Observing the Way of Dr. King

          I'm currently reading through John Piper's Bloodlines, where he takes a seeming drastic step from his usual hermeneutic and writing style and writes about the Gospel and modern racism. In the early chapters, he gives a very well-deserved nod to a eerie and almost prophetic quote from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" regarding the Church's obligation against systemic injustice . . . and how it fails. It's a good quote for reflection as we remember King today and our calling as advocates of the life-giving God.
         
          "There was a time when the church was very powerful. It was during that period when the early Christians rejoiced when they were deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed in. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. . . They were small in number but big in commitment. . . They brought to an end such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contest. Things are different now. The contemporary church is often a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. It is so often the arch supporter of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent and often vocal sanction of things as they are."