Excerpts from an R.R. Reno essay in First Things on MLK Jr. and the piety and patriotism of his classic piece, "Letter from Birmingham Jail"-- on the occasion of its 50th anniversary in Summer 2013. Reno argues that his piety and patriotism were necessary, although they are not particularly welcome in public discourse these days (especially among his biggest fans).
(FWIW, here is my blog post on a book of writings by King with a link to a brief discussion of the national historical site dedicated to him in Atlanta.)
...Eight white Birmingham pastors wrote an open letter criticizing
King as an “outsider” and his leadership as “unwise and untimely.” It
was a provocation to which King decided to respond, and beginning with
small scraps of paper he composed Letter from Birmingham Jail
. Words of determined protest make up most of the letter, and they make
no peace with “moderation.” A page-long sentence itemizes the evils of
racism: “There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over.” But
it’s the patriotism and piety that gave King’s words their unique power
and influence, making his prison manifesto an American classic...
...this place is ours, King is saying, and as
he and his followers march in the streets they are “bringing our nation
back to those great wells of democracy.” This patriotic ardor, which has a strong tinge of Southern pride,
works in tandem with an even more pervasive piety. King interweaves
biblical figures, themes, and phrases with his words of protest...
King’s patriotism and piety strengthened his words of protest. But
do they do so today? Our critical educations (all the failures of
America in full view) and ironic sensibilities make King’s warm
patriotism remote and inaccessible. Our official secularism keeps piety
in the background. Few these days have time for King’s style of American
public theology. At a crucial juncture, he writes: “The sacred heritage
of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing
demands.” Even Christians will ask: Isn’t that a dangerous fusion of God
and nation, a Constatinian temptation? Aren’t appeals to Scripture
sectarian and theocratic?
That’s our loss. I’m not a fan of King’s theology...But his basic thrust as a public theologian is sound...the biblical and patriotic gestures of his Letter
and famous speeches allow him to conjure an atmosphere of love and
loyalty-- love of God, love of neighbor, loyalty to country, loyalty to
place-- even as he spoke forcefully about the need to resist evil. That’s
something the language of justice can’t do...We can be demeaned, diminished, and degraded by injustice. This
Martin Luther King Jr. certainly knew. What he also knew was that man
cannot live on justice alone.
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