another, to work on behalf of the poor, and to seek justice at every turn.”

In spite of his name and all the Internet trash you may have seen, Obama is not a Muslim. Obama is a professing Christian who evidently believes in a liberal humanistic theology of relativism that advocates wealth redistribution and racism. No one should be held accountable for what their pastor states in a sermon. All too often, pastors interject their personal editorial into the sermon and while it “fires” up the troops; those sidebar comments are not always biblically based. However, when you are a twenty-year member of a church where the pastor makes controversial anti-American, racist statements and you remain a member of that body, you have to believe the dogma. The Senator has some explaining to do.