Words from a Birmingham Jail

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Today the nation remembers the life and work of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. Without question, his witness to the dignity of every human life changed our nation for the better. Since memory is the fuel by which people and a nation forge their future, it is right to reflect upon his life and the ways he called our country to higher standards of justice and charity. Unfortunately, our laws still deny dignity to the most helpless Americans: the unborn. One of the enduring lessons Dr. King taught is the power a religious community can have in society. He spoke as a minister of the Word and used churches and church communities to change our culture.

As Reverend King said, “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.” Martin Luther King understood the unique place churches have in our society. If we are to honor his memory, we must defend the place of faith communities in forming our public life. I commend to your reading his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” It is an extraordinary call to public witness for religious people. I also encourage your support of the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act, a bill that removes restrictions on churches to speak to public issues.

– Mark L. Chance.
 
mlchance, thank-you, for the post about Dr. King.
Currently, I am reading about his assination as I was not clear on the details. I knew about it at one point in time, but forgot it.
 
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mlchance:
Today the nation remembers the life and work of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. Without question, his witness to the dignity of every human life changed our nation for the better. Since memory is the fuel by which people and a nation forge their future, it is right to reflect upon his life and the ways he called our country to higher standards of justice and charity. Unfortunately, our laws still deny dignity to the most helpless Americans: the unborn. One of the enduring lessons Dr. King taught is the power a religious community can have in society. He spoke as a minister of the Word and used churches and church communities to change our culture.

As Reverend King said, “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.” Martin Luther King understood the unique place churches have in our society. If we are to honor his memory, we must defend the place of faith communities in forming our public life. I commend to your reading his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” It is an extraordinary call to public witness for religious people. I also encourage your support of the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act, a bill that removes restrictions on churches to speak to public issues.

– Mark L. Chance.
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Another good book is ‘Why We Can’t Wait’ have you read that one?
 
Yes, indeed we do celebrate …especially here in Atlanta. The King day celebration is held in his old church and the King family awards the annual peace prize…very good in general but can turn into a polictical opportunity for some.

His I Have a Dream speech is one of my favorites as is the one he gave in Tenn before he was killed.
 
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aimee:
Yes, indeed we do celebrate …especially here in Atlanta. The King day celebration is held in his old church and the King family awards the annual peace prize…very good in general but can turn into a polictical opportunity for some.

His I Have a Dream speech is one of my favorites as is the one he gave in Tenn before he was killed.
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Do you know whom they awared the award to this year?
 
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mlchance:
As Reverend King said, “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.” Martin Luther King understood the unique place churches have in our society. If we are to honor his memory, we must defend the place of faith communities in forming our public life. I commend to your reading his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” It is an extraordinary call to public witness for religious people. I also encourage your support of the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act, a bill that removes restrictions on churches to speak to public issues.

– Mark L. Chance.
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It would be interesting to know what Dr King would think of what has happened to the African American community since the days of the civil rights marches. Given his “I have a dream” speech indicates that he wants his children judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin, I suspect he would not approve of preferences based on racial considerations only.
Although great strides have been made in removing institutional racism, I wonder what Dr King would think of the deconstruction of the family, of abortion on demand, of the drug culture, of the violent lyrics of ‘gangsta rap’ (note these are certainly issues that apply to people of all colors)

BTW I saw a fascinating interview on a new book that documents the relationship between Dr King and President Johnson. The book used the actual tapes of coversations between the two as they discussed strategy to get civil rights legislation enacted. The vote was close and President Johnson told Dr King to hold off on some demonstrations until after it went through. He (Johnson) had his problems but he was a master at politics. He knew when to hold 'em and when to fold’em. As a result the legislation passed.

Lisa N
 
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Fitz:
Do you know whom they awared the award to this year?
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Susan Johnson Cook, pastor of a Bronx church and head of a national conference of black ministers.

Cong Lewis from Atlanta was there…lots of people …Our Atlanta mayor…Shirley Franklin…most politcal that I recall…I guess all and all it was a little better than some years past. Still a bit too political for me…
 
I once visited the King Center in Atlanta and Dr. King’s Church there. I notice a small, Roman Catholic church about a block from King’s. Does anyone know of the relations between the two congregations at the time Dr. King was pastor?
 
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aimee:
Susan Johnson Cook, pastor of a Bronx church and head of a national conference of black ministers.

Cong Lewis from Atlanta was there…lots of people …Our Atlanta mayor…Shirley Franklin…most politcal that I recall…I guess all and all it was a little better than some years past. Still a bit too political for me…
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I also heard that Bishop Gregory was installed today as the Bishop of Atlanta and that Coretta King was present.
 
Dr King was assassinated on my birthday in 1968, I will never forget it, the feeling of being crushed because when the African-American students at my university marched in quiet peaceful 5 mile walk to state capitol, we white students were definitely not welcome to join them. he belonged to them, and we were unable to express how much he meant to us, or to grieve alongside our brothers and sisters. then that night and the days following the violence started, my hometown erupted in violence that has not healed even unto the next generation.
 
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Fitz:
I also heard that Bishop Gregory was installed today as the Bishop of Atlanta and that Coretta King was present.
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I do’nt know for sure she was present as the MLK celebration was almost the same time but she probably could have shown up for a while.
Already it starts with the dissinters speaking out about the changes etc…Holy Thursday foot washing was for men only because it signfied the starting of the priesthood and Archbishop Donahue sent a directive to the parishes to not wash womens feet…that brought out the libs and they attemped a protest and was encouraged by the media coverage.(this was this past Holy Thursday) So now they will try to get new Archbishop to do as they want. …also, news mentioned VOTF…and them meeting at churches…well,looks like we will have to keep on top of things and we will…
There are a lot of us who don’t go with the dissenting way…we want to adhere to the teaching of our faith…not change things just for the sake of change Oh Well…looks like we have our work cut out for us…for now we will give our new Archbishop the benefit of the doubt.
It was said before that now we have a new Archbishop we could be reaching out… Things here were fine for the most part before …this idea that we needed to reach out when thats what we already did I found odd …I mean who were we to reach out to that we didn’t already?
Sorry I am rambling…but we have a well running diocease for the most part …I just hope it will remain that way…
 
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