King Came Preaching: The Pulpit Power of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. [Hardcover]

Mervyn A. Warren (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2001

We know Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a social activist who changed America. But King's beginnings were as a preacher, and he preached with power throughout his life. In light of this, it is all the more remarkable that few have focused on his "pulpit power," which reflected his religious commitments and shaped the civil rights movement that he led. Dr. Mervyn A. Warren offers us a journey into the preaching of King, a homiletical biography exploring King's sermons, his use of language, his delivery and more. In this book we have a remarkable opportunity to gain new insight into all of King's life and work. Originally written as a dissertation and presented to Mrs. Coretta King by the author in 1988, this remarkable work has been uncovered, fully revised and updated, and is available for the first time to the general public.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A prominent New York lawyer, descendant of the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, once said in my hearing that Martin Luther King was not only a preacher. This was true, but anyone who knew Dr. King will know that his highest purpose was to be a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

"Martin King would feel greatly gratified by Mervyn Warren's book King Came Preaching. It is a thoroughly examined analysis of the preaching of the man who gave to America 'a new birth of freedom.' One will not be far into this book without seeing that the rare pulpit gifts of America's only true spiritual genius, Martin King, have been carefully and faithfully dissected. Dr. Warren has made all students of King and of preaching his debtors." --Dr. Gardner Taylor (from the Foreword) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"Martin Luther King Jr. was many things--teacher, mediator, architect of social change--but more than anything else he was a preacher, and Mervyn Warren is right to remind us of this. King stood in a long line of preachers, from the Hebrew prophets to the preachers of the black tradition, and it was his giftedness in the pulpit, more than any other single factor, that insures his place in history." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: InterVarsity Press (November 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830826580
• ISBN-13: 978-0830826582
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,415,889 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must -Read, November 1, 2010

By 

Joseph Thomas - See all my reviews

This review is from: King Came Preaching: The Pulpit Power of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Paperback)

This is a must-read even for the lay-person interested in responsible, insightful scholarship concerning the formation and genius of Dr M. L. King, Jr.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical and Theoretical Power!, April 20, 2006

By 

Brother Jamil "The Mighty Burner Too" (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: King Came Preaching: The Pulpit Power of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Hardcover)

As an admirer of great Black preaching, I cannot thank Dr. Warren enough for penning this essential window into the mind of a figure often trivialized and simplified into an all-purpose, harmless icon. Dr. King really did come preaching. This book puts him in the proper perspective as part of a long line of intellectual and oratorical tradition, while pointing out the uniqueness of his gifts.

Before you pick up "King Came Preaching", remember that it seems more of a study of responsible ministry than a recruiting tract pamphlet. Because of this fact, Dr. Warren makes the benefits of his scholarship accessible to others than just Evangelical Christians. Dr. Gardner Taylor, Dr. James Cone, Dr. William Jones, Bishop Vashti McKenzie, Minister Louis Farrakhan and others are proof that there's more than one way to skin the devil!

Ministers, Professors, lay persons and the just-plain curious would all do well to share in this intimate but intelligent look at one of history's most misunderstood figures.

2 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Came Preaching Social Justice, February 11, 2006

By 

Philip S Roeda (Cook, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: King Came Preaching: The Pulpit Power of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Hardcover)

I read this book because I wanted to gain insight to what type of theologian Dr. Martin Luther King was. After reading this book, I came away with the impression that the author of this work, Dr. Mervyn A. Warren is not one should learn theology from. He may be a professor of Hermeneutics, but his application of scripture are aimed toward improving society at the expense of ones life after death. His theme of this book is that King preached for social justice. This is not a surprise to anyone. It is only a problem when the gospel of Jesus Christ is excluded. No where in this book are arguments how Dr. King Jr. handled topics such as every man's need for repentance, and the acceptance of Jesus as Savior. Never is it stated that Dr. King never preached on this topic or other topics based on other theology, but he does state the pulpit should be used to mobilize social change. Dr. Mervyn A. Warren argues that Dr. King Jr. and Walter Raushenbush would agree on this statement:
"If a minister uses great teaching method of the pulpit sanely and wisely to open the moral importance of the social questions, he may be the utmost usefulness."

"utmost usefulness" to what is the question I ask myself. The upmost usefulness to bring on social change. yeah, I agree the pulpit should bring new direction to an individuals life. Christians being a creation should seek to do good. But if he is arguing the "utmost usefulness" for the pulpit is to bring social justice or to organize the congregation to better this world I disagree. Dr. A. Warren strongly argues for the pulpit to be used to mobilize its listeners for social involvement. The author belittles sin and the need for men to repent to their creator. He speaks of a black theology and mocks a black Pastor who disagrees with him on this topic.