What does Martin Luther King, Jr., think the role of the church should be in addressing racial problems, and what theological arguments does he...

In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. outlines several theological justifications for his actions in the south and his call for southern clerical support. He discusses the Apostle Paul's decision to support the oppressed Macedonians, even though the Roman Crown did not approve of his interfering in their conflict with the Macedonians. King points out that numerous other clergy helped Paul in his fight on behalf of the Macedonians. Like those other...

In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. outlines several theological justifications for his actions in the south and his call for southern clerical support. He discusses the Apostle Paul's decision to support the oppressed Macedonians, even though the Roman Crown did not approve of his interfering in their conflict with the Macedonians. King points out that numerous other clergy helped Paul in his fight on behalf of the Macedonians. Like those other clergy, southern preachers and pastors should take up the mantle of justice by helping King in the fight against racial injustice. King also offers a theological justification for participating in civil disobedience. He discusses St. Augustine's conviction that: "an unjust law is no law at all." King argues that Augustinian Christianity not only permits, but also requires people of faith to disregard and resist unjust laws. This resistance, King argues, is a religious obligation among the truly pious.