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Revolutionary Love: Love for Opponents – Rage and Listen

  • Bethel Congregational United Church of Christ 5150 SW Watson Ave Beaverton, OR, 97005 (map)

Rage is the first practice in loving our opponents. It requires us to tend to our own pain so that trauma does not hijack our ability to see another’s humanity. To rage as a practice of revolutionary love is to listen deeply to our rage against injustice so that we have the information and energy to transform ourselves and the world. From that place we can then listen deeply to our opponents as we seek to understand them. This act preserves their humanity as well as our own. Listening as a practice of revolutionary love is both moral and strategic. The goal of listening is to understand our opponents, not to agree with them. Through listening, we gain the information we need to fight strategically against harmful systems and to build a world that includes everyone.