LOVE AS A FORCE FOR JUSTICE

King, Martin Luther, Jr.(1929–1968)

Strength to Love [Civil Rights Movement]

New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1963. First Edition, First Printing. Hardcover with Dust Jacket.

CLASSIC STATEMENT OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.'S CHRISTIAN ETHIC OF NONVIOLENCE.
Published at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Strength to Love gathers many of Martin Luther King Jr.'s most enduring sermons and reflections on faith, justice, reconciliation, and nonviolent resistance.

Drawing upon biblical teaching and contemporary social realities, King argues that love is not passive sentiment but an active moral force capable of confronting injustice while preserving human dignity. Among the collection's best-known essays are Loving Your Enemies, A Knock at Midnight, Three Dimensions of a Complete Life, and What Is Man?

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Octavo hardcover; 8.25 inches tall; x, [1], 1–146 pages with an index of scriptural sources. First Edition, First Printing.

CONDITION: Very Good-Plus.  Bindings tight and square. Text clean with light, even age-toning. Minimal shelf handling wear. Housed in a Very Good dust jacket retaining the original $3.50 price; spine ends show light wear with minor rubbing to the front panel. A well-preserved example.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: FAITH AT THE HEART OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
Published in 1963—the pivotal year of the Birmingham Campaign and the March on Washington—Strength to Love reveals the theological foundations that informed Martin Luther King Jr.'s public leadership. Rather than focusing on political strategy alone, these sermons articulate the Christian principles of justice, forgiveness, hope, and nonviolent resistance that shaped both his ministry and the broader Civil Rights Movement.

More than a collection of sermons, the volume remains one of King's most important statements on the relationship between Christian faith and social responsibility, continuing to influence religious leaders, historians, and students of American democracy.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
+++ Historic First Edition — Published during one of the defining years of the American Civil Rights Movement.

+++ Foundational Sermons — Includes many of King's best-known sermons exploring justice, reconciliation, courage, and Christian discipleship.

+++ Theological Legacy — Demonstrates how King's philosophy of nonviolence emerged directly from his biblical interpretation and pastoral ministry.

SUBJECTS: Martin Luther King Jr.; Civil Rights Movement; Nonviolence; Christian Ethics; African American History; Social Justice; Baptist Church; American Religion; Sermon, African American History; Civil Rights; Religion; Christian Theology; Sermons.

Item #22246

Price: $145.00