I am intrigued by white people’s response to the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Full disclosure: I believe he is the single most important leader in American history…yes, even among such influential people as Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, FDR, Clara Barton, Einstein, et al.
The responses to Dr. King’s influence range from cultural icon to charismatic preacher; social revolutionary to pawn of his time.
In this month in which many are recognizing the contributions of African-Americans, I think it is appropriate to honor and discuss Dr. King.
To be succinct, here are the reasons Martin matters.
1. He called to America to be who she said she was; a place where “all men were created equal with unalienable rights”. What does “all men mean”? The US has spent several decades trying to decipher that dynamite-packed phrase.
2. He showed the Church and America that change can happen through creative non-violence. Though I am not convinced that one has to be committed to non-violence in order to be a Christian, I believe wholeheartedly, that we ignore the teachings of those who practice and espouse non-violence to our own peril. See the work of Lee Camp, John Howard Yoder, Walter Wink and Chuck Campbell for the best ruminations on non-violence in the modern word.
3. He reminded the Church that the Way of Christ must always be, in some respect, counter-cultural. If some major aspects of the Christian faith do not critique the cultural norms (whether it is Jamaica, Sudan, Russian, or Malaysia)—is it really the Gospel of Christ?
4. He possessed the courage to speak truth to the powers that be regardless of the outcome or consequence. As happened with Jesus and Paul, the religious people were ready to marginalize and kill Martin for his commitment to justice.
5. He reminded Christians of Jesus and Paul’s radical commitment to living out the “love for God, love for neighbor” message of Judaism and Christianity.
There is a great deal of commercial sentimentality regarding the life and teachings of Dr. King within and outside the black community. People tend to use Dr. King for whatever purpose they are aiming to achieve. I’m interested in none of the former. His time and life was messy full of irony and contradiction, just as our lives are today.
The best treatment of Dr. King and the era in which he worked is found in the writing of Pulitzer Prize winner Taylor Branch: Parting the Waters; Pillar of Fire; At Canaan’s Edge. I encourage you to sample this ground-breaking work.
My favorite King line these days: “A religion that cares about the souls of men but not men’s bodies might be a religion, but it is not the Christian religion.”
I love the American story. There are parts of it that I believe we have not dealt with (e.g. the mistreatment of Native Americans, Slavery, and Women) but I also believe it is one of the great experiments in the history of civilization. It is a story with so much hope and grace.
By honoring one who called America to be “who she claimed she already was”, we honor those secessionist, radicals who once signed those treasonous documents known as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.
Update: My friend Sara Barton pointed this out to me regarding Dr. King and his being recognized as a martyr for the Christian faith.
21 comments:
A question that your post poses: Do you think that "all men" who are created equal include those who are not technically American citizens?
Emily,
From a Christian perspective: yes! All humans bear the image of God (Gen); all the prophets (Isaiah, Jer. 7; Micah; Amos 5); and MOST clearly Jesus (Lk. 10 is one example).
From an American perspective (according the Declaration of Independence etc.): yes! This document was not simply referring to American citizens for these early pioneers did not envision American citizenship as we think of today. They were identifying the universal ideal for all men.
America was initially several colonies with a loosely identified national overseeing (in the least controlling sense of the word) group of men.
Good question. Either way, yes.
It just took several wars and thousands of deaths to get closer and closer to that vision.
Then why are we having such debates about whether to 'close our boarder' to illegal immigrants? That seems like the opposite of what the writers of the constitution et al. were going for.
laws were/are designed and agreed upon to serve as protection for the people.
I believe the USA is the greatest country for several reasons, 1 being we let almost anyone in.
Who dont we let in? People that dont want follow our laws, or want to disrupt the system of following our laws.
Thats my 2 cents on why immigration does need to be discussed.
Oh, and we do many many things differently now than the "writers" intended for us to do.
I would like to hear Josh elaborate on why the 1 noted comment of Mr. Kings is his favorite.
The immigration issue is complex and not nearly as simple as either Emily or Adam (though anonymous thanks for at least putting a name in there) make it out to be.
I have not studied the issue thoroughly so I reserve the right to say I "don't have it figured out."
I know what the prophets say about taking care of the alien among us, but don't know all the implications for the New Testament and our complex world today.
I don't know how all of this got to "immigration."
Larry James Blog is one of the best blogs on issues relating to justice, immigration, etc. He's loyal to neither the Republican or Democratic party, fyi. It's http://larryjamesurbandaily.blogspot.com/
Adam,
The reason I love that quote from MLK is because it is a direct challenge to the practices of evangelical Christianity which only emphasized (in the 20th century) what happened to someone when they died ignoring the teachings of Jesus about how to practice his kingdom values while one was alive, living in community.
His quote challenges us to think about the world now, not heaven as something out "there" in the future.
Josh,
I didnt intend on coming across as "anonymous".... I just forget sometimes I'm not the only Adam out there ;)
I hope my 1st post didnt come across as a "end all" reason behind immigration, it was just my short explanation as to why some people are concerned about open borders.
Thanks for explaning your "favorite" MLK quote...I like hearing other peoples thoughts about great quotes like that.
Thanks for the different conversations started on this blog
Adam Miller
In 1970 I was a freshman at the University of Missour-St. Louis taking an introductory political science course. One of our units was on Civil Disobedience. In the required writings was Martin Luther King's "Letter from a Birmingham City Jail". I can still remember the first time I read it. Those words produced a burning in my heart that spoke such passionate truth. His words resonated inside my soul when he addressed the church:
"There was a time when the church was very powerful. It was during that period when the early Christians rejoiced when they were deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the power structure got disturbed and immediately sought to convict them of being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators". But they went on with the conviction that they were a colony of heaven and had to obey God rather than man. They were small in number; but, big in committment. They were too God-intoxicated to be "astronomically intimindated." They brought an end to such evils as infanticide and gladitorial contest. Things are different now. The contemporary church is often a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. It is so often the arch supporter of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent and often vocal sanction of things as they are."
What an indictiment that rings as true today as it did when he wrote those words. I hope that many will read his works and be changed into the restoration of the true early church.
Brad,
Thank you so much for sharing you perspective...that's fasciating. I loved reading Letters From a Birmingham Jail. The most influential short piece by Dr. King is "Eulogy for the Martyred Children". Here is a link for others to read the whole. http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/speeches/Eulogy_for_the_martyred_children.html
My favorite section of this eulogy reads: "Now I say to you in conclusion, life is hard, at times as hard as crucible steel. It has its bleak and difficult moments. Like the ever-flowing waters of the river, life has its moments of drought and its moments of flood. (Yeah, Yes) Like the ever-changing cycle of the seasons, life has the soothing warmth of its summers and the piercing chill of its winters. (Yeah) And if one will hold on, he will discover that God walks with him (Yeah, Well), and that God is able (Yeah, Yes) to lift you from the fatigue of despair to the buoyancy of hope, and transform dark and desolate valleys into sunlit paths of inner peace."
Seriously Brad, your post was excellent. I'm curious to know why you felt "the call" to go into law? Maybe that's a discussion for another day. However, I'm grateful we have kingdom disciples such as you working in our courts today.
Adam...Adam Miller, ha, I had no idea you read my blog. That's funny. I thought it might be a student, former student or someone I went to grad school with :)
Here it is Adam, my mortgage guy (the best there is) and good friend :)
I'll write more later. I'm laughing right now.
Yeah, one of the things I appreciate about the Episcopal Church is that our calendar of saints is ecumenical and wide-reaching. I'm glad MLK is on it.
Josh,
I received a forwarded email about you telling Chris about the Emerging Artist Series? I am planning on talking to Chris about it today and ill bring some photos of mine tonight as well. Brasil right now is a thumbs up...I hope, parents haven't said much since the meeting.
Thanks for everything and see you tonight,
Chloe
MLK wasn't honored in my home when I was a kid. It wasn't until I was an adult and brushed up against some of his speeches (transcribed) that I was rocked backwards by the power and spirit that came from him. I appreciate you taking the time to honor him in your blog. We forget his words at our own peril.
Jared,
Great to hear from you. I need to stop by your blog. Thanks for the note.
Peace.
Will you be at the Sermon Seminar again this year?
Patrick,
I'd wondered what it was like to move around so much and your exposure to American history. Thanks for the comment.
great post. mlk is still alive and well in the christian community.
i have a post about mlk and biblical literalsim...check it out.
http://jesusisnowhere.blogspot.com/2007/01/mlk-day.html
“A religion that cares about the souls of men but not men’s bodies might be a religion, but it is not the Christian religion.”
That quote is so powerful! Thanks for sharing it with us. I've printed it out and put it in my office.
Josh, you seem to be doing some amazing things and making a great impact in the lives of others. I knew your time with me in Camp's class would pay off one day, hahaha. Keep up the great work.
josh, a visit by you is always welcome, as would any of your insightful thoughts. :-)
i will indeed be hawking cd's at the seminar again this year. in fact, there's a good chance i'll be visiting your neck of the woods in march too.
JZ--I'll stop over to read your blog sometime soon.
Gilbert--you're right, sitting at your feet along with Matt Deaton was a transforming experience :)
Seriously. That class (Ecclesiology) with Lee was one of the highlights of the MDiv for me. Our reading, discussion, and class make-up (I mean, Dave Rubio, hello!) made it a tremendous experience. SHout out to Clark, Matt, Dave, Rachel, et al.
jz
I just the read the article you referenced, good stuff. Thanks for the heads up. Here's another form of the quote I had on this post:
"Any religion that professes to be concerned about the souls of men and not concerned about the city government that damns the soul, the economic conditions that corrupt the soul, the slum conditions, the social evils that cripple the soul, is a dry, dead, do-nothing religion in need of new blood," King preached in 1962 to his congregation at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.
Hey, check out Dr. Shelly's 'Fax of Life' for this week. I think you'll appreciate it, as I did. :)
Em
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