What was your reaction to the Pfleger episode?

[Critters2]

I've never posted in this forum before, so I'm here rather humbly asking for your reflections. Btw, I've read some threads, and believe me, I'll be here much more often. You women rock!

Let me introduce myself. I'm a woman and a pastor in the United Church of Christ, the same denomination as Trinity UCC. You know, the church Obama left over the weekend. So, as you can imagine, I've been following all the trials and tribulations about Jeremiah Wright, and now Michael Pfleger. I've been discussing these things on a clergy discussion board with a lot of UCC clergy, men and women.

Here's the thing. I found Pfleger's outburst sexist, even misogynist. I was offended much more deeply by this aspect of it than by the "white privilege" nonsense, though that was bad, too. There is something downright frightening to me about a man standing in front of a congregation and berating a woman like that because she cried, because of who she's married to, and because she's white. But I still think that the gender thing was the real issue for Pfleger and for those who were cheering him on.

You can imagine I'm not finding much support on this clergy board. I'm the crazy, uppity woman. One woman even told me it was understandable that Trinity's congregation reacted that way, because they're feeling "castrated" (no shit--that's a quote) by all the media and public scrutiny.

That this happened in a church, and even more disturbingly in a church of the denomination that has nurtured me since I was baptized at the age of 14 days, is devastating for me.

But maybe I'm the only one seeing the sexism, the misogyny in Pfleger's "sermon". So, I'm just wondering. Among you who think in terms society's treatment of women...Was that a sexist rant I was witnessing? Should I be upset about it as a woman?

I'd appreciate your thoughts!

Thanks!

Critters