On “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”

            Some thoughts have been weighing on me that I need to share.  I hope you’ll all forgive me for a long and somewhat less personal post – I promise to come up with some funny anecdotes for the Sunday update.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it now, and you will probably hear me say it again: it is always time to do what is right.  It is always time to fight for human rights, support the liberation of the oppressed, and give voice to the silenced.

The source to which I turn most frequently (excepting, of course, the Bible, the Book of Order, and the Book of Confessions) is Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, written in response to cries from the white Southern church that the courageous fighters of the Civil Rights Movement slow down, that they wait until it was less socially divisive, that they wait for a time that was more politically advantageous.  In the most beautiful, powerful, and straight-forward way, Dr. King sounded the call to action that has not lost any of its significance.

The passages from this letter that speak most strongly to me are those in which King speaks directly to the church (some of which I have included below).  I’ve been sent into a mission that isn’t politically popular which can be extremely draining.  In my heart I know that human rights should not be a political issue, but still I hear rhetoric from all sides that dehumanizes the people for whom I am working (immigrants, detainees, and prisoners) by addressing them as an issue rather than as human beings.  My own organization is often hesitant to work with conservative groups because of the harsh platforms of the Republican Party; as a result, many are skeptical of churches and Christians because of our reluctance to commit to this struggle.

I hope you all will continue to pray for me as I confront extremely troubling aspects of our society.  Peace of Christ be with you all.

From "Letter from a Birmingham Jail":

But despite these notable exceptions, I must honestly reiterate that I have been disappointed with the church. I do not say this as one of those negative critics who can always find something wrong with the church. I say this as a minister of the gospel, who loves the church; who was nurtured in its bosom; who has been sustained by its spiritual blessings and who will remain true to it as long as the cord of life shall lengthen.

[…]

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?