Trinity members pray for Wright, Obama
TRINITY CHURCH | Congregation backs both men
Last week, people across the country tuned in to Rev. Jeremiah Wright's comments during a press conference at the National Press Club. Hopes were high that bridges would be mended.
Instead, Wright's comments had the opposite effect. On Tuesday, at a press conference in North Carolina, Obama finally disowned Wright, calling his comments an offense to "all Americans."
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On Sunday, members of Trinity United Church of Christ continued to praise Wright as a "good man" but seemed to understand why Obama finally cut all ties to Wright.
Billy Butler, 64, says Obama's distancing himself from Wright was the "politically expedient thing to do." Butler had hoped the press conference would be the opportunity for his pastor, who is retiring this month, to show America he's not the villain he is being portrayed to be in the media.
"After that press conference, people should have been able to say, 'He's not the devil I thought he was'," Butler said. "But instead, it was a real disaster."
In the nearly three-hour service, the church's message was "we can all agree to disagree," said Derek Upton, 55, who lives in Downstate Danville but often visits his former church. "Politics should not be about religion. With all that has surfaced, the thing that hopefully will still come out of all this is a dialogue."
Despite their falling-out, both Wright and Obama are still held in high esteem by the congregation.
"Maybe Rev. Wright went a bit over the top last week, and Obama had to do what he had to do," said Jerry Tylor. "No one is mad at Obama. We are praying for both of them. They are both great men."
Ruth Glass, 62, simply hopes love wins out in the end.
"Obama is a very, very good man," said Glass. "And Rev. Wright is a wonderful man. I believe in love, and we have to move on from here."