King, Franklin and Their Common Passion

Today is the day set aside to recognize Martin Luther King, Jr. and the work of the civil rights movement. All freedom loving people owe Dr. King, and the others who fought for justice during that turbulent time, a debt of gratitude. As Dr. King said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." We are all more free and more safe from injustice because of Dr. King's work.

But today is also the 305th birthday of another man who was, perhaps, the first truly great American, Benjamin Franklin. Franklin's list of accomplishments are unmatched by anyone before or since. He excelled as an author, businessman, scientist, inventor, legislator and diplomat. He founded the first American lending library, fire department and anti-slavery society. A school he started in Philadelphia became the University of Pennsylvania. And, of course, he played a key role in passing the Declaration of Independence and the creation of the United States of America.

From an early age and throughout his lifetime Franklin, in his own words, had a "passion for books and knowledge." He had little opportunity for formal education. So he took responsibility for his own learning and from a very young boy read anything he could get his hands on that would add to his knowledge. If only that were true of more people today.

So many of the people I know have little interest in either books or knowledge. They are content to be amused by television and video games, Utube videos and Ipod music. Does it matter as long as they are content with themselves? I think it does.

We live in a broken world, a world that is not the way it is supposed to be. The Bible teaches that God, through Jesus Christ, is redeeming the world. He is saving a people to be his own, but he also cares about making the world a better place. God cares that hungry people are feed, that sick people are healed, that pollution is cleaned up and that injustice is fought. God's people ought to have a passion for making the world a better place and doing that requires knowledge. Knowledge of ideas, of people and of the world. One of the reasons that Ben Franklin was able to accomplish so much good in his life is just because he was so passionate about books and knowledge. His learning helped enable him to make a contribution. And that brings me back to the other person remembered today, Dr. King.

Dr. King not only cared about ending the injustice of racism, he was able to formulate plans to do so. And he was able to formulate plans because he was acquainted with the great ideas of theologians and philosophers throughout the ages. He was, like Franklin, passionate about books and knowledge, and he used that knowledge for his other passion, a passion for making a difference in the world.

I pray that today we pause to think about these two great men and their passions for knowledge and contributing to the good of society. If we do, maybe we'll be inspired to turn off the game console or the TV and pick up a book.