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Rev. Lester A. McCorn, Ph.D. is a 2026 graduate of the PhD Program in Leadership and Change at Antioch University.
Rev. Lester A. McCorn at his Dissertation Defense.
From L-R: Dr. Stewart Burns, Committee Chair, Dr. Nancy Boxill, Committee Member, Dr. Andre Johnson, Committee Member.
Dissertation Committee
- Stewart Burns, PhD, Committee Chair
- Nancy Boxill, PhD, Committee Member
- Andre Johnson, PhD, Committee Member
Keywords
Martin Luther King Jr., economic justice, rhetoric, Black social gospel, Black sacred rhetoric, racial capitalism, civil rights movement, Morehouse College, Boston Personalism, Black sacred cosmos, Poor Peoples’ Campaign, Beloved Community
Document Type
Dissertation
Publication Date
2026
Abstract
This dissertation, Good News for the Poor and More: Reclaiming Martin Luther King Jr.’s Radical Gospel of Economic Justice in Pursuit of the Beloved Community, argues that Martin Luther King Jr.—one of the most transformational American leaders of the 20th century—should be best understood as a central figure within the Black Social Gospel tradition whose rhetoric constitutes a sustained socio-political and theological critique of economic injustice. Moving beyond interpretations that limit King to racial integration and civil rights, this study demonstrates that his preaching confronts the structural realities of poverty, racial capitalism, and militarism as interrelated forms of systemic sin, which are significant barriers to the vision of both the Beloved Community and a just democratic society. Using qualitative rhetorical analysis, the study examines four key sermons of King as the epitome of the Black Social Gospel. Integrating classical rhetoric, Black sacred rhetoric, and African American homiletics, the analysis reveals a consistent movement from social diagnosis to prophetic proclamation to collective action. The findings demonstrate that King’s preaching functions as theological discourse, social analysis, and prophetic protest, advancing a vision of economic democracy grounded in humanity, dignity, equality, and equity. Rooted in the primary influences of the traditions of the African/Black Sacred Cosmos, the Black Church, his Morehouse College education, and the Black Social Gospel, this study reclaims economic justice as central to King’s moral vision and demonstrates its enduring relevance for contemporary theology and social transformation. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).
Recommended Citation
McCorn, L. A. (2026). Good News for the Poor and More: Reclaiming Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Radical Gospel of Economic Justice in Pursuit of the Beloved Community. https://aura.antioch.edu/etds/1317
Included in
African American Studies Commons, Business Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons, Rhetoric and Composition Commons, Sociology Commons
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Rev. Lester A. McCorn, Ph.D.
ORCID id: #0009-0000-9427-3285
Rev. Dr. Lester A. McCorn is described as a transformational leader, scholar, activist, and non-profit executive, with nearly 40 years of leadership experience. A native of Worcester, Massachusetts, he is the 18th President of Paine College in Augusta, Georgia, a private historically Black college (HBCU) founded in 1882 by the United Methodist Church and Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church in Augusta, Georgia. He is the former President of Clinton College in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
President McCorn is an alumnus of Morehouse College, Yale Divinity School, and Chicago Theological Seminary. He recently received the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Leadership and Change from Antioch University in Yellow Springs, Ohio. He also holds a Doctor of Ministry (DMin) from United Theological Seminary, where he was a Gardner C. Taylor Fellow in social justice and prophetic leadership. He also served as an adjunct professor and doctoral mentor to the Taylor Fellows at United Seminary for several years. His research explores the roots of Dr. King’s prophetic rhetoric through his education in the Black Social Gospel tradition, beginning at Morehouse College, and its relevant lessons for ethical action in the 21st century.
Dr. McCorn is an inductee of the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers and Collegium of Scholars. He is a former Fellow of the Next Generation Leadership Program of the Rockefeller Foundation, Leadership Greater Chicago, the Harvard University New Presidents Program and Executive Leadership Augusta. He served as the Vice President of the New Haven Board of Education in New Haven, CT. He is also the former board chair of Habitat for Humanity of York County in South Carolina. He currently serves as a commissioner of the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) and on the Boards of the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce, Augusta Downtown Development Authority, and Accelerate Augusta. Dr. McCorn received the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award from President Joe Biden in 2024.
Dr. McCorn is a proud Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and the Rotary Club, International. He is married to Mrs. Charlene M. McCorn, a former elementary school teacher. They are proud parents of four adult children and seven grandchildren.