Rethinking the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King
Has mainstreaming social justice helped black communities?
One of my most fondest memories was when my family had the opportunity to visit the Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington D.C.
Being a native of Mississippi, I’m quite familiar with the civil rights era and the impact that Dr. King had on the lives of black Americans in the south.
Segregation was a real and present danger. Just being black at that time in the south was oppressive.
Dr. King’s message of nonviolence was, on the surface, in alignment with how Jesus instructs His disciples.
The message was effective and actuated change.
However, as I reflect more and more on Dr. King and the impact of the Civil Rights Movement, there are some areas where I see a diversion between my image of him and reality.
Those areas are his affinity with Marxist ideals, his endorsement of abortion, and his denial of core Christian beliefs.
Marxist Affinity
While by some accounts Dr. King was not a Marxist in the literal sense, he did have an affinity for the class struggle that is a core tenant of Marxism.
He saw the struggles of the black community through the lens of the class struggle between the bourgeoisie and proletariat. In other words, the poor and the rich.
He blended the teachings of Christ with the philosophy of socialism.
Instead of believing in the self-reliance of the black community and their ability to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, he sought the help from the state to improve the lot of the community.
This approach has led to the social gospel message that permeates a number of black churches.
The social gospel does not believe in the agency of individuals. The social gospel uses scripture to justify the use of state power to artificially determine outcomes.
When the state has the power to elevate a community, it also has the power to deflate a community.
Nowhere is this more acute than in inner city black communities.
The fruit of the social gospel is broken families, generations of poverty, and incessant crime.
Dr. King may not have envisioned this as a result of his embrace of the social gospel.
Yet, this is the natural end of it.
Endorsement of Abortion
Dr. King was awarded the inaugural Margaret Sanger award in 1966 from Planned Parenthood Federation Of America.
He was given this award for "his courageous resistance to bigotry and his lifelong dedication to the advancement of social justice and human dignity”.
But, his admiration for family planning went deeper than just this award.
In his acceptance speech, which was read by his wife, Coretta Scott King, he wrote:
Family planning, to relate population to world resources, is possible, practical and necessary. Unlike plagues of the dark ages or contemporary diseases we do not yet understand, the modern plague of overpopulation is soluble by means we have discovered and with resources we possess.
He goes on to say:
Our sure beginning in the struggle for equality by nonviolent direct action may not have been so resolute without the tradition established by Margaret Sanger and people like her. Negroes have no mere academic nor ordinary interest in family planning. They have a special and urgent concern.
Dr. King appears to have been an enthusiastic supporter of the work of Margaret Sanger and Planned Parenthood.
He bought into the falsehood of unwanted children and population control.
Yet, believers in Christ should be encouraging life and be supportive of efforts to enhance life, not destroy it.
Denial of Core Christian Beliefs
There are core beliefs that are essential to being a Christian. Namely, the divinity of Christ, the virgin birth, and the resurrection.
Yet, when taking a look at the early writings of Dr. King, it appears that he did not believe in these core beliefs.
This may explain why the nonviolence aspect of the Civil Rights movement was just as much inspired by Gandhi than Christ.
When one does not truly embrace the basic foundation of the Faith one claims to represent, the evidence of that person’s relationship with Christ is called into question.
Dr. King’s legacy as a change agent for the black community goes without saying.
However, the lasting impacts of that change and the benefits to the black community at large, is worth re-examining.
"Dr. King was awarded the inaugural Margaret Sanger award in 1966 from Planned Parenthood Federation Of America. "
WHAT??? This is just plain shocking. He was used. Did he just not understand her goals?
As for his Marxist leanings, how can you blame him given the times? I also understood that he supported universal basic income. Again, after being shocked to learn that, I understood why given the circumstances. But really and truely, his "Christian writings" in his PhD were very disturbing and frankly, unCHristian. And his personal relationships with a woman not his wife are sad. Ultimately, he was chosen for one purpose despite his major moral and doctrinal failings