Last week, the annual meeting of the National Leadership Council of the American Baptist Churches USA took place in Atlanta under the theme, “Claim, Distinguish and Proclaim the Markers of American Baptists.” That should be considered a big deal for…
Witness, resolve and purpose — from the founding to MLK
History is not a tidy procession of events. It is a drama of human beings — morally mixed, hopeful and fearful, capable of courage and compromise — acting in a world that resists their intentions. To read history well is…
Why should we remember Martin Luther King?
My daughter, a student-athlete at a Baptist university, called me about a problem with her softball teammate. The head coach made an announcement canceling Monday’s practice due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. A teammate said, “Thank you, Martin…
Walking with King and Heschel past Beth Israel Synagogue
As we have honored Martin Luther King this past weekend, I am remembering his friendship with Rabbi Abraham Heschel and Heschel’s joining with him in the Civil Rights March in Selma March 21, 1965. Heschel was criticized for leaving his…
Too many Black churches have stopped doing the work
Since its inception, the Black Church has stood for activism. It has been loud when the world demanded silence. Emotive in a culture that prizes stoicism over vulnerability. Communal in the face of capitalism’s insistence on individualism. Faithful amid unrelenting…
A Time of Moral Indignation
The passage of President Lyndon Johnson’s landmark civil rights bill did not end Black Americans’ struggle for civil rights. In 1965, Martin Luther King Jr. led a march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, to demand the right to vote. CT’s…
Charlie Kirk was no King
The assassination of right-wing influencer and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk has driven me into a period of deep reflection. Kirk’s killing — allegedly by 22-year-old Tyler Robinson — is unjustifiable and should be condemned by all Americans. Yet,…
The Memphis church pivotal in Martin Luther King Jr.’s final days suffers a devastating fire
A historic Black church in downtown Memphis that was the organizing point for Martin Luther King Jr.’s final campaign in 1968 caught fire early Monday morning and suffered significant damage.
Politics, faith and mission: A conversation with Jonathan Eig
Jonathan Eig is the New York Times bestselling author of six books, including Ali: A Life, Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson’s First Season, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning King: A Life. His biography of King is thought of by…
A benediction gone bad
As sociologist Orrin Klapp observed in his 1962 book Heroes, Villains, and Fools: The Changing American Character, “The celebrity cult celebrates the triumph of ordinariness — charm without character, showmanship without ability, bodies without minds, information without wisdom.” The critique…
Black History Month in Trump’s America
In 1976, the bicentennial year celebrating the birth of our nation with the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Republican President Gerald Ford became the first president to recognize February as Black History Month. In a short presidential message, Ford recognized the…
Trump vs. MLK: Drawing inspiration for the struggle ahead
It is one the glaring ironies of modern American history that Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States at noon on the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday. This was not the first time…