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Have you noticed that visiting your daily news site is increasingly resembling a report on who is outraged or offended about something?  Many who are outraged are advocating for the demise or silencing of those who oppose them. We see people shouting their opponents down or cancelling them on social media.  The right to free speech is being seriously eroded.

As each year goes by, I appreciate more the timeless values and life example of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  I just want to take a quick look at four key principles that made that amazing man tick.  We desperately need these principles restored in public life and discourse today:

1. Every human being made in God’s image and valuable to Him – Dr. King believed that all human beings are made in God’s image and valuable to God.  That made a difference in the way he approached people, including those who opposed him. In fact, this Christian value is the basis for the freedom of speech and for a free society.  Philosophies that consider people that oppose them of lesser value or that seek to demonize the opposition divide people and societies.  Dr. King sought to recognize value in each individual and to bring unity and not division.
2. Culture of honor – A culture of honor is based in the first principle.  It treats all, even those who oppose us, with honor and respect.  It is able to say, “I may not agree with you, but I will respect your right to speak and seek to understand you before I am understood. This is a key to a free society where people are allowed to disagree in an agreeable fashion without the fear of being shut down, persecuted, or punished for their views. I like the way the Philadelphia Statement on free speech puts it:
   • The American tradition of freedom of expression, complete with its attendant responsibilities, is our school for democratic citizenship. It trains us to think critically, to defend our ideas, and, at the same time, to be considerate of others whose creeds and convictions differ from our own. It enables us to learn from, and peacefully live with, one another despite differences. It further instills in us an understanding that the mere exposure to ideas we find offensive is not an act of “violence.” And it admonishes us that if we value the freedom of expression, we must extend the same measure of freedom to others, even to those whom we believe have gone very wrong in their thinking. 
3. Non-violence – This was a trademark of the Civil Rights movement led by Dr. King. From The King Center’s webpage, “Nonviolence is a love-centered way of thinking, speaking, acting, and engaging that leads to personal, cultural and societal transformation.” MLK makes it clear that leading a non-violent lifestyle requires courage.  King had six fundamental tenants of nonviolence that you can find on the King Center Webpage. They are well worth reading.
4. Radical forgiveness – Based on the example of Jesus Christ who was able to say to his persecutors from the Cross, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.” King proclaimed, ““Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”  If we return the hate of those who oppose us, we will become just like them and be ultimately defeated in our cause.  Hate poisons the person who lives with it.  King realized that and said, “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”