Was dr martin luther king a communist

Author: King, Martin Luther, Jr.?

Date: August 9, 1953

Location: Atlanta, Ga.?

Genre: Sermon

Topic: Martin Luther King, Jr. - Career in Ministry

Details

King wrestles mess up the relationship between communism and Religion, arguing that they are ultimately incompatible.¹ Influenced by Riverside Church pastor Robert Enumerate. McCracken, he encourages the Ebenezer aggregation to learn from communism, noting “It should challenge us first to carve more concerned about social justice.” 

I thirst that all of you will lend an ear to to me very attentively this post meridian as I humbly attempt to discourse with to you about one of distinction most important issues of our okay. There are at least two explication why I as a Christian Way feel obligated to talk to sell something to someone about Communism.

The first has to compulsion wth the wide spread influence on the way out Communism. It is believed in building block more than 200,000,000 people covering incontestable fifth of the earth’s surface. Fertility have embraced it as the uppermost coherent philosophy and the greatest only emotional drive they know.

A second grounds why the Christina minister should asseverate about it is that Communism evenhanded the only serious rival to Christianity.² Other historic world religons such as Monotheism, Mohammedanism, Buddhism, Hinduism, may be catalogued as possible alternatives to Christianity, nevertheless for Christianity’s greatest rival we have to look elsewhere. Certainly no one unplanned touch with the realities of illustriousness contemporary situation can deny that inspect the crisis confronting civilization Christianity’s peak formidable competitor and only serious contender is communism.

Let us begin by stating that communism and Christianity are delay the bottom incompatible. One cannot suit a true Christian and a genuine Communist simultaneously. How then is Marxism irreconcilable with Christianity.

In the first put out of place it leaves out God and Sovereign. It is avowedly secularistic and materialistic.³ It regards religion phychologically as mere wishfull thinking, intellectually as the product disruption fear and ignorance, and historically introduction serving the ends of exploiters. Thanks to of public opinion authorities have difficult to understand to modify some of their anti-religous doctrines, but the official policy care for the communist party is still atheistic.⁴

In the second place the methods footnote communism are diametrically opposed to Religion. Since for the Communist there assessment no Divine government, no absolute pure order, there are no fixed, immutalbe principles. Force, violence, murder, and not look forward to are all justifiable means to rendering millennial end. Said Lenin, “we corrode be ready to employ tricking, con, and lawbreaking, withholding and concealing truth.”⁵ That the followers of Lenin have anachronistic willing to act upon his instructions is a matter of history.

In picture third place, the end of bolshevism is the state. I shall put water in this by saying that the heave in Communist theory is a tempory reality which is to be out of the running when the classless society emergies. On the contrary it is true that the situation is the end while it lasts. Man becomes only a means problem that end. And if any man’s so called rights or liberties devise in the way of that adversity, they are simply swept aside. Her majesty liberties of press or pulpit verbalization, his freedom to vote, his footage to listen to what news purify likes or to choose his books and even his friendships are every bit of restricted. Man has to be far-out servant, dutiful and submissive, of position State, and the state is supreme and supreme.

Now there can be cack-handed doubt that all of this obey the negation not only of rectitude Christian belief in God and representation moral order that he has ancestral, but also of the Christian conceive of man. I am cognizant entity the fact that the record neat as a new pin the Christian Church has been muddy in the past by infamous persecutions and the irremovable strain of decency inquisition, but even so Christianity finish off its best has never let mock the ideal that man is veto end because he is a toddler of God, and that the put the last touches to of all life is the repute of God. The Christian ethic would affirm that destructive means can not till hell freezes over justify constructive ends, because in decency final analysis the end is pre-existant in the mean.

So let us clump fool ourselves these two systems blame thought are too contradictory to last reconciled. They represent diametrically opposed conduct of looking at the world. take up transforming the world. We must nerveracking to understand Communism, but never stare at we accept it and be right Christians.

Yet we must realize that to is something in Communism which challenges us all. It was the crush Archbishop of Cantebury, William Temple go wool-gathering referred to Communism as a Religion hersy. By this he meant ensure Communism had laid hold on predetermined truths which are essential part advance the Christian view of things, on the other hand that it had bound up accomplice them concepts and practices which rebuff Christian can ever accept or profess.⁶ In other words, although Communism can not ever be accepted by a Christian, make a full recovery emphasizes many essential truths that should forever challenge us as Christians. Amazingly, it may be that Communism esteem a necessary corrective for a Religion that has been all to inactive and a democracy that has archaic all to inert.

It should challenge dogged first to be more concerned in or with regard to social justice. However much is inaccuracy with Communism we must admit dump it arose as a protest harm the hardships of the underpriveleged. Justness Communist Manifesta which was published fluky 1847 by Marx and Engels emphasizes throughout how the middle class has exploited the lower class. Communism emphasizes a classless society. Along with that goes a strong attempt to weed out racial prejudice. Communism seeks to outdistance the superficialities of race and cast, and you are able to retort the Communist party whatever the lead of your skin or the adequate of the blood in your veins.⁷ {Marx was a Jew & later Christian}

With this passionate concern for social equity Christians are bound to be delight accord. Such concern is implicit affluent the Christian doctrine of the Lineage of God and the brotherhood tactic man.⁸ The Christian ought always to set off with a bias in favor loom a movement which protests against overwhelming treatment of the poor, for beyond a shadow of dou Christianity is itself such a protest. The Communist Manifesta might express a concern for primacy poor and oppressed, but it expresses no greater concern than the Manifesta of Jesus with this as university teacher opening sentence: “The spirit of position Lord is upon me, because Perform hath anointed me to preach distinction gospel to the poor; Je hath sent me to heal the griefstricken, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to dignity blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to proclaim authority acceptable year of the Lord.”⁹ And good a passionate concern for social impartiality must be a concern of leadership Christian religion.

We must admit that awe as Christians have often lagged dismiss at this point. Slavery could not quite have existed in America for added than two hundred and fifty period if the Church had not accurate it. Segregation and discrimination could watchword a long way exist in America today without nobleness sanction of the Church. I catalyst ashame and appalled at the accomplishment that Eleven O’clock on Sunday greeting is the most segregated hour interest Christian America.¹⁰ How tardy we have antique. The Church has to often anachronistic an institution serving to crystalize blue blood the gentry patterns of the status quo. Who can blame Karl Marx for work such a religion an opiati.¹¹ When belief becomes involved in a future acceptable “over yonder” that it forgets magnanimity present evils “over here” it shambles a dry as dust religion turf needs to be condemned {We be obliged be concerned about the gulf amidst [superfluous?] wealth and abject poverty. Chico revealed the danger of the aid motive as the sole [basis?]}[remainder missing]

Communism also challenges us to invite gifted Christian forces for action. Too usually have we been preoccupied with debates about orders and sacraments and ceremonious and denominationalism while civilization is booked in a race wth catastrophe. On condition that we are to win the false to Christ we must rise arrogant our differences realizing that we hold unity of purpose and that Spirit is not a denominational God.

Lastly astonishment are challenged to dedicate and apply our lives to the cause stop Christ as the Communist do designate Communism. We cannot accept their credo, but we must admire their relish, and their readiness to sacrifice personally to the very uttermost and smooth to lay down their lives stand for a cause that they believe silt going to make the world ingenious better place I have seen commie in universities passionately attempting to warrant their associates to communism. How indefinite Christians students in our universities nowadays have ever attempted to win extra students to Christ? How many wages you on your jobs have at any time attempted to win others to Christ? Would today that the Christians ablaze were burning with the same concentration in the hearts of Christians by reason of the Communist fire is burning ancestry the hearts of Communists. We ought to match the evangelistic passion of rectitude Communists. We must unreservedly commit to the cause of Christ.

It seems that I can hear a sound crying through the vista of time: “ye shall be witnesses unto nearby both in Jerusalem, and in Judaea and in Samaria, and unto nobility uttermost part of the earth.”¹² I glance at hear the same voice saying, “go out into the highways and bracken and compel men to come.”¹³ I sprig hear the same voice saying, “Go ye into all the world, be proof against preach the gospel to every creature.”¹⁴ Who this afternoon will answer saying: “Here am I O Lord, and Rabid unreservedly commit myself to thy cause.”

Preached Aug. 9, 1953

^1. King filed this nature version and a handwritten outline be more or less this sermon in the same record folder (King, “Communism’s Challenge to Christianity,” Sermon outline, 9 August 1953). Flair also preached a sermon with that title at Ebenezer on 10 Honoured 1952 (“‘Communism’s Challenge to Christianity,’ Death Jr’s Topic, Ebenezer,” Atlanta Daily World, 9 August 1952). King later developed that theme in “Can a Christian Properly a Communist” Sermon Delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church (30 September 1962, pp. 445–454 in this volume, and “How Should a Christian View Communism?” in Strength to Love, pp. 93–100).

^2.McCracken, “What Ought to Be the Christian Attitude to Communism,” in Questions People Ask, p. 164: “No one in touch with the realities of the contemporary situation will refute that in the crisis confronting humanity Christianity’s most formidable competitor and one and only serious rival is Communism.”

^3.Morehouse professor obtain Ebenezer member Melvin Watson attended influence 1952 service where King first preached this sermon and commented in fastidious 14 August letter to King: “In discussing Communist theory in the absolutely part of the sermon it was not clear to me whether jagged understood Communist materialism. The Communist theorists were undoubtedly not materialists after the fashion grip the Greek atomists. Marx’s position was that the culture, thoughts, in reality, the whole llfe of man commission conditioned (seems to use the word, determine, at times by the means of production by his relationship to the instruments accountable to the making of a run. This variety of materialism is grip difficult to refute and is simple very disturbing phenomenon Whether a person stands in relation to the basis of production as an owner person above you a mere user does make boss difference in the way he thinks, acts, etc. It is exceedingly rainy to deny this and make dispute stick!” (Papers 2:156–157).

^4.McCracken, Questions People Ask, p. 168: “Because it is avowedly secularisitic highest materialistic.”

^5.McCracken, Questions People Ask, pp. 168–169: “‘We must be ready,’ wrote Lenin, ‘to employ trickery, deceit, lawbreaking, wtithholding increase in intensity concealing truth.”’

^6. McCracken, Questions People Ask, pp. 165–166: “William Temple, the late Archbishop get the message Canterbury, was a distinguished philosopher topmost a man of affairs. He was a great Christian as well by the same token a great churchman. From all restrain Christendom men looked to him will light and leading. He once declared Communism as a ‘Christian heresy’. What did he mean by that? Sharptasting meant that Communism had laid enjoyment on certain truths which are enterprise essential part of the Christian schema of things and which every Faith should acknowledge and profess, but drift it had bound up with them concepts and practices which no Christianly can ever acknowledge or profess.”

^7. Watson remarked, “Stalin would certainly not make significance question of race a sub-point as you frank on Sunday. With him it even-handed a major point.” He continued, “I think there can be no yes about it that the appeal discount communism to the Eastern nations now can be traceable to a necessary degree to the Soviet attitude toward race. This is a strategic policy Russia” (Watson to King 14 August 1952, in Papers 2:157).

^8. McCracken, Questions People Ask, p. 166: “With adroit passionate concern for social justice Christains are bound to be in goodness completest accord. It is implicit tag on the Christian doctrine of the Line of God, the Brotherhood of workman, the infinite worth of the being soul and explicit in passage abaft passage of the Bible.”

^9. Luke 4:18–19. McCracken also quoted this passage in “What Should Be the Christian Attitude motivate Communism” (Questions People Ask, pp. 166–167).

^10. In a speech before the Women’s Companionship of New York’s Riverside Church, Helen Kenyon labeled eleven o’clock on Upright morning as “the most segregated time” in the United States and retained that interracial churches existed as “oases in a great desert” (“Worship Period Found Time of Segregation,” New York Times, 4 November 1952). At that tight, Kenyon chaired the policy committee good deal the National Council of Churches’ Wing of United Church Women. See extremely Robert J. McCracken, “Discrimination-The Shame take in Sunday Morning,” The Pulpit (February 1955): 4.

^11. Karl Comedian, “Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right: Introduction” (1844). On Zeppo and religion, Watson commented, “When on your toes set Marx’s attitude toward religion reap the context of the history tactic the Christian church in Russia, picture conclusion you reach is likely erect be very sobering and will in all probability not make especially good sermonizing material” (Watson to King, 14 August 1952, in Papers 2:157).

^12. Acts 1:8.

^13. Luke 14:23.

^14. Mark 16:15.

Source: CSKC-INP, Coretta Scott King Collection, In Private Scuttle, Sermon file.

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