The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change
Note Cards
Education was essential in the development of the mind of Martin Luther King, Jr. From his matriculation at Morehouse College through his doctoral studies at Boston University, Dr. King took notes on various subjects and referenced some of the most important philosophers of all time. The note cards shown in this section give you a glimpse into the molding of one of the world’s most brilliant thinkers and orators. Religion, natural law, metaphysics and the meaning of wisdom are just a few of the topics highlighted. These subjects and many more helped Dr. King’s capacity to expand his intellectual and spiritual capacity three dimensionally.
Jesus Christ
Dr. King quotes Reinhold Niebuhr's understanding of viewing Christ in relation to God's character.
Existentialism
Dr. King explains the philosophy of existentialism.
Irresistible Grace
Dr. King notes the meaning of irresistible grace.
Sermon Text (Habakkuk)
Dr. King examines Habakkuk chapter 1, verses 2 through 4 to discuss whether the inequalities of life are justification to question God.
Schleiermacher (Religion as More Than Knowledge)
Dr. King quotes Friedrich Schleiermacher’s “Speeches on Religion.” The full title of this work is “On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultured Despisers.”
Augustine's Doctrine of Evil
Dr. King cites Albert Knudson's "The Doctrine of Redemption.
Ritschl (Christology)
Dr. King quotes Albrecht Ritschl's "The Christian Doctrine of Justification and Reconciliation."
Faith In The Heart
Dr. King uses the steadfast faith of biblical figures Abraham and Paul to express his desire to part from the traditionalism of religion and make it applicable to all aspects of a person's life. King also iterates this position by using excerpts from various philosophers such as Edgar Brightman and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Man (Cause of Sin)
Dr. King quotes Reinhold Niebuhr’s “The Nature and Destiny of Man.”
God: Judeo-Christian View vs. Greek View
Dr. King cites a passage from the Old Testament book of Psalms to compare and contrast the Jewish and Greek view of God.
Rauschenbusch on Sin
Dr. King references and outlines Rauschenbusch's view on sin. Rauschenbusch was a Baptist minister and a key figure in the Social Gospel movement.
Ezekiel and the Philosophy of History
ISRAEL
Dr. King records his interpretation of Ezekiel and the Oracles against Foreign Nations. He asserts that the Biblical series affirms monotheism and a "providential philosophy of history."
Forgiveness and Repentance
Dr. King reviews a passage from the Book of Ezekiel regarding forgiveness and repentance. Summarizing the verse, he states that repentance involves an "actual change of attitude" and forgiveness includes forgetting past mistakes.
Schleiermacher, Friedrich
Dr. King outlines the life and ideologies of Friedrich Schleiermacher.
Christianity and Civilization
Dr. King records a quote from Arnold J. Toynbee's "Civilization on Trial" and the view that "religious progress comes through the birth and death of civilization."
Schleiermacher
Dr. King records Friedrich Schleiermacher's views on religion, sin and redemption.
Fichte on God
Dr. King references Kantian protege Johann Gottlieb Fichte and philosophically defines God as the "moral order of the universe."
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