You know a country’s in trouble when not one, not two, but three preachers are in the national news at the same time — particularly the kinds of preachers who just lo-o-o-o-ve to see their faces on TV and their names in print (preferably on a freshly donated check). In the past week, we’ve seen God’s Toothy One, Joel Osteen, in the news for standing by his wife Victoria, who was unsuccessfully sued by a flight attendant when Mrs. Preacher flipped out because of a stain on her first-class seat armrest. Then, rightwing preacher Rick Warren, of “The Purpose-Driven Life” fame, hosted a joint appearance by Obama and McCain, the driving purpose of which was to glorify, umm, Rick Warren. Now, in case you haven’t had enough of these self-important windbag Pharisees, the inimitable Rev. Jeremiah Wright has announced that he’s written a new book and will begin his national book tour … wait for it … a few days before Election Day, just in time to gum up the works again for Barack Obama. As Salon.com’s Thomas Schaller put it, when it comes to high-profile preachers, it’s all about them.
This article appears in Aug 13-19, 2008.
