Dr. Charles Marsh from the
Marsh, whose Jan. 17 lecture in the Student Center marked the second of three Geneva-sponsored events celebrating King′s life and work during the week of Jan. 15 to Jan. 19, asked attendees to consider what Christ′s call means in the context of mercy and social justice. Marsh said Christians must recognize where the Church has fallen short or remained indifferent, be wary of a spiritual preoccupation with the individual self, and rededicate themselves to seeking reconciliation.
“The end is the creation of beloved community,” Marsh said. “It′s time to move from protest to reconciliation.”
Marsh retold stories of King, whose career plans did not originally include heading a civil-rights movement when he and Coretta Scott King first moved to Montgomery, Ala., to shepherd Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.
According to Marsh, who is the author of The Beloved Community: How Faith Shapes Social Justice, from the Civil Right Movement to Today, the key principle underlying King′s vision was his Christian commitment. King viewed the movement as “an echo of the great event of the cross and resurrection,” Marsh said.
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