Conservative bloggers and pundits have raised concerns about Wright&'s Afrocentric theology and his liberal -- some say radical -- politics. Wright has been an outspoken opponent of the war in Iraq and a strong supporter of the Palestinians. One blog called him a racist and an anti-Semite.

"You think it&'s ugly now, it&'s going to get worse, it&'s going to get much worse," Wright told the PBS program "Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly."

Some campaign advisers are reportedly urging Obama to distance himself from Wright. Obama asked Wright not to offer a public prayer at the Feb. 10 rally when he announced his run for the presidency in Springfield, Ill. Wright attended and prayed privately with the candidate and his family.

Wright said he has long understood that Obama may be forced to put distance between them. "He can&'t afford the Jewish support to wane or start questioning his allegiance to the state of Israel because I&'m saying I think the position we&'ve taken in terms of Palestinians is wrong," Wright said.

The pastor says he warned Obama at the beginning of his career that their relationship could have negative ramifications. "`They&'re going to associate your name with mine, (and) that could be detrimental,&' I told him back then. It holds just as true, even more so, now," Wright said.

With nearly 9,000 members, Trinity is the largest and one of the most prominent congregations in the UCC. Obama credits the congregation -- and Wright -- with bringing him to a personal faith.

"Kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side, I felt that I heard God&'s spirit beckoning me," Obama said last year, recalling the altar call at Wright&'s church. "I submitted myself to his will and dedicated myself to discovering his truth."

A campaign spokesman says Obama remains proud of his pastor and of Trinity, and he doesn&'t want to see the church receive negative attention because of his candidacy.

For his part, Wright said he doesn&'t want to do anything to harm Obama. "His position across the years has been, `I know who I am, I know what I believe, but I don&'t disrespect you or diminish you because you have a different belief. And we don&'t have to believe the same thing to get along and to build a better world,&'" Wright said.