A Testament of Hope: A Study of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Theology of Justice and Nonviolence

I bought this book for my son who's 13 years old. This was an excellent read. My son thoroughly enjoyed it.. well Written college level. Just so you know, my son happens to be a very, very smart child. And he definitely enjoyed the book. As well as I did. Well worth the money I found out information in this book that I didn't even know. Thank you very, very much, Adam Altman

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a contemporary prophet who radically changed not only the course of American history, but whose legacy continues to influence the lives of people all the around the globe. A Testament of Hope opens to door to Dr. King’s deep, personally held convictions as he explains the guiding principles of his liberating, humanitarian ethos through an assortment of essential writings. Dr. King was inspired by his Christian beliefs, his life experiences (especially in India) and a compassionate concern for the welfare and dignity of humankind. This animated his zealous advocacy for equality and justice, and this book subsequently invites the reader to share in his triumphs, tribulations and optimistic vision of the future through sermons, essays, personal reflections, and speeches. Truly, there is transformative power contained in the pages of A Testament of Hope. Eerily, the words that King spoke 50 years ago still ring true today and are as easily applicable now as they were then. Essentially, a person reading A Testament of Hope is learning both about history and how to constructively navigate the ills that plague modern society. So whether you are a community activist, a church leader, an advocate for social change or a political reformer, you will find tremendous value in this book. Readers should be aware of the amazing value that this book delivers. “Part I: Philosophy” is a collection of essays that Dr. King wrote which highlight the guiding principles that supported his core ethos of non-violent resistance. It includes essays and speeches on the common humanity of man, non-violence, social integration and political movements. Part II includes famous sermons and speeches including, “I Have a Dream.” Part III includes historic essays including, “Letter from Birmingham City Jail.” Part V includes five full-length books from Dr. King including Stride Toward Freedom and Why We Can’t Wait. The fact that the reader gets all of that for less than $20 (April 2017) is mind-boggling. In my opinion, if this collection were priced at $100 it would still be a bargain. A Testament for Hope gave me a new breadth of imagination for the present and a new hope for the future. A must-read for anyone who believes there is a better way and that way is worth fighting for.

I'm wrapping up an MA course called The Theology and Ethics of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Dr Phillip Allen. While Dr King is recent from a historical perspective, he predates my lifetime. As with all such figures I grabbed bits and pieces of information about him. But even with a national holiday dedicated to him, I really only knew clips. Like everyone, I knew he had a dream, and was involved in civil rights and maybe had some relation to the Rosa Parks incident. But that was it. I not only got more context for who King was and his life and values and what drove him, more context about the events surrounding his life and the boycott that started his rise to fame... But I got to see from his own letters and books and writings who he was, how he thought, and what it was like to be thrust into a moment such as this. This book is a must read for taking justice seriously.

King;s Testament of Hope...superb. timeless, both historical and applicable to today's class warfare His essence shines through to speak to us today who are frustrated, angry and despairing over a mushrooming oligarchy whose sociopathic and King Kong footfalls continues to crush the Great Middle Class on their way to their Holy Grail of unfettered power. Decades ago, King faced the Goliath of in-your-face racism at the hands of Southern White Masters who would lynch their economic black slaves if they crossed these written and unwritten power lines electrified by hate and fear posturing as force. King's "love your enemy" exhortations to remember that these human King Kongs were caught in a systemic web of evil was as hard then as seeing the humanity in the socially unconscious Koch Brothers and their ilk. But King's Love ethic in no way pointed to doormat behavior. At its core, his "love thy neighbor" polestar was girded by non-violent, resistant action--physically passive but powerfully, internally active. Such power of the soul touches the persecutor in way force fails--it changes the heart of the human and leads to reconciliation and thus a stronger society, where force amplified the fears of the persecutor prompting more counter-force, leading to a failed and hopelessly divided society. I am 100 pages into this 700 page time bible of personal and social action in the face of any zealous forces. I am more deeply grasping how to respond to multinationals and their bought out governmental puppets on the world, national, state and local levels. I need to transform my hatred of their actions to increasing purposeful behavior. I'd rather be a disciple of King Jr. and Gandhi than armed militancy.

Yesterday, the 40th anniversary of MLK's assassination, I spent the better part of the day thumbing through A Testment of Hope. The book is an old friend of mine. I've read and reread it for nearly twenty years now, both privately and with students in at least a dozen classes. What I like so much about editor James Washington's collection is its comprehensiveness. In a single volume, one finds MLK's thoughts on nonviolence, civil rights and integration, the Vietnam War and poverty, Christianity and social responsibility, and justice and morality. His ideas are conveyed here through essays, sermons, interviews, and lengthy, meaty excerpts from his five books. Everything that one could want is here, including what I personally take to be his very best work: "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" (1963), "Love, Law, and Civil Disobedience" (1961), "A Christmas Sermon on Peace" (1967), "A Time to Break Silence" (1967), the "I Have a Dream" speech (1961), and Stride Toward Freedom's masterful discussion of the tactics and principles of nonviolence (1958). Today, four decades after his death, the country is still struggling to grow into MLK's vision of reconciliation and nonviolence. One can only imagine how sad he would be at the post-9/11 turn toward militarism the nation has taken, the current wave of sentiment against Latino immigrants, the constant economic disparity between white households and African American ones, or the upswing in hate crimes against Muslims. In re-reading A Testament of Hope, I was reminded yet again of how very much we need a present-day prophet of King's caliber, vision, and courage, and of how very grateful I am that we once had King himself. ________ * "And I submit that the individual who disobeys the law, whose conscience tells him it is unjust and who is willing to accept the penalty by staying in jail until that law is altered, is expressing at the moment the very highest respect for law." From "Love, Law, and Civil Disobedience," p. 49.

Good Book

In this age of chaos it is good to go back and read the writings of a great man who knew that love wins out over injustice. Too many people have forgotten or have chosen to ignore God's truth. We are reaping a bitter harvest today. This book reminds us of a better way to erase injustice. It is a great read.

Martin Luther King was a giant of a man in his beliefs and actions. He was a peace maker, did not see humans as colors or races. He has been truly missed. By the way I am a white woman and respected him greatly!

If you like Martin Luther King, you will love this classic collection of speeches and texts. It's absolutely brilliant!! The only downside was that, for some reason that is absolutely beyond me, Amazon delivered it into the outside rubbish bin. I had to put my nonviolent skills into practice immediately.

Une formidable collection de travaux de MLK. Le meilleur que j'ai vu. Dans ce tome, les interviews et les plus grands discours MLK sont bien presenter. Arrivé tres vite, bon etat.

Good quality and, for me, the best way to learn about this fascinating activist, and freedom fighter and promoter of effective non-violent protesting. A refreshing hope for the future in this tumultuous era of hate and chaos.

J'avais acheté ce livre après avoir lu un très bel article sur la pensée de M.L.K. Malheureusement l'article aurait suffit: sur 600 pages, les discours et écrits tournent en rond, répétant inlassablement les mêmes thèmes, réexpliquant encore et encore les notions clés de la pensée de M.L.K. Au bout de seulement 100pages la lecture devient pénible tant ça se répète. Le sujet reste très riche et instructif mais une bonne vingtaine d'écrits au moins auraient pu être omis afin de fluidifier la lecture de ce pavé.

Many thanks, Book is exactly as described AAA+++