So what does MLK have to do with El Salvador? Quite a bit, I think. MLK's life and teachings have helped me think about the injustice in El Salvador and what will have to be done by me and so many others to bring justice to the people of El Salvador (as well as many other countries of the world including the US).
Here are some excellent bits of teaching from MLK...
"We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people." -MLK
We tend to focus on the harmful words and actions of bad people (think terrorists, Tuscon, the criminals on the nightly news, etc.), but we forget about the silence of millions of people who stand idly by as injustice rules the world. These silent bystanders may not be doing anything to actively make the world more unjust like those "bad people," but MLK tells us that their silence is just as horrific. People may be silent because they do not know about injustice. They may be silent because they think they do not know what words to use to speak up about injustice. People may be silent because they believe their words will not make a difference. People may be silent because they are afraid of what might happen if they break their silence. For whatever reason people are silent about injustice, it is wrong. Injustice continues in El Salvador in large part because of silence- the silence of Salvadorans AND the silence of Americans. People in the US have access to information about injustice in El Salvador, we have the words to use, and we power to make a difference. And thus we have the obligation to break the silence about injustice.
"Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality." -MLK
Even though the people of El Salvador are thousands of miles away from me, the injustice they face daily indirectly affects me, just as the injustice faced by people all over the world indirectly affects me. God created humanity and all of creation to be intricately connected and to be connected with God. Even though it might be easy for me to ignore the needs of my brothers and sisters in El Salvador and around the world (out of sight, out of mind), I cannot because I have come to feel that connection. I do not feel whole, I am not complete unless my friends in El Salvador are whole and complete. Because of this interconnectedness, I need Salvadorans just as much as they need me. I will never be completely who God created me to be until my Salvadoran friends are free to be who God created them to be. We have a long way to go before we are who we are created to be, but we still have the obligation to work toward better relationships with our brothers and sisters around the world.
"Life's most urgent question is: What are you doing for others?" -MLK
Pretty convicting. Out of all the questions I often ask myself, this one is one that causes me to think deeply and then to feel guilt and shame. It seems that no matter what I do I will never be able to do enough to bring justice to my friends in El Salvador. The little that I have done for Salvadorans seems insignificant compared to the injustice they face. There will always be more I could do, something more I can give, something else I could give up, more I could sacrifice. Yet, I think (and hope) that MLK did not say this to make us feel guilty or inadequate, but rather I think he said this so that we could put our priorities in order, put things into perspective, and take steps in the right direction. I don't have to "fix" the injustice in El Salvador, but I am required to do what I can for others. I can visit my Salvadoran friends, I can continue to learn about their lives, struggles, and suffering, and I can educate others about the injustice in El Salvador. I am required to do what I can and not what I can't. But at the same time, I don't think it's unhealthy to question if I am called to do more for others and specifically if I am called to do more for Salvadorans.
"If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live." -MLK
There have been many Salvadorans who were more than fit to live because they lived and died for things they were willing to sacrifice their life for. I think of Archbishop Oscar Romero, the Jesuit priest martyrs at the University of Central America, the thousands of people who died during the civil war, the anti-mining activists who were assassinated, and Jorge who died for standing against the gang violence. And this begs the question: have I discovered something that I will die for? Have you discovered something you will die for? I can't answer the question for you, but I think that I have found something that I am willing to die for: working for peace and justice in El Salvador. However, I think finding that thing that I willing to die for and actually being willing to die for it are two different steps.
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." -MLK
This quote again shows us the interconnectedness of the world. If injustice prevails in just one small town for just one person, that injustice threatens to takeover where justice has been established. I also think the reverse is true: Justice anywhere is a threat to injustice everywhere. Wherever people are working to establish justice, injustice takes note. I have this bizarre image of "injustice" cowering in the corner crying because it has just seen justice prevail. There will not be justice everywhere until the Kingdom of God is once again established on earth, but there is still much we can do with God's help and guidance to bring about justice.
“There was a time when the church was very powerful… In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was the thermostat that transformed the mores of society.” -MLK
When MLK wrote this in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," he was referring to the beginning centuries of the Christian church when the church and its leaders were daily making significant changes in the lives of individuals and of society in general. Today many American churches have become "pansies" (as my friend Julie once said) that rarely challenge the status quo with any significant efforts. While there are certainly exceptions to this statement, American Christian churches mostly serve as thermometers that record and reflect the values of popular society. We (all Americans, but especially churches) must seek to be a thermostat that is set to "justice." We must be thermostats that are programed to work for justice.
The Lutheran Church (and many other denominations) in El Salvador has been an excellent example of what it means for a church to be a thermostat that transforms society. The Salvadoran Lutheran Church has always been an organization that stands up for the rights and the needs of those without a voice. When the government and army were massacring innocent Salvadorans during the civil war, the Lutheran Church stood up for the victims and provided support for those fleeing the violence. In a society marked by gang violence, the Lutheran Church stands for life. The Salvadoran Lutheran Church daily acts as a thermostat that is working to transform the values of individuals and society. Even when it's unpopular, the Church does and teaches what Jesus would have done and taught. We can learn a lot from the Salvadoran Lutheran Church.
