Strength to Love

Strength to Love is my favorite book produced by Martin Luther King, Jr--it is a collection of sermons that he preached and personally selected for publication. A prolific writer and gifted orator, MLK Jr’s words as both preacher and activist, remind Americans past and present that the road to peace and justice is ever-long, though one not met without great hope. While he notes that his words are best audibly heard not read, this book invites us to re-invoke his voice, his presence, and his pause, so that we in the 21st century may be touched deeply yet again by the teachings, wisdom and practical insights that his sermons offer.

Included in the volume are his more memorable sermons including “Love in Action” and “Loving Your Enemies” which were both written while MLK Jr was in jail. “Pilgrimage to Non-violence,” the last sermon in Strength to Love, explains how his wrestlings with liberal theology, existentialism and teachings from Gandhi shaped his conviction for non-violent social action. It is here that we are given insight to the multiple influences and experiences that shaped MLK Jr’s thinking and theology, and here that he offers the reader a hopeful eye toward the future while drawing from the former trials and struggles he faced throughout the Civil Rights Era.

MLK Jr has long been one of my personal heroes. And as the years go on I realize that we share similar values of peace, love and justice that stem from a place of deep seated faith, with a hope to see goodness and righteousness flourish and prosper for all humankind (with a special arm stretched out to people and communities of color). Martin Luther King Jr’s life was short-lived and Americans often wonder how more our nation would have changed had he lived longer. And yet we are reminded this national holiday, that while he was alive MLK Jr lived closely and faithfully to the call and charge he was given, and that the fruits of his life (along with the work of countless others) offer a legacy of blessings that Americans continue to benefit from today.