So today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. He was a pivotal advocate for African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. King experienced racism from an early age, and those events stayed with him and eventually led him to dedicate his life to bring about change. I remember the days when signs directed “colored” to drink from separate water fountains and blacks had to ride in the back of the bus with whites riding in the front. They were barred from playing professional sports, meaningful careers, restaurants, and white churches, and we were totally segregated. Their schools were inferior to white schools, and I did not ever attend a school with black kids.
After graduating college with a doctorate degree in theology, King became a pastor in Alabama. He began a series of peaceful non-violent protests in the south that were met with violence and angry mobs. Eventually his strategy began to work and changed many of the laws dealing with the treatment of African Americans. King gave hundreds of moving speeches across the country, and in 1964 was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent approach to resolving the treatment of blacks in this country.
On April 4th, 1968, at the young age of 39 Dr. King was shot and killed while in Memphis, Tennessee. Ironically I was in Memphis the day he was assassinated there. I was staying in an apartment that sat high atop a hill overlooking the downtown area and we could see the huge thick plumes of smoke as rioters took to the streets. Oddly, on the day of his murder his followers spurned what he stood for and tried to burn the city down. Today groups like BLM are still burning and looting.
I admired his courage and his belief of non-violent demonstrations to bring about change. I always thought it was ironic that the black demonstrators around the country were and still are doing just the opposite of what he preached in participating in violent riots and burning inner cities down.
Although his life ended that day, the work that he accomplished changed the nation. King will be remembered not only for his commitment to the cause of equality for African Americans but also for his profound speeches that moved so many, and certainly for his bravery and courage.
I would imagine the cancel culture would ban him for life for some of his quotes but here are ten of his finest:
- “If we are not careful, our colleges will produce a group of close-minded, unscientific, illogical propagandists, consumed with immoral acts. Be careful, ‘brethren!’ Be careful, teachers!”
- “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”
- Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.
- I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
- “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
- “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.”
- “Life’s most persistent and urgent question, ‘What are you doing for others?'”
- “Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. Indeed, it is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and enables the man who wields it.”
- Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.
- “You can kill the dreamer, but you can’t kill the dream.”
- Free at last, free at last. Thank God almighty we are free at last.
I believe many of his quotes were inspired directly from the Lord Himself. I’ve met quite a few people who dislike MLK Jr., but I do not agree with them. I think like every man, woman, and child on the planet King was not perfect, but in my mind, there is no denying that he was truly touched by God. Jesus demonstrated many of the precepts of Martin Luther King and indeed the Bible and t prayer is likely where he learned them.
Martin Luther King once stated, “When evil men plot, good men must plan. When evil men burn and bomb, good men must build and bind. When evil men shout ugly words of hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glories of love”.
Albert Einstein once said. “The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.” He is also credited with saying, “The real problem is in the hearts and minds of men…
Evil being “in the hearts and minds of men” could probably have been better addressed from the perspective of what is NOT in the hearts and minds of evil men; that would be the Spirit of God. God is defined as love and sometimes we get so caught up in politics and issues of race and we forget the true meaning of love.
1 Corinthians 13:4
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.