I just referred to the creation of tension as a part of the work of the nonviolent resister. I must admit that I was initially disappointed in being so categorized. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word “tension.” I have earnestly worked and preached against violent tension, but there is a type of constructive nonviolent tension that is necessary for growth. Was not Jesus an extremist in love?—“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you.” Was not Amos an extremist for justice?—“Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” Was not Paul an extremist for the gospel of Jesus Christ?—“I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” Was not Martin Luther an extremist?—“Here I stand; I can do no other so help me God.” Was not John Bunyan an extremist?—“I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a mockery of my conscience.” Was not Abraham Lincoln an extremist?—“This nation cannot survive half slave and half free.” Was not Thomas Jefferson an extremist?—“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” So the question is not whether we will be extremist, but what kind of extremists we will be. The teachings of Christ take time to come to earth.” All that is said here grows out of a tragic misconception of time. The signs remained. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience. It is true that they have been rather disciplined in their public handling of the demonstrators. There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over and men are no longer willing to be plunged into an abyss of injustice where they experience the bleakness of corroding despair. I pray you’ll spend some time with them in the coming days. But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I would like to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms. Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice? Instead, some few have been outright opponents, refusing to understand the freedom movement and misrepresenting its leaders; all too many others have been more cautious than courageous and have remained silent behind the anesthetizing security of stained-glass windows. Stay up-to-date on announcements, new resources, and exciting news from J.D. him! Abused and scorned though we may be, our destiny is tied up with the destiny of America. They will be the James Merediths, courageously and with a majestic sense of purpose facing jeering and hostile mobs and the agonizing loneliness that characterizes the life of the pioneer. It is expressed in the various black nationalist groups that are springing up over the nation, the largest and best known being Elijah Muhammad’s Muslim movement. But “Letter From Birmingham Jail” reminds us that this wasn’t Dr. King’s vision. So I have not said to my people, “Get rid of your discontent.” But I have tried to say that this normal and healthy discontent can be channeled through the creative outlet of nonviolent direct action. While it may be aloof to directly compare Lincoln’s idea of God to Dr. King himself, the similarities are apparent. It was practiced superbly by the early Christians, who were willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks before submitting to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire. The mission of CORE is to provide vision, leadership, and guidance to The Summit Church in our pursuit of racial reconciliation, ethnic diversity, and gospel unity (John 17:20–23). I do not say that as one of those negative critics who can always find something wrong with the church. I received a letter this morning from a white brother in Texas which said, “All Christians know that the colored people will receive equal rights eventually, but is it possible that you are in too great of a religious hurry? Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection. We will be sadly mistaken if we feel that the election of Mr. Boutwell will bring the millennium to Birmingham. Then came the opportunity last September to talk with some of the leaders of the economic community. But despite these notable exceptions, I must honestly reiterate that I have been disappointed with the church. He then expresses a desire to meet with the eight white clergymen who have criticized the protests—not as an African American or a protester, however, but as a fellow clergyman. Justice too long delayed is justice denied. AUDIO: Director of the Civil Rights Memorial Center Lecia Brooks reads Martin Luther KIng Jr's Letter From Birmingham Jail' as part of a wordwide celebration of the of the 50th anniversary of it's writing. One day the South will recognize its real heroes. It was during that period that the early Christians rejoiced when they were deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. How does one determine when a law is just or unjust? If I lived in a Communist country today where certain principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I believe I would openly advocate disobeying these anti-religious laws. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has consistently refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. Will we be extremists for hate, or will we be extremists for love? I must close now. Besides, he speculates a bright future for the great nation filled with love and brotherhood. But now I must affirm that it is just as wrong, or even more, to use moral means to preserve immoral ends. I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. Of course, there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. You may well ask, “Why direct action, why sit-ins, marches, and so forth? If I have said anything in this letter that is an understatement of the truth and is indicative of an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me. I would agree with St. Augustine that “An unjust law is no law at all.”. The Letter From A Birmingham Jail 809 Words | 4 Pages. Answered by Aslan on 6/1/2017 11:41 PM Unfortunately, King's dream of racial equality still has not … There was a time when the church was very powerful. Never before have I written a letter this long—or should I say a book? Things are different now. I believe that people with authority in this generation are making King’s fight for justice pointless. Dr. King’s “Letter” expounded a vision of the world rooted in a Christian worldview, which is why it feels so powerful. Can any law set up in such a state be considered democratically structured? Will we be extremists for hate or for love? I had also hoped that the white moderate would reject the myth of time. I’ve been a faithful follower for a couple of years, now. I pray you’ll spend some time with them in the coming days. A lot has changed in the past 57 years, but the need for the church to lead in the fight for racial reconciliation is as pressing as ever. SoundCloud. In the midst of a mighty struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice, I have heard so many ministers say, “Those are social issues which the gospel has nothing to do with,” and I have watched so many churches commit themselves to a completely otherworldly religion which made a strange distinction between bodies and souls, the sacred and the secular. 2020-12-09T04:30:35Z Comment by FloofieDreams. All Rights Reserved. “Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God.”, And John Bunyan? The letter gives me the motivation to want to make a change for my community. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” “The Letter from Birmingham Jail (also known as “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” and “The Negro Is Your Brother”) is an open letter written on April 16, 1963, by Martin Luther King, Jr. I am thankful, however, that some of our white brothers have grasped the meaning of this social revolution and committed themselves to it. “This nation cannot survive half slave and half free.”, And Thomas Jefferson? In these negotiating sessions certain promises were made by the merchants, such as the promise to remove the humiliating racial signs from the stores. Since we so diligently urge people to obey the Supreme Court’s decision of 1954 outlawing segregation in the public schools, it is rather strange and paradoxical to find us consciously breaking laws. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizens Councillor or the Ku Klux Klanner but the white moderate who is more devoted to order than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says, “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can’t agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically feels that he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by the myth of time; and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a “more convenient season.” Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Martin Luther King Jr. was a social activist who lead the Civil Rights Movement from mid-1950's to late 1960's. To preserve the evil system of segregation. concepts. I’m afraid that it is much too long to take your precious time. We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because the goal of America is freedom. Society must protect the robbed and punish the robber. You spoke of our activity in Birmingham as extreme. But I am sure that if I had lived in Germany during that time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers even though it was illegal. Recognizing this vital urge that has engulfed the Negro community, one should readily understand public demonstrations. An unjust law is a code inflicted upon a minority which that minority had no part in enacting or creating because it did not have the unhampered right to vote. He also quotes Saint Augustine by stating “an unjust law is no law at all”. but all human beings who were being treated unjustly. It has taken Christianity almost 2000 years to accomplish what it has. All Rights Reserved. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. The "Letter from Birmingham Jail", also known as the "Letter from Birmingham City Jail" and "The Negro Is Your Brother", is an open letter written on April 16, 1963, by Martin Luther King Jr. Fifty years ago today, one of the most important letters in American history was written. We often talk about Dr. King’s vision of racial equality. Letter from Birmingham Jail God Squad: Letter from Birmingham Jail In celebration of the Rev. I say it as a minister of the gospel who loves the church, who was nurtured in its bosom, who has been sustained by its Spiritual blessings, and who will remain true to it as long as the cord of life shall lengthen. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. If you have never taken the time to read the letter that Martin Luther King Jr. wrote from a jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama, you should. One is a force of complacency made up of Negroes who, as a result of long years of oppression, have been so completely drained of self-respect and a sense of “somebodyness” that they have adjusted to segregation, and, on the other hand, of a few Negroes in the middle class who, because of a degree of academic and economic security and because at points they profit by segregation, have unconsciously become insensitive to the problems of the masses. Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice, or will we be extremists for the cause of justice? The urge for freedom will eventually come. One of the basic points in your statement is that our acts are untimely. They have languished in filthy roach-infested jails, suffering the abuse and brutality of angry policemen who see them as “dirty nigger lovers.” They, unlike many of their moderate brothers, have recognized the urgency of the moment and sensed the need for powerful “action” antidotes to combat the disease of segregation. by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. From the Birmingham jail, where he was imprisoned as a participant in nonviolent demonstrations against segregation, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote in longhand the letter which follows. I commend you, Reverend Stallings, for your Christian stand this past Sunday in welcoming Negroes to your Baptist Church worship service on a nonsegregated basis. “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”, Was not Amos an extremist for justice? They were too God-intoxicated to be “astronomically intimidated.” They brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contest. This may sound rather shocking. In both works ‘I Have a Dream’ and ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’, Martin Luther King adopted some of the rhetorical strategies and techniques of repetition to clarify the importance, parallelism, antithesis, similes, metaphors, and allusions. In this sense they have been publicly “nonviolent.” But for what purpose? Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. Now this approach is being dismissed as extremist. It comes through the tireless efforts and persistent work of men willing to be coworkers with God, and without this hard work time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation. 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