Today is Martin Luther King Day. These bank holidays that are not major holidays of Christmas caliber are easy to forget about, until you try to go to the post office and find it closed, reminding you that it is, in fact a legal holiday. But let's look at Martin Luther King, the man behind today's holiday. We are going to examine: 1) What kind of a man he was. 2) What he believed. 3) What would he think of the world today? and 4) What does scripture say about Dr. King's goals?
Martin Luther King, Jr. was born Michael King, Jr. on January 15, 1929. He was the son and grandson of pastors, and grew up in Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. King would eventually co-pastor this church as well--which is something many today do not mention when they bring this man up: Martin Luther King was a Baptist minister, a God-fearing man. The Bible played a very important role in King's upbringing, and he grew up having his father read the Word to him and his siblings, and his grandmother instilled scripture in them as well.
As a young child, King befriended a white little boy. When the boys started school, they were required to attend separate schools in the segregrated South. Shortly after this, the white boy's parents stopped allowing King to play with their son. They told him, "we are white, and you are colored." Confused, young King went home and talked to his parents about it. In return, they sadly told their son about slavery and racism. King's heart was torn by this, and, as he later put it, he "determined to hate every white person." I can't blame a child for feeling that hurt and anger. He had just unfairly lost a friend, and then been told some very sad parts of our nation's history. But his parents didn't allow hate to settle in their son's heart. They told him it was his Christian duty to love everyone. Doubtless, his parents' early teaching later led him to make statements such as, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." and "Let no man pull you so low that you hate him." Clearly, King was taught to see hate as a weakness, and love as a strength.
In spite of his parents' urging to love all, they were not silent about the evils of segregation. King heard his father speak out against it, as well as stand up against racist treatment he received. He told his son, "I don't care how long I have to live with this system. I will never accept it." Watching his father respond to racism with respectful dignity made an impression on young King.
King still struggled. As a teenager, he doubted the faith of his family, and struggled with hatred toward white people. He was a very bright young man, noted for being a good public speaker, and a good dancer. He was admitted into Morehouse College at age 15. During that summer, he went to work up in Connecticut, and was very surprised at what he found there. Black and white people attended church together. The lack of segregation was a shock to him, and he slowly started opening his heart to God and Christianity again, as well as the possibility that white people were not all hateful. At age 18, he determined to go into the ministry, and use his pulpit for fight the evils of racism. This passion, he believed, was his calling in life.
While attending seminary, King fell in love with a white woman. Their relationship lasted six months, and he seriously considered marrying her, but he was strongly advised that doing so would damage his calling to minister in the South at that time. Believing it for the best, he ended the relationship, but it broke his heart for a long time after.
King eventually fell in love with and married Coretta Scott, and they had four children. Initially based in Alabama, King and his family eventually went to Atlanta, where he took the co-pastorship of his childhood church, Ebenezer Baptist. During his time in Alabama, King oversaw the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which transformed his image from being a simple minister to a national activist.
In 1957, along with a few others, King founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a civil rights organization that still operates today. This group was inspired by the crusades of evangelist Billy Graham (who had befriended Martin Luther King).
King was unhappy with the limited amount of time and effort then-President Kennedy was putting into ending segregation. He reached out to the President, urging him to follow Abraham Lincoln's example and sign an executive order that would enforce civil rights nationwide-- a sort of Second Emancipation Proclamation. Kennedy did not sign the order.
It should be noted here that, according to King's niece Alveda King, Martin Luther King was a Republican--something else many fail to acknowledge today. However, his allegiance was to God, not to any party. He is quoted as having said, "I don't think the Republican Party is a party full of almighty God, nor is the Democrat Party. They both have weaknesses. And I'm not extricably bound to either party." I'll return to this later, but I'll state here that the parties at that time were not entirely what they are today. They were dealing with different issues. There were leaders of both parties King is said to have liked, and disliked. This reveals that King was a man motivated by God, not by political power. Many who site him today would do well to pattern their priorities after his.
King continued to oversee the Civil Rights movement. His commitment to nonviolence has been intriguing to many. He had six principles he followed: 1) Evil can resist evil without resorting to violence. 2) Nonviolence seeks to win the friendship and understanding of the opponent, not to humiliate him. 3) Evil itself, not the people committing the evil acts, should be opposed. 4) Those committed to nonviolence must be willing to suffer without retaliation as suffering can be redemptive. 5) nonviolent resistance avoids “external physical violence” and “internal violence of spirit” as well: “The nonviolent resister not only refuses to shoot his opponent but he also refuses to hate him”. The resister should be motivated by love in the sense of the Greek word agape, which means “understanding,” or “redeeming good will for all men.” 6) The nonviolent resister must have a “deep faith in the future." In other words, that justice would ultimately happen. King was truly a man of character to hold such convictions.
On August 28, 1963, King made his famous "I Have a Dream Speech." I think it is so important for today's activists to study this speech, and what King's dream consisted of. His dream did not involve burning down cities and businesses. His dream did not involve labeling others as oppressors. His dream did not involve blaming people for sins their ancestors may or may not have committed. His dream did not involve viewing our country or our founding fathers negatively. His dream did not involve rewriting US history to make faith-based leaders into oppressive bigots. Here is what his dream involved:
"...I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal...I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character...that one day right down in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers..." If you want to read or listen to the entire speech, you can just click here.
King accomplished a lot. For the sake of time, I am not going to go over every experience he faced in the Civil Rights Movement, but I will quote from his final speech, commonly referred to as his "I've been to the Mountaintop" address. It was delivered in Memphis, Tennessee, at the headquarters of the Church of God in Christ, on April 3, 1968. His flight to Memphis had been delayed, due to a bomb threat. In light of this, he said in his address, "And then I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers? Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. So I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord." It was almost as if he knew what was ahead...
King was shot in his hotel the next day, April 4, 1968. He died about an hour later, after unsuccessful emergency surgery.
We have examined what kind of man Martin Luther King was, and what he believed in. He was a Christian man, committed to justice, nonviolence, and God. What would he think of the world today?
I think he would be grieved about any and all racism and injustice, as we all should be. I think he would be saddened that some (certainly not all) people segregate themselves, even though segregation is no longer a legal threat. At the same time, I think he would be overjoyed that schools, churches and places of business are no longer segregated in the South. I think he would be delighted that a lot of headway has been made in Civil Rights.
I also think he would be saddened by the violence of movements like Black Lives Matter (even though he would agree with their name, he would not agree with much of their ideology). I think he would be grieved by Dr. Chanequa Walter Barns (an African-American theologian) who prayed, "Dear God, help me to hate white people...". Her prayer was published in the progressive book, A Rhythm of Prayer: A Collection of Meditations for Renewal. This kind of anger and hatred goes against everything King stood and worked for. He fought for friendship between people of different skin colors. He fought for the same rights all Americans were supposed to enjoy. He fought for all to be judged by their character. These are true and noble ideals. Sadly, many of today's activists fall far short of King's vision of equality and love. I also think King would be unhappy by the way some people almost unthinkingly go along with certain political parties. He would urge us to examine the platforms, and see which lines most closely to God's ideals (especially, as I alluded to earlier, the parties are not what they were in the mid-20th century). He would also urge us to support candidates on their own merits, not just the fact that they are running on behalf of a certain party.
I believe Martin Luther King would be disgusted by George Floyd's ruthless murder three years ago, but he would have been equally disgusted by the way liberals of all races have made George Floyd (a criminal and illegal drug user) into a hero. He would almost have certainly have condemned the disrespect and violence against police officers that followed George Floyd's murder. King worked within the law. He would not have condoned lawbreaking, unless man's law conflicted with God's, in which case he always chose God's.
I think Martin Luther King was a man of conviction, and he would ask no less of us today.
Finally, were King's dreams and ideals biblical? I think so! First Samuel 16:7 urges, Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. We are to see people for who they really are, not their physical appearance. Acts 10:34 states that God is no respecter of persons. Sounds like King's desire to be judged on the content of character aligns pretty well with the Bible. King's desire for justice was also biblical, as Proverbs 20:23 states (Unequal weights are an abomination to the Lord, and false scales are not good). The Civil Rights movement was Dr. King's calling!
Today, as you enjoy a day off, think about the man whose life and legacy made that possible. Consider his ideals of love for all, aligning with candidates who are closest to what God has said (rather that toting the party line), and justice. As a Christian, are you doing your part to make these hopes a reality? Ask God today to show you His plan for you. Like King, you can come to your own "mountaintop" in His plans for you!
No comments:
Post a Comment