Prayer and Protest

Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, the civil rights protest that featured Martin Luther King, Jr., giving his eloquent “I Have a Dream” speech.  The Washington Post printed a number of accounts from people who were there.

Raymond S. Blanks tells about meeting at his Baptist congregation and holding a prayer service before getting on the bus to Washington.  He describes marchers singing hymns and listening to sermons. “Before noon,” he recalls, “the Mall was transformed into a place of prayer, protest and pride.”

It becomes very evident that the March on Washington and, indeed, the whole civil rights movement was a Christian project–led by clergymen, organized by congregations, carried out by black churches, which also pulled in a large number of white Christians into the cause.

Do people who object to Christianity insinuating itself into the public square object to the civil rights movement?