Texas Christian University Moves Venue for Rev. Wright Tribute

[Woodmonkey]

Texas Christian University Moves Venue for Rev. Wright Tribute


FORT WORTH, Texas — An event at which presidential candidate Barack Obama’s controversial longtime pastor is set to honored will be moved off Texas Christian University’s campus for security reasons, the school said Wednesday.

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright is to be honored March 29 at the Brite Divinity School’s Black Church Summit and Awards Banquet. The divinity school is located on TCU’s campus, but is a separate school with its own officers and board.

Earlier this week, TCU issued a statement saying it opposed the divinity school’s decision to honor Wright in light of video that shows Wright delivering racially tinged sermons and railing against the United States.

TCU said in a statement on its Web site Wednesday that the executive committee of TCU’s Board of Trustees voted Wednesday to move the Brite Divinity School’s Black Church Summit events off campus. TCU says that the divinity school agreed to the move.

The decision was made in light of security concerns from campus and Fort Worth police, TCU said.

Luther King, chairman of the board, said that while the university should be a place where controversial opinions are freely expressed, the safety of the students and staff are the board’s primary concern.

Obama has denounced the inflammatory remarks from his pastor, who suggested in one sermon that the United States brought the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on itself and in another said blacks should damn America for continuing to mistreat them.

Wright had been Obama’s pastor for nearly 20 years until retiring recently, and officiated at Obama’s wedding and baptized his two daughters.

TCU says that the divinity school will announce the new location of the event.

A message left by The Associated Press after business hours Wednesday to the divinity school was not immediately returned.

The Source