By: Chuck Colson|Breakpoint.com : January 6, 2012 http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/18500
What better way to honor Martin Luther King than to celebrate our religious freedom?
Monday, January 16, is Martin Luther King Day. Most schools recognize the day — as they should. But will they teach students about Dr. King’s Christian faith, which motivated and guided his campaign for civil rights?
During his Birmingham civil rights campaign, Dr. King required every participant to sign a pledge committing to do ten things. The first was to “meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus.” Others included the expectation that all participants would “walk and talk in the manner of love, for God is love;” and “pray daily to be used by God in order that all men might be free.”
To truly understand Martin Luther King, students must learn about his Christian faith. It was at the heart of what he did.
This year, something else worth celebrating happens to fall on the same day as Martin Luther King Day, and it’s a perfect fit. Every year since 1993, the President proclaims January 16 to be Religious Freedom Day and asks the nation to celebrate its religious liberty. It is the anniversary of the passage in 1786 of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, which was drafted by Thomas Jefferson. The men who drafted the Constitution leaned heavily on Jefferson’s statute in establishing the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious freedom. Today, it is more important than ever that we remind ourselves of that protection.
Since Martin Luther King Day and Religious Freedom Day fall on the same day this year, it is a perfect time for schools to help students connect the dots between Martin Luther King’s fight for civil rights and the freedom of religious expression in America. Dr. King’s call for justice was guided by his religious convictions and the liberty to act on those convictions.
You’ve heard me say often on BreakPoint that religious freedom is coming under increasing assault in this country. It’s one reason I and others drafted and signed the Manhattan Declaration, which has been signed by half a million people. The Declaration specifically cites Dr. King’s magnificent “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” in which he taught that “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God.” An unjust law, however, “is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law,” and therefore has no binding power over human conscience.
It’s vital that every church defend freedom of religion, the bulwark of all of our freedoms. Here’s something you can do right now: Tell your church leaders about the Manhattan Declaration [there is a link for it under "Let Your Voice Be Heard" in the column to the right] and about Religious Freedom Day coming up on the 16th. Ask them to talk to your congregation the day before — on Sunday, January 15 — about the importance of religious liberty. In fact, devote a sermon to it!
You can also help clear up some of the confusion over religious liberty in our public schools. Students can pray in school. They can read the Bible. That makes Sunday the 15th a great time for Sunday school teachers to talk to their students about the freedoms they have to express their religious faith — even at school.
Be sure your church celebrates Religious Freedom Day — there’s no better way to honor the legacy of Dr. King. ... Please check out the links listed below.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
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Further Reading and Information
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Christian Pledge - http://www.gtbe.org/news/index.php/1/68/240.html
Religious Freedom Sunday- http://www.religiousfreedomsunday.com/
Religious Freedom Day (January 16) http://www.religiousfreedomday.com/
The Manhattan Declaration
http://www.manhattandeclaration.org/home.aspx
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Tebow Win Sparks Interest in John 3:16 : (Even as a huge Tim Tebow fan, I confess I had my doubts that they would win their game this past Sunday. NOW, until the final gun ending the game, I plan to believe they can win this Saturday night’s game.) No matter what you think about all the interest he has generated, are you aware of the countless people who have gone to the internet to find out what John 3:16 says?(Tebow threw for 316 yards which gave him 31.6 yards per completion.)I’ve actually seen several television news reporters actually quoting John 3:16 in its entirety. I even found it quoted in the very liberal Huffington Post> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/09/tim-tebow-throws-for-316-yards-broncos-steelers_n_1194617.html Maybe God doesn't choose the winners in sports contests, but He is still sovereign, right? (Rom. 8:28)
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