Did your church celebrate MLK Day?

Over at Church Marketing Sucks, Joshua Cody wants to know why more predominately-white churches didn't celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr Day yesterday. MLK Day, Cody argues, was a perfect opportunity for churches "to move towards breaking the 'white church/black church' stereotype."

So I'm curious: did your church commemorate MLK Day in any way? Did the sermon or worship service incorporate any of the themes we associate with MLK Day? How about other special outreach events yesterday? And does your church fall into the 'black church' or 'white church' stereotype?

If your church didn't do anything do mark the holiday, do you wish that it had?

Login to comment

IMPORTANT Did you have an account on the old ThinkChristian.net site? Click here transition your account. This will sync all your comments with your email address.

Comments (10)

No, we didn't.  I didn't even know it was today.  It is not a black/white thing with me, but a moral issue.  He didn't leave a good moral example that I can point to my children and say "emulate".
The church isn't about holding up men for members to worship.  We need to worship the Lord.  It boggles the mind how people in my community have been preparing for MLK day, but yet the man who helped give us our freedom as a nation, has a passing mention in the news, and doesn't even get his own day.  We combine George Washington's Day, and play it down by calling it President's Day, but we want to celebrate the life of a man who while gave many people dignity, was also an adulterer.  I won't hold him up as a fine Christian example to my children, and I won't participate in any over the top celebrations for a man who doesn't deserve it.  Black or white doesn't figure into it.
No. We celebrated Jesus Christ in our Sunday worship services.
I think it is important for us to recognize that all people have feet of clay and, thus, if recognition were to be conditioned on exemplary moral record, none would be left to recognize. Indeed, George Washington had many moral failings (among them adultery is fairly likely given historical reports), just as many of the people throughout history we recognize both in government and in the Church. Kuyper made important contributions to the Church, but was mired in the racism of his time. Peter's ministry was foundational to the church, but he too found legalism and a return to cultural/ethnic norms a great temptation. Likewise David, Moses, and many of the figures of the Old Testament. I'd suggest that an appropriate view recognizes the contributions of the "great cloud of witnesses" while also acknowledging their humanity.

js
No, we didn't. We worship Jesus as our Messiah in my church. The sermon was on how Jesus teaches us to pray. We didn't even mention MLK in the service. Not because it's wrong, but just because we have better things to consider, like God, the Bible, and singing His praises...
So you never talk about any of the heroes of the faith in your services—just Jesus Christ? 

There's no mention of people like Martin Luther, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, or Mother Teresa? That seems an odd perspective on the cloud of witnesses, and a rather silly way to limit examination of how people have historically lived out their Christian faith...
Really? You don't think that Dr. King nonviolently standing up for his faith and for God's justice—knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that he'd be cursed, beaten, hated, and jailed for it—and continuing to express love, forgiveness, and the desire to reconcile with those who hated and oppressed him, is a "good moral example" for your children?

What, pray tell, do you consider a good moral example then?
I go to Willow Creek in South Barrington, IL, a congregation that is becoming more ethnically diverse, and we go all out for MLK day. The venerable John Perkins was our honored guest. It was great. when I told my parents, who've been Christians all their lives, that we celebrated MLK Day in church, my mom's first question: "Why?" 
She can't help it--her church doesn't even mention it, and the church I grew up in had no people of color at all. But her question provided a chance to have a gracious conversation about why racial reconcilation matters to the Kingdom of God.
It's so hard to know what your tone is, by your writing. But "we have better things to consider" sounds a bit like you think talking about MLK would be wrong. Do you ever talk about what's IN the Bible, or do you just talk about the Bible. Because I think one of the things it says is to speak up for the oppressed. Might you want to give examples of people who have done that?
Here is the MLK Weekend sermon by Rev. John Piper; it definitely falls in the gospel-centered, Christ-exalting category. http://www.desiringgod.org/res...

See the latest in:

Promotion

promo 1 promo 2
promo 3 promo 4

Donate Now