Product Description

With fiery words of wisdom and a passion for justice, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., inspired people everywhere to perform extraordinary acts of courage and ignited one of the most influential movements of the twentieth century. This is the definitive collection of eleven of his most powerful sermons, from his earliest known audio recording to his last sermon, delivered days before his assassination. With introductions by renowned theologians and ministers including Reverend Billy Graham and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, filled with moving personal reflections and firsthand accounts of the events surrounding each sermon, A KNOCK AT MIDNIGHT is Dr. King's living voice today -- an irresistible call that resonates and inspires the greatness in us all.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #142787 in Books
• Published on: 2000-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 234 pages

Amazon.com Review
These 11 historic sermons--some complete recordings of entire addresses, others reconstructed from various church services--make plain why Martin Luther King Jr. considered his "first calling and greatest commitment" to be a preacher of the gospel. As an orator he is second to none, drawing his audience in with an urgency that resonates through every soaring cadence of his familiar, powerful voice. Using insights from psychology, philosophy, and the Bible, he appeals to the heads as well as the hearts of his congregations, explaining that personal and social change can only be effected by adopting a morality of love in service of God and humankind. While King's concern for social justice is a common theme throughout, each sermon is a jewel of literary artistry, as it presents a simple problem, examines its complications, and offers a startling and often challenging resolution. Topics range from "Rediscovering Lost Values," a caution that scientific progress without moral progress can result only in a step backward for humanity, to "An American Dream," a wake-up call to the "self-evident truth" of equality proclaimed in the Constitution.

Brief introductions to the sermons from spiritual leaders and friends, including Dr. Joan Campbell, Billy Graham, Dr. Robert Franklin, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, offer personal insights into King's life, work, and legacy. An interesting note from the producers explains how the recordings of the sermons (published in a hardcover companion of the same name) were pieced together. In word and in voice, these are masterpieces of theological literature from one of the world's great orators, who Robert Franklin rightly says may well be "the greatest religious intellectual of the twentieth century." (Running time: 8 hours, 6 cassettes) --Uma Kukathas

From Library Journal
The King family and Time Warner have collaborated on this selection of memorable sermons by King, from "Why Jesus Called a Man a Fool" to "Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution." Each sermon has its own introduction, with the Rev. Billy Graham and Nobel Prize winner Desmond Tutu among the contributors. (An audio version is also available.)
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
King's papers are being amassed in 14 volumes whose heft and exhaustive coverage don't encourage casual reading. Two editors of that project offer a more manageable book, a set of 11 of King's most frequently preached sermons. They are separately introduced by fellow preachers, all but one of whom (Archbishop Desmond Tutu) knew him, and each appears in a version that was particularly well received (most are transcriptions of recordings, with spoken congregational interjections--" Yes, sir," "That's right," "Preach" --parenthetically inserted in the text). King was a gifted preacher, his staple themes of God's love and social justice are perennially pertinent, and this is thrilling reading, especially if one can conjure his voice in the mind's ear. The sermons have been sound-bitten nearly to death, of course, and in such a manner as to downplay King's staunch evangelical Christianity. Here it blazes forth; indeed, one sermon ends with a clear altar call. Perhaps there is no better way to become acquainted with this great American than this book affords. Ray Olson

Customer Reviews

Relevance Beyod History
If ever there was a work that fit the audio book platform, it is A Knock at Midnight. Compiled from recordings made of Dr. Martin Luther King sermons, this six-tape set covers the period from 1954 until shortly before the celebrated civil rights leader's death. Dr. Claybourne Carson and Peter Holloran amassed the eleven sermons contained on the tapes from various sources. Each is introduced by a well-known theologian. Among the contributors were Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Bishop T.D. Jakes, and Father Theodore Hesburgh.

The introductions are eloquent, but the attraction here is Dr. King's voice and words. Often relegated to historical text and seen only in familiar sound clips, the audio book offers a deeper look at the ministerial King. It is a chance to listen to King preach from pre-Montgomery until days before his death, to trace the powerful events that shaped his life and ministry. It is an opportunity to explore the theological roots and depth of knowledge that forged one of the twentieth century's most influential leaders.

Of the three sermons presented from before 1960, perhaps the most intriguing is Paul's letter to American Christians, delivered in Montgomery, Alabama on November 4, 1956. Using the imaginative premise of a letter from the Apostle Paul to Americans, Dr. King calls for Americans to match the pace of technological change with similar advances in moral change. His vast command of the communicative process is already evident. He refuses to bend morally on issues he sees as divisive to the church and society. The social issues of poverty and race relations that marked his life are prominent. The man who two years earlier described himself as "a young man with most of my life ahead of me" is already aware that the stands he has taken may one day take his life.

Throughout the years core beliefs expressed in early sermons remain prominent. The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life and Why Jesus Called a Man A Fool (both delivered in 1967) point toward understanding the most important things in life and what the true meaning of success is. Dr. King's readings in psychology and sociology are used to illustrate theological points. His personal adversity and struggles with the backlash his message brought forth are employed in Three Dimensions of a Complete Life as examples of how to find strength in the midst of the most trying times. The King that emerges from these sermons is a man with strong moral values who continually refused to take the easy route when conflict arose between his religious beliefs and the world he lived in.

The Drum Major Instinct and Unfulfilled Dreams (1968) find Dr. King looking at himself critically and discussing how he would like to be remembered in the framework of man's search for recognition and his understanding of his own worth.

The tape set closes with a sermon delivered less than a week before Dr. King's death. Entitled Remaining Awake through A Great Revolution and recorded at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., it is a call for people to acknowledge the problems and injustice around them. Dr. King's voice is tired, and as he touches on familiar themes of racial and economic injustice, one can hear the weariness in his voice. In many ways, however, it is the most powerful of the sermons. The gifted orator evident at the Second Baptist Church in 1954 has developed into a national leader. His voice is haunting as he nears his close with words heard in other sermons, but never with as much impact.

"We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. We shall overcome because Carlyle is right: "No lie can live forever." We shall overcome because William Cullen Bryant is right: "Truth, crushed to earth, will rise again." We shall overcome because James Russell Lowell is right: As we were singing today,

Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne. Yet that scaffold sways the future. And behind the dim unknown stands God, Within the shadow keeping watch above his own.

With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair the stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood."

In the end, thirty years after his death, Dr. King's voice has relevance beyond history, and A Knock at Midnight brings together ample evidence in support of this conclusion.

I wish I could give this EXPERIENCE 10 stars!
Notice I refer to the cassettes and the companion book as an EXPERIENCE as I both listened to and read the REVEREND King! Although the media focused on the visible part of his ministry, the civil rights movement, his sermons are profound and awesome in their implications for today as well as their in their powerful delivery during the mid-1950's through 1960's. Although I will cherish both the cassette series and the book, it is through hearing the SPEAKING of Dr. King that really made me breathless! Thank you LORD God for sending us your messenger Dr. King to give us a wonderful earthly ministry for a brilliant and brief time (much like Jesus Christ). Simply awesome!

A fabulous collection of soul-stirring preaching.
A fabulous collection of soul-stirring preaching by one of this century's finest preachers. Many people know King as a great political leader, fiery orator, and creative organizer. This collection of sermons will convince the world that King was first and foremost an anointed preacher. His sermons ring with authenticity and resound with relevancy. Kings messages speak profoundly to our troubled times and offer both prophetic insight and divine guidance as we attempt to find our way into the next millinium. This collection of sermons, with their superb introductions and commentaries, is perhaps one of the finest efforts of its kind. It will certainly be a source of pleasure and insight for generations to come.