The Influence of Martin Luther King on the Church - Essay Example

The Influence of Martin Luther King on the Church Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. (1John 3:16 – 18) In Memphis Tennessee to lead a protest march he had organized to support striking garbage workers, Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential men in modern America, while standing on the balcony at his hotel room April 4, 1968 was shot once in the neck. At the age of 39, he was dead. (Martin, Nobel, 1972) On January 15, 1929 Michael Luther King was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Michael’s family was deeply religious. Martin, Sr. was the minister the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta where King’s maternal grandfather before that had built the church into one of the largest Baptist Churches in Atlanta. Throughout his life, this small little church in Atlanta remained dear to King. It had been the center point of the family for so many years. When Michael was six, his father had his own and Michael’s name changed to Martin in honor of Martin Luther, the founder of the Lutheran Church. King and his siblings grew up in a deeply seated religious family, and from his own words written in an essay prepared while in seminary school it is obvious the importance of God and family to King. “"It is quite easy for me to think of a God of love mainly because I grew up in a family where love was central and where lovely relationships were ever present." (Martin, Gale, 1999) During his teenage years, prior to attending Morehouse, King had a difficult period in his spiritual life. His grandmother died during a church program at Ebenezer and King, although he was supposed to be in attendance that dad, had instead gone to watch a parade. This guilt and questioning stayed with him for several years, and upon entering Morehouse King was certain he would not enter this ministry as had his father and grandfather before him. That all changed during his junior year at school. King took a Bible class and met “Dr. Benjamin Mays, a scholar whose manner and bearing convinced him that a religious career could be intellectually satisfying as well.” (The Life, Seattle, n.d.) King renewed his faith at that time and decided to attend seminary school upon graduation. “In the fall of his senior year he told his father of his decision. King Jr. preached his trial sermon at Ebenezer with great success. On February 25, 1948, he was ordained and became associate pastor at Ebenezer.” (Martin, Gale, 1999) . In 1954 King was named Minister at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery Alabama after finishing seminary school. While a pastor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, the civil rights movement was burgeoning. A local group of civil right activists planned to start a bus strike in Montgomery in protest of the prejudicial treatment of Blacks while using the public transportation system. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white passenger and was arrested. . The Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) was created and a bright, young, articulate Pastor was named as its president. His name was Martin Luther King, Jr. The importance of the church in African American history dates back to when Blacks were first brought to this country as slaves. The leadership found within the church was central in the struggle for civil rights and owing to its very nature was central to the Black culture, structure and function. Churches offered its members positions within the church culture that were denied them in society. “Throughout history, the black church served not only as a place of worship but also as a community "bulletin board," a credit union, a "people's court" to solve disputes, a support group, and a center of political activism.” (American Civil, nd, np) All these functions and the prominence of the church elevated the role of the pastor. The most famous clergyman during the Civil Rights Movement was Martin Luther King. He joined and led numerous protests and demonstrations. “King's powerful oratory and persistent call for racial justice inspired sharecroppers and intellectuals alike. His tireless personal commitment to and strong leadership role in the black freedom struggle won him worldwide acclaim and the Nobel Peace Prize.” (American Civil, nd, np) “The American civil rights movement might have been played out on the buses, streets and lunch counters of the South -- but it was in the African American churches where participants found the spiritual strength for their task.” (Dotson, 2001, np) During the Civil Rights Movement the church was the center of many activities involving those active in the movement. Rallies were held there, meetings were held there, and for many Southern Blacks the church remained central in their lives. “The 16th Street Baptist Church since its construction in 1911 had served as the center of life for Birmingham's African American community.” (We Shall, nd, np) Because of the wide spread use of churches during this time, unfortunately, they also frequently became the target of those opposed to equality for Blacks. On September 15, 1963 just before the 11 am Church service was to begin, a bomb exploded at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham Alabama. Four young innocent girls aged 11 to 14 were killed in the blast and 20 other people were injured. (Brunner, 2005) The bombing of the church was symbolic, what the KKK who orchestrated the bombing failed to realize was that the Church isn’t a building. The church is the people. Following the bombing, whites and blacks alike joined to grieve over the loss of the children and loss of innocence of those left behind. At the funeral service held for the girls, Dr. Martin Luther King “spoke about life being "as hard as crucible steel." More than 8,000 mourners, including 800 clergymen of both races, attended the service. No city officials braved the crowds to attend.” (We Shall, nd, np) This bombing and the subsequent death of John F. Kennedy were the turning point in the Civil Rights Movement. The grief and anger felt by both blacks and whites galvanized the nation to ensure the 1964 Civil Rights Bill would be passed. One of the many impacts Martin Luther King, Jr. had upon the churches involved the service itself. Before King began his work on the Civil Rights Movement, rarely in recorded church history did whites and blacks join together to here a Black minister’s sermon. There are a few recorded instances, for example, during the days of slavery where the ‘master’ might have attended a wedding, but those instances were a rarity. Once King had become an integral part of the Civil Rights Movement, his preaching which captured the hearts and minds of many Blacks and Whites alike opened the door for other Black preachers. In their book “Preaching in Black and White”, authors Bailey, a Black Baptist minister and Wiersbe, a White Baptist Minister discussed the impact that Dr. King had. When Wiersbe asked Bailey if anyone had affected the ‘white church’, he immediately replied “I think Martin Luther King may have been the first one” (2003, pp. 24) Because of wide acceptance by many within the mainstream church, Dr. King opened the door for many African American ministers, not only with sermons preached during Civil Rights meetings and rallies, but on Sunday morning as well. Archbishop Earl Paulk has been a preacher since the early 1960’s. He started out preaching in a small church in Atlanta. Now, he has a parish with over 10,000 members and has a substantial outreach ministry as well. In the early days of his ministry Paulk joined the Southern Christian Council which dismayed many of his parishiners at the time. “The conservative Christian community generally considered this group to be too liberal in their thinking.” (Paulk, 2004, pp.53) It was a difficult time in Atlanta for many. Most of the clergy avoided the Council for fear of angering their church membership, but it was something Paulk felt he had to do. He heard about a local group through the council he felt compelled to investigate further. “The Concerned Clergy” was a group who met in the basement of the Ebenezer Baptist Church and discussed the racial upheaval occurring in Atlanta during this time period. After weeks of internal conflict, Paulk decided he had to attend. He arrived that night at the Ebenezer Baptist Church and was the only white preacher in attendance. He was the only white person there. When he walked through that door everyone just turned and stared at him. Finally, a young man cam forward and asked him who he was and why he’d come. Paulk explained that he was the minister of the Hempfield Church and he had come because he wanted to hear what they had to say. The young man reached out his hand in welcome and introduced himself and then said “I appreciate your coming. It will take people like you and me to make a difference.” (Paulk, 2004, pp.54) Paulk had just met Martin Luther King, Jr. He never looked back. Paulk became an active member of the Civil Rights Movement from that night forward. He organized rallies, investigated the conditions of schools throughout Georgia during the desegregation era. He never lost sight of the struggle for the end or decimation, at that time for the African Americans, but even now his struggles continue. The part of the story that is not so heartwarming however was the fall out his, and hundreds more like him; beliefs cause division within the church. Many within the churches of the south during the Civil Rights Movement believed that segregation was the only acceptable answer. Many of those with that view put on the finest clothes on Sunday morning and attended church. Having a Minister so active in the Civil Rights Movement and being white at that caused many within the church to alienate the ministers. Many were blacklisted. Many were driven from the homes they’d been born in. The division that was seen at the rallies, marches and speeches and the violent protests opposing them, did not stop outside the church front door. Many parishioners, not just Faulk’s but from any church where the minister took an active role in the Civil Rights Movement, fell away from the church if they were not able to drive the rebel ministers out. So entrenched were they in their narrow perspectives, they did not see the hypocrisy in their own words and deeds. The degree in activity of the minister often caused a rift with the church as lines were drawn both for and against. A once unified church pitted brother against brother as if in hundreds of little ‘civil wars’. Meeting King changed Faulk’s life and the direction of it forever, but in doing so it changed the church as well. It is difficult to comprehend sometimes how deeply Marin Luther King impacted people’s lives. In 1972, half way around the world and four years after his murder, King touched the life and the church of a town in Australia. John Smith was born in 1946 in Reservoir, Australia. His family was very strict Methodists and John grew up with very fundamental views passed down from his parents and theirs before him. John was rebellious and as children often do tried to have as little to do with the church as possible as he entered his teen years. However a devastating illness which hospitalized him brought him back to his strict upbringing and by the time he graduated from school he knew he wanted to become a Methodist minister. He attended Melbourne Bible College where his fundamentalist beliefs became even more entrenched. Upon graduation he was assigned as minister at a small church outside Victoria. Smith was very vocal about his beliefs and often during sermons would state exactly was on his mind. It was one such Sunday that changed his life and the focus of him ministry forever. During this Sunday Reverend Smith during the sermon stated that “Martin Luther King had been a womanizer and a communist.” (Veno, 2003, pp. 134) After the sermon, a member of his congregation approached him and asked if he had ever heard King preach. Of course, he had not. She then asked if he had ever read any of his books. Of course, he had not. She handed him a film she happened to have with her, a biography of sorts on King and said watch it. Smith did this that, and his life would never be the same, nor would those around him. That tape contained King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and as Smith watched and listened as the blinders came off his eyes and his ears opened. He saw, at that moment, what his life was and how his narrow minded views and disinterest towards others affected not just himself, but also his church. So moved was he from those view moments that it set in motion a lasting change to that little church in Australia half a world away and so many years past. Smith opened his church doors. Through his efforts he led is church to embracing the differences in all of us and they together sought to make a difference. That small church started an outreach program, reaching out to local motorcycle gang members. They opened a shelter for homeless. There was always a warm place to sleep and a meal for a hungry stomach in that tiny little church. All this because half a world away, Martin Luther King – ‘had a dream’, The end of segregation in the south meant in many ways the end, at least temporarily, of whole congregations. Many churches closed the black only churches and assumed that the congregations from the black churches would just meld in with the remaining ‘white’ churches. This however did not occur as easily as was thought, nor was it that simple. Blacks had been attending ‘their’ churches for generations. They belonged to the choir, lead Sunday School, preached, and prayed together. They were a family. Suddenly, all that was gone and they were expected to blend into a new church where often they were unwanted and just as often where they didn’t want to be. (Davis, 1993) The impact of the Civil Rights Movement on churches was not all bad. In many respects it brought people together. Often in times of adversity when one thinks that there are no longer any options, they turn towards their faith and each other. I will not argue whether this is an appropriate response as many would say that one should always have their faith foremost in mind. Leave aside whatever your view on that may be. The fact remains that during the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement many, especially those directly embroiled in the battles, sought a closer relationship with their God. “Does not the faith of the black church empower black Christians to "keep on keeping on" even though the odds might be against them?” (Cone, 1984, pp. 2) Undoubtedly, Martin Luther King, Jr was one of the most respected leaders of the 20th century. He has forever left his mark and touched the hearts of many. “King's legacy has lived on. In 1969, his widow, Coretta Scott King, organized the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change. Today it stands next to his beloved Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. His birthday, Jan. 15, is a national holiday, celebrated each year with educational programs, artistic displays, and concerts throughout the United States. The Lorraine Hotel where he was shot is now the National Civil Rights Museum“(Life, Seattle) Works Cited “American Civil Rights Movement”. (undated). One Language Website. Retrieved December17, 2005, from . Bailey, E. K. & Wiersbe, Warren W. (2003) “Preaching in Black and White.” Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Brunner, Brogna. (2005) “Birmingham Church Bombing.” Retrieved December 17, 2005, From . Cone, James H. (1984). “Martin Luther King, Jr., Black Theology--Black Church”. Retrieved December 8, 2005 from . Davis, Cyprian. (Apr. 1993). “In the beginning, there were Black Catholics.” U. S. Catholic, 58:4, pp.6. Retrieved December 8, 2005 from Academic Search Premier Database King James Version Holy Bible. Nashville: World Publishing, 2004. “The Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.” The Seattle Times online version. 8 Dec. 2005. . “Martin Luther King – Biography.” From Nobel Lectures, Peace 1951-1970, Editor Frederick W. Haberman, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1972. 8 Dec. 2005 . “Martin Luther King, Jr.” 1999. Gale Research, Inc. 8 Dec. 2005 . Paulk, Earl. (2004). “Unfinished Course.” Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc. Veno, Arthur. (2003). “The Brotherhoods.” Crown Nest, Australia: McPherson Printing Group. Read More