Pride

This was in Sunday's bulletin from my church:

What would Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., think of the world today had he lived? What would he have to say? What causes would he be speaking out for or against? Many ask that question every year as we approach his January 15th birthday. The truth is that we will never know because no human being stands still in time, but we all grow and mature just by living. For example, by reading Dr. King's sermons and writings in the last five years of his life, we know that he prioritized economic issues and working for peace in a world of war. Thus, I believe that Dr. King would have spoken out forcefully against the growing gap between rich and poor in the United States, and the war in Iraq.

But what about an issue, such as same sex marriage, which had not been raised during Dr. King's lifetime? Recently there have been some African American clergy who have tried to expropriate Dr. King in their fight against same sex marriage, some even beginning a march at his grave site. I don't profess to know what Dr. King's position on same sex marriage would have been, but I do believe that Dr. King would have supported the full humanity and the inclusion of all children of God in our society. Just as he supported Bayard Rustin, the labor unionist and gay man who was the genius behind the March on Washington and many of the strategies of the civil rights movement, I believe Dr. King would have reached out to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered community.

Whatever Dr. King might have said about the issues of today, I know that he would have urged each and every American to work for justice and peace in our nation and the world. This year, as we celebrate Dr. King's birthday, let's all find a concrete way to work for such a world.

Rev. Bernice Powell Jackson

Early morning, April 4
A shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took his life.
But they could not take his pride.
In the name of love.

"(Pride) In The Name of Love" U2