After sitting in the pews of the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago for nearly 20 years and listening to the sermons of pastor Jeremiah Wright Jr., Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama told FOX News on Friday, “I reject them completely — they are not ones that reflect my values or my ideals or Michelle’s.”

 

Obama has been under increased scrutiny over the past few days since video footage of Wright’s sermons became sound bytes on every news channel. In his sermons Wright has blamed the United States government for introducing HIV and causing the disaster of Sept. 11. Wright

 

In many of Wright’s divisive sermons he is heard blaming rich white men for the problems that exist in America and called the United States institutionally racist.

 

After a week of his sermons being played for all of America to hear it became clear that Obama would have to distance himself from the preacher and on Friday the pastor was no longer considered to be on Obama’s African American Religious Leadership Committee.

 

Obama took it a step further on Friday and released a statement that read:

 

“I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies. I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialogue, whether it’s on the campaign stump or in the pulpit. In sum, I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue.”