The Republican., 1963-08-15
Sern1Onette
B> Area Ministers
BY The Rev. Luther Seibert, Pastor
st. Johns Lutheran Church,
Red House
Negro Demonstrators,
Christians Or Outlaws?

And Peter opened his mouth
and said: Truly l perceive that God
shows no partiality, but in every
nation any one who fears him and
does what is right is acceptable to
him."
Peter tells us God shows no
favorites! All men of all nations
and races must strive to do what
is right and acceptable to God and
fear Him. But what is right? Per-
haps you ask, why do Negroes take
direct action instead of negotiate
with white leaders in table con-
ferences? The purpose of sit-ins,
marches, etc. is to put enough pres
sure on white Christian leaders so
that they will be willing to ne
gotiate fairly.
But why march or sit-in today,
why not go slow and wait? DR..
Martin Luther King answers this
in a letter from his Jail cell to
some white Christian ministers
who objected to his Peaceful re-
sistance."
I'VE have waited for more than
$40 years for our constitutional and
God-given rights. The nations of
Asia and Africa are moving with
jet-like speed toward gaining po-
litical independence, but we still
creep at horse-and-buggy pace to-
ward gaining a cup of coffee at a
lunch counter. Perhaps it is easy
for those who have never felt the
singing darts of segregation to
say Wait
But when you have seen vicious
mobs lynch your mothers and
fathers at will and drown your sis
ters and brothers at whim; when
you have seen hate-fillcd police
men curse, kick and even kill your
black brothers and sisters; when
you see the vast majority of your
20 million Negro brothers smother
ing in an air-tight cage of poverty
in the midst of the worlds richest
society; when you suddenly find
your tongue twisted as you seek to
explain to your siX-year-old daugh-
ter why she can't go to the public
amusement park that has just been
advertised on television, and see
tears yelling up when she is told
that FuntoWn is closed to colored
children, and see clouds of inferi-
GRITTY beginning to form in her lit
tie mental sky, and see her begin
ming to distort her personality by
unconsciously developing a bitter
ness toward white people; when
you have to make up an answer for
a five-year-old son asking, Daddy,
why do white people treat colored
people so mean?'
when you take a cross-country
drive and find it necessary to sleep
night after night in the uncom-
Portable corners of your automo-
bile because no motel will accept
you; when you are humiliated day
in and day out by nagging signs
reading white and colored'; when
your first name becomes niger,
your middle name becomes boy
however old you are) and your
last name becomes John and your
wife and mother are never given
the respected title Mrs There
comes a time when the cup of en-
durance runs over l hope,
sirs, you can understand our legiti-
mate and unavoidable impatience.
But why must Negroes break
laws when they expect whites to
obey the Law of the Supreme
Court of 1854 outlawing segrega-
ton in public schools? How can
you advocate breaking some laws
and obeying others? There are two
types of laws according to ST
Augustine, just and unjust A just
law is man-made code that
squares with the moral law of God.
Any law that uplifts human per-
sonality is just Any law that de-
grades human personality is un-