Martin Luther King Jr. and influences on Black churches

[Squire Robertsson]

MLK ended up at Crozer because by the time he went to college the only schools he could attend were the mainline denominational ones. Even at that, he had to go north. One of the greatest failings of Funndementalism was the abandonment of Black preacher training to the mainline denominations, which had gone or were modernist.

 

[Marooncat79]

I met a lady 35 yrs ago whos husband was partly responsible for his going to Memphis. Her church et al were not at all happy w what they found out ie, he demanded $10K just to show up

She and another couple of Godly women were of the same opinion

 

[Marooncat79]

MLK ended up at Crozer because by the time he went to college the only schools he could attend were the mainline denominational ones. Even at that, he had to go north. One of the greatest failings of THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH AT LARGE was the abandonment of Black preacher training to the mainline denominations, which had gone or were modernist.

Fixed it for you.

 

[Squire Robertsson]

Fixed it for you.

No, you didn't. I stand by my original statement.

 

[church mouse guy]

Because of a recent inquiry (brought on by a comment here) I’ve been reading The Papers of Martin Luther King Jr. (on Stanford University’s The Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute).

I want to start off by saying that my comments in no way disparage his contributions in the Civil Right’s Movement. This is another topic entirely.

Martin Luther King pastored one church (from 1954 to 1960), the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church in Montgomery AL. He is often (where I live, anyway) associated with Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta GA (where I understand he was ordained).

I had always assumed, therefore, that Martin Luther King Jr. was Christian. But it is very apparent I was wrong.

Martin Luther King Jr. did not believe that Christ was divine – except in his submission to God. MLK did not believe that Christ was “the Word made flesh” or like God in any supernatural sense. He did not believe Christ was born of a virgin. Instead He believed that Jesus was “divine” in that he stood “in unity with God and man”. Jesus “became a true son of man by becoming a true son of God….[he]completely opened his life to the influence of the divine spirit.”

He did not believe that there will be a “Seconding coming” of Christ (physically) but instead that every time we “turn our hearts to the highest and the best there is for us the Christ”.

He did not believe in “a day of Judgment” where Christ will judge but rather a judgment whereby we can measure ourselves by the standards of Christ.

Martin Luther King Jr. did not believe in the resurrection of Christ. Instead he saw this as a myth that arose out of the early church who were ”captivated by the magnetic power of [Jesus’] personality.” Which led to “the faith that he [Jesus] could never die”. The “resurrection” is merely an outward expression of the inner experience. “The people saw within Jesus such a uniqueness of quality and spirit that to explain him in terms of ordinary background was to them quite inadequate”. They could only account for Jesus “in terms of biological uniqueness”. MLK contends they were not being “unscientific in their approach because they had no knowledge of the scientific.”. The “myth” of orthodox Christianity (Jesus being born of a virgin, Jesus being God, Jesus rising from the dead, Jesus coming again physically) are all expressions of “true Christianity” poorly expressed by today’s standards but adequate to the early church.


We know that Martin Luther King Jr. (like Thomas Jefferson) looked to the Bible and Christianity as essential - BUT not as Christians. They followed Jesus not as the Son of God but as a moral teacher (they did not believe in the supernatural aspects of Christianity). I would argue that MLK was closer to Christianity than Jefferson....but closeness does not a Christian make.


My question is whether or not these influences are in traditional Black churches in America. I am asking (I do not know). Are Black churches more prone to replace the gospel of Jesus Christ with a social gospel?

MLK Sr. was the pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. MLK Jr. preached liberal theology. He advocated non-violence and content of character and not racial ID. His views are no longer popular.

 

[Reynolds]

MLK Sr. was the pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. MLK Jr. preached liberal theology. He advocated non-violence and content of character and not racial ID. His views are no longer popular.

He advocated Black Liberation Theology which is pure racism.

 

[church mouse guy]

He advocated Black Liberation Theology which is pure racism.

You stumped me on that. I know Obama’s preacher advocated Black Liberation Theology. MLK denied the basic doctrines of Christianity. ID politics denigrates character and elevates melanin so MLK’s politics has been replaced by ID politics.

 

[Reynolds]

You stumped me on that. I know Obama’s preacher advocated Black Liberation Theology. MLK denied the basic doctrines of Christianity. ID politics denigrates character and elevates melanin so MLK’s politics has been replaced by ID politics.

King taught BLT before it was called that. Look at his teachings. Pure BLT.

 

[church mouse guy]

King taught BLT before it was called that. Look at his teachings. Pure BLT.

Black Liberation Theology is cultic (as is Liberal Theology). Even Ralph Abernathy wrote about MLK and his hookers. I never think about MLK anymore. His theology and his personal life are obstacles in his case.

 

[Van]

How does anyone know that these disparaging claims are true? Could not all this have been manufactured, like the Steel document by higher ups in the FBI.

He was a flawed man, but probably not more so that all the posters casting stones at his grave's headstone.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!​

 

[Reynolds]

How does anyone know that these disparaging claims are true? Could not all this have been manufactured, like the Steel document by higher ups in the FBI.

He was a flawed man, but probably not more so that all the posters casting stones at his grave's headstone.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!​

Because people who were close associates told of these things. It would have been in their best interest not to tell.

 

[Van]

Because people who were close associates told of these things. It would have been in their best interest not to tell.

Gee, somehow I did not read any of these "things" in his biography. A smear campaign would look similar to this thread.

 

[Reynolds]

Gee, somehow I did not read any of these "things" in his biography. A smear campaign would look similar to this thread.

Usually biographies conveniently leave things out. Do a little research. It's there in painful detail.

 

[church mouse guy]

Gee, somehow I did not read any of these "things" in his biography. A smear campaign would look similar to this thread.

Ralph Abernathy told about the white hookers in a book just before he himself died. It was on national television. King’s theology is from written records that King left behind. ID politics no longer speaks of individual merit but only melanin.

 

[Marooncat79]

When Abernathy did that, everyone started in on him mercilessly.

The were calling him all kinds of names and questioning everything about him

 

[Van]

Yes, we have plenty of examples of those who were near a great person, who cashed in by telling unsubstantiated faults.
As far as doing "research" how do we know all those items are not planted by FBI operatives. We have seen what can go on within the FBI, such as a lack of commitment to truth.

Here is one of MLK's "denials" of Christianity: "The evidence for the virgin birth is too shallow for any objective thinker." Does this indicate rejection of the virgin birth on faith? Nope.

Another point of his was that to waste time arguing about the seeming conflict between scripture and science takes us away for Christian living, where we seek justice for all. Isn't that just awful.

 

[JonC]

When Abernathy did that, everyone started in on him mercilessly.

The were calling him all kinds of names and questioning everything about him

That is something in human nature, I think. People are the same. Let someone say anything negative about Trump and see what is offered in reply. I suspect this is how we end up with terms like RINO. Either one is a member of the cult or one is an outsider. There are no in-betweens.

 

[church mouse guy]

When Abernathy did that, everyone started in on him mercilessly.

The were calling him all kinds of names and questioning everything about him

Yes! Everyone knew that MLK liked white hookers but they got very angry at Abernathy, who was more likable and understandable than MLK.

 

[Yeshua1]

That is something in human nature, I think. People are the same. Let someone say anything negative about Trump and see what is offered in reply. I suspect this is how we end up with terms like RINO. Either one is a member of the cult or one is an outsider. There are no in-betweens.

Trump was being blasted daily by the Dems and Media non stop, if he had found a cure for cancer, would have been blasted for not getting it quick enough!

 

[church mouse guy]

That is something in human nature, I think. People are the same. Let someone say anything negative about Trump and see what is offered in reply. I suspect this is how we end up with terms like RINO. Either one is a member of the cult or one is an outsider. There are no in-betweens.

Romney probably is RINO. He’s more clever than loyal. He pulled his wife out of the Episcopal Church and pushed her into the Mormon Church, a path to hell.