January 23, 2011:

Ponderings of a Pilgrim PASTOR

“What If”

I have a fascinating book in my library entitled, “What If It Had Happened Otherwise?” It contains a variety of chapters by different authors giving their speculations as to how history might have turned out differently “if it had happened otherwise.”

To take one example: what might have happened if John Wilkes Booth’s pistol had misfired that tragic night in Ford’s theatre and President Lincoln had lived to complete his second tern? Would Lincoln have been able to lead the country to a reconciliation between North and South and, just as importantly, could he have found ways to ensure full and equal citizenship for all the newly freed slaves, sparing Black people a hundred years of discrimination and segregation? There is no way of knowing.

This past Monday night I had the privilege of participating in Chattanooga’s annual birthday celebration honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The program included a variety of speakers, political and judicial leaders, teachers, clergy, community activists. All paid sincere tributes to all that Dr., King was able to accomplish in his brief life. (I was struck again by how young he was when he was killed, just 39 years old.)

One question was raised by several speakers pondering if Dr. King were alive today (He would have been 82.) what might his message be for contemporary America? We can only speculate, but given his deep commitment to full freedom and equality for all people to be achieved through nonviolence, is it possible he would challenge us about the terrible violence in our society? The growing division between rich and poor? Our ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? Would he be concerned about our treatment of immigrants, illegal and otherwise?

Whatever Dr. King might have said to us today, I think we can be sure it would have upset people now as much as it did then. He was a passionate voice for justice and peace. But since he cannot speak, it is up to us to speak for him. That is the real legacy he would have wanted.

Love,
Pastor Dave