Friday Greetings - January 16

Why Church?

"Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a Federal holiday designated for Americans to volunteer in and improve their communities. MLK Day is sometimes disparaged as a recent “woke” creation of “liberals,” but it was created by conservative President Ronald Reagan in 1983. Most Americans know Dr. King was a civil rights pioneer, but fewer know he earned a doctorate in theology and was a Baptist minister. His preaching was so eloquent and moving that his sermons are still studied at seminaries across the country today.

I had the great blessing of studying Dr. King’s words in two of my Duke Divinity classes. One of his sayings that I think about every day is, “Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” It’s hard to forget it when I see Christians mocking the Buddhist monks who are walking across America as a symbol of peace.

Dr. King promoted nonviolent action, yet many American Christians’ words and deeds are angry and violent. This has become such a problem that, over the last two decades, church attendance has declined steadily. People aren’t stupid; when they hear hateful rhetoric coming from the mouths of churchgoers and see them cheer bullying and bloodshed, they decide that the church might not be a good option.

Sunday, I’ll speak about the gap between what Christians say they believe and how they actually act. My sermon title is “Why Church?” because so many people, both churched and unchurched, are asking that question. I hope to see you at Centenary on Sunday morning.