{"product_id":"martin-luther-king-jr-and-the-image-of-god-9780199843961","title":"Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Image of God","description":"Scholars universally acknowledge the role that Christian belief played in the social movement engendered by Martin Luther King Jr. Yet few have actually delved into the complexity of King's theology itself. The centrality of one aspect of his theology in particular - \u003cem\u003eimago Dei\u003c\/em\u003e, the belief\u003cbr\u003ethat human beings are made in God's image - has been surprisingly overlooked. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this book, Richard W. Wills Sr. offers a comprehensive analysis of King's appeal for civil rights by investigating his understanding of \u003cem\u003eimago Dei\u003c\/em\u003e. Wills begins by tracing the evolution of this idea through the history of Christian thought, showing the intellectual sources King drew on in\u003cbr\u003econstructing his own beliefs. Wills then demonstrates how King employed this idea in his civil rights work. The belief that we are all made in God's image was crucial, Wills shows, to King's understanding of human nature and equality. While King shared with many of his black church forebears the\u003cbr\u003eview that humanity's creation by God was a powerful argument for the equality of all people, he also took the concept much further. For King, being made in God's image meant that human beings have not only the right but also the power to reshape society and to build a beloved community on earth.\u003cbr\u003eThough explicitly grounded in Christian faith, the doctrine of \u003cem\u003eimago Dei\u003c\/em\u003e provided King with a theological rationale that was capable of addressing the needs of the community well beyond the walls of churches. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWills's thorough reconsideration King's thought makes the case for his importance as a theologian. It convincingly demonstrates that the concept of \u003cem\u003eimago Dei\u003c\/em\u003e formed the heart of his theology and, in turn, that his theology was central to the unfolding of the civil rights movement.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Richard W. Wills\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press, USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/14\/2011\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 260\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.81lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.55d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780199843961\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRichard W. Wills Sr.\u003c\/strong\u003e is Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and Ethics at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThis title is not returnable\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oxford University Press, USA","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":39937664352371,"sku":"9.7802E+12","price":43.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/9255\/0515\/products\/img_491bfe50-09b4-4dc7-b0c3-1cc3a1252202.jpg?v=1647995273","url":"https:\/\/bookstorenmore.com\/products\/martin-luther-king-jr-and-the-image-of-god-9780199843961","provider":"Bookstore N More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}