Martin Luther King Jr. Forty Years On

Earlier this week, we marked the 40th anniversary of the assassination of one of my heroes. I grew up during the tumultuous 60s. There are a very small number of men in my lifetime that I regard as heroes. There are many more that I admire, but I would not consider them to be heroic - just good people. I was 18 when King was assassinated and was one of only two people who showed up for a memorial service held at the chapel at Campion College at the university campus in Regina. To this day, I don't know why only two people showed up. Maybe I was just a naive young puppy, believing the world could be better.

Of course, among the things that makes a political leader an hero for so many is the self evident justice of his cause, but as George Bush has demonstrated, a just cause also needs soaring, exhilarating rhetoric to rally people around it. George Bush did not have the gift of oratory. Martin Luther King did. Great strides have been made on many fronts since then, because of his inspiration. But his violent death also ushered in a much uglier era that is still with us today. Leadership of oppressed people has become exploitation as the insidious "victim" psychology, which also has its roots in the 60s, has become the norm.

Would that we could get back that kind of hope for the future, shaped and emboldened as it was, by virtuous leadership, Christian leadership, I might add, for those hate mongers who relish a good Christian bashing fest. Considering the dirty politics at play over the homophobia fiasco, it's perhaps time to listen again to the words of Dr. King again. There are many available on the net and many being played on radio programs this week.

Here are a few, beginning with the speech he gave the night before he was killed:

I've Seen the Promised Land

Here are some others.