Delaware Liberal

Friday night’s interview by Bill Moyers of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright was another of those signature conversations that Moyers is rightfully so famous for. While Moyers is a skilled and erudite interviewer across a wide range of topics, he really seems at his best when discussing religion and theology. (If you haven’t seen Moyers interviewing Salman Rushdie on the lessons learned on the intersection of faith and politics after 9/11, do yourself a favor. This is one towering conversation.) And the Moyers and Wright conversation was no less riveting.

Wright discussed a wide range of topics – history, hermeneutics, exegesis, the blues, and gospel music among others and the long-form format of the interview let Wright reveal his commitment to the main lesson of the New Testament in a way that that the right-wing telepreachers never do. (And are never required to do.) It also let Wright place himself in a long line of fiairly traditional African American pastors whose churches provide not just a place for spiritual sustenance and growth, but also a place of mutual acceptance as well as emotional and material support. Moyers played the sound bites used to demonize Wright and to try to damage Obama in their context – not just getting in the complete rhetorical thought, but also reminding viewers that this was part of a sermon, a lesson based on or derived from specific scripture (Deuteronomy and Psalms for the curious).