This is the third in a series on Baptist Champions of Freedom. In the last two posts I talked about early Baptist leaders who stood against the governments of their day to achieve freedom of thought.
Thomas Helwys championed religious freedom for people of all religions, including no religion at all, in 17th century England when the government made the rules about what people could believe. Roger Williams took the same principles with him to America where he was the founder of the state of Rhode Island and championed the cause of separation of church and state, ultimately influencing the US Constitution.
Our third Baptist Champion of Freedom is Martin Luther King.
King was a Baptist preacher and co-pastored the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta with his father. His grandfather had served as pastor of that church from 1914 to 1931 and his great grandfather had also been a Baptist preacher. Martin Luther King’s commitment to social justice and freedom stemmed from his Baptist heritage and belief in religious liberty. He became a civil rights activist quite early in his life and in 1964 became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end racial segregation and racial discrimination. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Why did I tell these three stories of Baptist Champions of Freedom? Simply to say that the roots of Baptistcare are intertwined with a long heritage of people who have championed freedom and have stood up for the rights of individuals. I hope that in some way we can maintain the courage of our forebears.
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