Not long after the September 11 terrorist attacks of 2001, Jessica and Jeremy Courtney moved to Turkey as missionaries to the predominantly Muslim culture there. But shortly after making the move and gaining a better understanding of conflict zones in the Middle East, the couple felt called to shift to a more humanitarian focus in Iraq.
While the United States ramped up their “preemptive” military efforts against Iraq post-September 11, the Courtneys were compelled to take a different path to peace through displaying “preemptive” love.
“What if we could do the whole thing differently?’ Jeremy questioned in his book Love Anyway regarding this unique approach. “A total rejection of preemptive strikes. No more ‘shoot first, ask questions later.’ What if we could love first and ask questions later?”
The preemptive love philosophy inspired the Courtneys to found their nonprofit organization after its namesake.
The “Preemptive Love Coalition” was founded on the faith that “preemptive love unmakes violence.”
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