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…
When Bill met Mike: An unlikely duo
Most people know him as Martin Luther King Jr., but he was born Michael King Jr. — “Mike” to his friends for the rest of his life. His father, the influential Atlanta pastor Martin Luther “Daddy” King Sr., renamed them…
The Baptist roots of Martin Luther King Jr.
“In the quiet recesses of my heart, I am fundamentally a clergyman, a Baptist preacher.” Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. That dream, however, has no hope of being understood apart from King’s Baptist identity. The son of…
‘Don’t turn around now,’ MLK Day speakers implore
The convergence of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration offers a snapshot of how politically and spiritually divided the nation has become, said Bernice King, daughter of the late civil rights champion and CEO of The…
Faith, politics and public life: Trump’s inauguration on MLK Day
On Jan. 20, Donald Trump will take the presidential oath of office on the day set aside to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. This convergence crystallizes the United States’ ongoing struggle between competing visions of faith and politics in…
Beyond ‘I Have a Dream’: Meditations on Martin Luther King Jr.’s hard words for white Christians
I rarely crosspost old columns, but this year, I’m re-upping a relevant column I penned two years ago, which contains with one plea for white Christians: If we want to honor Rev. Dr. King and think honestly about ourselves, white…
Letter to white American evangelicals
What follows is a creative imagining of what Martin Luther King Jr. might say to white American evangelicals today. It was written by Joel A. Bowman Sr. in the spirit of King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Dear white American evangelicals:…
Once more, a knock at midnight
A Knock at Midnight is the title of a sermon Martin Luther King Jr. preached in 1967 on Jesus’ parable of a man who knocks on his neighbor’s door at midnight asking for bread to serve guests in their home…
Some hard questions for reflection on this MLK Day
As we remember the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. during this season, I have a few questions for reflection for the American church. For you to properly interpret my intent, please understand that I ask these questions…
Let’s move beyond the easy answers and MLK quotes today
I was in third grade in 1983 when Ronald Reagan, after much hesitancy, signed an act designating the third Monday of each year as a federal holiday honoring the life and contributions of Martin Luther King Jr. I was in…