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It\’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the United States of America. Dr. King inspires us to get involved in change for the good of all people. King said that his work was part of what it means to live out the meaning of commitment to the ministry of Jesus Christ.
Last week, I spent time perusing the King Center\’s Archives. It occurred to me that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.\’s fight for Civil Rights had more to do with a broader vision for the \”Beloved Community.\”
Dr. King\’s vision for the “Beloved Community” is a global ideal. All people share in such community. Poverty, hunger, and homelessness are eradicated because human decency refuses them.
In the vision of a “Beloved Community,” an all-inclusive spirit of a human family replaces racism and all forms of bigotry and bias. The moral call for community summons the elite to care for the downtrodden, the advantaged to care for the disadvantaged, the full to feed the hungry, the ones with cloths to clothe the naked.
The “Beloved Community” does not assume an unrealistic utopia. Human conflicts are inevitable. But, there are no conflicts that human civility cannot resolve in a peaceful manner. Love and trust draw together a human kaleidoscope, a symphony of brotherhood.
Jesus teaches a gospel that makes the \”Beloved Community\” possible. In fact, for Dr. King the vision of the \”Beloved Community\” is a gospel-driven vision.
I believe that when we take seriously the gospel of Jesus Christ and accept Him as the answer to the world, we will experience the realization of the \”Beloved Community.\”
More than ever, let\’s spread the good news to the world; the \”Beloved Community\” is possible through Christ. By getting involved with the work of the gospel, we are affecting positive change that is already in progress – a change that is capable of moving the world toward a realized \”Beloved Community.\”
Dr. Antipas
