Quote of the Day: Jeremiah Wright & the Black Community

Today's quote of the day comes from Jonah Goldberg on NRO's The Corner, talking about issues of race as they pertain to the kerfuffle involving Barack Obama and his pastor:

First, it is complete nonsense that Jeremiah Wright speaks for the entire black community or the black church, whatever that is.

But, second and more important, if that were true then shame on the black church and the black community too. I am so sick of hearing talking heads saying that Wright's sermons are nothing unusual in black churches as if that somehow makes what he says ok. It's as if something disgusting and untrue is outrageous if one person believes it, but it's suddenly respectable if lots of people — or lots of black people — believe it. Hogwash.

(Funny how it's not a defense of evangelical Christians to say of Pat Robertson's blather "that sort of thing is said in white churches every Sunday.")

I second the motion

My favorite internet writer, Tony Woodlief, writes wistfully about what should be done with Pat Robertson:

Imagine that you wanted to foster among the public and the press the impression that Christians are ignorant, mean-spirited buffoons. How might you go about it, were you a clever person? Rather than attack Christians directly, you might instead find yourself a puffed-up, theologically ignorant preacher, and give him a nationally televised cable program focused on current events. Maybe you'd even have him run for president a few times, so everyone could enjoy his ill-considered ruminations, delivered in the smarmy, self-righteous tones of a Hollywood actor doing an over-the-top impression of a Christian. You might invent, in other words, Pat Robertson.

He goes on to note that Old Testament prophets who were wrong would be put to death, because it was obvious that God wasn't speaking through them (after all, God is never wrong). Lucky for Robertson, he's living in the 21st century and can be a wacko without fear of being thrown to the lions. Too bad, as Mr. Woodlief says, Robertson doesn't follow the lead of a real Old Testament figure and wait "in silence" for God's counsel.

Good stuff from Tony, as usual.