Most folks today like to believe that they'd be on the side of Dr. King back in the Civil Rights era, but people conveniently forget that he was the most hated man in America when he was assassinated. The vast majority of White Christians thought he was a dangerous troublemaker, and of course, in a way, he was a very dangerous troublemaker.
But that's exactly what he needed to be in order to be faithful to his Christian calling. He called out and openly confronted America's racist history and continuing racist policies, both domestically and internationally. He also tied racism and classism together and recognized that the underprivileged and poor came in every shade of color.
Dr. King was a man of peace and non-violence to be sure. That was his trademark. But he was no passive actor in any sense. His commitment to justice for EVERYONE was fierce and unyielding. He struck the rhetorical ax to the root of evil policies across the board, from the backwoods lynchings to the Vietnam War. He was unrelenting in his holy calling to call evil by its name and overcome it with the power of love.
But you can't cure a disease if you refuse to acknowledge that it exists in the first place. We still are unwilling to do that, and so Dr. King's message rings as true today as it did fifty years ago. We must NEVER stop dreaming his prophetic dream.
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