Obama Resigns From Trinity United Church

UPDATE: The Chicago Sun-Times Washington Bureau Chief Lynn Sweet has Obama's remarks at a press conference in South Dakota on his decision to resign from Trinity United Church Of Christ In Chicago:

"I have to say--this is one I did not see coming," said Obama. He said it has been months since he has been at the church, on Chicago's South Side. "I did not anticipate my fairly conventional Christian faith being subjected to such...scrutiny.

Obama sent a letter to the church with his resignation on Sunday; Obama called the press conference after the letter leaked to veteran Chicago journalist Monroe Anderson, a contributor to Ebony and Jet. Otherwise, Obama said, he would have not made his resignation known at this time.

"My faith is not contingent on the particular church I belong to and I do not believe that I am going through a religious test," he said.

+++++

EARLIER: Veteran Chicago journalist Monroe Anderson reported on his blog Saturday that Barack Obama and his family have resigned from Trinity United Church.

In the wake of the Father Michael Pfleger controversial sermon last Sunday at Trinity United Church of Christ, Barack Obama sent a letter yesterday resigning from his place of worship for the past 20 years.

I sort of, kind of, understand why he did it. But I'm also sort of, kind of, concerned about what this might portend for an Obama presidency.

Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Trinity are community building blocks that the right wing has turned into bricks to be thrown at presidential candidate Obama from now until the general election ends in November--and perhaps beyond.

The Chicago Sun-Times Washington Bureau Chief Lynn Sweet confirmed that the Obamas have left Trinity:

Obama spokesman Bill Burton confirmed that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) quit Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ. Obama "will answer questions this evening" about resigning from the church that helped Obama chart his course as a Christian, an Obama top adviser just told me.

Sweet also reported that Obama will address his departure from Trinity later Saturday:

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe just told me Obama's availability--where he will talk about ending his long relationship with Trinity will take place at about 8:15 p.m. eastern time tonight, from South Dakota, where he is campaigning in advance of Tuesday's primary vote.

Comments

[kidrips]

09:55 PM on 06/02/2008

On this issue, Obama can't win. His judgement will be questioned over the 20+ years in the church. And his loyalty and backbone will be in question by members of the church.

[Dendera]

05:04 PM on 06/02/2008

Why does America give a damn? Why are we so obsessed with a politician's religion, church, or whatever. When I was growing up, that was your private business. Separation of Church and State, anyone? Especially as an American living abroad -- it is deeply embarrassing to have to explain to people, be they religious or not, why Americans cannot focus on issues and domestic/world crisis and stop obsessing about a man or woman's religious affiliations or which minister gave them the nod or not.

Can we, as a nation, not grow up already?

[tbone99]

12:32 PM on 06/03/2008

Hey, you go to the booths with the electorate you have

[messstower]

04:43 PM on 06/02/2008

Can all Politicians Leave the Catholic Church NOW!!! I believe you are all in on the Molesting of Children. Now that statement is as DUMB as anyone that would believe that Obama has control over what goes on in his church. HAVE ALL THE POLITICIANS LEFT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH??????????????

[lavisiter]

01:16 AM on 06/03/2008

I left the Catholic church and SO have MILLIONS because we didn't want to be associated with all they hypocracy and UNCHECKED MEN!

[UltraClassic]

04:24 PM on 06/02/2008

This is funny, but a zebra can't change it's stripes.

[chrispychilla28]

04:43 PM on 06/02/2008

You are right, once a person is honest and forthright, they are always honest and forthright. I agree completely-

OBAMA 2008

landslide victory for the middle and lower class!!!!

[gonavy]

04:02 PM on 06/02/2008

It is sad that it came to this. No man should have to dump his church to run for president. But this was no ordinary church and Obama went there for 20 years. So, as sad as it is, it does not matter, the damage is done and cannot be undone.

[tbone99]

02:23 PM on 06/02/2008

After twenty years, resigns from his church during the rules committee meeting, during Saturday news dump time.,and a day or two after being endorsed by Rupert .Go figger!

[Mamai]

03:40 PM on 06/02/2008

Has anyone here actually LISTENED to Wright's comments in context (try youtube)? As a white female far left progressive, I hear ALL of his comments and shout AMEN. Hate speech? Excuse me, it is TRUTH speech. Black Liberation Theology? Bring it on - it is changing lives. I WISH white folks had such a curriculum to open their eyes. Christians? I can't stomach what is being said and done and waged in the name of 'Christianity.' I WANT a leader who will truly CHANGE the way this crap is done in Washington. I will GET someone who will try, try, try....then I will HOPE they can garner enough support to be successful. My older white female friends are livid that Hillary may lose to Obama--I hope they will not lose their minds and vote for McCain. I believe that you should vote with your head, not your heart, or your religious beliefs. Obama will need grassroots support on all levels to change politics as usual. Stop picking at him, SUPPORT him if he becomes our dem candidate. Please tell everyone you know to look past the media circus and focus on the facts - then vote! We need ALL American voices to try and save what's left of 'democracy' in this divided (into many, many parts) country.

[billaz1]

02:14 PM on 06/02/2008

How short people’s memories are. Doesn’t anyone remember that McCain made a far bigger religious change than Obama and it went right over the press's heads without questions? Obama is changing churches not religions. McCain changed religions. Since he was elected to congress for his first term he was Episcopalian then suddenly at the start of this election season he is now a Baptist. That is an actually a fairly larger theological change. McCain has never answered that the question. What was suddenly wrong with the Episcopalian faith that you had to change to being a Baptist? It doesn’t seem to have to do with faith but just politics so he could be on the "right" side of the issues like anti-abortion, anti-gay rights, pro-armageddon the Jews must return to Israel before the second coming, ect.

[Zhonni]

02:36 PM on 06/02/2008

You mean a denominational change.

You are a Christian no matter your denomination--Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Anglican, Episcopalian e.t.c.

It is when you convert to Judaism, Paganism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism e.t.c. that you changed you religion.

[realpolitic]

08:44 PM on 06/02/2008

Are you saying McCain has become a pagan? He worships the river gods!!

[OkieMon]

12:28 PM on 06/02/2008

obama sleeze machine....don't resign when you need the black vote....resign when you no longer need them....

[StillIRise]

03:56 PM on 06/02/2008

As an African American, and assuming the liberty to speak on behalf of most African Americans who support Senator Obama, Senator Obama's affiliation with Trinity was never an issue with us, and his choice to remain at Trinity or to resign had no impact on our support for him, one way or the other. As a Chicagoan, I am familiar with both Trinity United Church of Christ and Reverend Wright, as well as with Father Pfleger, and though I personally take issue with some of the things they have said or done, as I would with anyone whose behavior intentionally or unintentionally undermines a presidential candidate, I am familiar enough with them to know that they have been grossly misrepresented by the media. The contributions of both Reverend Wright and Father Pfleger to the greater community far outweigh the significance of soundbites or one or two incidents of unseemly behavior. Nonetheless, the black church is a unique experience to the African American community, which enables us to put in context what many white Americans find offensive or inexplicable because it contradicts their experience. Yet, most intelligent and objective and fair-minded white Americans have been able to extend themselves beyond their own experience and embrace Senator Obama as well, in spite of the guilt-by-association effort by others to discredit him. In fact, the only ones who have been influenced by this tactic are those who are simply looking for an excuse to reject him.

[realpolitic]

08:29 PM on 06/02/2008

You speak of an Obama "sleeze" machine because he made a very personal decision of leaving a church. Bush gets us into war on phony intelligence, totally politicizes the Justice Department, does not enforce environmental laws, torutres, listens to our phone calls, and discards habeas corpus protections, and you speak of an Obama sleeze machine. Where have you been the last eight years? Obama is a good man who made a painful decision to leave a church where he found spiritual nourishment. It is for the most part a private decision. What Bush has been doing effects us all, and unfortunately, McCain's policies represent more of the same. We need to restore the integrity of the political process and America, in general.

[CallMeDeaconBlues]

11:59 AM on 06/02/2008

Whatever happened to preaching "Christ and him crucified," as the Apostle Paul said, as opposed to preaching Obama and Hillary crucified. That priest should have his credentials revoked.

[lavisiter]

01:20 AM on 06/03/2008

Amen! And let's look into that out of control priest's activities!

[speakingtruth2power]

11:58 AM on 06/02/2008

If Barack was a member of note w/ this post,

he would have to resign from Huffpo as well.

It is OK for a GOP candidate to have friends

who lie, cheat, steal and kill but not for ours

to have associations with folk who refuse to

not speak truth to power with real passion!!

[MzTexas]

11:24 AM on 06/02/2008

A "new" kind of politician? Riiiiggghhhttt! He's a hypocrite just like every other politician who ever ran for office.

[gonavy]

04:04 PM on 06/02/2008

Agreed. There's nothing new about Obama. It's just a large group of young voters who haven't heard all this before. They will become politically jaded like the rest of us in due time.

[BobOnThis]

11:12 AM on 06/02/2008

Stepping away from the dark-side is a big first step, but, is he smart enough to be a free thinker?

[thymetwo]

11:12 AM on 06/02/2008

How about the SIMPLE fact there is a separation between church and state in this country and what his minister or some visiting minister says in church when he is not even present has NOTHING to do with how THIS MAN will govern our country. He has made HIS views known again and again and still people try to paint him with the words, ideas, an actions of others. I am so SICK of the MSM playing these kind of things over an over again because they are too lazy or stupid to actually do some REAL journalism. Too self aggrandized to look beyond the sound bites and give us some real answers about real ISSUES that matter in our lives. The dumbing down of American is the biggest disgrace this country faces.

[WilliePilgrim]

11:04 AM on 06/02/2008

One down...all the rest of 'em to go.

[Mort]

10:59 AM on 06/02/2008

It's ridiculous that in this country a candidate must leave his own church just to make people happy, and then they turn around and harass him for leaving his church. Damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

[MzTexas]

11:28 AM on 06/02/2008

He didn't have to leave his own church, but, if his spiel about unifying our country were true, he would have left his church years ago. This church does not preach unity, nor does it preach the gospel of Christ, it preaches hatred. He sat in that pew for 20 years . . . then, when it became politically difficult for him to remain, HE decided to turn his back on people he earlier claimed were his friends. HE made the decision to leave his church, nobody forced him to . . . if he were strong in his convictions, he would have simply stayed. He, like every other politician who ever ran for office, did the politically expedient thing.

He's a politician, folks . . . not a "new" politician, just a plain old, "I wanna win," politician. You been sold a bill of goods.

[VSamuels]

04:55 PM on 06/02/2008

Only if you have some intimate knowledge of what was going on in Trinity beginning in 1988 can you make such an assertion. Those of you knee-jerks who state this have never seen the inside of Trinity or anyother African American church yet you indicate that something nefarious was being said there.

If you have transcripts of the sermons and what was going on, then lay it out or simply shut the heck up, you only make yourselfs look foolish.

[Mort]

11:27 PM on 06/02/2008

A 10 second snippet from one speech right after 9-11 isn't even a hint of 20 years of hate. I've read some of the sermons and seen interviews with members. The Savior's gospel was taught in that church, and that's how the Obama's developed their faith.

But your argument is similar to the media hype and frenzy... to be credible he'd have to quit his church, but that would destroy his credibility. Make sense? Didn't think so. It's just like the flag pin. If he doesn't wear one he's not patriotic, but if he puts one on he's pandering.

Face it... if you don't like a candidate you'll find fault with them no matter what they do or say. Even if it makes you look silly.