“Power Rooted in Love: Dr. King’s Vision for Justice and Creation”

by Derrick Weston

“One of the greatest problems of history is that the concepts of love and power are usually contrasted as polar opposites. Love is identified with a resignation of power and power with a denial of love. What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive and that love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.” -Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

In the best of circumstances, it would feel a bit strange for the celebration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday to happen the same day as inauguration day. King’s understanding of power feels distant from what we know of presidential power in our context. While we may desire to see a model of power rooted in love, what we most often see is a power rooted in the fear of losing power. What we often see in our political discourse is the power that King described as being without love; reckless and abusive. We see power being used to funnel more and more resources into fewer and fewer hands. We see power dividing people in order to weaken them. We see power making decisions in favor of the few at the expense of the many. 
In a climate changed world, this isn’t the version of power we need. 

The kind of power we need is the kind that King called “rooted in love”. Of course to understand King’s definition of power, we need to understand King’s definition of love. King often wrote of the differences between the Greek words that we translate as “love”. “Eros” is romantic love, the kind most common in popular culture. “Phileo” is often defined as “brotherly love”. It is the kind of love that we have for people who share our histories, our worldviews, and our interests. It describes the bonds we share with friends and family. King never spoke disparagingly of those forms of love. He recognized that the fabric of humanity was largely held together by them. Yet the bulk of his writing was focused on a third form of love, “agape”. King defines agape as “disinterested” love by which he meant love that doesn’t serve our own interests. It is loving someone for their own sake. It is a love that exists despite whether or not there is a benefit to the one who loves. It is selfless and self-giving and invests in others regardless of what that return on investment might be. It is the word used to describe God’s love. 
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King’s understanding of love informs his understanding of power. A power rooted in agape is a power that will seek the good of another not because of what they can offer but because it is what is right to do.

A power rooted in agape is a power that will seek the good of another not because of what they can offer but because it is what is right to do.

It’s power then that is largely used to serve those who have been mistreated or undervalued. It is power that rights wrongs. It was this framework of power that underpinned the civil rights movement. Power needed to be used to change the physical and social circumstances of those who had known oppression and mistreatment. 
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Perhaps the confluence of these two days is a gift. In it we see two very contrasting visions of power and placing them side by side makes the contrast all the more clear. On one hand we see power seeking unity and equality. On the other hand we see a power that seeks supremacy and submission. King saw power as being love seeking what justice requires. What we see in our political sphere is a version of power that looks more like fear seeking vengeance. 

Love asks the question of what justice requires not just for humans but for the more than human world. Our “love” for Creation often stops at our romantic notions of nature or an affection based on all that Creation provides for us. Had he lived longer, Dr. King may have joined his wife, who became a strong advocate for environmental justice, in encouraging us to extend our understanding of agape beyond humanity. In this moment, justice requires that we use our voices on behalf of our non-human kin. It requires that we consider the impact of our consumption on the most vulnerable of communities. It requires us to use our power to make the planet as liveable for future generations as possible. 

This won’t be the last that you hear us at Creation Justice Ministries talk about power, but for now, we are grateful for Dr. King and a vision of power rooted in love. ​

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Derrick Weston

Derrick Weston is the Program Director at Creation Justice Ministries.