{"id":5207,"date":"2008-05-05T08:56:48","date_gmt":"2008-05-05T08:56:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/reformedchicksblabbing\/2008\/05\/why-oprah-winfrey-left-rev-jer.html"},"modified":"2008-05-05T08:56:48","modified_gmt":"2008-05-05T08:56:48","slug":"why-oprah-winfrey-left-rev-jer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/reformedchicksblabbing\/2008\/05\/why-oprah-winfrey-left-rev-jer.html","title":{"rendered":"Why Oprah Winfrey left Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s church."},"content":{"rendered":"

She knew his sermons would be too much for most Americans to accept<\/a> (she was proved right on that one) and she founded her own religion \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

\nAccording to two sources, Winfrey was never comfortable with the tone of Wright’s more incendiary sermons, which she knew had the power to damage her standing as America’s favorite daytime talk-show host. “Oprah is a businesswoman, first and foremost,” said one longtime friend, who requested anonymity when discussing Winfrey’s personal sentiments. “She’s always been aware that her audience is very mainstream, and doing anything to offend them just wouldn’t be smart. She’s been around black churches all her life, so Reverend Wright’s anger-filled message didn’t surprise her. But it just wasn’t what she was looking for in a church.” Oprah’s decision to distance herself came as a surprise to Wright, who told Christianity Today in 2002 that when he would “run into her socially \u2026 she would say, ‘Here’s my pastor!’ ” (Winfrey declined to comment. A Harpo Productions spokesperson would not confirm her reasons for leaving the church.)
\nBut Winfrey also had spiritual reasons for the parting. In conversations at the time with a former business associate, who also asked for anonymity, Winfrey cited her fatigue with organized religion and a desire to be involved with a more inclusive ministry. In time, she found one: her own. “There is the Church of Oprah now,” said her longtime friend, with a laugh. “She has her own following.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

(via<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

She knew his sermons would be too much for most Americans to accept (she was proved right on that one) and she founded her own religion \ud83d\ude42 According to two sources, Winfrey was never comfortable with the tone of Wright’s more incendiary sermons, which she knew had the power to damage her standing as America’s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":119,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,401,402],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-entertainment-2","category-religion-2"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Oprah Winfrey left Rev. 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