Monday, January 17, 2005

Stride Toward Freedom - Martin Luther King and Moral Beauty

One of my favorite books of all time is Martin Luther King's "Stride Toward Freedom".


This book helped define my heart and the purpose of my home. When I was still dating my wife, we read this book together. In fact, we read it on the flight home from NJ to LA after I had just proposed to her. I remember how we cried and cried as we read this wonderful story of the Beautiful Christian community that was led by Martin Luther King. This community spoke so clearly of the love of Jesus and the sacrifice of Jesus for the good of all in the late '50s in Montgomery, Alabama.

My then fiance had been working for the "New York School of Uban Ministry" in Queens, and I ran a Christian recovery home and community in Los Angeles. Our entire Christian life had been about living incarnationally with the poor. These experiences set the DNA of our hearts for ministry.

In honor of Martin Luther King's birthday, I am going to post links to bloggers who are writing on MLK today or over the weekend. Then, I will sum up with a few words on Moral Beauty.

John DePoe has a short and sweet essay on Objective Ethics and Martin Luther King
A big thank you from Baldiloks.
Eternal Perspectives has a self revealing post on Rethinking MLK Day
Evangelical Outpost exhorts Evangelicals
to do a little soul searching by re-reading MLK's "Letter From A Birmingham Jail". The fact is many evangelicals were too blind to renounce tradition and hatred and embrace the dream.
Over at Music for America, Joe Felice asks whether youth see MLK as a Hero or a 3-day Weekend

Adrian links an Article on the Remnants of Racism in our Society
La Shawn Barber gives a conservative take on the Color Blind Society

Dustbury explains why this day matters
Lots of blog entries from progresssives on the inequality of the Celebration itself (here too). The holiday is an official holiday, but few people celebrate it. What gives?

If you know any other posts on MLK today please tell me and I will link them in this post.

Stride Toward Freedom - Martin Luther King and Moral Beauty
As you know, I continually attempt to explain that the church's primary apologetic for the Gospel is the Moral Beauty of our Community and our Lives. To the extent that we do or do not reflect the Moral excellencies of Jesus (forgiveness, grace, compassion, action, love for God, simplicity...) is the extent that we do or do not live as witnesses to His Lordship and power.

Martin Luther King is in many ways a King David of our time. He displayed a vision from the Almighty and a broken heart for God's people of all races. The community of Montgomery during the late-'50s was a beautiful testiment of the power of the teachings and the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Today, I would like to honor Martin Luther King as a great, though limping, witness of Jesus.
God Bless,
brad

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