Reflections on Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I didn't really learn about the real Martin Luther King, Jr. in school.

Sure, I learned some parts about his life. I learned about how he helped start the Montgomery Bus Boycott; how he led the March on Washington; how he ended up being assassinated. I remember analyzing his famous "I Have a Dream" speech and "Letter from Birmingham Jail" in my AP English Language class. 

But I didn't learn about the people who bombed his house before he was taken to that jail in Birmingham. I didn't learn about the constant death threats that would ring on his house telephone day and night, preventing his family from sleeping. I didn't learn about the FBI wiretapping his every move. I didn't know that, in the last years of his life, he worked to organize the Poor People's Campaign, calling for an end to the war in Vietnam, equitable pay, universal healthcare and childcare, and economic equity for everyone. I didn't know that, when he was assassinated, over seventy percent of people in the United States disapproved of his work.

But, more than that, I never learned that he was, actually, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. I never learned about how King's faith influenced his life and action. 

The truth is, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was a radical. His life was a declaration of faith in action. He stood against injustice, no matter the cost. His courage and commitment to love and equality shook the foundations of America, Canada, and the world. His example still challenges Christians across the globe today to embody Christ in their actions.

King’s faith was not private. It was public and unapologetic. His belief that every person bears the image of God drove him to confront the systems that crushed human dignity. Faith, for King, meant action. It demanded risk. It meant standing with the oppressed and fighting for justice. 

Christians today must ask: Are we doing the same?

Nonviolence was King’s weapon. Love was his strategy. He faced hatred with grace and brutality with peace. This was not weakness; it was strength rooted in the life and teachings of Jesus. Nonviolence requires discipline and courage. It calls us to reject retaliation and embrace reconciliation. For Christians, this is a challenge to live radically—to love when it’s hardest. And to love those whom it seems hardest to love.

King spoke truth to power. He condemned racism, poverty, and war. He didn’t care if it made him unpopular. His words were a moral fire, burning through hypocrisy. He reminds us that silence in the face of evil is complicity. Christians must be voices of truth, no matter the cost.

“The arc of the moral universe is long,” he said, “but it bends toward justice.” 

King’s life was marked by perseverance. He was attacked, surveilled, and betrayed. But through it all, he held onto the hope of Christ. We too, as Christians, must hold on to hope. We are called to work for justice, even when progress feels impossible.

King’s vision was expansive. He saw the fight for civil rights as part of a greater struggle for human rights. He fought against economic inequality, militarism, and systemic oppression. His mission was to uplift all people. Christians today must embrace this holistic vision. 

Justice isn’t just about one issue. It’s about healing the whole of society.

King’s life was the Gospel in action. His faith was radical. His courage was boundless. His love was transformative. He challenges us to live out our faith boldly. To speak out. To act. To love without limits. If King could stand against the evils of his time, so we can stand against the evils of our own.

The question is: Will we?