Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I have to admit, I do not know much about this man. I have heard positive and negative things about him, but have never really looked carefully into who he was or the approach he took to provoke change regarding civil rights. But as I was reading some articles on Desiring God, I ran across one Piper wrote about his church's focus on racial harmony. In it, he referenced Dr. King's Letter from Birmingham Jail, written on April 16, 1963.

I have to say, it is probably the most concise and well-written commentary on civil rights issues that I have ever read. The letter was addressed to the clergymen in the South that were either attacking him for his position or encouraging him to back off a little, even though they agreed with his stance, and give it some time. It honestly made me think, if I were living with the choice to either be ostracized for associating with black people or to just lay low enough to where I never had to take a stance either way, what would I have done? I found it interesting that he was more critical, not of his the overtly racist people who hated anyone not white, but the average person who simply did nothing, namely the average Christian.

I would encourage you to read this letter. His remarks about the church are especially convicting. Like most great thinkers, he hit a lot of things spot on, and fumbled on some major things as well. I think God purposes that so that we can keep the right perspective of these men...simply, that they are men, sinful and imperfect, but granted a perspective that the rest of us do not see in order that we may be encouraged, corrected, or informed. All this to say, I liked the letter and I would love to hear your thoughts on it, too.