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In honor of Martin Luther King Day: From a speech on "Religion and Race" (1963)
Friends, at the first conference on religion and race, the main participants were Pharaoh and Moses. Moses' words were, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, let my people go" -- while Pharaoh retorted, "Who is the Lord that I should heed his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord. I will not let Israel go." The outcome of that summit meeting has not come to an end. Pharaoh is not ready to capitulate. The Exodus began but is far from having been completed.
Humanity can thrive only when challenged, when called upon to answer new demands, to reach out for new heights. Religion is a demand, God is a challenge, speaking to us in the language of human situations....Righteousness is not a trickle; it is God's power in the world, a torrent, an impetuous drive, full of grandeur and majesty. In the eyes of the prophets, justice is more than an idea or a norm; justice is charged with the omnipotence of God. What ought to be, shall be!
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