Marching With Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

From the 1963 book Why We Can't Wait by Dr. Martin Luther, Jr. - p. 64

Every volunteer was required to sign a Commitment Card that read:

I hereby Pledge Myself - My Person and Body - to the nonviolent movement.  Therefore I will keep the following Ten Commandments:

1. Meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus. 
2. Remember always that the nonviolent movement in Birmingham seeks justice and reconciliation — not victory. 
3. Walk and talk in the manner of love, for God is love. 
4. Pray daily to be used by God in order that all men might be free. 
5. Sacrifice personal wishes in order that all men might be free. 
6. Observe with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy. 
7. Seek to perform regular service for others and for the world. 
8. Refrain from the violence of fist, tongue or heart. 
9. Strive to be in good spiritual and bodily health. 
10. Follow the directions of the movement and of the captain of a demonstration.”

I sign this pledge, having seriously considered what I do and with the determination and will to persevere.

 

This Commitment Card speaks for itself in reflecting the influence of the Gospel and a biblical worldview on Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in their Civil Rights work.

It also begs the question: How different is this from the commitments driving the leaders and participants of all the various expressions of social unrest over this past year?