Thank You Dr. King - Reflections on his "Letter From a Birmingham Jail"

I’d like to encourage you to invest 30-45 minutes and read for yourself, an annotated version of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter From A Birmingham Jail.”  CLICK HERE to do that on the recent posting on TheGospelCoalition.org site by Justin Taylor that includes Dr King’s text with brief annotations for historical context and the letter that Dr. King is himself responding to. Reading it is well worth the time and a good habit to go “right to the source” on important matters of cultural conversation. 

A few years ago, after I referred to Dr. King in a sermon and read a long quote from one of his sermons in my own, three African American students in our congregation – two in high school and one in college - engaged me after the service.  They were surprised that Dr. King was a pastor.  “Wasn’t he an ‘activist?’” they asked.  Well, yes and no.  Dr. King was certainly an activist.  But he was first a Christian pastor.  He was recognized, trained and ordained in his Baptist tradition.  He preached sermons several times a week.  He baptized, performed weddings, buried, counseled and led a community of Christ-followers.  He was a “jr.” because his own father – a pastor himself – was so taken by that other Martin Luther that he legally changed his own name from Michael to Martin Luther, and passed it on to his son.

I was in third grade when Dr. King wrote the letter, but recall reading it in high school, college and several times since, including once again this week.  It continues to guide, inspire and amaze me.  Some brief reflections – but don’t let these replace you reading it for yourself.

It strikes me as a deeply Christian statement.

Discerning between “just” and “unjust” laws, and then how to respond to injustice are all based on the Scriptures that show me the Gospel of God’s grace.  His love for those who have opposed him and those who have disappointed him, is clear and reflects the love shown to all by Jesus.

For example, here are two paragraphs from Dr. King's "Letter"

"One may ask: 'How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?' The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that 'an unjust law is no law at all.'"

"A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of Harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law." (These paragraphs were added to my original post on January 12, 2023)

I hear the rhythms and passion of the African-American church.

I am thankful again to have been welcomed and loved across the years of my own ministry by brothers and sisters from Holllygrove, New Orleans to Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Alexandria, LA.  I see the breadth, depth, height and width of the Savior’s love more clearly because you have shown it to me.  Thank you.

I am amazed at the breadth of historical, literary and theological allusions.

You will hear more references to Socrates, St Augustine, the Declaration of Independence, Reinhold Niebuhr and others in this one letter than in an entire week on any 24-hour news channel.  Don’t waste 168 hours counting, just read Dr King’s letter a second time.

When was the last time we heard/spoke political discourse like this?

The letter was written 57 years ago.  My how things have changed.

I’m aware of Dr. King’s moral failings

But more than able to see and separate those from the gold nuggets of his aspirations and vision.  Without minimizing his failings, I will also not lose his contributions in other areas.  Like him, I’m a sinner pointing my people to a Risen Savior.