The Malediction of Pastor Wright

By now, we have all heard or read "pastor" Jeremiah Wright's malediction on the people of America! Barak's "uncle" did not scream these words from the village square (where he could be debated) but rather from the pulpit of a "church"!

This Easter Sunday, at the close of the service, my pastor pronounced the benediction (good word) to the people of Christ:

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace."

This is quite the opposite of what "pastor" Wright pronounced upon the people (the bad word) ... invoking the damnation of God upon His people. It is as if he asked God to turn His face and grace from us and to give us strife.

True Christianity teaches that we are unable to keep the 10 Commandments and that our fickle efforts at establishing our own righteousness will fall far short. We begin to see who we really are - depraved men and women who cannot merit the Lord's forgivensss for "by the deeds of the Law will no one be declared righteous"! Scripture also teaches us that by believing through faith in the finished work of Christ, His righteousness is imputed to us ... not "infused"! Knowing this helps us to be merciful ... hence the benediction's pronouncement.

To "pastor" Wright, I would repeat the words of Paul to the Galatians: "But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?"

"The 10 Commandments are fulfilled on one word: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

A true pastor would exhibit true fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

I recently read an article by Tom Ascol in "Tabletalk" and a few of his words are worth repeating:

"Self-deception is an insidious condition. You will never meet a person who knows that he is self-deceived. By definition, those ensnared are completely unaware that they are."