By Monique Duson
On January 19, we released an Off Code podcast episode, “Exposing the Lies of Black History, Part 2.” My co-host, Kevin, and I interviewed filmmaker Chad O. Jackson about his new documentary, King: American Hero or Marxist Thug? On our social media, we also shared our friend Virgil Walker’s article on The Blaze covering similar ground. A few days later, Virgil also shared the FBI’s 1968 document (declassified in 1994), Martin Luther King, Jr., A Current Analysis.
Our goal in leading these public discussions is to shed light on some of the lesser-known aspects of King’s life and legacy. As we stated in our podcast, our intent is not to demonize King. But while Scripture encourages us to be gracious and humble, it also tells us to acquire wisdom:
Buy the truth and do not sell it—
wisdom, instruction and insight as well. (Prov. 23:23)
Solomon’s encouragement is to acquire truth—to strive for the truth of a matter—even if no monetary compensation is involved. This is our goal. And I believe that this is also the goal of friends like Chad and Virgil.
Some Troubling Truths
Like all humans, King is a very complicated historical figure, mixed with strengths and weaknesses. However, as humans often do, our nation, and even the world, has lifted King to the status of a hero while often omitting his more troublesome ideas and actions. Here is a summary of four specific issues.
Sympathies with (democratic) socialism, opposing American capitalism
“I imagine you already know that I am much more socialistic in my economic theory than capitalistic… [Capitalism] started out with a noble and high motive… but like most human systems it fell victim to the very thing it was revolting against. So today capitalism has out-lived its usefulness.” – Letter to Coretta Scott, July 18, 1952.
“[W]e are saying that something is wrong … with capitalism…. There must be better distribution of wealth and maybe America must move toward a democratic socialism.” – Speech to his staff, 1966.
Marital infidelity
Declassified documents and The Walls Came Tumbling Down, a book written by King’s longtime friend, Ralph Abernathy, mention King’s alleged infidelity, including having a child out of wedlock. In her memoir, I Shared the Dream: The Pride, Passion and Politics of the First Black Woman Senator from Kentucky, Georgia Davis Powers provides a first-hand account of her year-long intimate relationship with Dr. King.
Affiliation with and appreciation for left-wing ideologies
Proponents of King will often mention that he surrounded himself with people from varying ideological backgrounds and “interacted with ideas from Marx, Nietzsche, Niebuhr, and Hegel.” However, it is not often mentioned how many of King's entourage were affiliated with the Communist Party USA (CPUSA). Some of his top advisors and acquaintances were either currently involved with the CPUSA or were at one time. Black Christian antiracism advocate Jemar Tisby believes that many Christians misread King when they leave out his socialist sympathies.
Theology
It has been widely documented that King did not uphold several significant distinctions of the historic Christian faith. For example, he did not uphold the inspiration of Scripture, he questioned the virgin birth and the resurrection, and he denied the doctrine of the Trinity. Such denials would disqualify him from pastoral ordination in any biblically faithful denomination. King would easily fit the definition of being a classical liberal in his theological perspective.
His Legacy in the Church
Given these troubling truths, it is curious that so many Christians followed him and allowed him to speak at their churches. Many seemed more attracted to his views on economic justice, wealth redistribution, freedom, and the idyllic (socialist?) hope of a better future than they were to his Christian faith.
King’s liberal theology, combined with his democratic socialist ideology, provides the foundation for the current Christian social-justice ethos. Activists come into local churches hustling their dreams of social justice, racial equity, and freedom, but they offer no true gospel. Politicians who claim to be Christians are given access to pulpits and spread errant theology in the name of social justice and racial freedom. Sadly, they are the modern-day MLKs, having a form of godliness with no power. A clear example of this is the “Reverend” Al Sharpton. He gains access to black churches because of his title. But once inside, he advocates for intersectionality and decries the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Learning, and Telling, the Truth about MLK
Since our podcast dropped, many people have asked us, “What now?” If King wasn’t who we thought he was, what do we do about it? What do we do for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day? What do we who are teachers tell our students? Do we just ignore MLK?
Here are three thoughts to consider when talking about King.
Tell the (age-appropriate) truth about MLK.
At one time, I saw Martin Luther King, Jr., as a hero. As I learned more about him in recent years, however, I became disillusioned. I felt like everything I had learned about King and the Civil Rights Movement was a fraud. But that’s not true. King was a great orator, and he did help to advance America’s race conversation. His work also resulted in legislation that would eventually cause many Americans to reconsider their relationship with black people.
However, Dr. King’s pursuit of democratic socialism has left an undeniable lingering impact on the black church. It has produced a version of social justice that wars against some things Scripture calls holy, such as traditional marriage and the preservation of the preborn.
I think that the story of King (like all history) should be told in light of the truths we learn from Scripture. When discussing King with young people, all the truths that we learn in Scripture are true of King as well.
He was a man created in the image of God.
He had a passion for seeing people treated equally.
He was a sinner, a flawed man.
His theological, ideological, and relational flaws did not align with Christianity. (This fact will also help teach young people why correct theology is important.
Understand that there was more to the Civil Rights Movement than just MLK.
King wasn’t the only black man (or woman) fighting for the civil rights of African Americans. Howard Thurman, Whitney Young, and Joseph Harrison Jackson are just a few others. As another example, our friend Bob Woodson spoke with us about his involvement with the Civil Rights Movement and how he differed from King. These people didn’t always agree with King’s approach, and they also weren’t perfect. The point is, that there are more people out there than just MLK.
Research MLK for yourself.
Read King’s writings and his thoughts on Christianity, American Capitalism, democratic socialism, and the Poor People’s Campaign. Read authors who wrote about King, including both conservative and liberal historians’ accounts. I recently read The Spirit of Justice by Jemar Tisby. While I usually don’t agree with much from Tisby, I found his chapter “Beyond the Quotable King” helpful. He reflects on King from a less sanitized perspective than we are generally offered.
King is complicated, but we can’t clean up the mess of history by denying the real accounts of the past. We can, however, understand the past and deal with it truthfully and without excuse so that we (and the generations after us) can walk forward in truth and freedom.
As Christians, we understand that all humans are flawed, and King was no exception. When we portray him in the reality of his humanity, rather than a mythical, god-like figure, we are reminded that even some of the most well-spoken, admired people are not perfect. Like us, they are sinners in need of the forgiveness and grace of a perfect and holy God.
References:
Tisby, Jemar. The Spirit of Justice: True Stories of Faith, Race, and Resistance (p. 136). (Function). Kindle Edition.