King on the Church
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From the Letter from Birmingham Jail:
The whole letter, of course, is well worth reading.
In deep disappointment I have wept over the laxity of the church. But be assured that my tears have been tears of love. There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. Yes, I love the church. How could I do otherwise? I am in the rather unique position of being the son, the grandson and the great-grandson of preachers. Yes, I see the church as the body of Christ. But, oh! How we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and through fear of being nonconformists.
There was a time when the church was very powerful in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society.
The whole letter, of course, is well worth reading.
posted by JT at Saturday, January 13, 2007
6 Comments:
Yes. I agree. A great quote from a great letter.
JT...weren't you the same one who, a year or two ago, criticized and attacked King for not being a true Christian?
Maybe it wasn't actually you, but I know it occurred on this blog.
Dave,
Good memory. You are correct (see here
I thought of adding something to the effect that one can speak profound truth even if deeply mistaken on other matters, and that we can and should appreciate this common grace.
JT
Notwithstanding the ill motives of some who point out Dr. King's flaws for the purpose of discrediting his message and/or justifying themselves against charges of racism, i have no desire to defend the authenticity
of Dr. King's profession of faith. In my estimation, Dr. King's doctrine, and in some ways his (private) life as well, should at least raise concerns in the minds of any follower of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, this judgment belongs to God alone.
However, i would point out that such discussions often highlight what appears to me to be an inconsistency among many (white?) Reformed Christians when it comes to discerning the sincerity of the faith of historical figures. In particular, i've observed that many are quick to judge/doubt the authenticity of those Christian professors who persist in some form of doctrinal error throughout the whole of their lives, but scarcely raise a concern about those Christian professors who persist in lack of love for the brethren throughout the whole of their lives,
despite their orthodox convictions.
That is to say, for many of my white Reformed brethren, the test of authentic Christianity is a doctrinal one, rather than an ethical one. And to the extent that there is an ethical test, it is normally limited to matters of so-called personal holiness. For example, it is rare that i hear anyone say "Even though so-and-so unwaveringly affirmed the deity of
Jesus Christ and the doctrines of grace all of his life, i still doubt whether he was truly a Christian because he unrepentantly failed to love the least of Jesus' brothers." (Matt. 25; 1 John 4:20-21). And thus, without any serious reflection, many embrace as true Christians those who tithe mint and dill and cumin, yet neglect the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness.
And so, notwithstanding Dr. King's radical obedience to Jesus' commands to love our enemies, turn the other cheek, bless those who persecute us, and overcome evil with good, many still question his devotion to Jesus Christ because of his unorthodox doctrine. i understand this. But where are the voices who question the faith of those Reformed heroes who preached unswervingly about the glory of God and the sufficiency of Christ, yet oppressed their black brothers in chains or said to the blacks in their assembly, "you stand over there" or "sit in the balcony"? (James 2).
i wholeheartedly agree that "we must use caution in our labels, lest we unwittingly undermine the glory of Christ and mislead the church," but i would only hasten to point out that this admonition applies not only when dealing with the unorthodox, but when dealing
with the "unorthoprax" as well.
There's an old Negro spiritual that says "Everybody talkin' bout heaven ain't goin' there." Well, everybody talkin' bout the doctrines of grace ain't going there either. It may very well be that some of our Reformed heroes will spend all eternity with Dr. King, wherever that may be.
Brilliant cudnt say it beta myself!!!!!!!!!:):):)
It truly amazes me how people can use bits and pieces of people and their writings to fit what they want to say.
It is not for us to judge ones salvation... I think God can handle that one. Yes, we can find fault in ALL earthly teaching and in the people that teach. Ours is to love God, love ALL others, and to hold true to the grace that has saved us.
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