How are E. Stanley Jones, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. connected?
Early in 2022, we are adding the fourth volume to our 30 Days With series of books, focusing on a once-famous evangelist who is no longer a household name: E. Stanley Jones. Author John Harnish and a nationwide array of allies are hoping to revive awareness of this visionary interfaith peacemaker with a book that you can pre-order right now: 30 Days with E. Stanley Jones.
Jones had an enormous influence on both Christianity and on interfaith relationships worldwide. In his heyday, he was considered by his peers to be as influential as Billy Graham.
One of the most remarkable legacies of Jones’ ministry was the catalytic role he played between Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Those connections are explained in Harnish’s book, but we also wanted to provide readers with a second perspective from another global expert on peacemaking: Daniel Buttry, the author of Blessed Are the Peacemakers, who also has been influenced by the example of E. Stanley Jones.
Buttry is an internationally known Christian peace trainer who has worked in many different hot spots around the world. As he traveled and worked over many years, Buttry wrote a series of profiles and books about the many men and women he encountered who dared to choose peace over violence as they tried to repair our broken world.
Included in that body of work are three profiles Dan wrote for ReadTheSpirit magazine that explain—from Dan’s perspective as a peacemaker himself—why Jones, Gandhi and King remain such powerful examples in this new millennium.
As we highlight this trio, we also should remember the larger context: Many powerful influences shaped their lives as they interacted across the century. For example, among Gandhi’s mentors was Leo Tolstoy. In the lengthy biography of Gandhi in Wikipedia, Tolstoy is mentioned two dozen times. Then, in Tolstoy’s Wikipedia biography, Gandhi is mentioned a similar number of times. The global connections between peacemakers throughout the 20th century formed a vast network of spiritual and political influence. Another of King’s many mentors was theologian and educator Howard Thurman.
Within that larger array of mentors and allies, Dan Buttry wanted to highlight how each person’s life can make a difference in other lives. So, he chose to profile this particular trio of Gandhi, Jones and King for our online magazine.
These links will take you to these inspiring columns:
Interfaith Peacemaker Mohandas ‘Mahatma’ Gandhi (1869-1948)