January 18, 2011

MLK's letter from Paul to America

Michael Gorman quotes Martin Luther King's fictitious letter from Paul to American Christians (the Stanford site has both the full text and the audio of King delivering this sermon). It is a compelling and insightful read, with penetrating words that still ring true. This little gem jumped right out at me:

I still believe that standing up for the truth of God is the greatest thing in the world. This is the end of life. The end of life is not to be happy. The end of life is not to achieve pleasure and avoid pain. The end of life is to do the will of God, come what may….

If that doesn't fly in the face of much popular American Christianity, I don't know what does. King's letter will almost certainly make you uncomfortable, but that is a good thing.