Kim Lawton: Pastoral Politics

Here's the letter you mentioned.

Open Letter To Senator Clinton From Diverse Group of Prominent Religious Leaders

Dear Senator Clinton:

We write to you as people of faith from many backgrounds who love our great country and are concerned with the present tenor of your campaign.

Today, you took a new and disquieting step when you decided that it would be to your political benefit to wade into the waters of the issues surrounding Senator Barack Obama and his former pastor. This crosses the line and brings us full force into the zone of the politics of personal destruction.

There are those among us who support Rev. Wright and believe his comments were deeply misconstrued. There are others among us who reject his words outright, even in context.

But across these lines, we stand together, White and Black, Protestant and Catholic, Christian and Jew.

No candidate should use religion as a tool to divide the American people, as you have done today. By engaging in the politics of personal destruction your campaign runs the risk of turning people off from participating in the democratic process – and that hurts us all. We need this race to be about the values that are important to the American people.

We need to end the war and promote peace around the globe. America needs real leadership to address the housing crisis, a fighter who will help lift up our economy, and we need a leader in the White House who will tackle issues surrounding world wide climate change.

We urge you to join the debates over those issues instead of using valuable time making personal attacks that diminish both our democracy and our moral standing.

Sincerely,

Dr. T. DeWitt Smith
President
Progressive National Baptist Convention*

Dr. Michael Battle
President Interdenominational Theological Seminary

Sr. Jamie T. Phelps, O.P., Ph.D.
New Orleans, LA

The Rt. Rev. Philip R. Cousin, Sr.
Senior Bishop
African Methodist Episcopal Church

Rev. Dr. Stephen John Thurston
President
National Baptist Convention of America

The Rev. Milton Cole
West Des Moines, IA

Rabbi Moshe Weisblum, Ph.D.
Annapolis, MD

The Rev. Chuck Currie
Portland, OR

Rabbi Abie Ingber
Cincinnati, OH

Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery
Atlanta, GA

*Note: Affiliations are listed for informational purposes only. Individuals signed this letter in their personal capacities, and not on behalf of their house of worship, denomination or organization.

*Note 2: While some signers are Obama supporters, this is an independent letter that was not authored, organized or driven by the Obama campaign.

http://chuckcurrie.blogs.com/chuck_currie/2008/03/diverse-group-o.html

Thank you for this letter. I have been concerned about Senator Clinton's efforts to cause division on many levels including class, race and now religion. I am in agreement with the sentiments expressed in the letter. Thank you for addressing these concerns.

Pastor Mark A Hosler
Cascade, MD

Until recently, many voters knew very little about Barack Obama. Sen. Obama has told us in the past that his faith was important to him. Voters should scrutinize the personal choices (e.g., choosing 'Black Liberation Theology') of a candidate which can influence his perception of the world and events taking place in the world.

Why did Barack Obama choose a spiritual adviser/mentor who taught 'Black Liberation Theology'?

Why did Barack Obama listen to 'Black Liberation Theology' for 20 years and give significant amounts of money to support the preaching of 'Black Liberation Theology'?

Why didn't Barack Obama choose a spiritual adviser/mentor who agrees with the teaching of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.? Rev. King warned against "drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred."

Linda Chavez wrote "Afrocentrism Is the Problem" in the 3/19/2008 edition of 'National Review Online.' Check the archives at:
http://www.nationalreview.com/archives/?q=MjAwODAzMTc