(Opinion) In Martin Luther King Jr.’s last speech “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” given a day before his tragic assassination, he called people to support black sanitation workers who were on strike over poor work conditions and unfair pay, and challenged his audience to develop a “dangerous unselfishness” in their fight for justice through peaceful means.
He recounted Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan and suggested that the Priest and the Levite, who chose not to help the wounded man who was robbed and left on the side of the road, might have been afraid of what would happen to them if they stopped to cross the road and help the man because the road was dangerous and conducive to ambushes.
Martin Luther King Jr. said:
And so the first question that the priest asked, the first question that the Levite asked was, “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But then the Good Samaritan came by and he reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”
This kind of sacrificial love is the cardinal ethic of character. It requires a humbling of self and a willingness to take on responsibility for the well-being of another. John Dickson defines humility as “the noble choice to forego your status, deploy your resources or use your influence for the good of others before yourself … a willingness to hold power in service of others.”
I’m challenged by this other-centered perspective because it is a dangerous unselfishness. It’s all too easy to come up with excuses for not helping.
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One of the most common is to deny responsibility by claiming it is not my problem, not within my ability, or not going to accomplish enough to bring change. Susan Montag challenged these excuses when she wrote, “The likelihood that your acts of resistance cannot stop the injustice does not exempt you from acting in what you sincerely and reflectively hold to be the best interests of your community.”
There may be legitimate limitations on what can be done, but these should always be put to the test to see if they are convenient self-serving excuses, especially when they are presented by institutions and those who hold the power to intervene.
One of the principles I’ve tried to encourage organizational leaders to follow is to surrender the temptation to defend the image of the institution. Research shows that institutional responses to crisis tend to marginalize victims, the most profoundly impacted, because leadership focuses their attention on the needs of the most powerful. Important questions to ask, and to keep asking, when responding to a crisis is, “Who is impacted and how? What losses have they experienced? What must we do to alleviate the suffering and promote healing? How do we enter into that suffering in ways that are trauma-informed and restorative?”
But those questions and their answers are opposed by a self-serving question that goes something like, “If we enter into their suffering, what will happen to us?”
I’ve heard leaders resentfully say things like, “I didn’t sign up for this,” as if walking with people in the midst of their suffering wasn’t in the job description. I’ve heard some suggest that continuing to address people’s concerns is distracting them from their real mission.
Others have expressed concern that if they acknowledge the truth of leadership wrongdoing then that would risk liability. Out of concern that liability might ascend up to them, institutions have at times chosen to prevent their responsibility from descending down in ways that would empower and validate the wounded.
Even when wrongs are exposed and made clear, leadership might remain silent or give a statement that falls just short of accepting responsibility by saying something like, “If mistakes were made,” or “If anyone was hurt.”
Rather than asking, “What will happen to us if we enter into their suffering?” ethical leaders ask, “What will happen to them if we don’t enter into their suffering?” And not only is that for the good of others, but it’s also character-forming and joy-producing for the one who helps. No one who experiences truly meaningful service to others looks back on their work and says, “I’m so glad of the self-serving, self-protective leadership role I had.”
Martin Luther King Jr.’s call to dangerous unselfishness is a lesson that can reframe how we respond to injustice. He concluded his final speech with these words:
That’s the question before you tonight: not, “If I stop to help the sanitation workers what will happen to all of the hours that I usually spend in my office every day and every week as a pastor.” The question is not, “If I stop to help this man in need what will happen to me?” It’s, “If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers what will happen to them?” That’s the question.
This article, which originally appeared at Pellucid and has been reprinted with permission, does not necessarily reflect the views of The Roys Report.
Wade Mullen is the author of Something’s Not Right: Decoding the Hidden Tactics of Abuse and Freeing Yourself From Its Power. He served ten years in pastoral ministry and five years as a seminary Master of Divinity program director and assistant professor before transitioning to full-time research and writing through Pellucid Consulting.
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10 Responses
MLK, Jr was a revolutionary for us ALL!! I cannot overstate this enough. If we followed his teachings, the world…AND THE CHURCH…would be a better place. A federal holiday named after the man should demonstrate this. He IS a national hero and should be regarded as such!
Yet…I am curious…would The Roys Report dare to call out MLK, Jr’s legacy on what appears to be a bit of womanizing, like it does so often with so many other pastors or church leaders?
Let NONE of us ever forget, before we contribute anything on this site, to take a good long hard look in the mirror. I have enough planks in my own eye, for sure.
Dean, I am not authorized on behalf of Julie Roys or the board of The Roys Report (“TRR”) to answer your question [disclaimer].
TRR exposes current and relatively recent corruption for the purpose of purifying Christ’s church and preserving her gospel witness to the unsaved world. Most if not all of the persons profiled on this website are still living and therefore have opportunity to repent and make amends with those whom the wrongdoers harmed. Because MLK Jr died over five decades ago, and because his marital indiscretions have been widely publicized already, TRR has few reasons, in my judgment, to explore this subject further.
Also, it’s possible to accomplish great deeds for God’s kingdom and commit grievous sins after one’s salvation. The two are not mutually exclusive; church history and the Bible are (sadly) replete with examples. MLK Jr is not alone in that regard, though his legacy is tremendous. Agree with you that he was and is a national hero.
You cannot give one example of a Christian in Scripture committing “grievous sins” after salvation. Salvation BY DEFINITION comes through Christ (although Jews and Muslims might believe otherwise).
“THERE IS NO NAME UNDER HEAVEN whereby we are saved” except JESUS (Acts 4:12).
We assume that certain people (David, Moses etc) living under the Old Covenant (i.e PRIOR to Christ and the Cross and Resurrection) won’t be in Hell but that’s for God to decide. We don’t know for sure.
What we DO KNOW is that JESUS saves (rescues) people from sin, darkness and spiritual death (Matthew 1:21, Colossians 1:13, Acts 26:18 etc).
Please don’t imply Jesus makes no difference to people (compared to those under the Old Covenant) and please read – and believe – passages like John 8:34-36, Romans 6 & 1st John chapter 3.
As it says in 1st John chapter 3:7-8a, “LET NO-ONE DECEIVE YOU. He who does righteousness is righteous. He who sins is of the devil”.
The apostle Peter, having followed Yahshua for 440 days, hearing Him speak and observing His actions/miracles/dependency on His Father YHWH – and then participating in this lifestyle and commandments to heal the sick; raise the dead; cast out demons; cleanse the leper, himself, denied his Messiah Yahshua 3 times (in front of charcoal fire) during the prosecution and then execution of Yahshua. In reality, he lied out of fear his his life and stated that he did not know Him, at all. Later, in front of a charcoal fire after Yahshua’s death and resurrection, Yahshua presented 3 times the opportunity for Peter to correct this lie, when He asked him 3 times: Peter, do you love Me? 700 years prior, Isaiah when presented by the charcoal straight from the altar to his lips because he had stated that he was a man of unclean lips and was therefore undone, was cleansed by this coal of fire and thus was able to speak straightly and clearly the Word of YHWH directly to the people. There is HOPE in repentance – even 490 times in 1 day, Yahshua said – if we ask for forgiveness for sin! We are to speak and live by EVERY Word which He speaks, only. Jeremiah 45:28
He is listening, and He hears us. His Blood will never lose Its, His, Power to save us from sin.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
It was never my intention to provoke a debate about soteriology. Let’s return to the article above — lessons from the admirable and influential life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Kindest regards to all.
What a convicting challenge. Definitely made me reflect and pray. Thank you for this.
Furthermore, I appreciate calling attention to a different MLK speech than the usual; his ministry was so much more robust than one line from one speech that is constantly overquoted this time of year.
One of the reasons why organisational leaders surrender to the temptation to defend the image of the institution or group they are affiliated with and leading, is because they have their own personal identity in these things, and in one way or another, they gain personal benefits through their affiliation. Some foolishly excuse and defend such behaviour suggesting that its simply misplaced loyalty to the organisation or mission of the church, when in reality, its conscious or unconscious self-preservation and retention of the status quo. The hard work in being a disciple of Christ is to actively and honestly submit to the will of Christ in thoughts, motives, words, and deeds. After all, in this life, “few flames ascend without smoke.” Thomas A Kempis 🤔
Thanks for YouTube link to the speech. I’d never heard his entire address, which was the last public sermon that he gave. And a prophetic one indeed. The famous and often-aired section begins at 41:55 and lasts for less than 1:20. But the bulk of his presentation, 41:00 minutes that follow 0:55 of introductory remarks, has numerous lessons, warnings, and a few jokes as well. Inspiring and convicting.
Self-denial is an intrinsic message throughout the New Testament.
Jesus says it best in Matthew 16:24-25.
He says that nobody can even be his disciple (i.e follower i.e a Christian) unless they deny themselves.
It’s the ultimate sign of faith/trust.
Will we trust that what the world calls “loss” (of time, reputation, money, life) will be our gain?
That not only others’ lives but our own lives will be better by trusting in the Way of JESUS?
That’s the first step of faith.
Nobody can be born again/born of the Spirit (as Jesus says “you must be” in John chapter 3) without dying to the old, carnal, selfish self first.
Look up the quote from George Muller (a man of faith/trust in Jesus) that begins with “There was a day when I died, utterly died to George Muller…”.
I am always struck by the fact that given Dr. King’s education, stature, and manifest gifts, he could have spent his days as the pastor of a large and successful church, a tenured professor, a university president, or another comfortably high-profile position. Instead, at the time of his death he was literally placing his life on the line for black sanitation workers who, given their race and occupation, were among “the lowest of the low” in their community. He knew he “might not get there” with them, but he continued to believe and to preach that we must strive for and believe in “the mountaintop.” If that isn’t an example of following the teachings of Christ, I don’t know what is. May be always be remembered as the Christlike witness and activist he was.