A Religious ‘Right’ to Violate the Law? Will Herberg

Mr. Herberg finds no authority in the Christian tradition for the doctrine of civil disobedience as now propounded by the Rev. Martin Luther King

Early last month, Yale University conferred the degree LL.D, upon Martin Luther King, who had already been celebrated on the cover of Time Magazine. True enough, nowadays the LL.D., legum doctor, doctor of laws (both canon and civil), no longer implies any special distinction in jurisprudence or legal learning; but it does imply a moral and social distinction which sets off its recipient as a man of intelligence, eminence, and respectability, a force in society and a leader of men—and this Dr. Martin Luther King certainly is. Dr. King is also a Christian, and sees the movement he leads as a Christian movement, grounded in Christian teachings.

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Will Herberg

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Martin Luther King Jr

Mr. Herberg finds no authority in the Christian tradition for the doctrine of civil disobedience as now propounded by the Rev. Martin Luther King

Early last month, Yale University conferred the degree LL.D, upon Martin Luther King, who had already been celebrated on the cover of Time Magazine. True enough, nowadays the LL.D., legum doctor, doctor of laws (both canon and civil), no longer implies any special distinction in jurisprudence or legal learning; but it does imply a moral and social distinction which sets off its recipient as a man of intelligence, eminence, and respectability, a force in society and a leader of men—and this Dr. Martin Luther King certainly is. Dr. King is also a Christian, and sees the movement he leads as a Christian movement, grounded in Christian teachings.