There is much good news here. Science and faith can indeed exist in harmony if we will just recognize the proper domain of each. Voicing that same theme of harmony between the tough mind and the tender heart, Dr. King quotes the 19th century German philosopher, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel: “Truth is found neither in the thesis nor the antithesis, but in an emergent synthesis that reconciles the two.”
A Tough Mind and a Tender Heart
A sermon by Martin Luther King Jr. has profound relevance for contemporary debates over faith and science.
I recently read some published sermons by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. The depth and breadth of his eloquent defense of truth and justice are profoundly inspiring. My favorite of his sermons begins with a verse from Matthew: “Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” This exhortation must have seemed paradoxical to Christ’s followers — as it does to us — but Dr. King explains the real meaning: We are called to have both a tough mind and a tender heart, and we must be careful about when to apply each one.