In November 2010, I visited the home of Martin Luther King, Jr. in Atlanta for the first time during the Society of Biblical Literature conference. I was struck by his family situation. His father was the Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Many children of pastors, ministers and missionaries grow up mad at God or the Church because their father or mother had more important things to do for God than to spend time with their children. However, the ministry of Martin Luther King, Sr left such a positive impact on his son, Martin Jr that he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps.
In his 1950 essay An Autobiography of Religious Development, King Jr. wrote that his father was a major influence on his entering the ministry. “I guess the influence of my father also had a great deal to do with my going in the ministry. This is not to say that he ever spoke to me in terms of being a minister, but that my admiration for him was the great moving factor; He set forth a noble example that I didn’t mind following.”
Rather convicting. I wonder what my sons will do.
How has MLK impacted your life?