A Time for Burning was called by The New York Times, “A glowing beauty.” It is a genuinely gripping film, produced at the height of the Civil Rights Movement in 1966. It poignantly captures the mood of those times in ways that would still open the eyes of many who either did not live in the 1960s or who have too easily, and far too quickly, forgotten that era.

The award-winning director of A Time for Burning is San Francisco filmmaker Bill Jersey, who earned his B. A. at Wheaton College and his M.A. in film at USC. This controversial film, which was actually rejected by the three major networks, examines the issue of race through the lens of two primary characters, one of whom is the Rev. William Youngdahl, the pastor of Augustana Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska. The other is a local black barber who tells Youngdahl, in a moving scene that should shout at any Christian who cares about the […]

My morning Chicago suburban paper, The Daily Herald, has a front page story titled: "Misplaced Scrutiny: Suburban Black Clergy Speak." It includes interviews with five African American ministers in my region commenting on the present Wright-Obama controversy. It is safe to say that four of the five ministers clearly see Jeremiah Wright’s comments this last week as over-the-edge and inflammatory. But is is also safe to say they understand the reasons for this very differently than most white Christians. What was helpful to me was reading how serious Christian leaders in the black community understand and now process this national controversy.

1. They believe that the media is using Wright to unfairly attack Obama. They see, in most cases, that there is a "subtle" institutional racism in this response. Terms like "political posturing and propaganda applied unfairly to a candidate" jump out at me from the interview.

2. They further believe that Jeremiah Wright has done a great deal of good and almost none of that matters to the media at all. One man said, "I know his church. I […]

I have made several points about Jeremiah Wright that have either brought about some not so sympathetic responses or very encouraging dialog and expressions of appreciation.
This is clearly not a win-win debate. I stand by what I have written to this point and believe my central points, about race and racism, are extremely important to the missional mandate of Christ in the American Church. I stand by my point that most of us who are white are not prepared to seriously enter into this much needed dialog.

After returning home from Dallas tonight, and sorting through the news cycle of the last two days, there is much more before us about Wright’s words now. This is especially true after Wright’s post-speech comments at the National Press Club were digested and watched by millions of us.

First, Senator Obama seems […]

Rev. Jeremiah Wright is back in the news this weekend. I would have to guess the Obama campaign wishes he wasn’t but the minister will not keep quiet. Personally I am glad he is not keeping quiet. These events demonstrate something the Christian Right and Left both need to see and hear—truly prophetic ministry cannot keep quiet in the face of polticial debate. Wright, you could argue, is probably harming Barack Obama’s campaign. I feel sure that he not only understands this but he regrets it deep inside. But he can’t be kept silent now that he has become a household name and has been afforded a national platform. He is showing both courage and biblically prophetic ministry by speaking opening and candidly.

I have watched several of Wright’s addresses and watched some of the critique from the right. I am, frankly, more convinced than ever that this controversy has demonstrated the truly deep racial divide in America more than anything that […]