The Kindness Rebellion

Last updated on: January 20, 2017 at 5:57 pm by Cindy Brandt

The Kindness Rebellion 2017-01-20T17:57:24+08:00 Cindy Brandt

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

the kindness rebellion

“Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I have found that it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.” ~ Gandalf

Welcome to The Kindness Rebellion at Unfundamentalist Parenting! Our tagline with Unfundamentalist Christians is simple: Above all, Love. But as we know, love is can sometimes feel nebulous, especially when it is interpreted differently by those in opposing camps of theology and its meaning so twisted as to harm others instead of doing good. (See case in point: “Love the sinner, hate the sin.”)

What we also know is that Love is KIND. For some reason, “kindness” has not been as corrupted by toxic influences. Kindness retains its connotation of gentleness, a healing balm to a divided world. All I know is when people have told me they loved me, sometimes they hurt me, but I have always only been healed by kindness.

So, here’s the plan. We are going to launch a KINDNESS REBELLION today, a phrase I borrowed from meditation teacher, Sharon Salzberg. It’s also the same day as Trump’s inauguration, because this is a resistance against strongman bullying with power-giving gentleness. EVERYONE is invited to participate regardless of age, gender, orientation, religion, ethnicity or nationality. For those of you who can’t make it out to the march, who aren’t in a position to pour into activism, and yet still feel the need to fight for a better world, this will be a simple yet fierce way for us to come together as a community to usher in this new year with all of its new challenges with a posture of love. Because when I become overwhelmed by the complexities of systemic injustice, what brings me hope is always to go small, into what Gandalf calls the ‘everyday deeds of ordinary folk.’ Big problems, I believe, are best confronted by small acts of kindness.

Here’s how you can participate. Sign up for The Kindness Rebellion newsletter, and for the next four weeks you will receive a newsletter on Mondays with a weekly kindness challenge along with quotes to inspire you, helpful tools and more. It will have concrete suggestions that you can implement easily in your everyday lives with the people you encounter. Because this is a parenting blog, I would encourage you to direct your acts of kindness specifically towards the children in your family, but the suggestions can certainly be applied to anyone else. The activities included can also be easily adapted so your children can participate, although you may have to explain in age-appropriate language.

Be mindful of how the kindness rebellion is making a difference in your life and in the lives of those around you. Journal, blog, post on social media (use the hashtag #TheKindnessRebellion) your reflections, and EMAIL ([email protected]) me your best stories and quotes (you can link to whatever you have posted on your own feeds) and I will feature some of them on my blog so we can witness the ripple effects of kindness in our communities.

My hope is, of course, that these concentrated four weeks of intentional acts of kindness will become practices that turn into habits that turn into character. Changing the world requires subverting systems with a strong, moral core. And we can begin building that core with the smallest children and let compassion radiate from our homes.

The rebellion begins today. Join us. #TheKindnessRebellion

Previous Post

December 29, 2016

Ask Unfundamentalist Parenting: Tween Attitude

Next Post

January 23, 2017 Do Not Use Children for Evangelistic Outreach

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz