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A review by raoul_g
A Gift of Love by Martin Luther King Jr.
4.0
I decided it was time to learn a bit more about the ideas and teachings of Martin Luther King Jr and got myself this book. It contains 16 short essays, or maybe it would be more accurate to call them sermons (as this is what most of them initially were).
Actually, them being sermons is an important fact, as sermons are quite distinct from lectures or essays in crucial ways. I'm not gonna go into this specific distinction here though, I'm just gonna say that these are definitely some of the better sermons I heard / read, and I've heard quite a good bunch of them over the years. So what exactly is it that makes (most of) these sermons so great? First of all, King was a very intelligent man and a deep thinker. Unlike many a preacher today, he did not consider philosophy worldly, but studied it deeply and was enriched immensely by it. Theologically speaking he was also widely read and I was more than glad to see that he mentioned Paul Tillich multiple times (who I consider to be one of the most important theologians of the last century). Even though King was not afraid to to talk about Hegel, Nietzsche, essentialism and existentialism in his sermons (or at least in one of them), they have a clearness and simplicity to them. One need not have studied theology or philosophy to understand them and be enriched by them.
Another differentiating factor from other sermons is that King is not so focused solely on spiritual things such as personal salvation, the Bible or praying. His focus is mostly on the social and material condition of the people. This probably stems from a difference in his perception of the role of the church: "the church must seek to transform both individual lives and the social situation that brings to many people anguish of spirit and cruel bondage". In his context this of course meant preaching on the injustices of segregation and on the importance and efficacy of nonviolent resistance.
A recurring theme throughout all of the sermons is love. According to King, love is the only way to face the injustices of the world and through love God is manifesting himself in the world: "Above all, we must be reminded anew that God is at work in his universe. He is not outside the world looking on with a sort of cold indifference. Here on all the roads of life, he is striving in our striving."
The most impressive thing is of course the fact that King not only preached these things, but he actually lived them and was ready even to die for them. This is why he will be remembered as one who changed the course of history.
Actually, them being sermons is an important fact, as sermons are quite distinct from lectures or essays in crucial ways. I'm not gonna go into this specific distinction here though, I'm just gonna say that these are definitely some of the better sermons I heard / read, and I've heard quite a good bunch of them over the years. So what exactly is it that makes (most of) these sermons so great? First of all, King was a very intelligent man and a deep thinker. Unlike many a preacher today, he did not consider philosophy worldly, but studied it deeply and was enriched immensely by it. Theologically speaking he was also widely read and I was more than glad to see that he mentioned Paul Tillich multiple times (who I consider to be one of the most important theologians of the last century). Even though King was not afraid to to talk about Hegel, Nietzsche, essentialism and existentialism in his sermons (or at least in one of them), they have a clearness and simplicity to them. One need not have studied theology or philosophy to understand them and be enriched by them.
Another differentiating factor from other sermons is that King is not so focused solely on spiritual things such as personal salvation, the Bible or praying. His focus is mostly on the social and material condition of the people. This probably stems from a difference in his perception of the role of the church: "the church must seek to transform both individual lives and the social situation that brings to many people anguish of spirit and cruel bondage". In his context this of course meant preaching on the injustices of segregation and on the importance and efficacy of nonviolent resistance.
A recurring theme throughout all of the sermons is love. According to King, love is the only way to face the injustices of the world and through love God is manifesting himself in the world: "Above all, we must be reminded anew that God is at work in his universe. He is not outside the world looking on with a sort of cold indifference. Here on all the roads of life, he is striving in our striving."
The most impressive thing is of course the fact that King not only preached these things, but he actually lived them and was ready even to die for them. This is why he will be remembered as one who changed the course of history.