Last year marked the 50th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and with the resurgence of clergy engagement in social justice movements, it's a natural moment to assess the legacy of King's leadership, said Leah Gunning Francis.
Part of that is drawing an accurate picture of King, and not placing him on such a pedestal that today's leaders feel intimidated.
"None of us will ever measure up [to a superhuman image], so let's not even set that model as a goal," Francis said. "Instead, let's take seriously the phrase 'power to the people' and embody the spirit that calls us to look for the leader within, that calls us to reach out to others to join together, to form coalitions, to make change right where we are. That's where I think this movement is calling us."
Francis is vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. Before that, she served as assistant professor of Christian education and associate dean for contextual education at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis.
Francis spoke with our colleagues at Faith & Leadership in 2018 about King's legacy, and about a
two-part course she and CTS professor
Robert Saler taught that paired travel and study related to the 500th anniversary of Luther's promulgation of the 95 Theses in Wittenberg and the 50th anniversary of King's murder.
