"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

On this national holiday celebrating the life and contribution of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I had intended to remain silent on this blog. Raised in the South, I have learned of Dr. King's accomplishments and respected his commitment to equality for all. However, as a white man, I felt there was little I could add to the conversation.

Most of us are familiar with Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech delivered in Washington, D.C. It was in my minority literature class at Pepperdine University that I was first moved by what I consider an amazing piece of American letters:  Dr. King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail (1963).  While the letter is rather lengthy -- a fact King himself admits at the document's conclusion -- it is well worth the time to read. Dr. King clearly points out the reasoning for his involvement in the non-violent protests that have occurred throughout the South. The title of today's post is one of my favorite quotes from this letter that is made all the more amazing as we realize it was written without the aid of reference materials to develop Dr. King's argument. These arguments were part of the very fiber of his being.

Since I'm not confident that many reading this blog will invest the time to read this important letter (sorry....I'm just being honest!), allow me to point out a portion that occurs as Dr. King is approaching the climax of the letter.  While written in 1963, I think that it is something that the Christian community of 2013 would do well to consider.  Here are Dr. King's powerful words:

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. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators."' But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were "a colony of heaven," called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be "astronomically intimidated." By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests. Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent--and often even vocal--sanction of things as they are.

Powerful, profound, convicting words for us to consider as we think back over our nation's history while examining its current situation and praying for a better tomorrow.