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4.65 AVERAGE
4.65 AVERAGE
had to return to library - am going to buy my own copy so i can mark it
I think I'm just generally not a person who enjoys collections of essays (or sermons in this case). Some were great, others just okay, a couple I skipped (the ones about Communism), and one I outright disliked. It's not a collection I can necessarily see a common thread through - it feels a bit chaotic theme-wise. But the last essay might be my favorite - the one on nonviolence. As a person who is leaning harder and harder in that direction, it was wonderful to hear a bit from him. I'd be interested in tracing that theme through his work. In general, I liked the first half of the book more than the second.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
“Science investigates, religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge which is power, religion gives man wisdom which is control. Science deals mainly with facts, religion deals with values. The two are not rivals. They are complementary. Science keeps religion from sinking into the valley of crippling irrationalism and paralysing obscurantism. Religion prevents science from falling into the marsh of obsolete materialism and moral nihilism.”
Obviously this book is amazing. King remains one of America's and Christianity's most prolific, inspiring, and invigorating voices, and it is a true treasure to be able to hold a collection of his profundity in my hands. Like many, I've grown up encountering King mostly in soundbites; highlights from his speeches and sermons extracted and amplified for widespread consumption. It's often been pointed out that many of his most frequently echoed quotes are more palatable than his entire body of work (with "A Letter from Birmingham Jail" often suggested as a corrective) and, honestly, I anticipated more of that here. Instead, this collection of sermons depicts the dimensions of Kingian theology that are, critically, not necessarily centered around the many tentacles of whiteness at all. Though I'll admit parts of me were hoping for more radical writings to be featured here, I ultimately found tremendous value in the opportunity to encounter King primarily as a preacher rather than activist (although of course the two are always intersecting), and particularly as one speaking to his audience, the Black Church.
While this inevitably falls into monolithic territory, I've noticed the "Black Church" frequently named since Trump's election as an example of Christianity that strikes a balance between theological orthodoxy and commitments to social justice (often in contrast to the stereotypes of white evangelicalism which favors the former at the expense of the latter and white mainline liberalism which does the inverse). I can think of no better example of that than King, and this book is a prime example. In fact, there are a number of times where he explicitly positions himself between the two polarities, rejecting what he considered the naive humanistic optimism of liberalism that he encountered in seminary as well as the implications of "neo-orthodoxy" which he believed renders God transcendent beyond accessibility and man too totally depraved to do anything but wait for God's sovereign intervention. And, given King's lived experiences, in which he constantly encountered glaring examples of (white) man's egregious sinfulness while also being confronted with the dangers of ambivalence, stagnation, and hopelessness arising from those who felt stripped of their own power to bring about God's justice, these conclusions make perfect sense and continue to resonate for me as a reader today. Beyond this example, there are a number of times where King employs a similar rhetorical device in which he establishes a polarity (pro- and anti- communism, capitalism, and scientific humanism, for example) and then situates himself in the middle. While effective at illustrating the failures of the extremes and emphasizing the particular gifts of his Christian perspective, this also felt a bit insecurely reactionary at times, and even wishy-washy. I think King's brilliance shines most clearly when he's not reluctant to take a more absolute stand and instead dives into the details accordingly, as is the case regarding his commitments to nonviolence which could be considered the centerpiece of his theology here.
Another consistent current that runs throughout the book is King's wrestling with theodicy, and this is where we diverged most sharply. As someone who lived so much of his life at the frontlines of the battle for justice and bore witness to such extensive suffering in the process, I have to say I expected more from King on this front and felt surprised and disappointed by his conclusions here. Remaining rooted in an orthodoxy which affirms God's omnipotence a priori, King's conclusions around the problem of evil and presence of suffering are consistent with many others: God, while sovereign and capable of all things, chooses to limit their interceding to protect humanity's sense of freedom, thus allowing for evil as a consequence of man's choices to sin. For King, "Power is the ability to fulfill the purpose; action that defeats purpose is weakness," and so the implication is that God's purpose for man is to experience total freedom before it is to experience a flourishing that such freedom may impede. Even more frustratingly, when acknowledging suffering that occurs independent of human action like natural disasters or illnesses, King settles for the argument that it's an expression of our finite understanding to take issue with them rather than trust that they're for our ultimate good. Obviously, these conclusions are widespread and it's not that I'd expected him to arrive elsewhere, but I was frustrated that in many ways his wrestling with these realities (at least publicly for his congregation, which may be a critical distinction) didn't seem to be very informed by his rich and ample experiences with them.
Interestingly, I did ultimately find that many of King's ideas as to how to -respond- to injustice and suffering have a striking overlap with notions in process theology. Essentially, he argues that God's power is often manifested in its ability not to exert top-down action or intervention but in the ways it equips and empowers people with peace, strength, love, and so on that is needed for the pursuit of justice that brings about the Kingdom of God here on earth. And, of course, that is precisely what King is ultimately remembered in history for, far beyond any book he wrote or sermon he gave. And that weight of authority that resounds throughout these pages is exactly what makes it such a meaningful one to read, because we are left with a certainty that King didn't just write these words, or even just believe them, but that he lived them. And it is clear from his writings that such action was experienced by King as a direct result of the outpouring of nourishment, inspiration, and empowerment he received from God, which is certainly its own kind of miracle.
While this inevitably falls into monolithic territory, I've noticed the "Black Church" frequently named since Trump's election as an example of Christianity that strikes a balance between theological orthodoxy and commitments to social justice (often in contrast to the stereotypes of white evangelicalism which favors the former at the expense of the latter and white mainline liberalism which does the inverse). I can think of no better example of that than King, and this book is a prime example. In fact, there are a number of times where he explicitly positions himself between the two polarities, rejecting what he considered the naive humanistic optimism of liberalism that he encountered in seminary as well as the implications of "neo-orthodoxy" which he believed renders God transcendent beyond accessibility and man too totally depraved to do anything but wait for God's sovereign intervention. And, given King's lived experiences, in which he constantly encountered glaring examples of (white) man's egregious sinfulness while also being confronted with the dangers of ambivalence, stagnation, and hopelessness arising from those who felt stripped of their own power to bring about God's justice, these conclusions make perfect sense and continue to resonate for me as a reader today. Beyond this example, there are a number of times where King employs a similar rhetorical device in which he establishes a polarity (pro- and anti- communism, capitalism, and scientific humanism, for example) and then situates himself in the middle. While effective at illustrating the failures of the extremes and emphasizing the particular gifts of his Christian perspective, this also felt a bit insecurely reactionary at times, and even wishy-washy. I think King's brilliance shines most clearly when he's not reluctant to take a more absolute stand and instead dives into the details accordingly, as is the case regarding his commitments to nonviolence which could be considered the centerpiece of his theology here.
Another consistent current that runs throughout the book is King's wrestling with theodicy, and this is where we diverged most sharply. As someone who lived so much of his life at the frontlines of the battle for justice and bore witness to such extensive suffering in the process, I have to say I expected more from King on this front and felt surprised and disappointed by his conclusions here. Remaining rooted in an orthodoxy which affirms God's omnipotence a priori, King's conclusions around the problem of evil and presence of suffering are consistent with many others: God, while sovereign and capable of all things, chooses to limit their interceding to protect humanity's sense of freedom, thus allowing for evil as a consequence of man's choices to sin. For King, "Power is the ability to fulfill the purpose; action that defeats purpose is weakness," and so the implication is that God's purpose for man is to experience total freedom before it is to experience a flourishing that such freedom may impede. Even more frustratingly, when acknowledging suffering that occurs independent of human action like natural disasters or illnesses, King settles for the argument that it's an expression of our finite understanding to take issue with them rather than trust that they're for our ultimate good. Obviously, these conclusions are widespread and it's not that I'd expected him to arrive elsewhere, but I was frustrated that in many ways his wrestling with these realities (at least publicly for his congregation, which may be a critical distinction) didn't seem to be very informed by his rich and ample experiences with them.
Interestingly, I did ultimately find that many of King's ideas as to how to -respond- to injustice and suffering have a striking overlap with notions in process theology. Essentially, he argues that God's power is often manifested in its ability not to exert top-down action or intervention but in the ways it equips and empowers people with peace, strength, love, and so on that is needed for the pursuit of justice that brings about the Kingdom of God here on earth. And, of course, that is precisely what King is ultimately remembered in history for, far beyond any book he wrote or sermon he gave. And that weight of authority that resounds throughout these pages is exactly what makes it such a meaningful one to read, because we are left with a certainty that King didn't just write these words, or even just believe them, but that he lived them. And it is clear from his writings that such action was experienced by King as a direct result of the outpouring of nourishment, inspiration, and empowerment he received from God, which is certainly its own kind of miracle.
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
I really enjoyed the core ideas he conveys in his speeches and sermons, but as someone who doesn´t believe in god was a bit bored at certain parts. I have read bits and pieces of many of his writings and speeches before as well as several biographies but still an enjoyable read.
“We must bring together tough mindedness and tender heartedness if we are to move creatively toward the goal of freedom and justice.” With these words, King invites Christians to leave the comfy confines of their homes and take their place at the posts to which their are called - loving well in a self and power obsessed world. An address that was made decades ago to a world that was segregated and fearing the doom of another war, still resonates deeply in our present day that has continued to fall short of the call of the cross.