Martin Luther King Day

Not to detract from the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr in the American Civil Rights Movement, but it is important to note, especially on this day, that behind every great leader are a host of others, named and unnamed, who give power to a movement of justice. One such leader in the Civil Rights Movement was Pastor Fred Shuttlesworth.

While I am no scholar of the American Civil Rights movement, I do believe there would be great unanimity in saying that Birmingham was the turning point of this great movement of equality. It was there Dr. King was jailed for eight days and wrote his masterful "Letter from a Birmingham Jail". It was there that racist police commissioner Eugene "Bull" Conner unleashed his dogs and his thugs and his high pressure water hoses on peaceful marchers and children in Kelly Ingram Park. After the smoke from Birmingham cleared, the United States passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. And at the heart of Birmingham was the pastor of Bethel Baptist Church, Dr. Fred Shuttlesworth. Georgia Representative John Lewis called Shuttlesworth "the soul and heart of the Birmingham movement."

Indeed, while King and others experienced only temporarily the horrible abuse of "Bull" Conner and Alabama’s extreme and violent racism, Pastor Shuttlesworth lived it. Black homes and churches were regularly bombed for nearly a decade before the famous march on Birmingham. In 1955, he led a delegation petitioning the city for black police officers. In 1957, he attempted to enroll his daughters in the all white high school. He was beaten with brass knuckles and bicycle chains. When the doctor wondered aloud that he wasn’t in worse condition, Shuttlesworth said, 'Well, doctor, the Lord knew I lived in a hard town, so he gave me a hard head." And it was Shuttlesworth who persuaded King to bring his movement to Birmingham, where history would be changed.

What Shuttlesworth had was a deep and abiding faith in God. And he trusted Him at every obstacle and act of injustice.

While Dr. King is the rightfully acknowledged leader of the Civil Rights Movement, he is not alone in making sacrifices that changed our nation.

Dr. Fred Shuttlesworth

March 18, 1922 -- October 5, 2011

　

　

　

Too Much Silence

Today, of course, is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a federal holiday. And while we could (and probably always will) debate the merits of Dr. King getting a federal holiday in his honor, there can be little debate, if any, regarding the merits of his contribution to American betterment. Dr. King was a catalyst for incredible change.

One of the things I’ve been thinking about today is my reluctance to herald Dr. King as a truly great American. In case you don’t know me personally, I write from a white, conservative, Republican-leaning, evangelical, fundamental Christian perspective. And as much as I appreciate Dr. King’s work in the area of civil rights, his personal failures dampen my enthusiasm to embrace his life whole-heartedly. There seems to be credible evidence of his immoral sexuality, drinking, Marxism and Hinduism. I won’t go into all of these things but they seem to have been a part of his later life.

But I was awakened to some of my hypocrisy today when I thought of George Washington. Back to my first paragraph. If George Washington doesn’t get a day in his honor, why should Martin Luther King? So I’ve been thinking some about Washington and King. George Washington was a really good guy in my book—not perfect—but good. Washington’s big moral deficiency was that he was a slave holder. And ‘moral deficiency’ is way too benign. Slavery is repugnant; it’s an outrage and a horrendous sin against God.

So I have some questions for myself. Why am I hesitant to extol the greatness of King because of his adulteries but not hesitant to extol the greatness of Washington in light of his enslavement of other humans? Could it be that I have discriminatory qualities? Can I overlook Washington’s sin because it was more distant than King’s? Can I overlook Washington’s sin because it seems more bound to his culture than does King’s? Hmm. Some things for me to think about today.

Anyway, I do know two things. First, God does incredible works through imperfect people. And second, while King had many imperfections, his heart had been captured by Jesus who directed his mind and his life to this great quest of greater equality for black persons in America. His life is worthy of remembering. His memory is worthy of honor.


P.S. I’ve blogged in the past regarding two things.

First, that Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is one of the finest pieces of American literature. You should read it. Second, Dr. King’s statement: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter” is one of his finest, and one of my favorite all-time American quotes. We need to stop the silence.