How can Christians live and work in a world where the use of physical force against countless forms of human sin seems unavoidable? Martin Luther King, Jr.’s lifelong search for answers to this question is the central theme of a comprehensive study exploring the influences shaping his nonviolent ethic and catapulting him into the forefront of the civil rights struggle. “Nonviolence for King continued to be an evolving phenomenon, a fluid process rather than a static system,” observes author William Watley.

Beginning with black church concepts that first shaped King’s theological posture, Watley traces each step in the evolution of King’s nonviolent ethic—how Gandhi’s writings and the evangelical liberalism of seminary professors influenced King’s thinking, the refining of the ethic through successful and unsuccessful civil rights protests, the expansion of King’s strategy to include economic injustice, and his often unpopular involvement in the Vietnam War peace movement. This thoughtful evaluation of the nonviolent ethic is a stimulating resource for students, discussion groups, and everyone concerned with social reform.