How Can Christians Continue the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?

Summary

Summary prepared by Acts 2:38 Life from the transcript below — the preacher’s words follow in full.

What the Bible says about race and racism

• The question posed (in the host's frame): today, those of us who live in the united states are celebrating the life and legacy of dr. martin luther king jr. (king wasn't a oneness pentecostal.) We do honor and celebrate the work that he did — the accomplishments that he achieved — working especially for civil rights, for every citizen, regardless of their skin color. As we've seen in recent times, though, there's still a lot of work to be done, in this area. And considering this, i'd like to ask two questions. First of all: what does the bible say, about race and racism? And secondly: how can apostolic churches and believers carry on dr. king's work, in the face of events that have happened in the last few years — including the murders of individuals (named in the frame), and then the resulting riots and unrest, that have come from all that? The answer: well, first of all, the bible is very clear on this subject. The bible teaches: that all humans are created in the image of god. That jesus christ died for everyone. So people of every race, ethnicity, color, national origin — whether male or female — they're all equally valued by god. And they should all be equally valued by the church. So there are many clear statements, along the lines of what i just said. Galatians (the chapter as he gives it), for example. Colossians, likewise. And there's a very specific statement, in james — james (the chapter as he gives it) — that: if you have respect of persons, or if you have prejudice against people, you've committed sin. So racism, or racial prejudice, is actually considered to be a sin. So the church obviously must include everyone. We must reach out to everyone. We must value everyone. So we try to bring everyone to god. We try to incorporate everyone in the church. And opportunities for involvement, ministry, leadership, should be open for everyone. The church should be deliberately inclusive, deliberately diverse. Not to be politically correct. But to fulfill the great commission, the gospel of jesus christ. Matthew (the pinpoint as he gives it) says: to go and teach all nations — to make disciples of all nations — and baptize them. The word nations there comes from the greek word meaning ethnicity. So it's not just geographical nations. But every nation, in the sense of every ethnicity. It's our job to disciple them — to win them to the lord, and disciple them. Of course, in heaven, people of every nation, every tribe, every color, every language, will be worshiping together, around the throne. We see that clearly. And so the church on earth should be a reflection of the church in heaven. That much is clear, now. So i believe the church should speak, act, and be a model, in this world. And we do recognize the great legacy of dr. martin luther king jr. When i was a pastor, on this weekend — typically on sunday — i would recognize that, just as i would recognize other major holidays, or events. To acknowledge the civil rights movement, and how much it's transformed our nation, and our world. And we're thankful that — in many (ways) — we still live in a sinful world. Our nation is not perfect. But we're thankful that the civil rights movement, as represented by dr. king, has made a significant difference, in our whole world. We're all beneficiaries of that. And sometimes i would even take that weekend, to preach on a theme related to justice, or evangelism. And perhaps even include some quotations from dr. king, that would be relevant. But of course, i did not merely want to make a social, or political, application. I also want to make a spiritual application. That jesus christ is the ultimate answer, for the world. And the one who sets us free. And the one who values all of us.

Scriptures: Galatians 3; James 2; Matthew 28:19

Intentional inclusiveness — and a common culture

• So i think, as a practical matter, we should be deliberately inclusive. But we're not interested in tokenism. We're not interested in just trying to make some political statement, or appearance. We want to be genuinely involving, of everyone. We believe in multicultural evangelism. That means reaching people of every race, every culture. Finding where they are. Finding ways to communicate with them, on their terms, so that they can understand the gospel. And incorporating them into the church. Recognizing a diversity of backgrounds, of styles, of music and worship, and food and dress. Of course, everything should be in accordance with biblical teachings. But the point is: we are deliberately trying to reach out to people, of every culture. However, we don't believe in multiculturalism — the idea that we should not have a common culture. In the church, we should have a common culture: of the apostolic doctrine, apostolic lifestyle, apostolic worship. I believe also, in our nation, there should be some common values. So america, for example, was founded on some very important principles: of democracy, representative government, limited government, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, economic opportunity, private property. So no matter who comes to our country, or who's raised in our country, from whatever background: they're welcome to celebrate their own cultural and ethnic diversity. And we can respect that. But we should all unite around some common principles, or fundamentals, that make us a nation. So i believe there needs to be a balance, there. And also, i would like to say, as an american citizen: the way forward, in these matters, is to appeal to the best of america. That is, the declaration of independence. Which says: everyone is created equal. And even though we haven't always perfectly fulfilled that: that was the reason why we were founded. That's our goal. The constitution, likewise: it has some very important principles there, of religious freedom. And even — of course, with the amendments — ending slavery, rights of citizenship for everyone, of every race, right to vote. All these are very important principles, in our constitution. So what we need to do, to face the challenges of today, is to appeal to the best — to our foundation. Our foundation is not flawed. Our foundation is sound. Appeal to the declaration of independence. Appeal to the constitution.

King's appeal to the foundation — and the recent tragedies

• And that is what dr. martin luther king jr. did, so effectively, that (it) touched people, white as well as black. He said: we want to be judged, not by the color of our skin, but (by) the content of our character. He said, to do that: we need to go back to the declaration of independence, and the constitution. Because those documents made promises, for every american — black as well as white. And then he was very candid, to say: in the 1960s, those rights have not been given equally, to everybody. Particularly african-americans have not been recipients, in the way that they were promised. So he said: this is an unfulfilled promise. It's an unpaid check. He said: it's time to cash the check. It's time for us to get our equal rights. And so he wasn't saying: destroy the country, or tear up the foundation. He was saying: go back to the foundation, and be true to it. He appealed to what is best in america. And he used, of course, the bible, to do that. He appealed to scriptural teachings, of justice and equality. And so he appealed to the moral nature. And he appealed to the fact that america did have some biblical principles, built into its foundation. So: if we'll go back to the bible, and we'll go back to the foundation, then we will know the way forward. And i do think, these recent tragedies that you've mentioned: america is learning. And i'm thankful to say that it appears that our justice system ('our justicism system', as heard) has worked well. And so, if there is some sudden tragedy, my consistent advice has been: wait just a minute. Let's make sure we have all the information. We want truth. And we want justice. We don't always know the whole story, up front. That is not an excuse ('that is not execute not an excuse', as the negation tangles), for anybody. And it's not an excuse, to ignore problems. We must get at the truth. We must ensure that justice is done. But we must do it the right way. And our court system is not perfect. But with the attention of the nation, and the world, on some of these situations: it seems that our justice system has ended up doing remarkably well, in getting the right conclusion, or the right results. So we need to respect that. And we need to work to make sure that indeed continues to take place. So i do believe we need to be vigilant. I believe it has been right for us to draw attention to these things. Of course, i oppose any kind of violence, or rioting, or looting. That is also wrong. And that's a distraction. But to talk seriously about these issues, to emphasize the need for justice — i mean, that's a good thing.

The speeches, Lincoln's new birth — and the break-off

• And let me just say this. Martin Luther King Jr. — i would highly recommend that everyone read the speeches of dr. martin luther king jr. There's a book. It's entitled, a call to conscience, which is a collection of his speeches. They're excellent. And you'll be amazed at how much he refers (to) the bible. How eloquent he is. I think you'll find it moving. I don't care what color you are: you will be moved by what he has to say. And i think we could do a lot, if we would go back to some of the things that he said. I think some people have gotten off track: with violence, and with hatred, and bitterness, and racism, and counter-racism. Where, if we'd go back to dr. king, i think we'd get a much clearer picture, of what we need to do. Also, if you're interested in the civil rights movement, i highly recommend a three volume series, by taylor branch. Now, it's exhaustive. But it's great — a great series of books: america in the king years. I think the first volume is parting the waters. And then the second volume is pillar of fire. And then he has a third volume, as well. I think it's about entering the promised land (the title as he recalls it). And then, regarding american history: i do want to emphasize this, because king appealed back to lincoln. And lincoln had a profound statement. Because people in his day were saying: the constitution allows slavery. And he was saying: but wait a minute. The constitution was a compromise, to get the nation started. And it was never intended to perpetuate slavery. It came, because slavery was already in existence ('already into existence', as heard). And so it tacitly acknowledged what was already there. And if you were to actually form a nation, you couldn't throw away what existed. You had to start with what existed. And that's what the constitution did. But he said: the constitution is based on the declaration. The declaration of independence said: all men are created equal. Every human being is equal. That was the principle. And even though it could not be fulfilled, with regard to african-americans, at that time: that was the direction. Even the writers of the constitution expected that slavery couldn't survive. It would have to be eliminated. And even — and so he said, in the gettysburg address, basically, lincoln said: okay, now it's time to go back, and fulfill what we originally promised — the declaration. Now it's time to update the constitution. It's time to eliminate slavery. It's time to give citizenship, and rights, and voting, to the african-americans — to everyone. And he said: we need a new birth of freedom. A second birth. The first birth was imperfect. It got us started, as a nation. But now we need a new birth, to finish the work. And that's what i would say, as an american citizen: if we go back to what the declaration of — [captured text ends mid-sentence]

[Captured text ends mid-sentence]

• The captured answer breaks off inside the closing appeal to the founding documents; no outro or closing line stands in the delivered file. It stands as captured, on the same footing as the earlier truncated items in this run; the truncation is disclosed on the record's face.

Scripture index: Galatians 3; James 2; Matthew 28:19.