Now the RW Smear Machine going after new Trinity Pastor Otis Moss

Like thieves who steal a car and cut it up in order to sell the parts, the radical right is now chopping up the sermons of Rev. Otis Moss, III, incoming Senior Pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ, and trying to peddle the parts to generate new controversy.

First, Newsmax.com's staff ridiculed a Moss sermon, objecting to ways in which the young pastor was plainly trying to make his message appeal to the younger generation and their cultural images. Then other right-wing pundits like Sean Hannity used those same spare parts this past weekend to attempt a further political spin.

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/susan_brooks_thistlethwaite/2008/05/sermon_chop_shop.html

Replacement Obama Pastor Just As Controversial As Wright

Barack Obama has finally distanced himself from Rev. Jeremiah Wright after a 20-year relationship, but the pastor who is replacing Wright at Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ is likely to be just as controversial.

New Trinity pastor Otis Moss has called Biblical patriarch Abraham a “pimp” and made other statements many would consider offensive.

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Moss also states in the sermon:

“Jesus has a soft spot for thugs.”

“God is always using thugs to do God’s work.”

“Everyone has a little bit of thug in them.”

http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/Replacement_Obama_Pastor_/2008/05/07/94285.html

:banghead: Maybe Obama needs to find some milquetoast church and post the pastor's innocuous sermons on his website with him in the front pews every Sunday.

After all, everything anyone says has to be accounted for by the Democratic candidates. Republicans aren't even responsible for what they themselves say or do. It's a helluva system, if you're a Republican; if you're a Democrat or someone else who loves their country, not so much.

I watched that sermon. The whole thug theme came from a Tupac rap about thugs in heaven.

Dear momma don't cry, your baby boy's doin good
Tell the homies I'm in heaven and they ain't got hoods
Seen a show with Marvin Gaye last night, it had me shook
Drippin peppermint Schnapps, with Jackie Wilson, and Sam Cooke
Then some lady named Billie Holiday
Sang sittin there kickin it with Malcolm, 'til the day came
Little LaTasha sho' grown
Tell the lady in the liquor store that she's forgiven, so come home
Maybe in time you'll understand only God can save us
When Miles Davis cuttin lose with the band
Just think of all the people that you knew in the past
that passed on, they in heaven, found peace at last
Picture a place that they exist, together
There has to be a place better than this, in heaven
So right before I sleep, dear God, what I'm askin
Remember this face, save me a place, in thug's mansion

Jesus made a point of hanging out with sinners--people who other people knew had done something wrong or who had a reputation for doing something wrong. As he said, he came to save sinners, not perfect people. The Bible is chockful of stories about people living bad lives until they fell under his influence and changed for the better and began recruiting others to him. And if you're a Christian and you believe everyone sins, you think we all have thug in us, yes.

The very people Jesus had NO use for were the religious fanatics who thought they were SO religious and SUCH rigid followers of dogma that they were leading perfect lives and didn't need God.

Is a pastor supposed to say something else??