Preachers

(Newser) - The controversial Catholic priest who mocked Hillary Clinton in a guest sermon from the pulpit of Barack Obama's church has been suspended from his own parish, reports the Chicago Tribune . Father Michael Pfleger was ordered to take a weeks-long leave of absence by Chicago's cardinal, "to reflect on his recent statements." Pfleger didn't agree that the leave was merited, the cardinal noted. More »

(Newser) - Barack Obama has had to apologize for another troublesome preacher at his home church, reports MSNBC. The Rev. Michael Pfleger—a white Catholic priest widely known as Chicago's "renegade" priest for his liberal social activism in the city’s black community—mocked Hillary Clinton in a guest sermon, saying she squirted tears on the campaign trail because her sense of white entitlement had been punctured by Obama's success. More »

(Newser) - While Jeremiah Wright is hammered from all sides for his left-wing rhetoric, Washington Post writer EJ Dionne Jr. wonders why the same degree of backlash fails to surface over extreme statements from right-wing white preachers. Among many examples: Pat Robertson and the late Jerry Falwell famously linked feminists and gays to the 9/11 attacks, but prominent Republicans such as John McCain still vied for their backing. More »

(Newser) - Jeremiah Wright is set to retire to a $1 million mansion paid for by Trinity United Church of Christ. The 10,400-square-footer is in a tony Chicago suburb, and comes with butler’s pantry, elevator, and whirlpool, the New York Post reports. The church is listed as owner; an unexplained $10 million line of credit is attached to the property. More »

(Newser) - Jeremiah Wright's ideas don't "represent mainstream black thought on Sunday morning," black ministers and parishioners tell the Los Angeles Times —and they're worried that his recent comments are offensive and damaging to Barack Obama’s candidacy. “This didn’t have anything to do with the black church—it was basically an attack on the individual message he proclaimed, which hurt some individuals,” says one pastor. More »

(Newser) - Not for the first time, people are calling for Bill Maher's head—in this case for taking pot shots at Pope Benedict XVI on his HBO show. "If you have a few hundred followers and you let some of them molest children, they call you a cult leader,"  Maher said. "If you have a billion, they call you 'pope.'" He also made a joke about the pontiff's membership in the Hitler Youth group as a child. More »

(Newser) - Barack Obama pastor Jeremiah Wright built his Chicago church on black liberation theology, which directs Christianity at African Americans, Kelefa Sanneh writes in the New Yorker . The movement’s founder aimed to “emancipate the gospel from its ‘whiteness,’” but also from Frederick Douglass’ belief that antebellum America had profoundly perverted Christianity. More »

(Newser) - After a week’s silence, Hillary Clinton spoke today on the Jeremiah Wright flap, saying the ex-minister at Barack Obama's church “would not have been my pastor,” the Washington Post reports. She said “getting up and moving” would have been the right choice for Obama. “You don't choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend,” Clinton added. More »

(Newser) - The popular televangelist described by John McCain as a "spiritual guide" has called on Christians to "wage war" to destroy the "false religion" of Islam, reports Mother Jones . Apparently, McCain could lead those Christian soldiers, with powerful Ohio megachurch leader Rod Parsley endorsing the candidate as a "strong, true, consistent conservative." McCain appeared at a rally last month with Parsley days before his successful Ohio primary. More »

(Newser) - An extremist preacher who called himself "Osama bin London" has been convicted of organizing terrorist training camps and promoting murder, the London Times reports. Mohammed Hamid trained five of the t