In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Acknowledgements I have read many volumes of books on the life, teachings, and nonviolent philosophy of Martin Luther King Jr. It is important that readers know that I consider Professor Lewis V. Baldwin of Vanderbilt University and Clayborne Carson, Director of the King Papers Project and Professor of History at Stanford University, to be King scholars extraordinaire. There may be others. These are two of the most distinguished. The breadth, depth, and precision of their knowledge about King is second to no other in the world. My own study, reflection, and interpretation of King has been much influenced by the meticulous and creative work produced by these two superb scholars. There are no adequate words to express the depth of my appreciation for their contributions to King Studies. They have been Teachers. Although it has not often enough been an easy place to do the work I have long felt called to do, Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana has been my home base. Oddly, of late, I find myself reminiscing about a number of white colleagues who did their part as participants and sympathizers of the civil rights movement to unlock the seminary’s doors from the inside in order to begin in a new way the difficult, painful, and challenging task of creating a faculty, staff, administration, and student body that looks more like the people that the God of the Hebrew prophets and Jesus Christ actually created. The “fathers” and “mothers” as I affectionately refer to them were not by any means perfect, and not all of them always did everything they could in the cause of establishing and maintaining a colorful, multicultural seminary community where power is shared more equitably than in much of the theological academy. In short, I am truly grateful for parts of the journey with the “mothers” and “fathers” of CTS, although along the way I always remembered a good piece of advice given me by my mother: “Always keep a rake and shovel handy,” she said. “That way, you can rake in what you need, and shovel out the fecal matter.” God knows I’ve done my share of shoveling over thirty years. To be granted a yearlong research leave to write this book and to make substantial progress on another is no small blessing, for which I am thankful. I am a better King scholar and feel myself to be a better theological educator for having been granted and taken advantage of this gift. xix I wrote several key sections of this book at the home of my daughter, Sheronn Lynn, in Chester, Pennsylvania (where Martin Luther King attended seminary). My four-year-old granddaughter, Bailey Reign, had a thing or two to say about that. We bonded as I tried to write, and she insisted that I give her my undivided attention, whenever she wanted it, which was whenever she saw me sitting at the dining room table trying to write. I have no doubt that those pages are among the most interesting to read, and perhaps even the best in the book. My students over the years have always played an important part in what I write, particularly since many of my ideas for writing projects arise out of course lectures, discussions, and calls (from students) for clarity. The present book is no exception. I often find that students contribute much toward helping me understand my own ideas and arguments better, which in turn leads to ideas and arguments that are more cogently stated. I wish to convey my deepest thanks to the groups of students who have put up with me, in addition to reading and studying the writings of Martin Luther King Jr. with me. I have no doubt that some will recognize in these pages the fruits of some of our discussions and disagreements from the class. Others will see that no matter how hard they tried, I still didn’t get it. And yet, they will know from these pages that I tried. xx | Extremist for Love ...

Share