Pastor at Clinton church defends Wright

A minister at the church which Hillary Clinton used to attend when her husband was president has expressed support for the Rev Jeremiah Wright, the controversial pastor whose comments rocked Barack Obama’s campaign earlier this month. Dean Snyder, senior minister at the Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington DC, released a statement praising Rev Wright as “a profound voice for justice and inclusion”.

The statement follows public criticism of Rev Wright by Hillary Clinton, who said: “He would not have been my pastor... You don’t choose your family but you choose what church you want to attend.”

Snyder, however, warned Clinton not to use “two or three” sound-bites to discredit Wright. "The Reverend Jeremiah Wright is an outstanding church leader whom I have heard speak a number of times," wrote Snyder. “He has served for decades as a profound voice for justice and inclusion in our society. To evaluate his dynamic ministry on the basis of two or three sound-bites does a grave injustice to Dr. Wright, the members of his congregation, and the African-American church which has been the spiritual refuge of a people that has suffered from discrimination, disadvantage, and violence.”

Although Snyder himself was not a pastor during the Clinton administration, the Foundry was frequently visited by both Clintons during their time at the White House. In 2001 Bill Clinton gave a farewell speech to the congregation, thanking it for the “courage” to accept gay and lesbian Christians.

FIRST POSTED MARCH 26, 2008