Preachers class This book was used in teaching a preaching class, and it was a great addition!
"The ultimate measure of a man..." One of my favorite quotes came from this book:
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963 US black civil rights leader & clergyman (1929 - 1968)
One of the best books of 20th Century
Our hero Dr. Martin Luther King, PhD was a pastor, scholar and a master of the English language first, and this core excellence helped empower him to be one of the greatest change agents of the 20th century. In this book we see his heart and mind more than in any other writing; through this book the reader can sit in the pew and benefit from the deep, Godly wisdom of "Pastor King." In terms of precious spiritual insight, Strength to Love is in the top ten books of all time. - Paul de Vries, PhD, NY Divinity School
Strength to Love Your Neighbor Martin Luther King Jr. uses very apt exegesis in his Sermon about the Good Samaritan. The greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, with your Soul and with all your mind. The second is like unto it to love your neighbor as yourself. Sum of the Law and prophets hang on these two commandments. This truth taught by Christ was demonstrated through the telling of the story about the Good Samaritan. Martin Luther King JR's sermon on this story is an excellent analysis what it takes to be a loving neighbor. Dr. King tells how the Samaritan overcame prejudice, fear of physical danger, expenditure of money, along with inconvenience; time and effort.
In the sermon titled: Death of Evil on the Seashore, Dr. King acknowledges the existence of evil in all men's heart. The theme of this sermon is how a Christian should overcome evil acting upon oneself and respond with love. One should overcome evil with good. In this sermon, Dr. King states Jesus never made a theological statement about the origin of evil. He does state man's evil does not come forth out of mistake or misguidance. Man should be held culpable to his evil. Love is truly made manifest when in response to which one knows wishes harm or ill towards. This type of love does not come naturally to any man.
Martin Luther King Jr. was taught in his youth to hold the truths taught in the Bible are inerrant. In the final chapter, Dr. King says he entered seminary as a fundamentalist. In his senior year he introduced himself to various theological theories and critical thought when he read various books. Dr. King says at one time he became enamored and held liberal theological uncritically including the belief that man is generally good. Objective appraisal and critical analysis are terms Dr. King acquaints with liberalism. Dr. King says liberalism taught him to have an open and critical mind. In reading the `works of Richard Niebuhr made me aware of the complexity of human motives and the reality of sin on every level of man's existence.' Pg. 136 I would think Martin Luther King Jr. would have been taught about Total Depravity in his years going to church. Dr. King rejects the concept of God being Holy other: hidden and unknown. Dr. King states the influence Walter Rauschenbusch's book: Christianity and the Social Gospel had on him. Then student King searched other philosophers who were not theologians about how to bring social change. Student King was in despaired until he discovered and learned about how Mahatma Gandhi brought social justice to India through nonviolence and the term Satyagraha. Satya means truth which equals love. Graha means force.
Paul's letter to American Christians is a sermon by Dr. King in which he attempts to use the voice Paul's letter to instruct the Christian Church in the United States about disunity in the Body of Christ and unchristian thinking among its members. Cultural, political, and the state of Christendom are the focus of the sermon. I think Martin Luther King Jr. tries to invoke the sentiment of Ephesians 4:1-3:
As a prisoner of the Lord, I urge you to live the life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. In this letter Dr. King criticizes the multiplication of denomination of churches in the United States. He praises the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches. He argues for unity with the Roman Catholic Church with no note that there are some things Christians cannot compromise about. Racism and disunity is the only sin taken to task. I do believe racism is an unfruitful of darkness and Paul did address this in his letters-it is not the only unfruitful works of Darkness:
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but reprove them. . Ephesians 5:11
A quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Pg. 3 "The historic- philological criticism of the Bible is considered by the soft minded as blasphemous and reason is often looked upon as the exercise of a corrupt faculty. Soft minded persons have revised the Beatitudes to read, blessed are the pure in ignorance: for they shall see God."
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quotes from Matthew 10:16 - Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as Doves.
Later Dr. King equates science as reality and religion as values. He sees the tough minded as those who incorporate their faith to fit science. Dr. King does not believe the Bible is to be taken at face value but be interpreted trough the lens of science and other philosophical thought. Theological thought is used and the Bible is quoted to make the argument, but only when facts are determined elsewhere. Values are not defined through God's written word but to collaborate outside sources. Values are determined and thought processes are discovered with the Bible as the secondary source.
Life changing Timeless. As relevant now as what it was when it was written. Addresses the issues of hate and indifference and argues that the solution is love. Love does sound all too simplistic but it is one of the hardest things to face but its rewards are beyond words.
Anything Goes Trivia
Last Kiss
Megaton Man
Trevor
