Why does America have a national holiday to recognize the contributions of its greatest preacher? Shouldn’t we be concerned about the blurring of lines between church and state? Shouldn’t the ACLU be warning us? Shouldn’t the atheist be protesting?

Martin Luther King, Jr was a preacher. The face of the American equal rights movement was not a politician, but a preacher whose call to action was born from the Christian understanding that there is a Creator whose moral laws echo in the heart of humanity.

King preached America toward equality. A half-century later, America shows its gratitude by celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr Day.

As a Christian, I’m happy to celebrate this day, but

• Why isn’t there an uproar from those who believe that values are personal choices which should have no say in American politics?
• Isn’t it hypocrisy for a person to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr while at the same time trying to push the Christian voice out of the national conversation?

The reason there is no outcry at the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr Day is because deep within the consciousness of humanity we know that every person is created equal. We know Preacher King was right. While there has always been and will always be dissenters, the vast majority of people believe: a) that humanity is unique above all creation; and b) that all people are created equal.

The struggle for those outside the Christian faith is in explaining why this is true. Apart from God, how are these truths explained?

If we remove Preacher King’s Creator from his argument, his propositions no longer stand. Without God we are left with two choices. Either:

A) Humanity is not special among creation so I am no more valuable than my dog.

OR

B) All people are not created equal so value is determined by what I can contribute to society (i.e. the rich are more important than the poor or the able are more important than the disabled). (See: Children, Disability, and Abortion)

The reason there is no outcry over the blurring of separation of church and state regarding Martin Luther King, Jr is because to support his argument we need God. He knew this need. He knew it was the only logical argument to make. He preached truth and the truth set us free.

I celebrate Preacher King because I believe Preacher King. We have a Creator. We are created in His image. Humanity stands distinct, above creation. And all of humanity is created equal.

If you don’t believe in a Creator, why do you believe in equality among people? If you believe in equality among people, why isn’t there equality across all species?