cHAPLAIN,

I was follwing directly on your post that said (and I quote):

"when one curses "America" it is a curse of American citizens because the USA is not some non-feeling entity. The USA is "we the people," a collection of human beings known as American citizens, working together to practice our Constitution's Christian principles in our daily life.

Therefore, it is gross ignorance for any preacher, or any in his congregation not to realize they are cursing themselves, and all other US citizens when they curse the USA.

I question both the Christianity and the intelligence of any who minimize the dynamics of such cursings, and associate with them in any way. "



I thought I was dealing rather directly with that.  (YOu charge that my post "carefully avoids dealing with anything [you] wrote".  

It seems to be that you have dismissed the idea that the issue of black apocalyptic preaching holds any legitimacy.

Let me ask you this:  What do you do with the Psalmist when , in Psalm 137,  he declares in verse 9"How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones Against the rock."?   While he is addressing "Babylon" inthe oft quoted and revered passgae that begins:  "By the rivers of Babylon,  There we sat down and wept,  When we remembered Zion." (v.1)

Is this not a bit "over the top"?  Is this not scandalous to morality to say that it is okay with God for us to killthe small children of our enemies with our bare hands? 

I suspect that there is another interprative strategy on this one,  and it has to do with the Biblical language of apocalyptic.  Otherwise, takenoutside of this context,  this Psalmist is a psychopath and a vengeful killer in his heart.

So,  if to considcer the genre of Rev. Wright's preaching in "interpreting it" is to "minimize the dynamics of such cursing", then I guess my Christianity and intelligence are to be querstioned if I see things as correctly as you do.  I'm not so sure that "absurd" might be amore charitable way to characterize it than to "question both the Christianity and the intelligence" of such a person who takes such a stance.  I don't atallquestion your intelligence or Christianity because I do not equate a lack of awareness of certain historical elements of homiletics within minority communities to be a matter of one's salvation or intelligence.  But exposure to such ideas that are obviously something new to you or else something you have decided to reject and ignore is an opportunity to seek to get into someone else's shoes and have a fighting chance of rightly interpreting a style that is firmly rootedinthe Biblical tradition.  I know of at least one church hymnal that is used widely by a lot of black churches that is called "Songs of Zion",  which has a hearkens back to the passage I quoted above.