The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2015 - (Page 24)

resource reVIews The Global Influence of Martin Luther King, Jr. A book review by Peter R. Gathje I n an Inescapable Network of Mutuality: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Globalization of an Ethical Ideal, edited by Lewis V. Baldwin and Paul R. Dekar (Cascade Books, 2013). "G lobalization" has contested and varied meanings. The intensity of conflict around those meanings reflects the intensity of political, economic and cultural conflict inherent to globalization itself. The world has "shrunk" due to technological innovation, economic interdependence and exploitation, concurrent with the related shifting political and cultural allegiances. As a result, human interaction across the globe has intensified, along with the possibility and actuality of conflict. In what ways might the life and thought of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. contribute to both understanding what is at stake in globalization and how people might respond in creative and constructive ways to build a more just world? The contributors to In an Inescapable Network of Mutuality: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Globalization of an Ethical Ideal, edited by Lewis V Baldwin . and Paul R. Dekar (a longtime BPFNA friend and former board member), respond to this question in all of its complexity. Animating all of the essays is the realization that Dr. King was a global figure. He not only became known around the world, but, as the essays show, he was also well aware of the global connections between the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, which he helped to lead, and a wide variety of other liberation movements around the world. Because of his own emphasis upon those connections, Dr. King remains a resource for both theological and ethical analysis of globalization, and for developing movements to try and shape globalization toward justice. The essays in this volume provide clear evidence for Dr. King's varied contributions to activists and theorists around the globe. 24 Baptist Peacemaker JAN-MAR 2015 The editors have helpfully organized the essays into three parts. The first considers how Dr. King's life and thought addressed issues that are still contested in globalization. Shall we envision and seek to shape globalization as a competitive race for shrinking resources-or as efforts to live within and build an inclusive "World House"? How is the ongoing struggle for racial justice intertwined with the ongoing struggle to build "a single neighborhood," in which the human dignity of all is affirmed politically, economically and culturally? How might Dr. King's "Beloved Community" move beyond his own limits in relation to patriarchy to include the full humanity of women? The second set of essays plumbs Dr. King as a resource for inter-religious and intercultural learning. What might Dr. King contribute to our entering into dialogue and learning with people from different religions and cultures, rather than asserting the absolute truth of our own religious and cultural convictions? In this section there are essays that are historical, which trace Dr. King's own development in this area. Some of these focus on Dr. King's contributions to such learning in his relation to various organizations such as the World Council of Churches and the Fellowship of Reconciliation. There are also essays which trace out what Dr. King learned from Gandhi about Christ as nonviolent resister, and how this nonviolent method has expanded outward from Gandhi and Dr. King to include people from a variety of religious and cultural heritages. The final set of essays focuses on how Dr. King's life and thought has been a resource for a variety of contemporary liberation movements around the globe. Here the richness of King's social analysis, political organizing and theological reflection is on full display. Some of the essays show how King has been drawn upon in multiple contexts-including the Caribbean

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2015

No Longer Strangers: The BPFNA’s New Strategic Plan
A Reflection On Our Convictions & Motivation
Board Welcomes Kadia Edwards as Young Adult Representative
Baptists, Others Respond to Ebola Crisis
Gimme Shelter: My Vocation as a Peacemaker
Kidnapping of Students Leads to Outrage in Mexico
Parting Thoughts
With the Beating of Our Hearts: Bearing Witness to Other’s Pain
Dispatches from Ferguson: A Two-Part Account of a Week in St. Louis
The Gospel Is Not a Neutral Term: Excerpts from an Interview with Rev. Osagyefo Uhuru Seko
Selma, 50 Years Later: A Memoir
Imaging, Journeying & Standing before One Creation, Part 1: Who Shaped My Image of Creation?
BPFNA Receives Grant for Justice Work on the US/Mexico Border
Central African Republic Rebel Groups Train for Peace
The Global Influence of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Resources & Opportunities
Keep It Real

The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2015