James Baldwin Integrationism

Categorizing James Baldwin as either an integrationist or not oversimplifies the term. His view on the matter had many similarities with the views of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but their ideologies were different in a few, very important, ways. Despite these differences in ideology, Baldwin’s beliefs (as they appeared to be described in his work The Fire Next Time) were similar enough for him to be considered an integrationist along the same lines as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., even if he did not ascribe directly to the movement. Before any argument can be made, it is necessary first to define integration as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. advocated for. According to The King Center (an organization established by Dr. King’s wife, Mrs. Coretta
King and Baldwin respectively. Dr. King, as a Baptist minister, rooted many of his beliefs, practices, and teachings in his faith (The King Philosophy). While Baldwin had a religious background (as a junior minister in the Pentecostal church), he had abandoned that particular faith while he was still quite young. Baldwin came to see Christianity as limiting on the practice of love itself. He mentions several times in his book how he lamented the limits placed on the assertion that he should love everyone, as Christianity claims to teach. These limits were not only related to race, however, but they seemingly limited him to only loving other Christians. This is evidenced by the advice given to him by another church leader, suggesting that love should not be given or shown to white people (this meaning was what Baldwin seemed to take away from the advice of the leader, while what was actually said was that he should not give a seat on public transportation to a white woman). While Baldwin was sure to mention that he understood the sentiment behind this advice, and did not necessarily disagree, he did not see this as being representative of what Christianity so espoused itself to be.This boycott on love was also apparent when Baldwin took a friend of his home, and his father asked whether the friend was Christian. The friend in question was actually Jewish, as were many of the other students at the high school that Baldwin attended, and he lamented the fact that he should be expected to be okay with the idea that certain people were predestined to go to Hell, let alone people he considered to be friends. He sees far too much hypocrisy in the church for him to be able to believe any of its teachings, or take it seriously at all. He also came to the realization that Christianity was written and in large part developed by white people, and it also