A Letter From Jail

February was designated “Black History Month” in 1976 and since then the country has made special efforts to remember and celebrate contributions made by African Americans to our common history. However, as is often the case with holidays in the United States, the clichés and platitudes create an obstacle that prevents many people from attaining anything more than a superficial understanding of significant people and speeches. Obviously, Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the first names that comes to mind when discussing black history, but on television his entire life of service is condensed into four words: “I have a dream…” While this particular moment in a message given on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial was certainly historic, it does not show the breadth and depth of Dr. King’s guiding principles, which sustained him through difficult times.

The reverend was imprisoned in the city jail of Birmingham, AL after participating in civil rights demonstrations in 1963. On April 16, he penned an open letter addressed to “My Dear Fellow Clergymen “ in which he sought to answer criticism aimed at his actions as a civil rights leader who had come to Alabama from Georgia. After explaining that his work with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference brought him to the Magic City, he delved into a deeper discussion of injustice and how the Christian should respond to it:
“ Beyond this, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the eighth-century prophets left their villages and carried their ‘thus saith the Lord’ far beyond the boundaries of their hometowns; and just as the Apostle Paul left his little village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to practically every hamlet and city of the Graeco-Roman world, I too am compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my particular hometown. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.
Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial ‘outside agitator’ idea. Anyone who lives in the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere in this country.”
According to Martin Luther King Jr. the Christian is called to spread God’s message of reconciliation to all men wherever they live.

Of Course, Dr. King was writing at a time when injustice was commonplace and people in the United States (and indeed around the globe) were discriminated against because of their skin color. Still, his message speaks to a much more undeniable truth about God and His dealings with mankind. Paul explained this principle to the Corinthians by saying, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them and he has committed to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). To be reconciled is to be brought together. In his letter from jail, Dr. King touched on the most basic tenant of the Christian faith: we have been reconciled to God and are therefore His ministers of reconciliation. Anywhere there is division and hatred Christians have the responsibility to show God’s love in a way that will bring the warring factions together. This does not only apply to situations in which racism exists. This applies to sinners who need to be reunited with their Creator, to parents who need healing in the relationship with their children, and to enemies who need to rebuild the trust they once had as friends. Simply put, Christians every day are meant to be advocates who bring people together despite what may seem like insurmountable differences.