Civil Rights' Foundation of Faith

Rediscovering Lost Values from Sweet Speeches on Vimeo.

While Martin Luther King Jr. was pivotal to the civil rights movement, we often forget that he was first and foremost a Baptist minister. As King himself once explained, "In the quiet recesses of my heart, I am fundamentally a clergyman, a Baptist preacher."[1]

Some of King's greatest messages did not occur before huge crowds. Instead his dependence on the Bible and an unshakable reliance on God formed the bedrock for all his civil rights work. King saw an unbroken connection between faith and action, that they intertwined into a single life.

The King Center archive has made many documents accessible, including notes, letters and sermons. The Internet can also provide original audio and transcriptions of King's sermons and speeches. This holiday, while the nation salutes King's work for civil rights, get to know his heart and faith.

A transcript of the sermon audio above can be found online here.  In this sermon, King asserts that we must go back and rediscover precious values lost to materialism and technology. He reminds us that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control. And because Biblical truth is timeless, his words are equally applicable today.