Preemptive Love: Pursuing Peace One Heart at a Time

Preemptive Love invites you to walk alongside Jeremy Courtney and his family on their quest to pursue peace and mend hearts in a broken world, learning what it means to go beyond good intentions and risk everything for something more: a lifetime of tomorrows for children who were sentenced to death, relationships restored, and violence undone.

In Jeremy’s own words, “I no longer accept the zero-sum worldview that says we cannot simultaneously be on the side of the Democrats and Republicans; Americans, Israelis, and Ira­nians; Jews and Palestinians; Sunnis and Shias; Arabs, Kurds, and Turks. I choose them all. I don’t lean left or right. I lean in. I lean forward, because that’s where love lives.”

Violence unmakes the world. Preemptive love unmakes violence.

The story of "Preemptive Love" is so awe-inspiringly powerful it could rewrite the hardwiring that holds humanity hostage. Our perpetual fears and resulting violence stunt evolution; we are a primitive species, still. But Jeremy and his Preemptive Love cohorts are lights revealing humanity's greater, true self. As living, breathing examples of agape they raze the walls that blind and divide us. --Greg Barrett, journalist and author

"Preemptive Love" is a beautiful and inspiring book about the power of love in a time of war, and the capacity of personal interactions, based on love, to break through all the geopolitical strategizing and local suspicions to build trust and, in the case of Jeremy and Jessica Courtney, to save lives. --Joseph Lieberman, former US Senator, author of The Gift of Rest

In "Preemptive Love", Courtney deftly chronicles his journey to help children obtain life-saving surgeries in battered regions where hospitals had long been gutted and clinics closed. In the process, he finds that his family s strategy of defeating hate and prejudice with unconditional love heals hearts beyond the ones he set out to fix. Courtney s moving story gives us some of the best news to come out of Iraq in ages. --Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times

"Preemptive Love" is a story of caring for and bringing healing to those who have suffered violence and war. Jeremy Courtney clearly identifies the need for compassion and forgiveness; spreading this message is his mission. He has shown his love and generosity to many of Iraq's neediest children. Jeremy is moved by faith and acts with grace and love. --Imam Mohamed Magid, Imam of ADAMS Center Virginia and President of Islamic Society of North America

"I could not put this book down. "Preemptive Love" brings you to the streets of Iraq and into the hearts of children, shouting the powerful message that love has the capacity to remake our world."--Peter Greer, President & CEO, HOPE International, and author, The Spiritual Danger of Doing Good

""Preemptive Love" is a beautiful and inspiring book about the power of love in a time of war, and the capacity of personal interactions, based on love, to break through all the geopolitical strategizing and local suspicions to build trust and, in the case of Jeremy and Jessica Courtney, to save lives."--Joseph Lieberman, former US Senator, author of The Gift of Rest

"In "Preemptive Love", Courtney deftly chronicles his journey to help children obtain life-saving surgeries in battered regions where hospitals had long been gutted and clinics closed. In the process, he finds that his family's strategy of defeating hate and prejudice with unconditional love heals hearts beyond the ones he set out to fix. Courtney's moving story gives us some of the best news to come out of Iraq in ages."--Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times

""Preemptive Love" is a story of caring for and bringing healing to those who have suffered violence and war. Jeremy Courtney clearly identifies the need for compassion and forgiveness; spreading this message is his mission. He has shown his love and generosity to many of Iraq's neediest children. Jeremy is moved by faith and acts with grace and love."--Imam Mohamed Magid, Imam of ADAMS Center Virginia and President of Islamic Society of North America

"The story of "Preemptive Love" is so awe-inspiringly powerful it could rewrite the hardwiring that holds humanity hostage. Our perpetual fears and resulting violence stunt evolution; we are a primitive species, still. But Jeremy and his Preemptive Love cohorts are lights revealing humanity's greater, true self. As living, breathing examples of agape they raze the walls that blind and divide us."--Greg Barrett, journalist and author

"This is a wonderful book with a powerful, time-tested message: love wins. But Jeremy Courtney and his wife aren't just writing about love in theory or theology. They are showing us all the power of God's love in practice evidenced through the love of His people for others very different than themselves. As a former US diplomat and Ivy League professor I highly recommend this book. But more importantly, as a human being looking for God's love in this war-torn and weary world, I thank God for this book." --The Honorable Gregory W. Slayton, author of national bestseller Be a Better Dad Today--The Honorable Gregory W. Slayton, author of national bestseller Be a Better Dad Today