Worshipping a Mighty God

We hear today that Obama has decided that his church of 20 years, Trinity United Church of Christ, is no longer capable of bearing the scrutiny visited upon it as the church of a Presidential candidate.

The problem with his statement is this: if he disagrees so regularly with the statements of preachers there, be they regular clergy or guests, why has he been a member for 20 years?

Was there some unfortunate political Tourette's Syndrome which has lately infected the clergy, along with the congregation, which has always been shown to be cheering and otherwise vocally supporting the incendiary sermons which Obama then has to disown?

Since the meteoric rise in Obama's political fortunes began with his "Audacity of Hope" keynote address redolent with claims to respect for Christian sensibilities, buttressed by borrowing the title of Rev. Wright's sermons for the speech and his subsequent book, one is entitled to ask: In just what way was the message of Trinity different from the message of the hundreds, if not thousands of other Christian churches in Chicago, if not in precisely the corrosive and inflammatory rhetoric which Obama now finds he must disavow?