Letters From the Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr Reviewed

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In MLK Jr. letters he paints a picture for me with words of the time that was before me. The time where my ancestors would frown upon if they saw the young people of today and the way they take education for granted. I can only imagine the strength it took to live in era where you are considered less than human.

In MLK Jr.'s letters from the Birmingham jail time was mentioned, some will probably agree that he was before his time but I believe he was right on time. A man should not be considered less than a man because of the color of his skin. But a man's true worth should be measured by the life that he leads. I can only imagine how God frowned upon the ignorance people walked in during this time.

For a time when a black man should consider education a privilege not a right, his writing style and ability to express himself literally was amazing. I'm not sure I live in the time where I could only enter a business through the back, where I actually accepted being less another person because of the color of my skin. I don't know many people willing to die for what they believe in, but this man laid down his life.

Many people can learn the skill of writing but only a few people or actually talented enough to change lives with their words. This review involves an important part of history and man of great courage and character. These letters provide a personable form of education that goes beyond the classroom, they were relevant then, they are relevant now, and will be relevant in the future.

The civil rights movement was not just about racism, it was so much more than that. The movement represented change and spirituality that never been experience before, you proclaimed what God intended for all people. When I think of Martin Luther King Jr., I don't think of just a doctor of religion... I think of a spiritual healer and leader a truly fulfilled his calling in life.

In conclusion I can't help but think of Maya Angelou's "I know why the caged Bird sings". Behind caged walls of great man of God cried out that although his prayers were answered immediately, they were answered just in time, our time. We still have a way to travel but we owe a huge part of where we are to this man.

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Book Review of "Letters to a Young Pastor" By Calvin Miller

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Letters to a Young Pastor [Paperback]

By Calvin Miller

David C. Cook Publishing

ISBN-13: 978-0781405775

$14.99, 256 pages (including front and back matter)

Those aspiring to professional ministry have the same dreams as individuals entering various careers. After sufficient academic preparation, each young minister has an idealistic view of the world and enters his first parish hopeful that he will translate biblical realities to an eager congregation. Idealism fades to black rather quickly, however, when this same minister realizes that ministry can be arduous work. Parishioners complain frequently, there never seems to be enough time, and there is always one more meeting to attend. For some, the path of least resistance is to leave the ministry and seek their "calling" somewhere else.

Most vocations do not live up the expectations placed upon them: there is always the difficult co-worker, implacable boss, or maniacal workload that drains vitality. In desperate times, it is as refreshing as a cold glass of water on an arid summer day to know that someone-anyone-understands the struggles you are facing.

Calvin Miller, seminary professor and prolific writer, understands the foibles of ministry. Opting to share twenty-five years worth of experience in a very personal manner, Miller has written a collection of letters to a young minister which he has placed into one of five categories:

Letters on Locating Your LifeGrowing a Large Worldview on a Shrinking PlanetNever Cast a Vision in an Empty SanctuarySermons: Great Introductions and Conclusions Kept as Close Together as PossibleCome into my Heart, Lord Jesus...please

On those days when the young pastor feels that he is ready to call it quits, instead he can turn to Miller's letter: Never Resign till Tuesday, and receive motivation to continue at least through the rest of the weekend.

In an attempt to undercut the implied acceptance of interpretive plurality that exists in the emergent movement, Miller reminds pastors that the clarion call of ministry is clearly specified in Jude 3. In this passage the author tells his readers, "Dear friends, although I have been eager to write to you about our common salvation, I now feel compelled instead to write to encourage you to contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints."(NET Bible). The faith that was entrusted to the saints buffets the modern emphasis of an emergent theology and reminds all of the primacy of Scripture to the minister's work. In those moments where either the work of the ministry or modernist tendencies would encroach on this reality, pastors should remember, "Biblical exposition is the work of the kingdom."

As I read this collection of letters, I was impressed by Miller's transparency as he wrote of personal struggles in ministry. His writing is grittily earthy and is underscored by quick-wittedness and sardonic sarcasm. In many places, I laughed out loud at the illustration he was making, but in each case, the truth behind the banter was spot on.

As a master teacher, Miller incorporates practical recommendations for those in ministry: including how to avoid impropriety with the opposite sex; staying connected with the Arts; and what to do when you just cannot seem to find Christ on any given day.

After a few decades of professional ministry, Miller noticed that the vocation has changed quite a bit. However, in the ecclesiastical pursuit two things always remained constant: God is love, and people are broken. Anyone who has accepted the call to minister soon realizes that the latter makes you quickly forget the former.

In the midst of troubling times, Letters to a Young Pastor, provides insight and motivation to pull through.

Reviewed by Steven King, MBA, MEd