April 19, 2023
In this week's episode of Defending Faith, Family and Freedom with Gary Bauer, senior vice president of public policy at the James Dobson Family Institute, Bauer provides poignant commentary on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s final speech titled "I've Been to the Mountaintop." King delivered this tour de force on April 3, 1968, at Bishop Charles Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee. "In my view," says Bauer of the text, "it ought to be taught in every high school, every college, and university in America." Bauer stresses that King had read the U.S. Constitution and more importantly he understood what it meant for the freedom of all people and equal protection of its laws. On this subject, King's voice rang out clearly through the sanctuary: "All we say to America is, 'Be true to what you said on paper.' If I lived in China or even Russia, or any totalitarian country, maybe I could understand some of these illegal injunctions. Maybe I could understand the denial of certain basic First Amendment privileges because they hadn't committed themselves to that over there. But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of press." King concluded his speech with these haunting words: "I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land! And so, I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!" This is a powerful Bauer podcast. Don't miss it!
