Dedicating highways, schools, monuments and a national holiday to Martin Luther King Jr. often obscures his status as a radical bent on revolutionizing American race relations and faith, according to author and King scholar Lewis Brogdon. “Those are great things,…
Faith with a conscience: Martin Luther King as a model dissenter for Baptists, present and future
As we remember this month the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., we would do well to understand that King and his philosophy of direct, nonviolent action — initially shaped throughout the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-1956 — arose from…
Protesting injustice is the modern Baptist’s evangelism, activists say
Like many who grew up Southern Baptist, Betsy Sowers fervently believes evangelism is the answer to the most pressing issues of the day. “I am very Baptist about that,” the Massachusetts resident said. But Sowers doesn’t define evangelism only as talking to…
How Martin Luther King Jr. predicted the decline of the church
So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average…
Epiphanies, Martin Luther King, and Roe v. Wade
January has concluded a significant month. On the Church’s ancient calendar, we’ve celebrated Epiphany and on the modern calendar, we’ve celebrated the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. And in the world at large, we’ve observed the 42nd anniversary of Roe…
Be a nudger
During the recent commemorations of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, one small detail stood out that I never had heard before: Martin Luther King did not go to the Lincoln Memorial that day intending to say the…