“Bigger Than Montgomery” 153    movement. Over the coming years, all Montgomery would prove was 7 that the nation had a long way to go. King used his first sermon at Dexter following his return from Ghana to reflect on his trip, emphasizing the tragic stories of colonialism and slavery that deeply affected the continent of Africa and her people. Citing the groundswell of independence movements throughout the world, he asserted that “there is something in the soul that cries out for freedom.” When King heard the chants of freedom emanating from the people at the hour of Ghana’s independence, he remembered “that old Negro spir- itual once more crying out: ‘Free at last, free at last, Great God Almighty, I am free at last.’” Although Ghana had experienced their liberation, the local struggle continued for Dexter’s parishioners: “Don’t go back to your homes and around Montgomery thinking that the Montgomery City Commission and that all the forces in the South will eventually work out this thing for the Negroes.” The lesson of Ghana was that “free- dom only comes through persistent revolt, through persistent agitation, through persistently rising up against the system of evil. The bus boycott is just the beginning. Buses are integrated in Montgomery, but that is just the beginning.” Emphasizing the theme of nonviolence, he instructed his congregation to “fight with love, so that when the day comes that the walls of segregation have completely crumbled in Montgomery, that we will be able to live with people as their brothers and sisters. Oh, my friends, our aim must be not to defeat Mr. Engelhardt, not to defeat Mr. Sellers and Mr. Gayle and Mr. Parks. Our aim must be to defeat the evil that’s in them. But our aim must be to win the friendship of Mr. Gayle and Mr. Sellers and Mr. Engelhardt.” King embraced the MIA’s belief that Montgomery could become a proving ground for the development 8 of genuine cross-racial relationships. On Easter Sunday, King shared some of his heartfelt questions re- garding the persistence and power of evil in the world. As he contem- plated the implications of Christ’s resurrection, he confessed his doubts: “Every now and then I become bewildered about this thing. I begin to despair every now and then. And wonder why it is that the forces of evil seem to reign supreme and the forces of goodness seem to be trampled over.” He admitted struggling to understand why “the forces of injustice have triumphed over the Negro, and he has been forced to live under