When the Message Gets Distorted
The fact that it is Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday and also the inauguration of Donald Trump’s second term feels like some sort of cosmic joke. And yet it also feels very appropriate knowing the United States deep-seated history of racism, violence, and injustice. The reality is, that the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr has been distorted to such an extent that his message is no longer a radical condemnation of an unjust society but has been reduced to a short pithy social media quote. This is evidenced by the fact that I woke up today to see various police departments post on facebook about Martin Luther King Jr and honoring his legacy.
Now to be sure, some of these police departments may be on the forefront of major reforms. But let’s be honest the majority of these police departments have fought tooth and nail against any sign of reform. The departments posting a MLK quote are the very same police departments whose members are celebrating the election of Donald Trump. The very same police departments who have no qualms distorting facts and justifying the murder of black civilians. The very same police departments who actively push back against any attempt to hold their law enforcement officials accountable for violence and brutality.
And yet, I am not surprised. MLK’s message has been corrupted and sanitized over the decades, his years of advocacy reduced to his “I have a Dream Speech,” a speech that often isn’t even quoted in full. And I am sure that some of my white progressive peers will want to lay the blame squarely on political conservatives and Evangelical Christians. But as someone who has spent at least half of her life attending congregations that consider themselves to be moderate or even Progressive, the distortion of MLK’s message takes place even in congregations that claim to be on the “right side of history.”
In these contexts, his message is one of sentimental, feel-good, “love.” It is ironic too that many progressive congregations will preach his message of equality, while continuing to benefit from the exclusion of Black and Brown People within their denominations and their congregations. for MLK day can be an opportunity to ask tough questions of one’s congregation and/or denomination. Some questions to ask include: why is it only now that these progressive/mainline denominations are celebrating Black and brown leadership at the highest levels? Why are many Mainline congregations a sea of white faces? Why are Mainline Christians calling out Evangelical Christian nationalism while remaining silent over wealthy white Mainline congregations that seem to cater to the whims of local politicians and national figures? Many white Mainline Christians seem to not understand that Christian nationalism is still Christian nationalism even when they are the beneficiaries of it and even when it is a “softer, kinder form.”
The corruption of MLK’s message by white Mainline congregations goes hand in hand with the distortion of the gospel message. Again, Evangelicals are often blamed as being solely responsible for this because of their emphasis on Biblical inerrancy and literalism. And yet, white Mainline congregations aren’t innocent either. Just like they have corrupted MLK’s message of radical justice and equality and turned it into one of superficial love and kindness, the gospel message becomes one of “why can’t we all just get along.”
The love preached by many Mainline congregations isn’t the radical love of justice and equality, but one of not making any waves. It is a love that endorses getting along without those in power without making any significant changes. It is a love that claims to welcome all, without recognizing that if you invite a white supremacist to have a seat at the table and don’t challenge them to change, you are in fact telling Black and brown people, they don’t matter.
Part of the reason the rise of Christian nationalism is so scary is because the very denominations and congregations that allegedly are supposed to serve as a counterpoint often don’t. They are unable to effectively push back and this is both by design and by choice. I mean calling out Evangelicals for adhering to Christian nationalism while having a multi-million dollar congregation in the heart of the nation’s capital that caters to the political elite isn’t exactly an effective method of combating Christian nationalism.
My calling to white Mainline congregations is to truly embrace the radical nature of both MLK’s message and the Gospel. MLK’s message and the Gospel message aren’t just quotes to be hashed out on social media a few times a year but a message to be absorbed, studied, and lived out. This will be even more vital in the next four years.
Image: clipart of a megaphone. Yellow background. Text: My calling to white Mainline congregations is to truly embrace the radical nature of both MLK’s message and the Gospel.