Dr. King was religious, in case you couldn't tell. He was a preacher, first and foremost, and his powerful sermons were one of the biggest driving forces of the Civil Rights Movement as a whole, motivating and inspiring thousands of people to march, demonstrate, boycott, and go to jail for a moral ideal. "Letter from Birmingham Jail" was written to a group of fellow Christians and indirectly addressed to a highly religious country, so it's got a ton of Biblical references, religious arguments, and moral appeals. And Dr. King makes sure his readers know that he and Jesus go way back.
Questions About Religion
- What was it about Jesus' teachings that Dr. King found relevant to the struggles and issues of his community?
- How did white Christians justify their inaction?
- What do you think Dr. King thought about the separation of Church and State?
Chew on This
If he was alive at the time, Jesus would have been marching with the Civil Rights activists, getting beat by the KKK, and getting thrown in jail.
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" was one of the best smackdowns of religious hypocrisy in history. A polite one, though.