Letter from Birmingham Jail: Perseverance Quotes

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Quote #4

Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators."' But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were "a colony of heaven," called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be "astronomically intimidated." By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests. (32)

There's no mascot for perseverance like the followers of a brand-new religion in a hostile world, that's for sure. And when you take the early Christians' example seriously, what couldn't you set out to do? King hoped this argument would resonate with the eight clergymen who wrote the letter. For King and his followers, their faith was a big part what kept them going.