Jeremiah Wright’s “God Damn” Sermon

Prophets are unapolegetic. They call it as it is given to them, or as they see it. In 1898 some folks may have thought that the philosopher, William James, the Harvard philosopher was suffering from monomania or was "slightly wacky" when he “said that Americans were guilty of ‘murdering another culture’ and concluded one of his speeches by declaring ‘God damn the U.S. for its vile conduct in the Philippines!’” (See Stephen Kinzer, Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change From Hawaii to Iraq, Times Books, 2006, ISBN 0-8050-7861-4 p.54.) Whatever your feelings about the involvement of America in other places today, what do you think will happen to someone passionate enough to publicly say “God damn the U.S.A"? Okay, so you already know the answer. They may find themselves the subject of a cover story of the New York Times. (See NY Times, Thursday, April 29, 2008) Someone might claim that you are grabbing your 30-second spot of fame. They may attempt to mock your intellect by calling you "...a voluble, vain and erudite entertainer, a born televangelist who quotes Ralph Ellison as well as the Bible and mixes highfalutin academic trope with salty stree talk." Of course Christians know this sort of thing happens to prophets. Prophets may also become famous, and they may require body guards for their inflamatory observations. John the Baptist had his head cut off. In 1967 Martin Luther King said, “… my country is the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.” He talked about how the economy of the USA was dependant on exploitation and violence… One year later, King lay dead at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. William James never backed down. In so many volumes Jamese challenged his professional colleagues, and readers not to let a narrow mindset prevent honest appraisal and dialogue. The Rev. Wright should not back down either. He has no good reason to be apologitic about his "God damn" message.