The Beloved Community, by Dr. Jim Lockard

The concept of The Beloved Community as envisioned by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, Dr. Howard Thurman, and others forms the basis for the overall vision of A World That Works For Everyone. I see The Beloved Community as people on a spiritual pathway who seek a closer relationship with God (however named and defined) AND as people who will take their spiritual awareness into the world to be examples of love and compassion in action. The Beloved Community is about being truly dedicated to walking our talk – to being in full alignment with spiritual principles.

Dr. King envisioned a Universal Beloved Community, one consisting of all of humanity:

“The end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the Beloved Community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opponents into friends. It is this type of understanding goodwill that will transform the deep gloom of the old age into the exuberant gladness of the new age. It is this love which will bring about miracles in the hearts of men.”

~ Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

He envisioned a world where all would work together to the best of their abilities to create a world of enough – enough to eat, enough peace, enough good will – to allow all to have the opportunity to live a fulfilling and abundant life.

 I my work with ministries, I seek to create a greater awareness of the role of the local spiritual community, its leadership, and every individual in the community to contribute to the realization of the Universal Beloved Community. This is done through the realization and practice of spiritual principles AND by the kind of self-development that leads to spiritual maturity.

Imagine a community where there is enlightened leadership for complex times and where there is a level of emotional maturity that allows for and encourages radically honest conversations. Where one can be criticized or corrected and not take offense but take the criticism under advisement to see if it is valid. Where one can accept or reject that criticism and continue the conversation with no one taking offense. Where there is an expectation of honesty and openness and a recognition that everyone isn’t the same in their experiences or personal development.

 Imagine spending the energy of the community in deep personal growth and in effective and compassionate engagement with the larger community. Where the focus is not on organizational maintenance (paying the bills), but on the actualization of a compelling and positive vision. Where people are too busy in creative service and activism to be engaging in gossip or ego defenses.

 The key to achieving this kind of spiritual community is in our willingness to be radically self-honest and to be fully accountable for our own reactions, beliefs, and emotions. As Ernest Holmes noted, the greatest obstacle to the successful use of the Science of Mind™ principles is a lack of self-honesty.

And being honest, the degree of development needed to actualize the kind of community I am writing about here is significant. As Dr. King wrote:

“Our goal is to create a beloved community, and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.”

~ Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Are we ready to make such a commitment? The world we live in is crying out for spiritually realized, accountable, and compassionate people. How will we answer that call?

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Jim Lockard has a new book out, BEINGTHE BELOVED COMMUNITY – Spiritual Leadership to Master Change, on all Amazon sites.