Martin Luther King Jr.
Charlie Dates counters John MacArthur’s declaration that MLK ‘was not a Christian’
By Adelle M. Banks and Bob Smietana — March 20, 2024
(RNS) — In an open letter, the Chicago pastor compares the California pastor to King opponents George Wallace and J. Edgar Hoover, calling MacArthur 'them in postmodern dress.'
A decade after Reverend Ike’s death, his son writes about his impact on Black church
By Fiona André — March 1, 2024
(RNS) — Writing this book was an occasion to place his father's legacy in the lineage of religious Civil Rights figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, said Reverend Ike's son.
Protesting for Palestinians is necessary, but stopping the war will take more
By Andre Henry — February 28, 2024
(RNS) — If a movement can’t do more than protest, it’s just begging.
Peace pilgrimage takes up war in Gaza as a civil rights issue
By Yonat Shimron — February 13, 2024
(RNS) — Many Black Americans view the Palestinian cause in the context of the African American experience of oppression. This has on occasion strained relations with American Jews.
In ‘Gospel’ docuseries, Henry Louis Gates Jr. explores Black church’s music, ministers
By Adelle M. Banks — February 9, 2024
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Gates reveals early tension within the genres as some musicians held to music only of faith and others were comfortable far afield from gospel music.
‘Genius: MLK/X’ docudrama depicts the personal lives of the two civil rights activists
By Adelle M. Banks — February 1, 2024
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The series includes scenes of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, and Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz, at home with their families and discussing their faith.
Dexter Scott King, son of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., dies of cancer at 62
By Associated Press — January 22, 2024
ATLANTA (AP) — Dexter Scott King, the younger son of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, died Monday after battling prostate cancer.
MLK summit for Gaza highlighted historic ties between civil rights and Palestinian liberation
By Ben Norquist — January 17, 2024
CHICAGO (RNS) — Civil rights icon Jesse Jackson and his longtime friend and collaborator James Zogby helped convene the gathering of nearly 2,000 faith leaders over MLK weekend.
Dozens of Black churches receive total of $4 million for historic preservation
By Adelle M. Banks — January 15, 2024
(RNS) — This year’s grants, which range from $50,000 to $200,000, will allow congregations to address issues such as mold contamination, demolition, water filtration and deferred maintenance.
Religious leaders to mark MLK Day with early start for 2024 voter mobilization
By Adelle M. Banks — January 12, 2024
(RNS) — 'We're starting early because we need to spend a lot more time educating people about how to vote, how to vote against the rising tide of misinformation,' said the Rev. Barbara Williams-Skinner.
Blacks and Jews: Shame, pride and the Curse of Canaan
By Joshua Hammerman — January 11, 2024
(RNS) — We share the heritage of the Bible, which has been used to inspire and at times to subjugate both groups.
A new biopic about King’s mentor Bayard Rustin has lessons for today
By Andre Henry — December 6, 2023
(RNS) — ‘Rustin’ reminds us what makes nonviolent revolutions powerful.
250 years later, ‘Amazing Grace’ has filled churches, concerts, even commercials
By Adelle M. Banks — October 31, 2023
(RNS) — Says author James Walvin: ‘its words speak to a human condition of suffering, and people coming out of suffering, and its music has a kind of haunting refrain that soothes.’
After the Birmingham bombing, a Rosh Hashana sermon to remember
By Mark Silk — September 14, 2023
(RNS) — From the rabbi caught in the middle of the road.
Sixty years later, King’s dream still calls
By Bridget Moix — August 31, 2023
(RNS) — Six decades after King proclaimed his dream that we would all be ‘free at last’ from racism and violence, Black lives are still threatened every day by race-based killings.
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