Here is a great blog post from The Rev. Chuck Currie on the faith of martin Luther King, Jr:
Has the Christian faith of Martin Luther King, Jr. been forgotten? Some on the far fringes of society argue that King wasn’t a Christian because they disagree with his theology. Others claim he was an anti-American communist or, oddly enough, a conservative who is represented best today by Glenn Beck. Critics and revisionists like these can be easily dismissed. But as we celebrate another national holiday in his honor it is worth considering whether or not we have created a safe historical vision of King where his Christianity is stripped away and the radical, transformational nature of his faith forgotten.
King was a Christian, of course, ordained to preach and teach the Gospel message. A 13-year old recently expressed surprise to me when he learned that King was a minister. But why would a child today know this? Once a year King’s “I Have A Dream” speech is recited or replayed but the origin of the Civil Rights Movement – born out of the Christian church – is largely forgotten in America today. It is vital that the Christian faith of King not be lost. Churches, particularly historic African-American churches and all those within the progressive Christian tradition that King came out of, need to claim King’s legacy for important reasons. If forgotten, we lose the memory of one of history’s best examples of Jesus’ teachings put into action.
