Wright/Obama

This week I listened to the podcast of Bill Moyers interviewing Jeremiah Wright (find it by searching at PBS.org). I have to say, what Rev. Wright says is not particularly new, radical, or terrible. He speaks the truth the way I think religious leaders ought to speak the truth. The only reason it's controversial is because it's uncomfortable for those of us who don't like to acknowledge our own history and our own involvement in unfair social systems. I talked about it with a colleague who studied with James Cone (as far as I know, the guy who started Black Liberation Theology) at Union Theologial Seminary in New York. My colleague (a white gay man) pointed out Cone's analysis applied here: Wright is a prophet from the outside (in the ancient Israelite stories, someone like Micah who was a poor farmer in the kingdom). Barack Obama is a prophet from within (in ancient Israelite stories, more like Isaiah (a court prophet who worked for kings). What they say, how they say it, and how they move depends deeply on their position in the system. I like this analysis. My colleague then went on to suggest that Obama proposes solutions that seek to unite whereas Wright proposes critiques that tend to divide. I can see how that's sort of true, but it gives Wright the short end of analysis. As he himself points out, it's not his critiques, but the system itself, that divides. I also see a different role for him as a prophet. If he's speaking from the outside, is it his responsibility to propose solutions? I'm not convinced--isn't that our role as insiders, to listen to critique, form our own, and propose solutions? At the same time, as someone who is certainly inside (and often privileged in) most social systems, I can't help but rue his choice to speak now, knowing that it may damage Obama's chances of getting elected.