By Lewis Loflin
Barack Obama’s 20-year membership (1988–2008) at Trinity United Church of Christ, led by Rev. Jeremiah Wright, tied him to Black liberation theology, a divisive ideology that casts Whites as oppressors and Blacks as divinely chosen. Yet, Obama faced no real scrutiny for this association, unlike Whites or Christians labeled “haters” for minor offenses by groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). Wright’s sermons, laced with anti-White and anti-Semitic rhetoric, and the theology’s intellectual root, James Cone, escape the SPLC’s radar, as do Louis Farrakhan’s hate-filled speeches to cheering crowds. Oppose illegal immigration or gay marriage? You’re a hater. Preach Black supremacy or anti-White venom? You’re untouchable.
This double standard shields race-based policies—affirmative action and DEI—that rig jobs, contracts, and college admissions, prioritizing identity over merit. These systems, which displace ~550,000–850,000 opportunities from qualified candidates (BLS, SBA, McKinsey 2023), align with Black liberation theology’s divisive worldview, fostering resentment over responsibility. Thomas Sowell (2013) cuts through the noise: cultural attitudes and personal accountability, not systemic racism, shape outcomes.
Black liberation theology, as preached by Wright and theorized by Cone, is less a spiritual doctrine than a political weapon, designed to divide rather than unite. Jeffery Smith calls it a “perfect faith” for the Left, blending Marxist politics with religious veneer to reject integration. Wright’s sermons, per The Washington Post, framed middle-class aspirations as betrayal, urging Blacks to remain separate. Cone’s foundational work insists Jesus is Black, not symbolically but literally, aligning Christ with the oppressed against White “oppressors” (Cone, 1969).
“Christ is Black...because Christ really enters into our world where the poor were despised and the Black are, disclosing that he is with them enduring humiliation and pain and transforming oppressed slaves into liberating servants.” (Cone, 1969)
Cone’s theology echoes Nazi-era “Aryan Christianity,” which recast Jesus as non-Jewish and Aryans as chosen. While not advocating violence, Black liberation theology’s ethnocentric heresy risks similar tribalism, demanding a God who serves Black goals exclusively:
“Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the Black community. If God is not for us and against White people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him...Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the White enemy.” (Cone, 1969)
This anti-White, anti-Semitic rhetoric, preached at Obama’s church, contradicts Christianity’s universal call to transcend ethnicity (Isaiah 40:15). It fosters a victimhood culture, per Sowell (2004), that undermines merit and accountability, aligning with race-based policies that prioritize race over ability.
Obama’s long tenure at Trinity United, where he married and baptized his daughters, suggests more than casual attendance. Wright’s 2008 sermons, like “God damn America,” forced Obama to distance himself, but his March 14, 2008, speech defended Wright’s “biblical scholarship,” citing Cone and Dwight Hopkins, who hold prestigious posts at liberal seminaries. This academic shield reflects a broader hypocrisy: Black liberation theology’s racism is ignored, while Whites face “hate” labels for less. The SPLC, despite no Jewish affiliation, targets White or Christian groups but spares Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam and Wright’s anti-White rhetoric, protecting the Left’s narrative.
Race-based policies like affirmative action and DEI, which Obama championed, mirror this theology’s divisiveness. Affirmative action rigs college admissions (~300,000–400,000 Black students), state jobs (~100,000–150,000), contracts (~$70 billion to Black firms, SBA 2023), and private-sector roles (~100,000–200,000, McKinsey 2023), displacing ~550,000–850,000 opportunities from Whites and Asians with stronger qualifications (Espenshade & Chung, 2005). Sowell (2004) argues in *Affirmative Action Around the World* that such policies breed dependency and erode merit, creating a “rigged system” that places the “right races” in positions, as you’ve noted.
Obama’s theology ties and race-based policies thrive under elite protection, not merit.
Black liberation theology’s rhetoric of Black victimhood and White oppression fosters a cultural attitude of resentment over responsibility, per Sowell (2013). By casting Whites as eternal enemies, it discourages integration and accountability, aligning with affirmative action and DEI’s focus on race over ability. These policies, which contribute ~10–15% to Black wealth through government jobs and contracts (Pew 2023), fail to deliver broader societal benefits, as they prioritize identity politics over merit-based competition. The Left’s defense of this system, rooted in electoral strategy (90% Black vote for Democrats, Pew 2020) and ideological purity, ignores its divisive impact, much like their silence on Wright’s racism.
The SPLC’s selective outrage—condemning White dissent while ignoring Black liberation theology’s venom—mirrors the media’s refusal to challenge Obama’s church ties. This double standard perpetuates a culture where race trumps merit, undermining the principles of fairness and individual effort that Sowell champions. Black liberation theology’s influence, shielded by academia and politics, fuels a cycle of division that race-based policies only deepen.
To break this cycle, the SPLC and media must call out Black liberation theology’s racism with the same vigor they apply to White offenses. Obama’s legacy, tied to Wright’s divisive creed, deserves scrutiny, not excuses. Affirmative action and DEI must be dismantled, replacing race-based preferences with merit-based systems. Jobs, contracts, and admissions should reward qualifications, not identity, ending the displacement of ~550,000–850,000 opportunities (BLS, SBA 2023). Policymakers should curb immigration’s impact on low-skill jobs (20% held by immigrants, BLS 2020), boosting economic opportunities for all Americans.
Cultural attitudes must shift toward personal responsibility and integration, as Sowell (2013) advocates, rejecting victimhood narratives like Black liberation theology’s. Leaders should promote unity over division, ensuring policies and ideologies serve all, not just the “right races.” Only then can America move beyond the rigged systems and double standards that protect racism while undermining merit.
Acknowledgment: I’d like to thank Grok, an AI by xAI, for helping me draft and refine this article. The final edits and perspective are my own. Data from Sowell (2004, 2013), Cone (1969), BLS (2023), Pew (2023), SBA (2023), OPM (2023), McKinsey (2023), Espenshade & Chung (2005).
