Can You Be an Activist (like MLK) and an Evangelical?

Thabiti Anyabwile: “I don’t think Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. held evangelical convictions and I don’t think many pastors or activist could carry his books today. And yet I think what King does teach us is that the gospel, if we believe it, really does have to make contact with real life. And if it’s making contact with real life, then it must be speaking into areas of grit and grime, of brokenness, of injustice, of trouble in the world.”

[@Bob-be2pj]

Constructive activism is useful. Activism that results in unnecessary racial division within the church is not OK

[@yeshuachristdrivenandinspi6998]

The church is already divided and mostly has been divided by Whites. The trouble with America is that it does not want to face a reality of racism injustice. True Christianity heals when the issues are confronted.

[@WhoDeanyUnchained]

Wow.... Just wow

[@richjohnson4616]

Inactivism has already resulted in the unnecessary racial division within the church.

[@bkj58]

How does standing up against racism cost racial division, I swear you people need to have your heads, your hearts and your soul examine because it's full of hatred and darkness

[@MrAntiOrdinary]

We can consistently count on biblical wisdom and careful thought from this great brother.

[@ohbrother8530]

MrAntiOrdinary Yes he is. Unlike people who support a sexist president like Trump who has to has his hands twisted to renounce Nazism and the KKK CHANTING "JEWS WILL NOT replace us." And any Christian who's a fan of Milo Y. And his sexist and hateful rhetoric is a lame Christian. What type of man supports a gay guy who bashes women ??? LOL

[@KeithThompson52]

Great response brother.

[@fasyarchery5851]

Great response brother? Keith, I hope since you reminded to this 3 years ago that you have changed your mind. This man is in error on so many levels these days

[@fasyarchery5851]

Responded*

[@jazzmonk5670]

Amen!

[@JeevanMathew92]

What are the evangelical convictions that he doubts MLK had? Just curious...

[@pepperless7218]

MLK was a philanderer and wife beater

[@futureDrNLB]

@@pepperless7218 King David was loose with many women and even had a man killed to marry his wife and yet King David was a man after Gods own Heart. You people are absolutely ridiculous and pretend you own every word of the Bible when elected a President who cheated and was philander.

[@ohbrother8530]

MLK had more evangelical beliefs than Joel Osteen, Rick Warren, and most of these mega churches. And the 2 huge Southern Baptist churches in Dallas went full tilt endorsing Trump. Prestonwood Baptist and 1st Baptist of Dallas are Crazy political. The pastor of 1st Baptist just went on Lou Dobbs show and excused Trump's speeches and press conferences on Charlottesville, ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING. I hope John Kasickbor Tim Scott challenges Trump in 2020 Republican primary.

[@brettschlee7090]

Umm most of those prosperity/seeker sensitive wolves are at the very least Trinitarian (with the obvious exception of T.D. Jakes)... it's very difficult to make the case that MLK was, since he denied the divinity of Jesus. kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/humanity-and-divinity-jesus

[@2timothy23]

Well thought out response. The only thing I would add is that activism can be detrimental when it overrides the gospel and a Christian walk to the point where it's trying to solve the social problems beyond the gospel proclamation and the right living of a believer. Remember, most social problems are a result of sin (Romans 3:10-18), so our activism must never take center stage over the gospel proclamation, which is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). And the overriding of the gospel presentation and our living out our faith can take an unbiblical turn when we start partnering with unsaved groups or organizations whose agenda is that social problem only. Christians should be the best representation of activity among the unsaved because of our charity, patience, truth, and forgiveness. We are salt and light according to Matthew 5:13-16, but notice our good works should glorify God more so than thinking we have the absolute answer to social problems. (Only Christ will solve that when He returns.) This doesn't mean we do nothing, but it also doesn't mean we treat the problem the way the world does. In addition, if social activism causes divisions in the body of Christ because of race (though there truly is no such thing as races), we need to take a step back and remember Galatians 3:28 and Colossians 3:11 makes clear our identity in Christ overrides our cultural background, social status, and even our sexual gender. We must never let the unsaved way of thinking about social problems creep into the church and cause schisms among brethren. So we can be activist in a Biblical sense, but be discerning about letting it take center stage over our mission here as the Lord's workmanship (Ephesians 2:10).

[@yeshuachristdrivenandinspi6998]

God believes in true justice and not the sugar coating of unaddressing the racial divides in this country due to White Supremacy

[@BronzeLincolns81]

it's, unfortunately, very common for those who profess faith to put social justice and the gospel at odds with each other where scripture does not. the reason there needs to be social justice is because many people, including evangelicals, sadly, don't actually live by colossians 3:11 and galatians 3:28 and then willfully ignore Isaiah 1:16-17, Isaiah 58:6-10, proverbs 31:8-9, james 1:27, and james 2:15-16. there is a sinister movement within the body to shame people away from discussing issues of social justice and bearing false witness against brethren(9th commandment) in saying they ignore the gospel by doing what scripture commands us to do in regards to our neighbor.

[@blanktrigger8863]

Social justice has nothing to do with the Bible. That's a marxist concept. The Bible calls for morality, not an attempt to balance the scales between groups of people, deriving itself from a false definition of inequality. There is no room for social justice in Scripture. Use Biblical terms if you're going to quote the text.

[@yeshuachristdrivenandinspi6998]

Now you talking!!!! It never cease to amaze me how White and some Black Evangelicals want to sweep the racial injustice under the rug so they can feel comfortable. Especially those who pimp the prosperity gospel. These people have failed God.

[@RevelationMinistries114]

The Wayist But do you agree that racism sin and it is one of the tools that the devil uses when it comes to the believers today?

[@blanktrigger8863]

@Bret 1959 You're replying to me so this comment makes no sense. I never replied to you.

[@blanktrigger8863]

@Bret 1959 You said you don't have time for me. Move on with life. This is a tired tactic that's full of fallacy, starting with the use of loaded questions/statements. However, for anyone else who might ask this in the future (not reading the whope reply), since I already answered this more than once above, long story short, it is a demon-inspired worldview that is fundamentally built upon the sin of partiality. Hence why logic and truth and evidence don't matter to you people. It is unbiblical term that has nothing to do with what it claims to be about. Hence, equality has nothing to do with outcomes. If you give people equality some will suck and some won't you people call that unequal. So you use the language of equality a mask for a totally different concept that has nothing to do with equality. You can't be pro-equality because that would mean taking responsibility. But a person who sucks can't take responsibility for himself because he refuses to be righteous. When Yehsua said "there will alwAys be poor among you" he is referencing this teaching from out of Deuteronomy. So not even Yehsua taught equality of outcome (which is an oxymoron phrase).

[@richjohnson4616]

"MLK is not an evangelical." I'd love to see what Thabiti bases this statement on in King's readings, sermons, and witness. He has a limited view of the pastorate if he thinks it was a demotion for MLK to "leave the pulpit" to engage the work the Civil Rights Movement. Which of the prophets from the Old Testament held a pulpit position and whose ministry was not actively involved in calling the children of God to act more justly? What pulpit did Jesus keep to preach Luke 4 to masses of marginalized people. The pulpit itself is a western ideology of centered intellectualism that does little to translate into true pietism. So I'm not surprised by this critique -- it just appeases western cultural captivity of the Christian faith.

[@bkj58]

You make it sound like being an Evangelical is something that one should strive to be. It's a false doctrine made up by white men and has no ties to Christ.

[@richardwestley]

@@bkj58 I think you need to reread my response.

[@futureDrNLB]

Your absolutely right some how these Evangelicals which was created by white men and covers it’s evil was in Christianity yet have to atrocities to call Dr. Martin Luther King false and I will remind them he was named after Martin Luther the revolutionary he didn’t stay behind his pulpit either.