For God's Sake

MLK lessons for Pat Robertson

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a minister through and through. From the images he invoked, to the cadence of his speech, to the values which shaped his every decision, Dr. King, whose life and work we honor today, was a public pastor with a ministry to all of America. The same can be said of Rev. Pat Robertson, but that is where the similarity ends, as we were once again reminded this week when Robertson offered his explanation for the Haiti earthquake.

Telling the millions who watch him on TV that the earthquake was part of God's ongoing retribution for Haiti's "deal with the devil" to free themselves of French domination hundreds of years ago, Robertson used his faith to address current events. Especially today, on the MLK holiday, I can't help but wish that Robertson was more like King.

It's not that I wish the two were more politically alike. And it's not because I am deeply uncomfortable with Rev. Robertson's theology. In fact, I even appreciate that a deep longing for a good and just God is probably at the root of Robertson's explanation for the quake.

But it's precisely when our views are most provocative and potentially destabilizing that we must proceed with care in both our words and our deeds, especially when we base ourselves on what we believe is God's word, as King did, and Robertson continues to do. And, care need never be confused with timidity about speaking one's truth, as Dr. King well knew.

King said, "if a man hasn't discovered something to die for, he isn't it to live". Hardly timid words. In fact, they sound as fanatical as do the words of those who most opposed him. So where is the care?

It lies in the fact that for all his passion, I know of no case in which King condemned his opponents to Hell or described them as cursed by God. Unlike Dr Robertson, the suffering of others was not a proof text for the correctness of his own beliefs.

Ultimately, Dr. King was ever aware of the humanity even of those with whom he most deeply disagreed. And in that too, I wish Dr. Robertson was more like Dr. King.

King appreciated that even when he was right, he was creating new challenges as he addressed old ones. He said, "all progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another". It's hard to imagine that Robertson stopped to think about the problems created by his "solution" to the question of why the earthquake happened.

For King, violence was never the answer. One wonders about any preacher, including Robertson, who genuinely believes that violence, whether by humans or by God, ever is. And in that also Dr. Robertson could take a lesson from Dr. King.

Whether we celebrate King's legacy or not, whether we support Robertson or not, we all could.

By Brad Hirschfield  |  January 18, 2010; 10:09 AM ET Save & Share:  Send E-mail   Facebook   Twitter   Digg   Yahoo Buzz   Del.icio.us   StumbleUpon   Technorati  
Previous: Harry Reid, national scapegoat | Next: What's kosher in Indonesia

Comments

Please report offensive comments below.



First I have great respect for MLK & Pat Robertson.Both men where & are on a mission to bring Jesus into the heart of all. Now I believe the Bible is ONE book not, the OT & NT, but ONE, So in the OT if you would like to take the time read: Exodous chapters 7thur 10. and you can read & see what GOD can DO. I know everyone says God does not do that today well, are we people of today SO SPECIAL? I don't think we are! The chapters of Exodus that I gave you to read delt, with Pharaoh, but LOOK what God did to Egypt.

Posted by: dayton1967 | January 30, 2010 1:52 PM
Report Offensive Comment

First I have great respect for MLK & Pat Robertson.Both men where & are on a mission to bring Jesus into the heart of all. Now I believe the Bible is ONE book not, the OT & NT, but ONE, So in the OT if you would like to take the time read: Exodous chapters 7thur 10. and you can read & see what GOD can DO. I know everyone says God does not do that today well, are we people of today SO SPECIAL? I don't think we are! The chapters of Exodus that I gave you to read delt, with Pharaoh, but LOOK what God did to Egypt.

Posted by: dayton1967 | January 30, 2010 1:48 PM
Report Offensive Comment

"Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples saying, 'The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments; And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues; And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi! Rabbi!!

But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in Heaven.

Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.

But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves'."

Posted by: samxstreampools | January 25, 2010 12:34 PM
Report Offensive Comment

I agree with Christians' & Muslims' basic commandments:

1. One should exploit others suffering to spread one's own religion.

2. Charity should be done with an ulterior motive to gain power.

3. One should identify weakness in another country and culture. Then, instead of letting them correct problems, one should exploit.

4. Divide and conquer.

5. Always pretend to do charity. This provides the perfect cover for the true agenda.

6. Always remember that my god is better than the other's god. Use this belief to justify and rationalize acts of deception & destruction.

7. Religion is about winning and expanding, not about spiritual development.

8. Might is right.

9. If the whole world can be converted to Islam or Christianity, we will win. Then we will destroy the other inferior religion.

10. Peace on Earth and goodwill to mankind - NOT.

Posted by: clearthinking1 | January 21, 2010 12:49 AM
Report Offensive Comment

To Arminius:

I second your request.

Posted by: Alex511 | January 20, 2010 3:28 PM
Report Offensive Comment

The Devil Sues Pat Robertson for Breach of Contract

EP: Virginia Beach – The devil filed a lawsuit in the Virginia Beach district court on Thursday suing Pat Robertson for breach of contract. “Pat Robertson has broken the terms of our agreement with him” said Arthur B. Ellzebub, an attorney for satan......

http://wp.me/pIP1s-2v

Posted by: akazif | January 19, 2010 1:59 PM
Report Offensive Comment

Because of the assassination of MLK, we will never know if he would have come to grips with the flaws and errors of Christianity. Considering his intelligence, one would assume he would.

I can almost hear that speech now.

"After careful review my fellow Christians, it is apparent to my mind and soul that we have been fed significant mumbo-jumbo with respect to the life of Jesus.

Brothers and Sisters stop and read about the real Jesus. Develop the new view!!! Jesus was a simple, illiterate preacher man. The Beatitudes are pure Jesus. His giving to Caesar what was Caesars is pure Jesus. The rest was embellishment upon embellishment of the life of said simple preacher man!!! The "miracles" were added to compete with the local "voodooers of the hoodoo", the resurrection was added to compete with Roman and Greek gods and the "pretty wingie thingies" and "demons of the demented added to continue the fear and superstitions of the ancients!!!!!"

Posted by: ccnl1 | January 18, 2010 11:53 PM
Report Offensive Comment

The violence and horror of Islam as per a partial body count:

1a) 179 killed in Mumbai/Bombay, 290 injured

1b) Assassination of Benazir Bhutto and Theo Van Gogh

2) 9/11, 3000 mostly US citizens, 1000’s injured

3) The 24/7 Sunni-Shiite centuries-old blood feud currently being carried out in Iraq, US Troops, 3,478 killed in action, 899
non-comabat, 95,021 – 103,673, Iraqi civilians killed, http://www.iraqbodycount.org/ and
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/casualty.pdf


4) Kenya- In Nairobi, about 212 people were killed and an estimated 4000 injured; in Dar es Salaam, the attack killed at least 11 and wounded 85.[2]


5) Bali-in 2002-killing 202 people, 164 of whom were foreign nationals, and 38 Indonesian citizens. A further 209 people were injured.


6) Bali in 2005- Twenty people were killed, and 129 people were injured by three bombers who killed themselves in the attacks.


7) Spain in 2004- killing 191 people and wounding 2,050.


8) UK in 2005- The bombings killed 52 commuters and the four radical Islamic suicide bombers, injured 700.

9) The execution of an eloping couple in Afghanistan on 04/15/2009 by the Taliban.

10) Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan: US troops killed in action 675, 198 killed in non-combat situations as of 01/15/2010. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported that 2,118 Afghan civilians were killed by armed conflict in 2008, the highest number since the end of the initial 2001 invasion. This represented an increase of about 40% over UNAMA's figure of 1,523 Afghan civilians killed in 2007.

11) The killing of 13 citizen soldiers at Ft. Hood by a follower of the koran.

Posted by: ccnl1 | January 18, 2010 6:58 PM
Report Offensive Comment

TO THE MODERATOR:

I respectfully request that the utterly foul post of CCNL, timestamped January 18, 2010 11:55 AM, which is completely offensive to anyone with a shred of decency, be deleted, and that he be thrown off of On Faith.

Posted by: arminius3142 | January 18, 2010 5:15 PM
Report Offensive Comment

test

Posted by: ccnl1 | January 18, 2010 11:51 AM
Report Offensive Comment

The comments to this entry are closed.

 
RSS Feed
Subscribe to The Post

© 2010 The Washington Post Company