I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight “and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.” – An almost direct quote of Isaiah 40:4-5 from the King James Bible a few words and phrases in verse 4 are juxtaposed.Īnd when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:Įither Dr. Who cares how one pile of molecules treats a differently colored pile of molecules? Where would we even get abstract ideas such as “truth” and “equality”? If we are not divinely created, we are nothing more than random piles of molecules – white molecules and black molecules. Again, if there is no God, and/or he has not created us as equals, this is merely sloppy sentimentality utterly disconnected from reality and anchored in … thin air. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” – A direct reference to the biblical doctrine that man is created in the image of God Almighty, found in Genesis 1:26-28. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. … You have been the veterans of creative suffering. I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations.
There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” … e will not be satisfied until “justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.” – A direct quote of Amos 5:24, American Standard Version. – If there is no God, and/or he is not just, this is nothing more than poetic nonsense.
Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children. King’s words seem particularly timely and appropriate.
I have tried to show where some of those great words came from and what some of their implications are.Īs our nation continues to experience deep racial tensions, Dr. The reason his words still ring in our ears and resonate in our souls is that he offered not novel concepts, not merely timely aspirations, but the eternal truths of God’s Word. King’s eloquence, impressive as it was and still is. The reason for this post is simply to argue that one of the reasons the “I Have A Dream” speech so inspired our nation, and continues to capture our collective imagination well over 50 years later, is not just Dr. I highly recommend reading them all in their entirety. King’s speech, as well as his slightly-less-well-known “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” address (delivered in Memphis, TN on Ap– the day before he was assassinated), and his remarkable “Letter From Birmingham Jail” many times. This majestic, soul-inspiring address, originally given on August 28, 1963, has rightly earned its place among America’s greatest orations. Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech. I want to take this opportunity to remember and recommend, once more, the Reverend Dr.