In this episode, we are talking about Martin Luther King, Jr.'s time at the Crozer Theological Seminary, near Chester, Pennsylvania. In 1949 King began his study and was especially attracted to the liberal theological teachings at Crozer. During the time at the seminary, King studied many of the influential philosophers and thinkers, such as Rauschenbusch, Niebuhr, Marx, and Nietzsche, and strengthened his commitment to the Christian social gospel. He was also exposed to pacifism and introduced to the teachings of Gandhi and his ideas of nonviolence as a method of social reform. One of the more insightful documents that we have from King’s time at Crozer is his paper which he wrote for George W. Davis’ class: “An Autobiography of Religious Development.” This paper is a window into the mind of the 21-year-old King and his reflection on the circumstances and reasons that influenced and shaped his decision to become a minister.

For more information, visit the King Institute.