Thoughts & Actions

Commit your actions to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established… Proverbs 16:3

Martin Luther King, jr.’s Chapel Sermon at SBTS in 1961

Here is a chapel sermon message that Dr. Martin Luther King, jr. had preached at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1961.

January 21, 2008 - Posted by Will | 2008 Archive, Culture, History, Leadership, Southern Baptist Affairs, Videos & Audios | | 5 Comments

5 Comments »

  1. The introduction to this sermon should also include the reaction of the Southern Baptist Convention to King. Later in the summer of 1961, the Seminary issued an apology–under pressure from the Convention leadership–that they had ever invited King to speak. Thus, one of the few good acts of the SBC in the Civil Rights Era was renounced.

    Comment by Kyle | January 31, 2008 | Reply

  2. Racism and American slavery are definitely the “dark blemishes” in Southern Baptist history. While it would be nice to think that SBTS was a “different voice” on these issues from the rest of the SBC, it comes as no surprise that the SBTS leadership in 1961 wasn’t as morally strong as they could and should have been… as Martin Luther King, jr. was.

    But the grace of God allowed this history shaker to, for one day, deliver a message to an ecclesiastical institution of a denomination that had stood at odds against the biblical and moral values of love.

    Greater is that grace of God than the ugliness of man’s sins.

    Comment by Will | January 31, 2008 | Reply

  3. Hey, Will, I FINALLY got around to listening to this! Thanks for hosting it. It is probably one of King’s best and most biblically sound addresses.

    In fairness to the Seminary leadership who invited King to speak, I would like to point out that the Seminary trustees, faculty, and President McCall did not actually apologize for inviting King in late 1961. They only apologized for “any offense caused by the visit of Rev. King to the campus.” As one might expect, this statement was mis-interpreted by a pastor from Montgomery, Alabama to be an outright apology for inviting King. Newspapers and press outlets picked up on this pastor’s interpretation and ran with it to the frustration of the Seminary. McCall and the trustee chairman came out publicly clarifying the original intent of their “apology.”

    Comment by Adam Winters | August 29, 2008 | Reply

  4. Thanks, Adam, for that clarification.

    Comment by Will | August 29, 2008 | Reply

  5. I especially like that bit about the so-called inter-marriage matter. To paraphrase, “the primary aim of the black man is to be your (white man’s) brother, not your brother-in-law. Wow, people must have been talking about on campus for days!

    And I meant to say “summer of 1961″ not “late 1961″ although the controversy continued past late August before dying down a bit.

    Comment by Adam Winters | August 30, 2008 | Reply


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