Martin Luther King Jrs Letters from Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King, Jr. was many things, a civil rights activist, nonviolent

protestor, organizer, teacher, son, husband, father, and a black man. Many

forget that he was first, a Christian Southern Baptist minister and preacher.

His religious faith informed his ethical actions. After reading selections from

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, Letters from the Birmingham Jail,

explore the role of Christian ethics in King’s actions during the turbulent

times in the South in the 1960s. Consider the following:

1. King was in Birmingham to address the issue of injustice by organizing a
   
   protest. Define the injustice and the protest and explain how Judeo-Christian
   
   ethics were applied to allow for civil disobedience. How was the injustice in
   
   Birmingham tied to all communities in the south?
2. King lists four steps to nonviolent campaigns. Name them. How did these flow
   
   from King’s Christian ethical principles? How did King reconcile the “eye for an
   
   eye” Jewish ethical principle with the Christian “love one another” ethical
   
   principle of nonviolence?
3. How do King’s ethical principles help him defend against the charges that
   
   his protests and law breaking were “untimely” considering the political
   
   situation in Birmingham at the time?
4. Consider areas of conflict in the world today. Pick one and discuss how
   
   King’s actions and his ethical principles might resolve the issue.

Reference: 800 words and references needed

King Jr., M. L. (1963). Letter from a Birmingham Jail.

Retrieved from EBSCOhost database Academic Search Elite. Letters from

Birmingham Jail