February 23, 2025: “Love and Compassion: A Path to Justice”

Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray

The great theologian Paul Tillich made clear that Love, Power, and Justice were all bound together. Too often we think of love and compassion as mere passive sentimentality. Yet, in truth - cultivating love and compassion is the foundation of a commitment to justice.

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Sermon Transcript

02.23.2025 "Love and Compassion: A Path to Justice"

UU Church of Bloomington, IN

Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray

READING

Our reading this morning is from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is an excerpt from King’s 1967 final presidential address to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. And specifically, we are excerpting his discussion of the relationship between love, power and justice.

Now, power properly understood is nothing but the ability to achieve purpose. It is the strength required to bring about social, political, and economic change. Now a lot of us… have our moral convictions and concerns, and so often we have problems with power. But there is nothing wrong with power if power is used correctly.

You see, what happened is that some of our philosophers got off base. And one of the great problems of history is that the concepts of love and power have usually been contrasted as opposites, polar opposites, so that love is identified with a resignation of power, and power with a denial of love.

Now, we got to get this thing right. 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, and justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love. And this is what we must see as we move [forward] ….

[For] It is precisely this collision of immoral power with powerless morality which constitutes the major crisis of our times.

And King goes on to say later in his speech:

“And I say to you, I have decided to stick with love, for I know that love is ultimately the only answer to [humankind’s] problems. And I’m going to talk about it everywhere I go.
I know it isn’t popular to talk about it in some circles today. And I’m not talking about emotional bosh when I talk about love; I’m talking about a strong, demanding love.
For I have seen too much hate … and I say to myself that hate is too great a burden to bear. I have decided to love. If you are seeking the highest good, I think you can find it through love. And the beautiful thing is that we aren’t moving wrong when we do it, because John was right, God is love. He who hates does not know God, but he who loves has the key that unlocks the door to the meaning of ultimate reality.”

SERMON Love and Compassion: A Path to Justice

Our theme this month has been compassion, and I want to end the month considering how love and compassion are essential for justice.

As a young seminarian, these words of Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental
and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and
justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love”
were transformative and liberating for me.

Growing up a Unitarian Universalist, I understood at a deep level the connection of love and justice, but like the preachers to whom King was speaking, I had my “moral convictions and concerns,” and a discomfort with thinking about power. But, the integration of the concepts of love, justice and power is critical to actually implementing the values of love in the public square.

This analysis that King offers of the relationship between love and power is based on the writings and teachings of one of the most important religious thinkers of the 20th century, Paul Tillich. King’s doctoral dissertation focused on Tillich’s theology.

In Paul Tillich’s book “Love, Power and Justice,” published in 1954, Tillich explores the inescapable relationship of love, power and justice – arguing that not only are these three concepts related – but to understand them separately – as so many philosophers and leaders have done – takes away their meaning entirely – even destroys their meaning.

For example, Tillich argues that “Every decision which is based on the abstract formulation of justice alone is inescapably unjust. Justice can be reached only if both the demand of the universal law and the demand of the particular situation are accepted and made effective for the concrete situation. Justice is just because of the love which is implicit in it.”

“Justice is just because of the love which is implicit in it.” Think of this! And, “every decision which is based on the abstract formulation of justice alone is inescapably unjust.” What a statement. Justice can only be just if love is a part of it.

The story Stephanie shared of the woman convicted of stealing bread illustrates this perfectly. Here we have a judge – whose job is to carry out justice, and a woman who has broken the law by stealing a loaf of bread to feed her starving family. The judge says the law is clear, there is nothing he can do but sentence her and fine her ten dollars, and if she can’t pay (which he knows she can’t) she’ll be ordered to spend ten days in jail.

If the story ended there – based on the “abstract formulation of justice” – stealing is against the law – a grave injustice would be carried out. (And let’s acknowledge how today –- we criminalize poverty in carrying out this injustice every day.) But, the story doesn’t end there.

The judge has compassion for the woman and understands the universal need to feed one’s family. And rather than just being sympathetic, the judge uses his power. First through his own privilege and wealth to pay her fine, and second to fine everyone in the court room for being a part of a society where a woman has to steal to feed her family. Justice is achieved – as much as possible in the situation – because the judge uses his power to implement the demands of love.

When we separate love and justice, then what is conceived of as justice quickly – and Tillich would argue inescapably – becomes injustice. Today, the current administration’s effort to deport a massive number of immigrants illustrates this. There can be no justice in this system that denies universal law (like the right of all people to flee violence, to seek asylum) and the particulars of the people who are undocumented – and seeks to treat all immigrants as criminals. This policy can only be unjust. And we are already seeing the devastating stories of injustice and cruelty that people are experiencing. (From losing TPS, to being jailed at Guantanamo Bay, to being deported and imprisoned in a hotel, and remote holding camps in Panama.)

What we are witnessing – in so many forms in this fast moving destruction of our constitutional republic is the reckless and abusive form of power that is devoid of love – even proudly devoid of love.

It is the reason why what we are facing is not just a political crisis, but a profound spiritual and moral crisis. For there is an acute disdain for kindness, for compassion, for love that is ingrained in the alt-right white supremacist movement, christian nationalist movement, and the MAGA movement.

This is rooted in, as Tillich and King both name, a misunderstanding of power, not just separated from love – but one that must reject love. In the alt-right movement – love, kindness, compassion, decency – these are rejected as being associated with weakness – associated with women and gay and trans and queer people. Yes, there is a reason why these groups are being intentionally targeted first. And this is not new. This rejection of love, this rejection of liberal theology, democracy and the values of justice and equity – that was the foundation of the Nazi party’s ideology too. They believed efforts toward equality, justice, universalism, and inclusion were weak – and weakened white German men, to be explicit. And they blamed liberals, homosexuals, trans people and most devastatingly, Jews – for these views. It is all mirrored in today’s attacks against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). It truly is no surprise that the party in power today shows their true colors, with actual Nazi salutes.

Tillich understood personally the dangers of this form of power. Tillich was born in Germany, a Lutheran minister, and a German theologian who taught at the University of Berlin and later, until 1933 at the University of Frankfurt. His public speaking and teaching ran afoul of the Nazi party and less than two months after Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany, Tillich was part of the first round of academics to be labeled “enemies of the Reich” and summarily dismissed from their positions because of their ideological views or their race. Unsafe in Nazi Germany, Tillich fled to the U.S. where colleagues at the Union Theological School in New York helped him secure a position. How present this history feels today.

It feels important to talk about Tillich not just because of his own experience of being targeted by the Nazis, but also because of his connection to Indiana. Tillich was a man who lost his home, and in some ways was always looking for a place to feel connected and rooted. New Harmony, Indiana became one of those places of deep connection and meaning for him. And his ashes are interred there, in Tillich park, with quotes of his that are inscribed on rocks in the park. And if you ever visit New Harmony, stop in at the Red Geranium restaurant. You might notice a collection of pictures on the wall of Paul Tillich with other liberal theologians, including Clark Williamson, a prominent Christian theologian born in Memphis, Tennessee, but who intentionally spent his career and most of his life in Indiana, as a professor at Christian Theological School in Indianapolis. Another theologian in the group was James Luther Adams, who was perhaps the foremost christian social ethicists of the mid-20th century and probably the most famous Unitarian theologian since the days of Emerson and Thoreau. I share all of this to remind us all that this powerful – socially minded, liberal theology, that understands that love is inseparably bound to justice – is not just ideas of some elites somewhere else – some woke ideology – but has roots here in Indiana and in the midwest – and with these theologians who found their home, their connection to places in this state. I find that powerful on those days when it feels lonely. To remember that these values – of humanity, kindness, care – love – are rooted here – in this land – in our communities.

Finally, I want to end by returning to power. Because, as progressive people of faith we need to understand that our commitment to love and compassion cannot be separate from an understanding and willingness to build power. Because any justice we might ever see in this world only grows through the interrelationship of love, justice and power.

The first part of building power – is understanding that we the People have power. Don’t give it up. Remember that the love you feel in your heart for your neighbors, for your families, for this earth – is powerful and we need to proclaim and defend it powerfully. This means using our voice when we see injustice and speaking up – to ask questions, to disrupt injustice and cruelty – to proclaim what is right, what is good.

We had a powerful example this on the day after the inauguration, when Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde spoke directly to the President in her sermon – using the power of her role and position to speak to him of love, compassion and mercy – not as “emotional bosh” – but clearly, directly, specifically – asking the President to recognize the need for love and mercy joined with power. She did what no corporate executive has done, what no single Republican congressman or senator has done. She used her power to speak truth to power. God bless her for it.

(I still get chills watching it or thinking of it). She said, “I ask you to have mercy, upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children who fear for their lives. I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away, and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here. Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land. May God grant us the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, to speak the truth to one another in love and walk humbly with each other and our God for the good of all people, the good of all people in this nation and the world.”

Just as the Hebrew prophet Micah – she was speaking the truth that the only path to justice is one that is inextricably linked to love and power. And while it may not have made a difference to the President, let it make a difference to us. By inspiring in us our own courage, or our own bravery!

All of us have to think about power. How can we use the power we have in ourselves, in our congregations, in our classrooms, ———, in our organizations and how do we join together – build bridges across movements and issues to push back collectively on this dismantling of our democratic form of governance. Because the only power that will truly bring a stop to this onslaught of injustice will require significant turnout of people in the streets, of sustained direct action – like sustained refusals to comply with injustice, like sustained boycotts and strikes that are long enough or widespread enough to actually create significant financial repercussions. This coming Friday, February 28th, there is a national call for a shopping boycott – asking everyone to not shop online or in stores for that one day. If you must shop – buy local and use cash. There is more information in Friday update.

This is just one step, but it is good because we need to build these skills – and practices of direct action. It will take sacrifice and riots; acknowledging for some that safety is preeminent. And yes, keep calling your legislators. Here’s a tip – I put them in my phone, so that whenever I feel the urge to call, I can do it easily.

But it won’t be this one action, or any particular call that will turn the tide. It will be act, upon act – we’ve got to build our muscle – and our relationships for more sustained direct action. It will take sacrifices and riots – acknowledging for some safety is preeminent. It is as W.E.B. DuBois wrote, “The prayer of our souls is a petition for persistence; not for the one good deed, or single thought, but deed on deed, and thought on thought, til day calling unto day shall make a life worth living.”

• • •

BENEDICTION

Friends, as we leave this sacred time, may we remember
to give thanks for this precious gift of life.
Amid its turmoil and heartbreak, may we still be attentive to its wonder and its beauty. May we kindle more love, more justice, more joy and more song into our hearts
and into our days.
May we be led to go in peace, and may we give back love.