why i admire martin luther king jr essay

Martin Luther King Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on martin luter king.

Martin Luther King Jr. was an African-American leader in the U.S. He lost his life while performing a peaceful protest for the betterment of blacks in America. His real name was Michael King Jr. He completed his studies and attained a Ph.D. After that, he joined the American Civil Right Movement. He was among one of the great men who dedicated their life for the community.

Reason for Martin Luther King to be famous

There are two reasons for someone to be famous either he is a good man or a very bad person. Martin Luther King was among the good one who dedicated his life to the community. Martin Luther King was also known as MLK Jr. He gained popularity after he became the leader and spokesperson of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s.

Martin Luther King was an American activist, minister, and humanitarian. Also, he had worked for several other causes and actively participated in many protests and boycotts. He was a peaceful man that has faith in Christian beliefs and non-violence. Also, his inspiration for them was the work of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. For his work in the field of civil rights, the Nobel Committee awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize.

He was a great speaker that motivated the blacks to protest using non-violence. Also, he uses peaceful strategies like a boycott, protest march , and sit-ins, etc. for protests against the government.

Impact of King

King is one of the renowned leaders of the African-American who worked for the welfare of his community throughout his life. He was very famous among the community and is the strongest voice of the community. King and his fellow companies and peaceful protesters forced the government several times to bend their laws. Also, kings’ life made a seismic impact on life and thinking of the blacks. He was among one of the great leaders of the era.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Humanitarian and civil rights work

As we know that King was a civic leader . Also, he has taken part in many civil right campaigns and boycotts like the Bus Boycott, Voting Rights and the most famous March on Washington. In this march along with more than 200,000 people, he marched towards Washington for human right. Also, it’s the largest human right campaign in U.S.A. history. During the protest, he gave a speech named “I Have a Dream” which is history’s one of the renowned speeches.

Death and memorial

During his life working as a leader of the Civil Rights Movement he makes many enemies. Also, the government and plans do everything to hurt his reputation. Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968. Every year the US celebrates his anniversary as Martin Luther King Jr. day in the US. Also, they honored kings’ memory by naming school and building after him and a Memorial at Independence Mall.

Martin Luther King was a great man who dedicated his whole life for his community. Also, he was an active leader and a great spokesperson that not only served his people but also humanity. It was due to his contribution that the African-American got their civil rights.

Essay Topics on Famous Leaders

• Mahatma Gandhi
• APJ Abdul Kalam
• Jawaharlal Nehru
• Swami Vivekananda
• Mother Teresa
• Rabindranath Tagore
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
• Subhash Chandra Bose
• Abraham Lincoln
• Martin Luther King

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

• Travelling Essay
• Picnic Essay
• Our Country Essay
• My Parents Essay
• Essay on Favourite Personality
• Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
• Essay on Knowledge is Power
• Essay on Gurpurab
• Essay on My Favourite Season
• Essay on Types of Sports

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Download the App

Martin Luther King Jr.: a Legacy of Achievements

This essay about Martin Luther King Jr.’s pivotal role in the American civil rights movement. It highlights his leadership in significant events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the founding of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the historic March on Washington. King’s advocacy led to key legislative victories, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. His legacy extends globally, inspiring movements for social justice and nonviolent resistance. Despite facing opposition and personal sacrifices, King’s unwavering commitment to equality continues to shape the fight against injustice today.

How it works

Martin Luther King Jr., a luminary whose utterances and endeavors echo across epochs, endures as one of the most consequential figures of the American civil rights crusade. Born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, King etched an enduring impression on American society through his relentless activism, commanding rhetoric, and steadfast dedication to justice. His achievements facilitated the emergence of a fresh paradigm for the United States and the world, anchored in parity and nonviolent opposition.

One of King’s nascent triumphs was his leadership role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-1956.

Provoked by the apprehension of Rosa Parks for declining to relinquish her bus seat to a Caucasian, the boycott signified a pivotal juncture in the civil rights tussle. King, then a youthful clergyman in Montgomery, Alabama, was tasked with leading the Montgomery Improvement Association and orchestrating the boycott. For over a year, the African American community in Montgomery eschewed public bus transportation, evincing remarkable resilience and solidarity. Their exertions culminated in a seminal Supreme Court decree that invalidated segregation on public buses, thereby solidifying King’s reputation as a dynamic leader.

King proceeded to co-establish the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, an entity dedicated to harnessing the potency of nonviolent dissent to effect societal metamorphosis. The SCLC emerged as a potent force in the civil rights campaign, amplifying King’s message of peaceful resistance and broadening the struggle for racial equality across the American South. Under King’s tutelage, the SCLC orchestrated marches, voter registration initiatives, and other manifestations of nonviolent protest, advocating for integration and rectitude.

One of King’s most conspicuous accomplishments was his role in orchestrating the historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Over 250,000 individuals congregated at the Lincoln Memorial to advocate for civil and economic rights for African Americans. It was during this march that King delivered his seminal “I Have a Dream” address, expounding a compelling vision of a future where individuals would “not be evaluated by the color of their skin but by the essence of their character.” This address galvanized support for the civil rights movement and left an enduring impression on the American psyche.

King’s advocacy also played a pivotal role in the enactment of seminal civil rights legislation. His leadership and activism facilitated the momentum requisite for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which proscribed discrimination predicated on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The Voting Rights Act of 1965, another epochal triumph, ensued shortly thereafter and sought to eradicate racial bias in voting, notably in the South.

Beyond these legal victories, King championed economic equity and dissented against the Vietnam War. He discerned the interwoven nature of racial and economic disparities and inaugurated the Poor People’s Campaign in 1968 to advocate for economic entitlements for all marginalized factions. This campaign, which aspired to establish a multiracial alliance of disadvantaged individuals, underscored the imperative to redress systemic impoverishment through governmental intervention.

King’s vision transcended geographical confines. In 1964, he attained the distinction of being the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for his steadfast commitment to nonviolent resistance. His doctrine of nonviolent protest, influenced by the precepts of Mahatma Gandhi, emerged as a potent archetype for social movements globally. His legacy inspired activists combating apartheid in South Africa, advocating for civil rights in Northern Ireland, and beyond.

Despite encountering vehement opposition and personal sacrifices, King remained unwavering in his quest for equity and parity until his assassination on April 4, 1968. He bequeathed a legacy of achievements that persistently mold the contemporary struggle for civil rights. His endeavors propelled the cause of equity for African Americans and underscored the significance of nonviolent opposition in contesting injustice. King’s accomplishments endure as a testimonial to the transformative potency of fortitude and benevolence, reminding us that substantive metamorphosis can emanate from resolute conviction in a brighter world.

Cite this page

Martin Luther King Jr.: A Legacy of Achievements. (2024, May 12). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/martin-luther-king-jr-a-legacy-of-achievements/

"Martin Luther King Jr.: A Legacy of Achievements." PapersOwl.com , 12 May 2024, https://papersowl.com/examples/martin-luther-king-jr-a-legacy-of-achievements/

PapersOwl.com. (2024). Martin Luther King Jr.: A Legacy of Achievements . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/martin-luther-king-jr-a-legacy-of-achievements/ [Accessed: 20 May. 2024]

"Martin Luther King Jr.: A Legacy of Achievements." PapersOwl.com, May 12, 2024. Accessed May 20, 2024. https://papersowl.com/examples/martin-luther-king-jr-a-legacy-of-achievements/

"Martin Luther King Jr.: A Legacy of Achievements," PapersOwl.com , 12-May-2024. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/martin-luther-king-jr-a-legacy-of-achievements/. [Accessed: 20-May-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2024). Martin Luther King Jr.: A Legacy of Achievements . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/martin-luther-king-jr-a-legacy-of-achievements/ [Accessed: 20-May-2024]

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Hire a writer to get a unique paper crafted to your needs.

Our writers will help you fix any mistakes and get an A+!

Please check your inbox.

You can order an original essay written according to your instructions.

Trusted by over 1 million students worldwide

1. Tell Us Your Requirements

2. Pick your perfect writer

3. Get Your Paper and Pay

Hi! I'm Amy, your personal assistant!

Don't know where to start? Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert.

short deadlines

100% Plagiarism-Free

Certified writers

Essay on Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream Speech

I have a dream: essay introduction, martin luther king’s speech: essay conclusion, reference list.

One of the finest explanations of American’s dream is the powerful speech of Martin Luther King, Jr. He delivered the speech at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963, in Washington D.C. The speech is mainly centered on racial equality and stoppage of discrimination.

At that time, racial segregation ruled in almost all places: be it schools, neighborhoods and even in social places. With violence and riots so often, it was a disturbing moment for America although the U.S government was doing nothing to change the situation. Through the speech, Dr. King was educating inspiring and informing both the civil supporters and the unborn generation in the world to reach out to their dreams and giving his audience hope for a better future.

Up to the time when he was delivering the speech, African Americans were still under slavery from the white people as indicated in the below excerpt.

One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination…….One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land (Luther, 1963, para. 2).

The speech depicts the idea that someone can actually be anything that he dreams of becoming. Dr. King suggested that America is a land full of opportunities and that Americans should maximize on them. Before transforming the world, he saw the need to begin in America. Dr. King began the speech with a rhetoric phrase, ’Now is the time’, a tool that he used throughout speech. In the sixth paragraph of his speech, he used the phrase six times.

He was echoing to his audience to get hold of the moment. More so he used the phrase, ‘I have a dream eight times. By so doing he was echoing future hope for the people that will make them forget about all the slavery sufferings and injustices that they had faced while under slavery.

This is a sign of hope for the future too. He brought in the idea of slavery to suggest that it is still operational in today’s world. By using the word ‘slave-owners’, Dr. King was referring to the white, however to calm any tension between the black and the white people, he re-unites them by saying, “… will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood” (Luther, 1963, para.12).

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners ………, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice…. I have a dream today (Luther, 1963, para.12).

The dream in the above context symbolizes the aspirations that Dr. King had of America setting the stage for the rest of the world. He also says that ‘this nation will rise up’ meaning that he had fathomed a revolution time when the Americans will be accepted as right persons in the States (Luther, 1963, para.12).

There was an established racial discrimination that is why he sent such a strong message to the white. More importantly is the fact that his words were advocating for peace hence providing the vision that anyone would buy it. There above discussion hence shows that Martin Luther King, Jr was really, an effective public speaker.

Luther, M. (1963). I have a dream. Web.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2019, February 7). Essay on Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream Speech. https://ivypanda.com/essays/martin-luther-kings-speech-i-have-a-dream/

"Essay on Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream Speech." IvyPanda , 7 Feb. 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/martin-luther-kings-speech-i-have-a-dream/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'Essay on Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream Speech'. 7 February.

IvyPanda . 2019. "Essay on Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream Speech." February 7, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/martin-luther-kings-speech-i-have-a-dream/.

1. IvyPanda . "Essay on Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream Speech." February 7, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/martin-luther-kings-speech-i-have-a-dream/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Essay on Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream Speech." February 7, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/martin-luther-kings-speech-i-have-a-dream/.

• Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” Speech Critique
• Harriet A. Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
• Leadership Lessons From Martin Luther King Jr.
• Skeptical and Layman Competence
• Speech Analysis: Ronald Reagan vs. Barack Obama
• The Psychology of Images
• Dogs Playing Poker
• The Art of Conversation: Rhetorical Devices

Filter your search by Category : Tag : Date

• About MAN FOR GO(O)D

Faith   Love Life   Love People

Three things i admire about martin luther king jr..

by M.L. Stewman

Martin Luther King, Jr. was courageous

You know, several years ago, I was in New York City autographing the first book that I had written. And while sitting there autographing books, a demented black woman came up. The only question I heard from her was, “Are you Martin Luther King?” And I was looking down writing, and I said, “Yes.” And the next minute I felt something beating on my chest. Before I knew it I had been stabbed by this demented woman. I was rushed to Harlem Hospital. It was a dark Saturday afternoon. And that blade had gone through, and the X-rays revealed that the tip of the blade was on the edge of my aorta, the main artery. And once that’s punctured, your drowned in your own blood — that’s the end of you .( www.Americanrhetoric.com )

This happened before many of the tide-turning marches and protests.  That would have been enough to cause many people to quit yet after healing up Dr. King pressed on.

Even in the face of imminent danger, he led the people through vicious dog attacks, full force blast of water from fire hoses, beatings and arrests.

And we just went on before the dogs and we would look at them; and we’d go on before the water hoses and we would look at it, and we’d just go on singing “Over my head I see freedom in the air.” And then we would be thrown in the paddy wagons, and sometimes we were stacked in there like sardines in a can. And they would throw us in, and old Bull would say, “Take ’em off,” and they did; and we would just go in the paddy wagon singing, “We Shall Overcome.” And every now and then we’d get in jail, and we’d see the jailers looking through the windows being moved by our prayers, and being moved by our words and our songs. And there was a power there which Bull Connor couldn’t adjust to; and so we ended up transforming Bull into a steer, and we won our struggle in Birmingham.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a peacemaker

04 Sep 1958, Montgomery, Alabama, USA — Police officers O.M. Strickland and J.V. Johnson apply force in arresting the Reverend Martin Luther King for loitering near a courtroom where one of his integration lieutenants was on the stand. King charged he was beaten and choked by the arresting officers. Police denied the charges. — Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS

I know Dr. King was known for leading nonviolent protests and marches, but I am often amazed by his unwavering commitment to it. He states,

We aren’t going to let any mace stop us. We are masters in our nonviolent movement in disarming police forces; they don’t know what to do. I’ve seen them so often… And Bull Connor would tell them to send the dogs forth, and they did come; but we just went before the dogs singing, “Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around.” ( Americanrhetoric.com )

In 1956 the house where he and his young family was bombed. He was not there but his wife and children were.  When he received news of this happening he rushed home to find that the front of his house was destroyed but thankfully, his wife and kids were not harmed. A group of angry men came to the scene to protect him and his family and this was Dr. King’s response,

“If you have weapons, take them home.  If you do not have them, please do not seek them. We cannot solve this problem through violence. We must meet violence with non-violence. Love your enemies; bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you. Remember this movement will not stop, because God is with it. ( www.Americanrhetoric.com )

After speaking these words the crowd went home.  What a testament to the power of words and to his commitment to peace. This begs the question, we spend so much time trying to defend ourselves and our families but how much time to we spend making peace?

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man of great faith

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. (L) preaching in his church. (Photo by Donald Uhrbrock//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images)

We all know him as the civil rights activist and as a great orator but it is important to remember that Martin Luther King, Jr. was first a man who obtained much if not all of his foundation and training in the church and seminary. He went into the ministry at the age of 18 and became pastor of a church by the time he was 25 years old. In his own words,

Before I was a civil rights leader, I was a preacher of the Gospel. This was my first calling and it still remains my greatest commitment. You know, actually all that I do in civil rights I do because I consider it a part of my ministry. I have no other ambitions in life but to achieve excellence in the Christian ministry. I don’t plan to run for any political office. I don’t plan to do anything but remain a preacher. And what I’m doing in this struggle, along with many others, grows out of my feeling that the preacher must be concerned about the whole man.( The Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute. Why Jesus Called A Man A Fool. Delivered at Mount Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church, Chicago, Illinois, on 27 August 1967.)

He is know for writing several in depth sermons and several of his speeches were given in churches as sermons including the Mountaintop speech (given in the Mason Temple Church of God in Christ in Memphis, TN).   One does not have to look very far into the life and history of Martin Luther King Jr. to see that he lived his life with God at the center.  Rest assured this is no attempt to deify the man. He was not with out fault I am sure. However, I admire his commitment to his faith and to God through all phases of his very public ministry.

These are just a few things I admire about Dr. King. While his time on earth was cut short  we made such a significant impact on everyone around him. May we all walk in the calling and purpose God has for each one of us.

For more information about Martin Luther King Jr. click the links below.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.

https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/

http://thekingcenter.org/about-dr-king

Share this:

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• civil rights
• Martin Luther King Jr

January 18, 2016

God’s Masterpiece

Casting Off My Religion

August 1, 2016

IN SPITE OF

July 28, 2016

I FEEL LIKE I’M FALLING APART

May 13, 2016

Life as a Maturing Christian man

March 7, 2016

Bird in the Hand

February 16, 2016

January 25, 2016

Faith to obtain the promise- Part 1

December 28, 2015

Human Frailty, the Outdoors, and God

December 22, 2015

Stepping out on faith…

December 7, 2015

LEAVE A COMMENT / Cancel Reply

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

• LEADING YOUR FAMILY THROUGH UNCERTAIN TIMES
• A HEART OF THANKSGIVING BRINGS THANKFUL LIVING
• Acquainted with Weakness
• Stepping out
• November 2016
• August 2016
• February 2016
• January 2016
• December 2015
• November 2015

Three Essays on Religion

Author:  King, Martin Luther, Jr.

Date:  September 1, 1948 to May 31, 1951 ?

Location:  Chester, Pa. ?

Genre:  Essay

Topic:  Martin Luther King, Jr. - Education

In the following three essays, King wrestles with the role of religion in modern society. In the first assignment, he calls science and religion “different though converging truths” that both “spring from the same seeds of vital human needs.” King emphasizes an awareness of God’s presence in the second document, noting that religion’s purpose “is not to perpetuate a dogma or a theology; but to produce living witnesses and testimonies to the power of God in human experience.” In the final handwritten essay King acknowledges the life-affirming nature of Christianity, observing that its adherents have consistently “looked forward for a time to come when the law of love becomes the law of life.”

"Science and Religion"

There is widespread belief in the minds of many that there is a conflict between science and religion. But there is no fundamental issue between the two. While the conflict has been waged long and furiously, it has been on issues utterly unrelated either to religion or to science. The conflict has been largely one of trespassing, and as soon as religion and science discover their legitimate spheres the conflict ceases.

Religion, of course, has been very slow and loath to surrender its claim to sovereignty in all departments of human life; and science overjoyed with recent victories, has been quick to lay claim to a similar sovereignty. Hence the conflict.

But there was never a conflict between religion and science as such. There cannot be. Their respective worlds are different. Their methods are dissimilar and their immediate objectives are not the same. The method of science is observation, that of religion contemplation. Science investigates. Religion interprets. One seeks causes, the other ends. Science thinks in terms of history, religion in terms of teleology. One is a survey, the other an outlook.

The conflict was always between superstition disguised as religion and materialism disguised as science, between pseudo-science and pseudo-religion.

Religion and science are two hemispheres of human thought. They are different though converging truths. Both science and religion spring from the same seeds of vital human needs.

Science is the response to the human need of knowledge and power. Religion is the response to the human need for hope and certitude. One is an outreaching for mastery, the other for perfection. Both are man-made, and like man himself, are hedged about with limitations. Neither science nor religion, by itself, is sufficient for man. Science is not civilization. Science is organized knowledge; but civilization which is the art of noble and progressive communal living requires much more than knowledge. It needs beauty which is art, and faith and moral aspiration which are religion. It needs artistic and spiritual values along with the intellectual.

Man cannot live by facts alone. What we know is little enough. What we are likely to know will always be little in comparison with what there is to know. But man has a wish-life which must build inverted pyramids upon the apexes of known facts. This is not logical. It is, however, psychological.

Science and religion are not rivals. It is only when one attempts to be the oracle at the others shrine that confusion arises. Whan the scientist from his laboratory, on the basis of alleged scientific knowledge presumes to issue pronouncements on God, on the origin and destiny of life, and on man's place in the scheme of things he is [ passing? ] out worthless checks. When the religionist delivers ultimatums to the scientist on the basis of certain cosomologies embedded in the sacred text then he is a sorry spectacle indeed.

When religion, however, on the strength of its own postulates, speaks to men of God and the moral order of the universe, when it utters its prophetic burden of justice and love and holiness and peace, then its voice is the voice of the eternal spiritual truth, irrefutable and invincible.,

"The Purpose of Religion"

What is the purpose of religion? 1  Is it to perpetuate an idea about God? Is it totally dependent upon revelation? What part does psychological experience play? Is religion synonymous with theology?

Harry Emerson Fosdick says that the most hopeful thing about any system of theology is that it will not last. 2  This statement will shock some. But is the purpose of religion the perpetuation of theological ideas? Religion is not validated by ideas, but by experience.

This automatically raises the question of salvation. Is the basis for salvation in creeds and dogmas or in experience. Catholics would have us believe the former. For them, the church, its creeds, its popes and bishops have recited the essence of religion and that is all there is to it. On the other hand we say that each soul must make its own reconciliation to God; that no creed can take the place of that personal experience. This was expressed by Paul Tillich when he said, “There is natural religion which belongs to man by nature. But there is also a revealed religion which man receives from a supernatural reality.” 3 Relevant religion therefore, comes through revelation from God, on the one hand; and through repentance and acceptance of salvation on the other hand. 4  Dogma as an agent in salvation has no essential place.

This is the secret of our religion. This is what makes the saints move on in spite of problems and perplexities of life that they must face. This religion of experience by which man is aware of God seeking him and saving him helps him to see the hands of God moving through history.

Religion has to be interpreted for each age; stated in terms that that age can understand. But the essential purpose of religion remains the same. It is not to perpetuate a dogma or theology; but to produce living witnesses and testimonies to the power of God in human experience.

[ signed ] M. L. King Jr. 5

"The Philosophy of Life Undergirding Christianity and the Christian Ministry"

Basically Christianity is a value philosophy. It insists that there are eternal values of intrinsic, self-evidencing validity and worth, embracing the true and the beautiful and consummated in the Good. This value content is embodied in the life of Christ. So that Christian philosophy is first and foremost Christocentric. It begins and ends with the assumption that Christ is the revelation of God. 6

We might ask what are some of the specific values that Christianity seeks to conserve? First Christianity speaks of the value of the world. In its conception of the world, it is not negative; it stands over against the asceticisms, world denials, and world flights, for example, of the religions of India, and is world-affirming, life affirming, life creating. Gautama bids us flee from the world, but Jesus would have us use it, because God has made it for our sustenance, our discipline, and our happiness. 7  So that the Christian view of the world can be summed up by saying that it is a place in which God is fitting men and women for the Kingdom of God.

Christianity also insists on the value of persons. All human personality is supremely worthful. This is something of what Schweitzer has called “reverence for life.” 8  Hunan being must always be used as ends; never as means. I realize that there have been times that Christianity has short at this point. There have been periods in Christians history that persons have been dealt with as if they were means rather than ends. But Christianity at its highest and best has always insisted that persons are intrinsically valuable. And so it is the job of the Christian to love every man because God love love. We must not love men merely because of their social or economic position or because of their cultural contribution, but we are to love them because  God  they are of value to God.

Christianity is also concerned about the value of life itself. Christianity is concerned about the good life for every  child,  man,  and  woman and child. This concern for the good life and the value of life is no where better expressed than in the words of Jesus in the gospel of John: “I came that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly.” 9  This emphasis has run throughout the Christian tradition. Christianity has always had a concern for the elimination of disease and pestilence. This is seen in the great interest that it has taken in the hospital movement.

Christianity is concerned about increasing value. The whole concept of the kingdom of God on earth expressing a concern for increasing value. We need not go into a dicussion of the nature and meaning of the Kingdom of God, only to say that Christians throughout the ages have held tenaciouly to this concept. They have looked forward for a time to come when the law of love becomes the law of life.

In the light of all that we have said about Christianity as a value philosophy, where does the ministry come into the picture? 10

1.  King may have also considered the purpose of religion in a Morehouse paper that is no longer extant, as he began a third Morehouse paper, “Last week we attempted to discuss the purpose of religion” (King, “The Purpose of Education,” September 1946-February 1947, in  Papers  1:122).

2.  “Harry Emerson Fosdick” in  American Spiritual Autobiographies: Fifteen Self-Portraits,  ed. Louis Finkelstein (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1948), p. 114: “The theology of any generation cannot be understood, apart from the conditioning social matrix in which it is formulated. All systems of theology are as transient as the cultures they are patterned from.”

3.  King further developed this theme in his dissertation: “[Tillich] finds a basis for God's transcendence in the conception of God as abyss. There is a basic inconsistency in Tillich's thought at this point. On the one hand he speaks as a religious naturalist making God wholly immanent in nature. On the other hand he speaks as an extreme supernaturalist making God almost comparable to the Barthian ‘wholly other’” (King, “A Comparison of the Conceptions of God in the Thinking of Paul Tillich and Henry Nelson Wieman,” 15 April 1955, in  Papers  2:535).

4.  Commas were added after the words “religion” and “salvation.”

5.  King folded this assignment lengthwise and signed his name on the verso of the last page.

6.  King also penned a brief outline with this title (King, “The Philosophy of Life Undergirding Christianity and the Christian Ministry,” Outline, September 1948-May 1951). In the outline, King included the reference “see Enc. Of Religion p. 162.” This entry in  An Encyclopedia of Religion,  ed. Vergilius Ferm (New York: Philosophical Library, 1946) contains a definition of Christianity as “Christo-centric” and as consisting “of eternal values of intrinsic, self-evidencing validity and worth, embracing the true and the beautiful and consummated in the Good.” King kept this book in his personal library.

7.  Siddhartha Gautama (ca. 563-ca. 483 BCE) was the historical Buddha.

8.  For an example of Schweitzer's use of the phrase “reverence for life,” see Albert Schweitzer, “The Ethics of Reverence for Life,”  Christendom  1 (1936): 225-239.

9.  John 10:10.

10.  In his outline for this paper, King elaborated: “The Ministry provides leadership in helping men to recognize and accept the eternal values in the Xty religion. a. The necessity of a call b. The necessity for disinterested love c. The [ necessity ] for moral uprightness” (King, “Philosophy of Life,” Outline, September 1948-May 1951).

Source:  CSKC-INP, Coretta Scott King Collection, In Private Hands, Sermon file.

©  Copyright Information