No, the Trinity United Church of Christ is not a black separatist church.Martin E. Marty, author of numerous books and articles on religion in America, Lutheran pastor from 1952 to 1962, and professor at the University of Chicago Divinity School from 1963 to 1998, explains:
"Trinity is the largest congregation in the whole United Church of Christ... Trinity's rubric is 'Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian.' So far as I can tell Trinity shapes a kind of ellipse around these two "centers," neither of which makes sense without the other. This you would never know from the slanders of its enemies or the incomprehension and naiveté of some reporters who lack background in the civil rights and African-American movements of several decades ago -- a background out of which Trinity's stirrings first rose and on which it transformatively trades..."To those in range of Chicago TV I'd recommend a watching of Trinity's Sunday services, and challenge you to find anything 'cultic' or 'sectarian' about them. More important, for Trinity, being "unashamedly black" does not mean being 'anti-white.' My wife and I on occasion attend, and, like all other non-blacks, are enthusiastically welcomed.
"Heretical? Hardly. Harriet and I sometimes come home reflecting and remarking that Wright sounds almost literalist about biblical texts when he preaches." [1]
Trinity's former pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, made some inflammatory statements from the pulpit over the years. Obama has strongly denounced and has disassociated himself from those statements, which he said he did not hear while he was attending church services. Said Obama:
"These are a series of incendiary statements that I can't object to strongly enough. I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies." [2]
When Reverend Wright made similar statements again in late April, 2008 Obama then disassociated himself from Wright as well. [3]
In May, 2008 Obama and his family quit Trinity "in part because of a cultural and a stylistic gap," said Obama. "Our faith remains strong and I expect that we will find another church home for our family. We understand that our faith is something that we apply each and every day. We wish only the best for our friends and the wonderful people at Trinity. They’ll be in our thoughts and our prayers." [4]
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Is Obama a Christian or a Muslim?
Did Obama attend a Catholic school or an Islamic madrassa as a child?
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[1] Marty, Martin E. Sightings April 2, 2007
[2] Mooney, Alex. Controversial minister off Obama's campaign CNN. March 15, 2008.
[3] Associated Press. Obama strongly denounces former pastor MSNBC. April 29, 2008.
[4] Allen, Mike & Smith, Ben. Obama quits Trinity Politico.com. May 31, 2008.
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Additional Resources:
Snopes.com: Trinty United Church of Christ
FactCheck.org: Sliming Obama January 10, 2008
Politifact.com: Any race may join Chicago church
