Dis-Entangling the Theo-Economic Ethos in King’s Moral Leadership Offerings to the Civil Rights Act of 1964

he economic dimensions of King’s work in the Civil Rights Movement offers a practical vision and a prophetic lens that empowers modern believers to meditate on the intersection between religion and civil rights. One way we can adjudicate the present state of civil rights from the vantage point of the aims of the 1964 legislation is through a honest estimation of economic advancement amongst all races of people. Reflections on theology, gender, and race animate the economic question of civil rights and religion because religious institutions have played significant roles in civil rights movements. Theological and economic frameworks influence how people perceive civil rights because they inform economic reasoning and shape moral imperatives. In helping to pass the Civil Rights Act, women have also fought for equal rights. And because racial injustice provides a daunting provocation, the disentangling of King’s theo-economic ethos in his moral leadership offerings is critically important.