The Christian Transformation

Early Christianity adopted agape as its central concept of divine love. In the New Testament, agape describes God's love for humanity — total, unearned, and inexhaustible. Paul's famous passage in 1 Corinthians 13 ("love is patient, love is kind") uses agape throughout.

Martin Luther King Jr. grounded his entire philosophy of nonviolent resistance in agape. He defined it as creative, redemptive goodwill toward all people — not sentimental affection, but a deliberate decision to seek the good of others, including enemies.