Nathaniel Holmes Jr

Extremist for Love

History & Biography

“Rufus Burrow has shown that the roots of King’s ideas, nonviolent social protest, and socio-ethical practice are grounded in a family deeply rooted in black southern culture and the black Baptist church. His book convincingly argues that many watered those roots along the way, but those who planted the seeds and did the early nurturing were members of King’s family, educational, and faith communities. Burrow takes great care in helping us to see that the social gospel, Christian realist, and social protest influences on King provided the perfect soil for the formal influences of Rauschenbusch, Niebuhr, and Gandhi.” —Reginald C. Holmes New Covenant Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Denver, CO “If you are interested in the fundamental ideas and ideals that shaped Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., then you need look no further than this spectacular book. This authoritative work is the most comprehensive to date on King as a person whose deep intellectual ideas and ideals were translated into transformational action that has altered the course of human history. Rufus Burrow highlights many aspects of King’s intellectual influences others tend to ignore or only present in a cursory manner. This is a landmark text for King scholarship and social ethics. You owe it to yourself to read this book!”