The rift between Sen. Barack Obama and his former pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright has dominated the media landscape all week [updates from HHDX are available here and here]. Lost in all the commotion of Wright‘s televised address and Obama‘s response to it, is the fact that Wright has retired from his post as the head of Trinity United Church of Christ. Trinity United, which has a membership of over 8,000, will now be under the leadership of Rev. Otis Moss III.
The 37-year-old Moss is referred to as the “Hip Hop Pastor” by his congregants. He has been an assistant pastor at Trinity United for two years and also holds a degree from Yale University’s Divinity School. His father, Otis Moss Jr., is also a prominent preacher and former adviser to Martin Luther King Jr. Even the elder Moss speaks in Hip Hop terms, borrowing a phrase from noted author Nelson George when describing his son’s preaching style.
“He understands that he is ministering to what he calls a `post-soul generation,’ a generation that has grown up outside of a context of the traditional church,”Moss Jr. tells the Associated Press. “He speaks to a generation struggling with all these realities.”
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Moss III declined to answer questions about Obama or Wright, choosing instead to answer questions posed by the AP via e-mail.
“We have received unprecedented scrutiny that has taken its toll on our members, staff and our senior pastor,” says Moss. “Lately our sacred space has been seized upon and compromised. All of us are standing with Trinity during this challenging time.”
Trinity United was once known for being the nation’s largest United Church of Christ, with notables such as the rapper Common among its supporters. Now the church must try to put the heated, televised rift between its former leader and Barack Obama behind it.
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