WASHINGTON - God enjoys diversity and desires transformation. That was the message brought by Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. in one of his first public appearances since his sermons stirred up controversy for the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama.

Wright is the recently retired pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago's South Side — a predominantly African American church, and the biggest congregation in an overwhelmingly white denomination.

"These two foci of liberation and transformation have been at the very core of the United Church of Christ since its predecessor denomination, the Congregational Church of New England, came to the moral defense and paid for the legal defense of the Mende people aboard the slave ship Amistad," said Wright, speaking to a crowd of vocal supporters and a multitude of reporters at a National Press Club breakfast, part of a two-day symposium put on by the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference.

He went on to say that the theology of the black church is also one of reconciliation, hinging on the idea "being different does not mean one is deficient."

Wright's connection to Obama, who is a member of Trinity UCC, has been the focus of public scrutiny for more than a month, after snippets of Wright's sermons were aired on television news and the Internet. The controversial comments included the suggestion that the United States brought the attacks of Sept. 11 upon itself and the unforgettable quote "God Damn America."

Obama criticized the remarks, though he did not heed calls to disown his pastor. The controversy led to the senator's now-famous speech on race in the United States.

While Wright makes no visible effort to be politically correct, he and his supporters say the remarks were taken out of the context of his sermons and of the black church's traditional prophetic role.

"If you think that's bad, you oughta read the original Jeremiah," said Bernice Powell Jackson, UCC clergywoman and World Council of Churches president for North America, referring to the biblical Old Testament prophet in a talk at a teach-in Monday afternoon, part of the Proctor conference events.

"We haven't done a good job in the United States teaching the difference between patriotism and nationalism in religion," Powell Jackson said.

Wright expounded on the black church's prophetic role, rooted in Isaiah 61 "where God says the prophet is to preach the Gospel to the poor and set at liberty those who are held captive. Liberating the captives also liberates those who are holding them captive," Wright said.

Wright only hinted at the controversy in his prepared remarks to the National Press Club, but afterwards faced questions on his relationship with Obama, whether he owed the country an apology, and his controversial opinions on topics including Israel and HIV/AIDS.

Wright came off as defensive, even flippant, in some of his responses. When asked about his comment that America's chickens had come home to roost in the attacks of Sept. 11, Wright asked the moderator if she had heard the whole sermon. When she admitted she had not, he quipped: "well, that nullifies that question," before further explaining the comment.

When asked if he believed it was God's will for Obama to become president, Wright said "I can't presume to know what God would want," though he also indicated (laughingly) his interest in being vice president — and his plan to take even Obama to task should he become president.

Wright's talk and comments were met with vigorous applause and at least a few standing ovations from his audience at the press club.

"I thought it was an amazing teaching moment for the broader society," said John Deckenback, conference minister of the Central Atlantic Conference of the United Church of Christ.

Delores Carpenter, senior minister at Michigan Park Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and a professor at Howard University Divinity School, described the talk as "vintage Jeremiah Wright" in its willingness to critique what is wrong in American society and to stand up for the disenfranchised. "I thought it was just great," she said.

Wright's entrance to the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference's teach-in event Monday afternoon at Shiloh Baptist Church, was similarly celebrated.

Wright offered only brief remarks at the conference before handing the stage over to a number of other well-know African American clergy and scholars, but the controversy surrounding his role in the Obama campaign remained the context of the event.

The event at Shiloh Baptist was the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference's fourth Legislative Days event. Normally, the ecumenical gathering involves meetings with elected leaders and with the Black Caucus, but this year's event was different as the community rallied around Wright. The symposium's theme was "Prophetic Witness in the African American Religious Experience: Crisis, Calling, Critique, and Community."

Many who attended the event are close colleagues of Wright; some have been working together on raising the profile of black theology for decades.

Regardless of how Wright is treated by the public, "they will know that a prophet has been among them," said Iva Carruthers, general secretary of the conference.

Other supporters were less familiar with this aspect of the church. "I am mostly interested in learning," said Sara Fitzgerald, president of the board of the UCC's Central Atlantic Conference.

On Monday, the conference consisted of a teach-in featuring talks by five speakers. The conference also included a worship service and roundtable discussions.

The speakers shared a strong sympathy for Wright's situation and an understanding that most Americans have a limited grasp of the history and prophetic tradition of the black church.

Many at the conference saw the controversy as an opportunity to clarify who they are and what they believe in. Asked what Wright's talk would lead to, Carpenter said, "I hope a more enlightened discussion on race."

"I hope we can listen to each other," she added.