Views of Obama's pastor reflect black U.S. tradition

By Matthew Bigg

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Reuters) - Many U.S. voters have been shocked by the sentiments expressed by the pastor of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama but they should not be surprised, say faith leaders with experience of black American churches.

Anger at discrimination, real or perceived, and strong memories of racial injustice is a common thread running through black American discourse and is reflected in religious life, they said.

Obama denounced the comments of his pastor Jeremiah Wright and articulated a broad vision of race in America on Tuesday in a speech that aimed to quell a controversy that threatened to engulf his bid for the Democratic nomination for president.

Clips from sermons by Wright, pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, have been repeated on television and widely viewed on the Internet and show Wright's vehement denunciations of U.S. policy and history over race.

In one sermon he uses the phrase: "God damn America," anathema to many in an intensely patriotic nation. The impact of his words is magnified by his raised voice and the grainy quality of much of the video.

Obama, an Illinois senator, attended Wright's church for two decades. His association with the pastor poses a problem because it casts doubt on his judgment, raises questions about his patriotism and undermines his reputation for honesty, according to commentators.

It also strikes at one of his core themes, allowing voters to ask how Obama could be a candidate of racial healing and unity when for two decades he was deeply involved with a preacher whose views appear to contradict that message.

But frustration over race coupled with a desire to correct injustice fuels sermons in many black churches, said progressive evangelical leader Jim Wallis, who is white, in an interview.