Martin Luther King Was Not Who We Thought He Was
We were all raised to believe Martin Luther King was among the greatest of America's heroes. We thought of him as a Christian preacher fighting the wicked power structures of a backward age while moving our nation into a new era of liberty, equality, and virtue. We were told America never lived up to its ideals until MLK broke down the walls of injustice and ended Jim Crow segregation in the South. For Christians, who've often been criticized in recent decades, Martin Luther King was a man who proved Christians were on the right side of history. I remember being brought to tears as a child while watching an introduction to some educational material featuring a clip of MLK's famous I Have a Dream speech. No one can deny that he's inspired generations of young Americans. Gallup revealed Martin Luther King to be the twentieth century's second most admired person, and some denominations have even nominated him for sainthood. Statues have been erected in Washington's National Mall and London's Westminster Abbey, and he's the only non-President to have his own federal holiday.However, Martin Luther King's near mythical status must now be questioned. Ugly revelations about his behavior have been trickling out over the last few decades. More recent discoveries are now challenging our most cherished notions of him, and they're threatening to completely destroy his reputation. Christians, especially, will undoubtedly feel great remorse seeing one of our most cherished modern heroes so disgracefully dethroned. Some of us may feel like our moral landscapes are collapsing under the cascade of recent revelations about religious leaders across the world abusing their authority for sexual and financial gain. No doubt these new revelations about MLK will add to the growing fires of nihilism.
FBI RECORDINGS
The FBI monitored Martin Luther King extensively during his years of activism. They followed him, wiretapped him, and infiltrated his organizations at the behest of Robert Kennedy and director Jay Edgar Hoover. The information uncovered during these investigations was sealed in a National Archive vault until 2027. This year, however, MLK's most important biographer, Pulitzer Prize winning David Garrow, gained access to the files and revealed that some of the worst rumors about their contents were underestimated. Garrow spent months digging through the material and was shocked by the extent of the horrifying behavior he uncovered. He said the information "poses so fundamental a challenge to [King's] historical stature as to require the most complete and extensive historical review possible."
What did the recordings expose that was so shocking? In the #MeToo era of society becoming more conscious of sexual abuse, perhaps the most disturbing revelation was that King and his friend Logan Kearse invited several women from church into their hotel room for sex. King's friend then raped one of the women after she objected to the inappropriate nature of the meeting. King began laughing and offering suggestions to his friend while the rape was ongoing. King and Kearse had been discussing "which women among the parishioners would be suitable for natural and unnatural sex acts" before the attack began. The whole ordeal took place with FBI agents listening in from the adjacent room. The tapes were circulated shortly after the event before the government locked them away.
The government investigations revealed King committed adultery with more than forty women and fathered a daughter out of wedlock in California. His wife, Corretta, said he spent only about ten hours a month at home, and King reportedly commented that she could cheat on him with other men if she wanted. King also hired a prostitute to hold a homosexual orgy with his friends. The prostitute is quoted as saying it was the worst orgy she'd ever been involved in. Garrow recounted the night in his heavily researched Standoff piece.
"[Gospel singer] Clara [Ward] took Gail [the prostitute] to the bar at the Sands Hotel... Martin Luther King then appeared in the bar and took both women to his room, where all three began drinking. King phoned one of his colleagues and told him to 'get your damned ass down here because I have a beautiful white broad here.' Then 'both the Rev King and Clara Ward stripped naked and told Gail to do the same.' With Gail seated in a chair, 'King went down on his knees and started nibbling on her right breast, while Clara Ward did the same with her left breast. Gail then stated, 'I guess the Reverend got tired of that and put his head down between my legs and started nibbling on 'that'.' After a while he got up and told Clara Ward to try some of it, so Clara went down on Gail for a while. Gail stated, ‘I think Clara Ward is queer.'' Then King had intercourse with Gail while Clara watched. 'After what Gail stated seemed like hours, King rolled off and had another drink, then climbed back on for a second go around.' After King paused again, his friend showed up, had a drink, and had intercourse with Gail 'while both Clara Ward and the Rev King watched the action from a close-by position,' with Clara sometimes stroking Gail as well. 'Gail then stated that she was getting scared as they were pretty drunk and all using filthy language and at last she told Clara Ward she would have to go.' Clara informed King, who 'then whispered in Gail's ear, 'I would like to try you sometime again if I could get you away from Clara.' Been wrote that 'Gail stated to this investigator that 'that was the worst orgy I've ever gone through,' and added that she declined a subsequent request from Clara Ward to get together again."
This is far from the first report we've heard alleging King was sexually degenerate. Newsweek magazine reported that King had been recorded during an orgy screaming: "I'm f***ing for God!" While watching President Kennedy's state funeral, King allegedly responded to Jacqueline Kennedy's emotional collapse by saying: "Look at her. Sucking him off one last time." Another tape recorded him asking Ralph Abernathy to "Come on over here, you big black motherf***er, and let me suck your d***." King excused his sins by saying "I'm away from home twenty-five to twenty-seven days a month. F***ings just a form of anxiety reduction." In another disgusting outburst King claimed he founded the "International Association for the Advancement of P***y Eaters." King spent the last night of his life committing adultery. His advisors held his mistress back from the ambulance in order to avoid tarnishing his reputation. These allegations have been more or less confirmed by King's best friend, Ralph Abernathy, who added that King had an affair with an African American Kentucky State Legislator named Geogia Davis Powers.
HERESY
I try to avoid judging people for their doctrinal opinions. Theology is a difficult topic, and many people's religious views evolve from time to time as they learn and spiritually grow. However, Martin Luther King's theological views fell far beyond the range of orthodox Christian thought, and I think it's important for us to acknowledge this so we don't find ourselves defending a "flawed Christian man" who's views have the potential to lead us into damnation. Unfortunately, Martin Luther King denied all the core Christian doctrines. He wrote:
"we shall discuss the experiences of early Christians which lead to three rather orthodox doctrines - the divine sonship of Jesus, the virgin birth, and the bodily resurrection. Each of these doctrines is enshrined in what is known as the 'the Apostles Creed.' It is this creed that has stood as the 'Symbol of Faith.' For many sincere Christians this creed has planted a seed of confusion which has grown to an oak of doubt. They see this creed as incompatible with all scientific knowledge, and so have proceeded to reject its content. But if we delve into the deeper meaning of these doctrines, and somehow strip them of their literal interpretation, we will find that they are based on a profound foundation. Although we may be able to argue with all degrees of logic that these doctrines are historically and philosophically untenable."Martin Luther King rejected Jesus' divine sonship, the virgin birth, and the resurrection. How can we continue to call this man a Christian? He left no doubt that he rejected almost everything Christians claim to believe in, and he rejected them repeatedly. He wrote that the virgin birth was an unbelievable mythological aggrandizement:
"First we must admit that the evidence for this doctrine is too shallow to convince any objective thinker. How then did this doctrine arise?... It was believed in Greek thought that an extraordinary person could only be explained by saying that he had a father who was more than human. It is probably this Greek idea which influenced Christian thought."
King wrote that the second coming of Christ should be rejected by modern Christians: "It is obvious that most twentieth century Christians must frankly and flatly reject any view of a physical return of Christ." He wrote that humans need not follow Jesus to enter heaven: "Of course the true seeker will realize that there is no one way to find God."
Perhaps King changed his mind at some future point in this life. Perhaps he regained faith in Christianity and its teaching. We have no evidence of this, however. As far as we know, the writings cited above represent his final opinions on these issues. Can we continue to idolize and imitate a man who publicly tried to deconstruct the foundational principles of our faith?
PLAGIARISM
Much of King's reputation was built on his doctorate degree in theology from Boston University. This is why we call him "Dr" Martin Luther King. However, even this hasn't escaped recent negative revelations.
Boston University launched an investigation into allegations King plagiarized huge portions of his doctoral dissertation. The investigation revealed that approximately a third of the material had been purloined from others. The university decided not to revoke his degree, but they attached a note to his archived dissertation explaining that much of it was illegitimate.
A researcher and journalist named Theodore Pappas spent a good deal of time researching King's old school papers. He found King had plagiarized extensively throughout his academic career, and he concluded this behavior extended into the remainder of his life. He summarized his research:
"King's Nobel prize lecture was plagiarized extensively from works by Florida minister J. Wallace Hamilton; the sections on Gandhi and nonviolence in his 'Pilgrimage' speech were taken virtually verbatim from Harris Wofford's speech on the same topic; the frequently replayed climax to his 'I Have a Dream' speech... came from a 1952 address to the Republican National Convention by a black preacher named Archibald Carey; and the 1968 sermon in which King prophesied his martyrdom was based on works by J. Wallace Hamilton and Methodist minister Harold Bosley."
Pappas further expanded his criticism: "[King's plagiarism was] easy to detect because the style rises above the level of his pedestrian student prose. In general, if the sentences are eloquent, witty, insightful, or pithy, or contain allusions, analogies, metaphors, or similes, it is safe to assume that the section has been purloined."
CONCLUSION
Our nation's greatest heroes have increasingly fallen under scrutiny in recent years. The deconstruction of our nation's past is accelerating. Increasing attention to racial, sexual, and religious strife within the United States has opened a chasm between identity groups. Martin Luther King became a symbol of America's potential for unity and equality. We thought we saw in this man a figure upon whom we could project our dreams for "unity in diversity," but King has increasingly become a disgrace from whom we recoil in disgust.
America has been rocked by repeated protests and riots over controversial monuments. The now infamous Charleston "Unite the Right" rally of 2017 began over plans to remove a statue of Robert E Lee. Even Church of Christ colleges have been stripping the names of allegedly racist historical figures from their buildings. History books are being rewritten to describe the slave holding crimes of our founding fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
The Me Too movement has taken down many prominent men including comedian and sitcom star Bill Cosby who many perceived as a wholesome African American father figure before numerous women accused him of rape and sexual assault. Hollywood kingpin Harvey Weinstein has been disgraced by the same movement, and many others.
There's nothing sacred left in society. There are no figures or ideas immune from criticism, and Martin Luther King is no exception. How do we navigate this new world without heroes? As Christians, we can recenter our vision on Jesus and remember that he alone is perfect and worthy of total imitation. Unfortunately, Martin Luther King was just another powerful man abusing his social position and bringing disgrace on God's kingdom.
When I was a kid, it looked as though America might be able to rebuild its national identity. A considerable portion of that rebuilding process was centered on King's dream. Unfortunately, that dream seems to be unraveling as the country spirals into increasing division and hysteria. The halcyon days of the "end of history" that colored the 1990s are coming to a close, and we're at a loss to move forward. Let's pray for God to open a new path for our future.
SOURCES
Garrow, David J. "The Troubling Legacy of Martin Luther King | David J. Garrow." Standpoint. May 30, 2019. Accessed May 31, 2019. https://standpointmag.co.uk/issues/june-2019/the-troubling-legacy-of-martin-luther-king/.
Showalter, Brandon. "FBI Documents Reveal Martin Luther King Jr.'s Lecherous past amid #metoo Era, Full Report Coming." The Christian Post. May 27, 2019. Accessed May 31, 2019. https://www.christianpost.com/news/fbi-documents-reveal-martin-luther-king-jrs-lecherous-past-amid-metoo-era-full-report-coming.html.
King, Martin Luther, Jr. "What Experiences of Christians Living in the Early Christian Century Led to the Christian Doctrines of the Divine Sonship of Jesus, the Virgin Birth, and the Bodily Resurrection." The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute. July 10, 2017. Accessed May 31, 2019. https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/what-experiences-christians-living-early-christian-century-led-christian.