Reverend Joel Edwards of EA, which represents millions of British evangelicals, spoke in at a Westminster Abbey, which also celebrated the life and work of King Jr, who was gunned down in Memphis , Tennessee, on April 4, 1968.
Edwards, who is also a commissioner for Britain’s Equality and Human Rights Commission, spoke of King’s "faith in Jesus Christ as central to his fight for justice and his non-violent activism," according to comments received by BosNewsLife.
He said "not only was King a Nobel Prize winner, but he was also a Baptist minister," and that those who surrounded him recognized the importance of his faith. To ignore King’s faith is to ignore the foundation for his leadership in the civil rights movement, he added. “King’s dream is a dream about hope. But this dream of hope is also premised on faith", Edwards said.
CHRISTIAN FAITH
Edwards used the example of King to argue that faith has a positive influence in society and referred to former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s speech this week which recognized that the Christian faith has a critical role to play in today’s society.
"King would never have recognized the political naivety which pretends that faith has no responsibility in the public square. Neither would [South African Bishop] Desmond Tutu," he stressed. "When faith flows into the life of our communities, it should never be obstructed simply because it is faith."
Edwards challenged those gathered to continue King’s work. “Keeping the dream alive is to recognize that hope is neither a theological illusion nor a political luxury.”
The service, held in partnership between the Abbey, the United States Embassy, The Peace Alliance and Churches Together in England , took place at 5pm on Friday 4 April – 40 years to the day since King was murdered.
