April 4, 2018, marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This page gathers Faith & Leadership interviews, sermons, audio and video by writers, theologians and scholars related to King's life and ministry.
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Leah Gunning Francis: Don't look for another Martin Luther King -- look within
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was never a solitary, mythical figure during the civil rights movement, and people involved in the struggle today should not look for such a leader. Instead, we should look for the leader within and the leaders all around us, who emerge from the ground up, says the dean of the faculty at Christian Theological Seminary.
The Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C. Bigstock / Actionsports
Mika Edmondson: Martin Luther King Jr. and the power of unearned suffering
The civil rights leader’s understanding of suffering -- and its redemptive power -- offers a source of hope for the church in the struggle against injustice, says the pastor and author.
The Rev. Dr. Raphael G. Warnock, center, addresses a crowd at a gathering for social justice.
Photo courtesy of Ebenezer Baptist Church
Raphael G. Warnock: You don't have to look hard or far to see what needs to be done
The senior pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, says you don’t have to be in a prestigious pulpit to work for justice and the gospel. Look around at the issues in your own community, he says in this interview.
The view from the ditch
From the perspective of the man in the ditch, the story of the Good Samaritan asks something more profound than whether you’re willing to help: Are you ready to be rescued?
James Earl Massey: Adjusting to God
Being Christian, says a distinguished pastor and theologian, means adjusting our personhood to God’s will and becoming servants to humanity.
Walter Earl Fluker: Naming a place called home
Ethical leaders remember, retell and rebuild their stories within the context of larger narratives, says Walter Earl Fluker. They listen to the stories of others with integrity and empathy.
Randal Jelks: Writing Benjamin Mays back into the history
Regarded as a spiritual and intellectual father to Martin Luther King Jr., the late Benjamin Mays is well worth knowing in his own right, a major figure who helped launch the civil rights movement, says a Mays biographer.