Thoughts from Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. King, as he is always addressed in Philadelphia . . . never just “King,” had some thoughts that are being shared on the internet today.
His words still honor him and motivate us. They speak loudly to the people of 2×2 and Redeemer in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia, who have experienced injustice, greed, materialism and modern-day racism at the hands of our denominational leaders.
We must rapidly begin the shift from a “thing-oriented” society to a “person-oriented” society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.
Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent.
On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, “Is it safe?” Expediency asks the question, “Is it politic?” And Vanity comes along and asks the question, “Is it popular?” But Conscience asks the question “Is it right?” And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right.
The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority.
It is sad but fitting that a great American leader, named for the founder of our denomination, can still remind us of the values we preach but often fail to practice.
Will today make a difference?