Despite his anonymity, until recently being rediscovered, Boothe carved out an exemplary legacy of theological and social influence. However, Dexter Avenue Baptist Church was founded by a leader whom many have forgotten, Charles Octavius Boothe. This tradition saturated Dexter Avenue Baptist Church (now King Memorial Church), the church where King's world-changing, public career began. King was nurtured in the Black church tradition that bore witness to the gospel's word for the poor. Part of the reason for King's notorious legacy is the subversive power of the gospel-exposing any hierarchies and power dynamics it encounters. Martin Luther King Jr., once a young Baptist pastor designated by the FBI "the most dangerous Negro in America." How did this gospel preacher become an enemy of the State? The biggest threat to racism is the good news of Jesus Christ.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |