On April 16th, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” to the city’s white clergymen in response to their criticism of local protests carried out by African Americans as part of the civil rights movement. These clergymen had argued the non-violent marches needed not take place, stating any process by which racial equality might be considered ought to occur naturally over the course of time, without disruption to society. Ironically, it was their contention the peaceful protests caused the reactionary violence undertaken by many of the city’s police and citizenry. These men wanted the issue to be handled privately, between members of leadership from both sides, with negotiations taking place behind close doors.
As President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, King had traveled to Birmingham at the invitation of an SCLC affiliate, the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights. However, he came with a purpose. “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here,” he wrote. First on the agenda for his visit were considerations for a “nonviolent direct action program,” which led to the planning and execution of the famous civil rights protests. Soon thereafter, having led, coordinated and participated in these marches, King was said to be in violation of Birmingham’s preliminary injunction to prevent the participation, organization or promotion of any marches or protests without a permit. It is for that reason he was arrested and imprisoned.
Through the Brown v. Board of Education case of 1954, the Supreme Court had ruled against continued segregation in the United States, as such was in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution. However, systemic racial inequality continued to permeate America’s deep south. King specifically indicted the city of Birmingham in his letter, referencing it as the "most thoroughly segregated city in the United States." Citing the many "unsolved bombings of homes and churches," he descriptively illustrated its "ugly record of brutality” and concluded: "There can be no gainsaying the fact that racial injustice engulfs this community."
King’s letter provides comprehensive insight on his spiritual beliefs and moral standards that in tandem gave birth to his basic convictions. In this regard he was first and foremost a Christian deontologist, basing his writing on the Word of God, which He believed set a singular standard of holy living to which all humanity was called to adhere, including he, his fellow African Americans and his white adversaries. Following his initial address, he aligned his personal evangelistic motivations directly with those of prophets from the Old Testament and Paul from the New. Soon thereafter, he justified the civil rights movement precisely by interlocking its purpose with the authority of the Scriptures: "A just law is a man code that squares with the moral law or the law of God." Quite obviously, he believed in a Heaven inclusive of people from “every tongue, tribe, people and nation (Rev 5: 9).” Throughout this letter, King’s Christianity is underscored, illustrating why he made the prescriptive and normative ethical conclusions he did.
King did not rely on God solely for instruction on matters of right and wrong in order to help him make correct ethical decisions, however. The way in which he pursued justice in leading the civil rights movement reveals he conformed to God’s will on matters of virtue as well. In addressing his oppressors, he demonstrated many core Christian character traits, some of which Paul described as “Fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians. Among other things, King’s writing showed him to be a man of respectfulness, humility, truthfulness, meekness, gentleness, kindness, forgiveness, patience and self-control.
Sadly, remnants of the racial dynamics King observed in his lifetime remain alive in Memphis today. Subsequently, some of the wisdom he shared in pursuit of justice and civil rights must continue to be applied. He wrote: "Lamentably, it is an historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. Individuals may see the moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture; but, as Reinhold Niebuhr has reminded us, groups tend to be more immoral than individuals." As generations have passed, individuals in the mid-south increasingly have considered people of all races and ethnicities equal persons under God. However, this private change and maturing of heart has not manifested itself in full Christ-like fashion in our community as a whole. King’s words still ring true: “The white moderate is more devoted to ‘order’ than justice; preferring a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice.” King’s earlier evaluation of the church also applies today: “I have watched many churches commit themselves to a completely other worldly religion which makes a strange, un-Biblical distinction between body and soul, between the sacred and the secular.” Memphians want God to save, but they don’t want to demonstrate His love to those in need for fear of losing convenience and comfort.
We must acknowledge that a growth in personal views does not eradicate racism or compensate for its history, nor does merely the passing of time. King accurately declared: “Time itself is neutral; it can be used either destructively or constructively.” So while it might be true that fewer of us possess racist beliefs than in previous decades, tangible work remains to be done. Widespread injustice continues to result from systemic problems set in motion by institutions of racism in the past. None of us ought shed the burden of actualizing social and racial equality simply because we’ve experienced a cleansing of conscience or increased our understanding on the matter. As King exhorted: “Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be coworkers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation.”
Much could be written about what it would take for Memphis to achieve complete racial reconciliation. The issue involves history, culture, government, politics, business, economics, housing and an assortment of other complexities and variables. However, for total equality to be reached, it is certain that we as Christians must spearhead a grass-roots effort. While it’s true that churches must continue to serve the disadvantaged, much more is necessary. The objective is not solely to deaden or alleviate short-term pains; it is to rebuild a new societal foundation for equality in the community. Pastors and ministers must work together to diversify their memberships and unite the Body of Christ across denominational, socio-economic and ethnic/racial lines. Church members must establish, maintain and grow relationships with people of different ethnicities to catalyze the redefinition of friendship, family and community. In sum, both Christian people and churches collectively are called to be The Body of Christ in the world and salt and light in the earth. In doing so, an inspiring example will be set for the Memphis population as a whole, including those within its public and private power structures, creating needed momentum for systemic change. In short, it is through the church that God’s will is accomplished.
We Memphis Christians should not allow King’s words to apply: “If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning.” Let Memphians put into action King’s exhortation: “Love sees with compassion and enters into the situation of persons in bondage, love does deeds of deliverance, love invites into community with freedom, justice and responsibility for the future, love confronts those who exclude.”
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