The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. quoted this powerful Scripture in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. He believed God’s Word. He took his Bible, the one President Obama will place his hand upon next week, very seriously—so seriously that he repeatedly risked his life to proclaim its message of love for God and love for neighbor.
Uncle M.L., like everyone, was far from perfect; but he loved the Lord. It was God’s Word that he used to unite a movement and change our nation.
Uncle M.L. was born on Jan. 15, 1929. In remembering him today, I can tell you that he was a kind and gentle man who was used as a strong prophet of God.
Many people called him the “Black Moses,” and the “Modern Day Apostle of Love.” He was a Baptist preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ who was also called to lead the 20th-century civil rights movement.
Martin Luther King Jr. loved Jesus and preached His Word. His sermons such as “Rediscovering Lost Values” and “The Death of Evil on the Seashore” reflect his devotion to the Lord and his obedience to God’s call. The themes of his teachings are strongly reflective of the need of God’s love, human repentance and forgiveness.
Dr. King was a family man. As one whose bloodline includes ancestors who were not only powerful gospel preachers, but ex-slaves, Irish sharecroppers, educators, musicians, entrepreneurs and civil rights leaders, we can understand and appreciate how God called Dr. King as a modern-day Moses and gave him a prophetic dream to help to set the captives free.
He and my father, Rev. A. D. King, are brothers, fallen soldiers of the 20th-century civil rights movement who now reside in heaven. Many people don’t even know that Martin had a brother and a sister. He was a beloved uncle and family member.
The year 2013 will mark several significant landmark anniversaries including 150 years since the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, 100 years since the formation of the Federal Reserve System, 50 years since MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and the 40th year since the landmark Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in America. This will surely be a year of transition and there is a need for a deep spiritual awakening. In fact it’s time for America to wake up before the dream becomes a nightmare.
Thank God that Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. Happy birthday, Uncle M. L.
Alveda C. King is the daughter of the late slain civil rights activist the Rev. A.D. King, and niece of Martin Luther King Jr. She is also a civil rights and pro-life activist, as well as director of African American Outreach for Priests for Life. Click here to visit her blog.
See an error in this article?
To contact us or to submit an article
