Grace Y. Kao, PhD, is Professor of Ethics and Bishop I. Sano and Kathleen A. omas-
Sano Professor in Pacific and Asian American eology at Claremont School of eology,
1325 N. College Ave, Claremont, CA 91711; gkao@cst.edu.
©Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics 44, no. 1 (2024) 11–16
doi: 10.5840/jsce2024326104
Future Directions in Christian Ethics
Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s
“Radical Revolution of Values”
Grace Y. Kao
ABSTRACT: ough 2023 marks the sixtieth anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, my reflections on the theme of the 2023 annual
meeting of the Society of Christian Ethics, “Vision, Imagination, and Dreams in the
Work of Ethics,” are inspired by King’s lesser known “Beyond Vietnam” speech. I
connect my hopes for the future of Christian ethics to King’s still unrealized vision of
social transformation. It is one where the US (and other empires) would affirm—not
subvert—each people’s right to self-determination and we scholar-activists would con-
tinue to search for connections between and among social issues even if others insist
upon their discreteness.
B
RYAN MASSINGALE HAS TOLD US that the sixtieth anniversary of Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr.’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech was a key source of inspi-
ration behind his selection of the theme “Vision, Imagination, and Dreams in the
Work of Ethics” for the 2023 annual meeting of the Society of Christian Ethics.
ere are myriad reasons why King’s address during the March on Washington
for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, has become his most memorable
one and also popularly ranks among the most famous speeches of all time. But
as I, too, look to King to help me with my task—to offer my visions, dreams,
and hopes for the discipline of Christian ethics in light of the challenges facing
our nation and global society—I find myself turning to a different speech. It is