Three Martin Luthers
22 January 2025
Have you heard of the connection between the world’s most famous reformer and our nation’s most famous civil rights leader?
As author Taylor Branch depicts in Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-63, the civil rights leader we revere now as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 and given the name, Michael Luther King, Jr., son of Rev. Michael Luther King, Sr. and Alberta Williams King.
When Michael Jr. was young, his father was a member of a 1934 worldwide delegation of Baptist ministers touring Jerusalem and Palestine.
The trip debriefing took place at the Baptist World Alliance conference in Berlin. During this time, King Sr. visited many of the historical sites in which a German reformer by the name of Martin Luther took his volatile stand against the indulgence abuses of the Roman Catholic Church.
Branch wrote that King Sr. experienced an epiphany of sorts during his journey. In Martin Luther of Germany in the 1500s, King found an exemplar of courage in the face of challenge and threat. Martin Luther persevered through the tempest of his day’s reformational quest just as Rev. Michael King was summoning courage to support the racial equality reformation so needed in the United States as he pastored Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.
So inspired was Rev. King with Martin Luther’s example that he decided he would actually change his name, and that of his young son, from Michael Luther King to Martin Luther King.
With his new name, King hoped to claim the same reformational spirit, prophetic discernment, and social change outlook of his German predecessor.
As Branch points out, in religious history, name changes witness to a person’s new phase of purpose and focus. For instance, Abram became Abraham; Sarai, Sarah; Jacob, Israel; and Saul, Paul.
Confusing at times? You bet. If you’ve taught confirmation class before, you know it takes some energy to understand how there is not just one, but two . . . . and even three really inspirational Martin Luthers for our faith journeys. Our Atlanta Martins and our Germany Martin.
While we Lutherans love to quote Luther throughout the year, let me close this letter with some helpful quotes from the Martin Luther closer to us in age, whose birthday we celebrated this Monday:
Justice
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”
“True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice”
“We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream”
Hope
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope”
“Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase”
Love
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: Only love can do that”
“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality”
Thankful with you for three Martins,
Pastor Fritz
Let us pray: Heavenly father, we thank you for people who inspire us. People, in whose lives and example we can take courage and fortitude for our own journey. Guide us to be people who celebrate the past but also conduct our lives to be people of impact and reformation in our own day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.