One normally does not expect to hear a political attack during a sermon on Easter Sunday, but that's exactly what the congregation of St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., received this weekend.
“The captains of the religious right are always calling us back, back, back. For blacks to be back in the back of the bus, for women to be back in the kitchen, for gays to be in the closet and for immigrants to be on their side of the border,” the Rev. Luis Leon said.
“What you and I understand,” he added, “is that when Jesus says, 'You can't hang onto me,' he says, 'You know it's not about the past, it's not about the before, it's not about the way things were, but about the way things can be in the now.'”
Normally, such a statement would not make news except that the congregation in this service included President Barack Obama and his family, who walked the short distance to the church.
The comments drew sharp criticism from conservatives who felt the attacks were false and divisive.
“I guess my expectations are too high to expect otherwise from this president, especially on Easter,” said a post at the conservative blog, The Right Scoop.
Jim Hoft of the Gateway Pundit called the pastor a “jerk,” and readers of several conservative sites expressed outrage over the comments.
John Hayward wrote at Human Events that if, “Rev. Leon cannot back up his slander with sourced quotes, he should either apologize or face public shame, and Barack Obama should lead the way in the shaming.”
On Monday, Fox News' Megyn Kelly said it was wrong for Leon to “bombard” the congregation with an overtly political message on Easter and reminded viewers of the outrage many on the left expressed after Dr. Ben Carson's speech at the National Prayer Breakfast.
Making matters worse, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney dismissed the comments when pressed by Fox News' Ed Henry.
“Do you think this kind of language changes the tone in a positive way?” Henry asked.
“Well again, he is not a politician. This is not a senator, a member of congress, or the president. This is a sermon at a church here that has been visited by presidents of both parties for many, many years. I don't have anything more on it for you,” Carney said.
The Washington Post observed that Leon did not walk back his political comments.
“When asked to discuss his criticism of political conservatives, he said: 'I will keep my thoughts there,'” the Post reported.
The church has a long history that goes back to the days of James Madison, and has a pew set aside for the president.
So I take it this is not to be confused with the thousands of political attack sermons delivered in conservative churches every Sunday?
Broad statements like that w/o any sources mean nothing. Provide actual examples with links. Then we can discuss your allegations. Until then, they are just straw man arguments intended to distract from the story. Sorry, that tactic doesn’t work on me.
So tell me, Sam, do you support these kind of attacks from the pulpit if conservatives are the target? Is this what we’ve come to now?
Faith is always political. Worship is especially political because in occurs in the public sphere. I feel that the religious right has enjoyed a unique measure of privilege in our nation for speaking on political matters from the pulpit. When those of us who are not on the far right do so, we receive criticism for making faith political. Faith is dead if it does not shape how we live, and political preaching is as old as Christianity itself. Tertullian criticizes the wealth of the western church by preaching, “the jewels in your chalice are crushing the poor.”
Let our mouths be brave, our ears open to hear, and our spirits free of enmity.
Attack? Or speaking out for justice? One’s villain is another’s hero. It can and does work both ways. But more substantively, if you’ve decided that you’re going to orient your life towards making a world that is fair and safe for all to pursue life, liberty, and happiness as they choose (as American an idea as you can get), you can’t help but want to speak out against a culture that wants to disadvantage and disenfranchise gays, women and workers. You see it as an attack but I’m sure that this pastor sees it as a prophetic call for justice and the practice of a righteous life. Not unlike how conservative pastors see themselves when they speak out against nationalized health care and gay marriage, right?
So, slander from the pulpit is okay if conservatives are the target. Got it.
Attack? Or simply speaking the truth?
That’s not even close to what I was saying, Joe.
Why can’t people just simply say this comment was inappropriate for an Easter message? Why justify it? Is it because conservatives are the target? This is why we are so divided as a nation, and now, Easter Sunday can be politicized.
Boil your comments down, Sam, and that’s EXACTLY what you’re saying.
This could make an interesting Viewpoints question. Is it ever appropriate to preach politics?
Look, I’m going to take a pass here. I’ve had this round-robin argument with American conservatives so many, many times and frankly, it’s finally dawning on me how pointless it is. There is so much of life to be enjoyed and experienced outside of political muck and feuding. Every time I have a discussion with you or with many other conservatives, I just want to take a shower and a nap afterwards. It’s draining and futile.
I guess people are going to see into things whatever it is they most want to see. It’s not a process that I can even dream of stopping. It’s been going on for millennia and will go on for millennia to come. I don’t mind speaking the truth about my beliefs but I think the “dialog”, if you can even call it that, has no real point at all except as some sort of armchair entertainment. People are going to align themselves with ideologies that they enjoy or feel comfortable with, and no matter how many times you point out inconsistencies, or try to make a reasoned argument, what point does it really serve? The satisfaction of doling out a slick come-back? Please.
I have never once seen someone actually change as the result of intellectual bickering. When I’ve seen, and experienced in my own life, meaningful ideological change is when someone sees pain in the world, and does something to try to mend that actual, living person’s pain. I really couldn’t care any less what someone says from a pulpit thousands of miles away. It makes no difference to me or my family or any of my neighbors. Who gives a shit? A political attack sermon doesn’t feed one hungry mouth or heal one broken heart. It just feeds a little more ammo into the big gun that our corporatized political system holds to our heads so they can make a few more meaningless bucks. It’s a ridiculous system.
So I’ve taken to keeping sealed bags of nutritious food for the homeless in my car. I give money to gay rights causes so someone just like me in every way as a human being can marry the man he loves, and enjoy the same support and joy marriage brings that I have with my wife. I think that’s important. I try to be a shoulder for someone to cry on. Those things do seem to make a difference in this crazy and broken-up world. Admittedly, it’s not much. There are lots of homeless people, more than I could ever hope to feed. There are lots of people feeling pain and misery in their lives, sometimes caused by the very people who they trust for help. It’s a big mountain and a big rock to push up it, and honestly, I’m not even that strong or good at it. But it’s something, I suppose. It’s more than these dumb and pointless arguments with conservatives.
I don’t want to do this inane feuding routine anymore. If the “game” was going to be won by discussion and words and feuding, it would have been won many times already by the sheer volume of politically charged discourse going on in this world — blasted at us 24/7 on the internet, the most lavish and expensive toy we ever invented as a substitute for real life. You’d think we’d have figured it out by now. But it goes on and on, endlessly and fruitlessly. Try to form a reasoned argument, and have your words thrown back in your face, with a punchy little twist in there to make you feel bad. I’m sure “both sides” (why are there only ever two sides?) do it. They’re trained to do it by punditry and TV and politicians with vested interest in keeping the fight going. I’m beginning to think that all of us are really just being used to promote financial interest other than our own.
Why insult me, Joe? I think you’re otherwise a decent guy. I think you’re a great guy to have a beer with and swap stories. You seem to have lived an admirable life. I don’t the relationship with you, and with fellow Americans, to be on these terms. I’m really done with it.
I’m fairly certain that what will follow this post is a lot of angry conservatives telling me how I’m brainwashed by Obama, or part of the antichrist’s personal entourage, or whatever. I don’t care. I’m satisfied and happy with my own ideological preferences, because they’re good preferences that are oriented around helping the hurting. It makes me feel good and happy to support gays, and to be a feminist, and to elect leaders that want a greater number of people to be free to pursue their happiness. I’m learning that that’s what’s really important. What’s not important is to try to convince people who are also quite happy where they’re at to change over to my point of view. It’s just not going to happen, so why should I care?
“Don’t wrestle with a pig. You’ll just get dirty and the pig will love it.”
Joe,
Are you familiar with “Pulpit Freedom Sunday” last Oct when 1500 sermons were given about who to vote for… hint it was not Obama. http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/petermontgomery/6459/pastors_urged_to_defy_irs_to_defeat_evil,_hitlerian_obama/
I don’t know what to say about the sermon as I haven’t looked for the full transcript, but I agree that PARTISAN politics should not be involved in sermons. It weakens the proclamation of the Gospel. Now if you spoke out against Pulpit Freedom Sunday last Oct, I must have missed it. So the question comes back to you. Was the sermons of all those pastors calling on their flocks to vote for Romney and not Obama wrong as what this Pastor said? If so say so. and take out of the context of left right and say so. If not, then you seem not to have much to complain about. What is good for the goose is good for the gander.
I personally believe neither of the two political parties are very Christian. Nor should they be. Jesus repeatedly turn down human power and the calls for him to be earthly King. The most radical thing we Christians can do is still love neighbor and God. We Christian do that and we are the most powerful political force without ever holding political office.
Ernesto, I’m familiar with the Pulpit Freedom project, but I don’t believe I was writing here at the time. Like you, I did not see a transcript of the sermons so I can’t comment on them and I don’t intend to. I was, however, covering the election quite heavily at Examiner, including the daily death threats and blind hatred that was routinely thrown at conservatives (and still is) — something practically no media outlet mentioned. Were you aware that for nearly an entire month a Facebook page advocated murdering Mitt Romney?
I agree that as Christians, we are charged with loving God and our neighbors as ourselves, and I agree that Christians are a very powerful political force.
Sam, not insulting you at all — I think you’re a pretty decent guy as well and I’ve always thought we could agree to disagree agreeably. Just trying to get you to see that these statements are not only inappropriate in a message intended to celebrate the resurrection of Christ (something I think we both agree on), but they are demonstrably false and have no place in any pulpit IMHO.
And BTW, I agree wholeheartedly that a “political attack sermon doesn’t feed one hungry mouth or heal one broken heart.” If anything, it only leads to more broken hearts.
Just my .02 worth.
Joe, Dr Leon’s Easter sermon has not yet been uploaded to the church’s webpage. So, curious, I listened to his Palm Sunday sermon. I found it intriguing that he began the sermon by naming what I believe to be true: Palm Sunday is the most political Sunday of the liturgical year. And while his Palm Sunday sermon was one that my far right fundamentalist siblings would certainly have labeled ‘political’, I heard him preaching the gospel of Jesus of Nazareth. Along with Liv, I experience following Jesus as adamantly political. Virtually everything Jesus had to say is about the polis – the community – and how we order our life together. [note that ‘far right fundamentalist’ is descriptive, not pejorative – I am happy to claim the label ‘far left socialist’]
Joe,
There is no shortage of vitriol on any side of the political spectrum. I too received some really nasty attacks when I was writing for Sojo.net advocating for Healthcare (including form conservatives who said they wish my baby harm). By the way, I was advocating introducing more market forces into the system (they did not even bother reading the article and see that I was not advocating for obamacare. They only saw reform and health together and assumed). You seem to think that vitriol one side is acceptable, but on the other proof of blind hatred. Let me introduce you to Pastor James David Manning of Atlah World Ministries, who in a sermon called Obama “Mack Daddy” and says that he has pimped white women and black women (yes, he made a distinction as between the two) in an effort to get his campaign started. In that sermon, he further refers to Obama as trash, Obama’s father as “African in heat father” and Obama’s mother as “a trashy white woman” before later referring to Obama as an “emissary of the devil” – yes, this all from a man who professes to be a man of God.
Until decent God fearing men like yourself call out fellow conservatives and decent God fearing liberals call out fellow liberals saying that their is no room for that in the Kingdom of God, we will be focus the the speck of others and not look at the log in our own. Wait… now who said that?
Ernesto,
You wrote that I “seem to think that vitriol one side is acceptable” but based on what, exactly? My quoting what other people said? Please. I kept my own opinion out of this article, but made my opinion quite clear in the comments.
You also wrote that “on the other proof of blind hatred.” Actually, Ernesto, if you care to follow my work at Examiner, you will find hundreds of articles I have written on left-wing hatred. I don’t need to _prove_ anything – the actions and words of the people I write about speak for themselves.
Are there idiots on both sides of the political spectrum? Yes. Are there idiots professing to teach the divinely inspired, inerrant word of God? Absolutely. And Jesus had a warning for them, which as I recall, involved something worse than a millstone hung around their neck before being flung into the sea.
Joe,
You prove my point. There are many “liberal” examiner writers that catalog what they perceive as conservative hatred. They could also say “if you care to follow my work at Examiner, you will find hundreds of articles I have written on right-wing hatred. I don’t need to _prove_ anything – the actions and words of the people I write about speak for themselves.”
There is a whole cottage industry for this kind of cataloging. Moral outrage at the perceived other brings a certain titillation and pleasure–left or right. It is also useless for what my Lord Jesus calls us to … loving God and loving others. Many have many careers and become rich doing so, Rush Limbaugh, Steve Colbert etc. Yet, Jesus calls to a radical other way of life.
Yes, it is easy to catalog the foibles of humanity, and think oneself better than the other. Which is why Jesus calls us to look at own own selves before indulging in moral superiority. I remember when President Bush was in office having to defined him from attacks that he was a tyrant. He was not. (if he was he would not have given up power) Now others are calling President Obama a tyrant. He is not. After his term is up he will give up power. When you only see and catalog the wrong of the other, you start to lose thinking of the other as human. Jesus was right about this, we start losing our humanity.
“If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Words to live by by my favorite guy.
Nice dodge, Ernesto. You still did not answer my question. Oh, well. Have a nice day, Ernesto.
Joe,
If you only catalog the perceived other side’s vitriol and ignore the “your” sides vitriol, then your are committing the sin of omission. I have had the exact conversation with liberals who only see darkness from conservatives. Any article about liberal’s vitriol can be matched by conservative’s vitriol. Human beings are human beings, despite their political opinion. I point out what Jesus says and you say it is a dodge. Here is a liberal blogger that does the exact same thing you do but as a liberal that you do as a conservative. http://www.examiner.com/liberal-in-orlando/robert-sobel It is not hard to find. I suspect that you would be feel unfavorably characterized by his articles. (Maybe, many thoughtful liberals have the same thought about your articles. Just a thought.)
After a while, such views have effects, people blind themselves and see things in Manichean ways. Good guys/bad guys which is opposed to how Christians understand humans: all bad guys needing God’s grace. For heaven sake, I have seen this effect with fans of sports teams. Yankee fans see Dodger fans as morally suspect. (really and if you add college allegiances to the mix, Michigan fans really don’t see anything good about Ohio State fans. How silly is that?)
I asked is can you love people even if they don’t agree with you? That is a harder cross to bare.
Ernesto,
“Loving” someone in the unconditional “agape” way taught by Christ does not automatically assume that everyone must agree on everything. For starters, that would make for one really boring existence. We are all individuals with different worldviews and opinions.
We can, however, agree to disagree agreeably and respect each other’s opinions.
Joe,
I hope you did not think that I say you should agree with people to love them. First, that is impossible. I can’t agree with Hawks or Doves at the same time. We can agree and disagree and we can even disrespect someone’s opinion for none of us are wholly our opinions. A drug addict who has opinion about the good his addiction does should have that opinion respected. But, he is more than his opinion.
We are called to do is respect the personhood or dignity of all. All have the image of God reflected within their being.
I have no doubt that many of my opinions are bad and false. Eating that potato chips really is that bad for me. (and then I wonder about how I gained weight … I am silly as the rest of humanity). Humility is simply facing this truth that all humans fall short and need God’s grace.