January 16, 2006
Thanks to Dr. King
Dan posts one of this infrequent updates, titled "A Time Comes When Silence is Betrayal". It's a great perspective on Dr. King's work and legacy on the day when we honor him.
The various ways King's words can be interpreted help remind me of one of the most valuable things I've learned from reading and hearing his speeches and writings. It's that Dr. King represents the best of what public faith can be. I've always been of the strong opinion that one's faith should be a private matter. (Our current President gets it exactly backwards: One's history with substance abuse is completely relevant to one's qualfications and judgement as a public servant. But one's spiritual life prior to age 40 should probably be respected by the press as a private matter.)
But Dr. King shows the best possible way to testify, the highest calling of declaring one's faith publicly. Most public declarations of faith are unseemly, full of preening and judgement. I grew up in an area where it seemed most Christians acted anything but, so it was a revelation to me for a public figure to have championed his religion so humbly, honestly and respectfully. Before I encountered Dr. King's speeches, I didn't understand that true manifestations of faith could cause someone to embrace those who were different or those with whom we disagree. It's obvious why so many, regardless of their own faith or lack thereof, found common cause and a comfort in Dr. King's values.
So, of course, I have profound respect for Dr. King's work in civil rights. But I also thank him for teaching me that, even though I don't have a religion of my own, there's value in others' faith, especially when used to build up instead of to tear down. I still have a lot of work to do to get rid of my own prejudices in this regard, but the fact that I'm trying is just more proof that King's legacy is alive today.
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I loved reading what you had to say. I was very encouraged. Faith is so personal and yet so important when really lived out. The problem comes when people say that they have a faith but deny it by their lifestyle. I to admire Dr King for living his faith. I to want to be known as a man who lives his faith. I have been talking about faith in my blog recently. Check it out. I would love your thoughts as well.
i studied religion, comparitive and christian theology and there actually is quite a difference between how christianity is structured and how other religions work. in a short time before the world wars there became a trend of areligious christianity that outlined the differences between christianity and religions. and its not just "we think we are special" (as does everyone else) but its more of building a different mode of expression. if you look at how someone like kierkegaard describes the theology, he builds soundly on the "levels" of kant and provides a higher "love" a melding of an unattainable sublimity, but that it had a real historical (meaning factual) existance. its more then kant's "judgement". and an attempt to "boil this down" to what another religion is saying misses the beautiful subtlty that any of these belief systems have. christianity actually lacks a lot of qualifications for a path in life, a road, a structure and its not because of its immaturity, its because it forces itself away from it. but thats not the serious elements of the areligiousness that bonhoffer brought us. even when you look at the theothanatoligists of the 60's you'll see they are dealing with a problem that can easily be boiled down to "crisis" but its really far beyond that. i would recommend gabriel vahanian for a great study on that period. anyway. the modern tradition of argument from reduction when it comes with "all 'dem religions" really misses a beautiful differences, both between the religions and between the religions and something that has become (actually always was) areligious.
If you haven't read Taylor Branch's Pulitzer Prize-winning book, "Parting the Waters," I highly recommend it.
It gives a compelling picture of the interaction between King's faith (including the influences of Neibuhr and Gandhi in his thinking) and the work that he did.
Very well spoken post. This post came from someone who is searching and focusing on the goodness within life. We are all on a mission. Let us hope we can achieve some of the many things Dr.King spoke about.