Accurately Understanding King Jr.

Monday, January 19, 2026

For evangelicals who take both Scripture and history seriously, Martin Luther King Jr. deserves neither hagiography nor dismissal. He deserves understanding. That requires resisting the modern temptation to flatten him into a one-dimensional symbol—either a sainted mascot for every contemporary political cause or a villain dismissed because he does not fit neatly into today’s ideological boxes. The real King was far more interesting, far more challenging, and far more explicitly Christian than either camp prefers to admit.