Gabriela Linares

Prof. Gay Lynch

Honors Religion: Final Paper
9 May 2011

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Social Gospel Movement
Many people know of Martin Luther King Jr., a leader in the Civil Rights movement of the
1950s and 1960s, who advocated for African American suffrage, integration and basic human
rights. He fought for the equality of all citizens of the United States, as well as those in neighboring
countries. His goal was to live in a world with social, economic, and political equality. However,
most teachings on King neglect to mention that he was a reverend first, and most of his ideals came
from the Bible and the teachings of Jesus Christ. In fact when asked which writings he believed
inspired King the most, Wyatt Tee Walker, Chief of Staff of the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference (SCLC), answered with, Mathew, Mark, Luke and John (Sunnemark). Nevertheless, to
say that his motives were solely religious is also a misconception. King was, in fact, a master of
blending religion with philosophy and was one of the first preachers to lead the Social Gospel
movement of the late 20
th
century. Although others came before him, Kings popularity and fame
helped the Social Gospel movement take fold across the country and for generations to come.
Before discussing the topic of the impact Martin Luther King Jr. had on the Social Gospel
movement, the definition and origins of social gospel must be explained. A close friend and
admirer of King, John Lewis (now Congressmen), defines social gospel as taking the teachings of
the Bible and applying them to the earthbound problems and issues confronting a community and
society" (Lewis). For this time period, it meant using the teaching of the Bible to confront the issues
of segregation, foreign wars, and economic equality. King, Lewis and other preachers like them
believed in relating their sermons directly to current events. King and others modeled their ideals
after Walter Rauschenbusch who began an early version of the movement after the Civil War.
(Noll). One important aspect about the Social Gospel is that it combined teachings of the Bible with
social philosophy. Therefore, King incorporated philosophies from Gandhi on nonviolence; as well
as Reinhold Niebuhr who also believed that Blacks could overcome the evils of oppression by
using direct, but non-violent tactics for social justice (Noll).
Its also important to note why the Social Gospel was so impactful for the Civil Rights
movement, especially amongst African Americans. African American religion helped them deal
with their cultures oppression since slavery (Noll). Additionally considering the times, many
Americans, even non-African American, were very religious. Therefore the Biblical references
would automatically be relatable to the views of many. (Sunnemark). The question was whether or
not clergymen were ready to bring in social issues into the Houses of God.
Unfortunately many religious leaders and people didnt agree with this movement,
especially in the beginning. One of the biggest, publicized accounts of people speaking out against
Kings Social Gospel was after he participated in a civil demonstration in Birmingham. A law in the
city prohibited marches and other demonstration on public property without a permit. However,
given the corrupt abuse of lawmakers and police, it was practically impossible for African American
demonstrators to obtain one. As a result, King, the SCLC, and other demonstrators decided to
march without it. He and others were arrested and thrown in jail, but only King was put in
isolation. The news of his arrest spread across the nation. Soon, King was slipped a copy of the
Birmingham News; the headline reading: WHITE CLERGYMEN URGE LOCAL NEGROES TO
WITHDRAW FROM DEMONSTRATIONS, calling them radical and untimely. Other news sources
had similar articles and word came that even some colleagues urged King to stop demonstrating.
(Sitkoff). King then responded with the infamous Letter from Birmingham Jail, which defended
his tactic of civil disobedience by explaining his philosophies of non-violence, right to violate
unjust laws and how his so-called extremism was comparable to past religious and political
leaders (Novak). Copies of the letter were distributed across the country and thousands of
clergymen and religious peoples became convinced of his values and thus joined the movement.
Others, mainly politicians, still believed King abused his powers as minister, using his influence to
involve himself in foreign and governmental affairs. . (Warren). However, its difficult to argue that
just because he was a preacher he was not allowed to voice his opinions and advocate for human
rights. After all, politicians make decisions on how religion should affect law. And vocation should
not affect a persons right to freedom of speech. Yet, people continued to be against the concept of
Social Gospel. They believed Kings involvement in demonstrations and marches stirred up
trouble and mixed tension and conflict with the word of God (Lewis).
Despite this, a theme constantly used in his sermons and speeches was that of the role of the
church and fellow preachers in the struggle. In an interview with Playboy Magazine, King
commented on how one of his most recent mistakes was assuming that the just cause would
instantly move White clergymen to understand and involve themselves in the movement. He would
receive sympathizers but not volunteers, as they told him that they believed it was not the proper
role of the church to intervene in secular affairs. In 1961, King gave a speech entitled, The Church
on the Frontier of Racial Tension where in which he explained the destined role of the church was
to advocate for racial equality and be at the forefront of the movement (Sunnemark). His sermon,
Transformed Nonconformist, discussed how people should be more maladjusted to the norms
of their time (Warren). In other words, they should not conform to their unjust situation, but
should instead create a just one. This sermon was more directed toward Black churches, because
King believed they allowed White churches to kick them out by instating their own segregated
churches. All churches, according to King, should be chief moral guardians of the community in all
matters, religious or not. (Warren).
King integrated biblical messages with philosophical ones, but which biblical messages did
he use and which philosophical themes did he incorporate? One example was that of the Beloved
Formatted: Font: Italic
Community or a religiously-moral society. King preached on how Christian brotherhood should be
incorporated in our daily lives and spoke of how the state must create and maintain moral laws;
and if the state does not do so, the people must demand it do so. (Sunnemark). Another example
was the concept of loving your enemies. Jesus said Love you enemies and pray for those who
persecute you because if God treats all equally, so should you (Novak). King carried on this same
message through many sermons and speeches but most famously in his sermon Love Your
Enemies where in which he discusseds how it may be difficult for Blacks to love Whites who
persecute them, but if Jesus could forgive and love his crucifiers, then we could do the same
(Sunnemark). Additionally King often used the Good Samaritan parable, in which a man stripped of
all his possessions and wounded, is passed by a priest and a Levite, but helped by a Samaritan
(Novak). In On Being a Good Neighbor King commented on how people see each other as things
but the Good Samaritan saw a human being (Warren). King also liked to use the words and
philosophies of Saint Augustine, Martin Luther, and Saint Aquinas to differentiate a just law,
which should never be broken, from an unjust law, which can be civilly disobeyed. As explained in
the Letter from Birmingham Jail, A just law is a man-made code which squares with the moral
law of God. (Novak). Finally, King blended the teachings of Jesus and the philosophies of Gandhi to
promote non-violent tactics to battle oppression (Novak; Lewis).
Its also important to note the difference between Kings Social Gospel movement and the
simultaneous movement led by Malcolm X, Black Nationalist. King advocated for integration while
Malcolm advocated for segregation and Black dominance, or Black Power. King was first driven by
the de jure segregation the South, while Malcolm X was driven by the de facto segregation in the
Northern ghettos. Kings tactics called for non-violence, while Malcolm X and his Black Panthers
believed non-violence was cowardly. King was inspired by the Christian religion while Malcolm X
claimed the religion of the Nation of Islam. The Nation of Islam blended concepts from the Muslim
tradition with the scripture of the Bible, thus being a direct violation of the Quran. (Cone).
However, soon before his death, Malcolm strayed away from Elijah Mohammed and his religion
and more towards the politics of the Civil Rights Movement which allowed him to relate his issues
closer to those of Kings. Although he still advocated for segregation and Black Nationalism, he
knew that he first had to work with all kinds of Black leaders toward Black Freedom. (Cone).
Martin Luther King Jr.s implementation of the Social Gospel in the Civil Rights movement
was often thought of as extremism. But he realized that Jesus [was] an extremist in loveAmos
[was] an extremist in justiceAbraham Lincoln [was] an extremist in [emancipation] and Thomas
Jefferson in [equality] (Novak). The Social Gospel movement may have been extreme for the time,
but the Civil Rights movement wouldnt have been the same without it. As the Dean of the School of
Theology at Boston Univ. noted, "King took the gospel from behind stained-glass and placed it on
the courthouse steps," thus inspiring many others after him to do the same. Old classmates at
Boston Univ. commented on his impact on the American church stating how he helped clergymen
realize the importance of preaching on topics relevant to societys issue, helped Christians see that
Christianity can deal with present socio-economic affairs just as it did in the time of Jesus Christ,
and influenced preachers to include philosophy in defending Christian beliefs and doctrine.
(Warren). From personal experience, I know this to be true today because the preachers at my
church do this very thing every Sunday. Religious places across the world are constantly involved
in socio-economic issues. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. can be credited with more than
changing American politics and society, but also American religion, and thus religious practices all
over the world.





Bibliography

Cone, James H. Martin &Malcolm & America: A Dream or a Nightmare. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis
Books, 1991. Print.

Lewis, John. Walking With the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement. New York: Simon & Schuster,
1998. Print.

Noll, Mark A. God and Race in American Politics: A Short Story. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ.
Press, 2008. Print.

Novak, Philip. The Worlds Wisdom: Sacred Texts of the Worlds Religions. New York, NY:
Harper Collins Publishers, 1995. Print.

Sitkoff, Harvard. King: Pilgrimage to the Mountaintop. New York: Hill and Wang, 2008. Print.

Sunnemark, Fredrik. Ring Out Freedom: The Voice of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Making of
the Civil Rights Movement. Bloomington, IN: Indiana Univ. Press, 2004. Print.

Warren, Dr. Mervyn A. King Came Preaching: The Pulpit Power of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001. Print.