The Very Most United Church of Christ

Peter Dawson FriendFed me a post tha links to a New York Times article that speculates that Muslims may regard Barack Obama as an apostate who converted to Christianity.

But that's not the interesting part of this conversation for me.

In a Hot Air comment, "faraway" stated the following:

Can someone provide a link that shows that Obama is a Christian, and:

1. Believes that Jesus rose again?
2. Believes that Jesus is more than just a prophet? (Muslims believe Jesus was a prophet)
3. Obama has been baptised?

I have heard people say Obama is a Christian because he attends Trinity. I don’t see Trinity as being a Christian church at all.

faraway then launched into a series of comments, but let's stick with faraway's original question.

Even before we look at the church's doctrine, we can look at its name. The name of the church itself, which implies that Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are God, is itself complete heresy to any believing Muslim (or, as I noted in StumbleUpon, any believing Jew).

Now let's turn to the statement of faith:

United Church of Christ Statement of Faith in the form of a doxology

We believe in you, O God, Eternal Spirit, God of our Savior Jesus Christ and our God, and to your deeds we testify: You call the worlds into being, create persons in your own image,and set before each one the ways of life and death. You seek in holy love to save all people from aimlessness and sin. You judge people and nations by your righteous will declared through prophets and apostles. In Jesus Christ, the man of Nazareth, our crucified and risen Savior, you have come to us and shared our common lot, conquering sin and death and reconciling the world to yourself. You bestow upon us your Holy Spirit, creating and renewing the church of Jesus Christ, binding in covenant faithful people of all ages, tongues, and races. You call us into your church to accept the cost and joy of discipleship, to be your servants in the service of others, to proclaim the gospel to all the world and resist the powers of evil,to share in Christ's baptism and eat at his table, to join him in his passion and victory. You promise to all who trust you forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace, courage in the struggle for justice and peace, your presence in trial and rejoicing, and eternal life in your realm which has no end. Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto you. Amen.

We are a congregation which is Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian... Our roots in the Black religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an African people, and remain "true to our native land," the mother continent, the cradle of civilization. God has superintended our pilgrimage through the days of slavery, the days of segregation, and the long night of racism. It is God who gives us the strength and courage to continuously address injustice as a people, and as a congregation. We constantly affirm our trust in God through cultural expression of a Black worship service and ministries which address the Black Community.

The Pastor as well as the membership of Trinity United Church of Christ is committed to a 10-point Vision:

1. A congregation committed to ADORATION.
2. A congregation preaching SALVATION.
3. A congregation actively seeking RECONCILIATION.
4. A congregation with a non-negotiable COMMITMENT TO AFRICA.
5. A congregation committed to BIBLICAL EDUCATION.
6. A congregation committed to CULTURAL EDUCATION.
7. A congregation committed to the HISTORICAL EDUCATION OF AFRICAN PEOPLE IN DIASPORA.
8. A congregation committed to LIBERATION.
9. A congregation committed to RESTORATION.
10. A congregation working towards ECONOMIC PARITY.

I see nothing in this doxology that denies the Triune nature of God. But I did find something else that was interesting. You'll recall that when Jeremiah Wright got weird (only to get weirder), Obama made some statements regarding the retirement of Wright, noting that he was no longer pastoring the church. Here's a statement that Obama made in March:

"Had the reverend not retired and had he not acknowledged that what he had said had deeply offended people and were inappropriate and mischaracterized what I believe is the greatness of this country, for all its flaws, then I wouldn't have felt comfortable staying there at the church."

Well, I was naturally interested in the new pastor, so I went to the "Pastor" page at Trinity's website and found a biography of...Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Either Obama was lying, or Trinity needs to be "a congregation actively seeking a webmaster who will update Trinity's web site."

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