We honor this weekend the memory and contributions of Martin Luther King, Jr. The Civil Rights movement, which he led, helped end Jim Crow laws and rendered segregation illegal. Most of all, it affirmed the equality of every person in this country. His opposition to all forms of segregation and his affirmation of human dignity continue to influence American life to this day. Although he died of an assassin's bullet, his example lives on whenever we seek to emulate his life and message.

Taking his cues from Mahatma Gandhi and Jesus of Nazareth, King engaged the “powers that be.” Choosing the way of nonviolence meant that his was a revolution without guns or even stones. Utilizing marches and sit-ins, he brought a moral force to the debates of the day. He didn't choose to seek change violently, but neither did he passively acquiesce to the societal abuses of the day. Not everyone embraced his methods. Some thought they were too slow, while others thought they went too far and too fast. Yet, Martin Luther King remains a model for us, showing us that nonviolence can achieve the aims we pursue.

Because Dr. King looked to Jesus as his guide, it would be important to consider some of Jesus' guiding statements. He said things like: “If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also,” and “If any one forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.” To some this appears to encourage passivity in the face of injustice, as if Jesus was saying: “Just do as you're told.” But is this what Jesus had in mind? Is his call for meekness a call to passivity? I think there's more to this than meets the eye and I think Dr. King understood this quite well.

Recent biblical scholarship offers a different perspective on these sayings. Instead of encouraging passive acceptance of one's lot in life, even if they are oppressive, Jesus offers his audience - most of whom were from the lower classes and often felt the brunt of Roman occupation - a nonviolent way of achieving equality. To turn the other cheek or to walk the second mile is to take responsibility for one's own life and destiny. Biblical scholar Walter Wink writes: “He is helping an oppressed people find a way to protest and neutralize an onerous practice despised throughout the empire. He is not giving a nonpolitical message of spiritual world transcendence. He is formulating a worldly spirituality in which the people at the bottom of society or under the thumb of imperial power learn to recover their humanity. (”The Powers that Be,” Galilee Books, 1998, p. 108).

Dr. King's movement was just that. It was a spiritually empowered movement that helped people reclaim their humanity. In turning the other cheek they helped turn the nation upside down nonviolently, but effectively.

In remembering Dr. King's birthday, let's not think that we've yet achieved his dream of a nation where differences in ethnicity, religion, language, gender, or sexual orientation no longer matter. Our celebration only serves to remind us that much remains to be done. As long as barriers to prevent people from finding their equal place in society and people remain voiceless, there will be work to do.

In many ways we stand at a crossroads in our nation's history. It's quite possible that in the next election cycle a candidate for president could be a woman or an African-American. That some continue wonder if we're ready for such a thing suggests that we're not yet where we should be, but that day is getting closer. The recent ruckus over the election of a Muslim to Congress raises similar questions, but that we're dealing with this question shows far we've actually come.

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We've come a long way in our national attempt to truly live out the premises contained in the Declaration of Independence. This document declares “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” But, as Dr. King knew, this isn't just about rights; it's also about our responsibility to join together in creating a community that is just and fair, safe and full of hope and opportunity for all people.

Dr. Bob Cornwall is pastor of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Lompoc (www.lompocdisciples.org). His blog can be found at http://pastorbobcornwall.blogspot.com and he can be contacted at lompocdisciples@impulse.net or at First Christian Church, P.O. Box 1056, Lompoc, CA 93438.

Jan. 14, 2007