entering libra season // all cops are apostates // the Commune of God is at hand! Brought to you by Friendly Fire Collective Updates from Friendly Fire

August into September has been busy for Friendly Fire (FF) as well as for leftists and liberationists as a whole in Philadelphia. Between anti-ICE demos, solidarity actions with the MOVE 9 and Mumia Abu-Jamal, prison strike demos, and the two pro-police/neo-fascist marches that came through Philadelphia, and all the jail support that followed – there was a lot to do. The Philly FF crew even had a prayer meeting in front of the Philly Police's headquarters, the Roundhouse. From our report-back: "With our small group of 10 or so people, we prayed for those striking in prison, the abolition of the police and all prisons, as well as our own incarcerated friends and family. As we wrapped up our time of prayer, we held up our banners ('All cops are apostates' and 'It is our duty to fight for our freedom') and got on the megaphone. While on the megaphone, we stared right at the police and those employed at the Roundhouse through the windows. We read out the demands of the prison strike and then two comrades led us through a prayer of rebuke and exorcism, and plead with the officers to repent of their sins – namely being fascist tools – and quit their jobs. We wrapped up by chanting 'Quit your jobs!' and 'God hates cops!' . . . The Roundhouse has been a place of trauma for many of those present at this last prayer meeting and, of course, it is a place of trauma for many, every day. We are thankful that we had the opportunity to call down God’s judgment on this building and the Philadelphia Police Department, as well as reclaim this space for healing, prayer, and camaraderie."



The busyness of summer is starting to wind down, though, and Friendly Fire has been looking inward, trying to figure out next steps for the Philly crew, our wider network, and how we fit into building a militant Christian Left.



We have been consistently running prayer meetings in Philadelphia, though every meeting has varied in worship style. Whether we sit in silence, sing with tambourines to Mama Mary, or pray out of the Book of Common Prayer, the experience of God's presence and holding each other in prayer is always key to our meetings. We plan on becoming more consistent in how we organize and format our prayer meetings but in the meantime we're enjoying figuring out how to be a community faithful to the Spirit. It's a holy and chaotic thing.



Though not at all a project exclusively organized by Friendly Fire, we have been encouraged by a recent meeting that took place among a politically diverse group of organizers in Philly regarding mental health. The following is the full report-back from these friends who experienced the seeds of a new work in Philadelphia - a Care Commune.



Solidarity and Healing in the Revolutionary Movement On a rainy Sunday afternoon in early September we came together to reflect on the trauma that we experienced at the hands of the State this summer (and in general). All of us have been involved in the turbulent street protests that happened over the summer and so far this fall, including the Occupy ICE encampments, the Anti-Blue Lives Matter march, actions in solidarity with the prison strike, etc. Although we all knew each other–some before this summer, others as a result of this summer–there was one person, experienced with therapeutic practice, who most of us met for the first time. This person facilitated the discussion and did a great job doing so. It’s important to have people with this kind of expertise.

Besides talking about and processing our personal experiences with state violence, we also talked about how to foster a political culture that prioritizes mental health care alongside other kinds of work–legal, medical, food, study, writing, research, agitation, street tactics, intelligence gathering, etc. To this end, there should be a collective of people with skills in the mental health field who make their expertise available to those experiencing post-traumatic stress. And this collective should not just be providing their skills, but helping people develop these skills themselves, so that the skills can generalize. We talked about how at a leftist camp for children this summer, for example, there was the concept of the Care Commune, in which caring for each other was meant to be part of everyday camp life, which was primarily devoted to intense theoretical discussion and debate. This included collectivized childcare, artistic activities, meditation sessions, live action role playing, a talent show, and a general spirit of the Care Commune. It’s crucial to cultivate a space where people are encouraged to be intentionally vulnerable and to reflect on state violence in a freely associative manner. It wasn’t until some of us took part in this meeting that we even began to think about the trauma we had experienced, which we tend to repress and disassociate from. One person didn’t even realize that they had had a panic attack at a protest earlier that week, until they started to share what they were feeling. Regularly checking in with each other before, during, and after actions, not only about mental health, but also to consider the effectiveness of our strategy and tactics, is all connected. Mental health shouldn’t be an afterthought, but a central part of what we do as revolutionaries. A revolutionary movement will inevitably experience violence and trauma from the police, prison guards, and other armed agents of Capital. If such a movement is to succeed, it will need to address and process the question of trauma and the mental-health problems that arise from it, simultaneously as it challenges state-power. So where do we go from here? Here are some suggestions: This group should meet regularly to engage in such a practice and open up homes for meals/social gatherings not necessarily centered around an action or specific political goal. Hangouts/check ins before and after actions. Establish post demo space for anyone not wanting to be alone. Probe personal connections for community care resources in effort to offer them to people coping with mental/physical distress related to political actions. Reach out to elders who have experienced state violence in order to learn skills and to normalize trauma affects in relation to state violence. Let us work together to begin this work of Liberation in ourselves and in our communities!

Let us hold our comrades close! A new world is possible!

Solidarity – and healing – forever!



This Doctrine originated with the Christian church in the 15th century. Today, a movement of Christians is acting on the church’s responsibility to dismantle it.



We will watch the powerful 43-minute documentary "Doctrine of Discovery: In the Name of Christ,” in which indigenous scholars, leaders, and activists from around the world, as well as Christian theologians and pastors, unpack the pernicious history of this doctrine and its impact throughout the centuries as a key tool of imperialism and colonialism. We will explore what actions we can take to reverse this vicious form of systemic sin and injustice.



Join us for this important time of reflection and discernment. A light breakfast will be served. A $10 donation (or whatever you can afford) is requested to cover costs – though if you can’t pay, please feel free to come anyway!



facebook event page The “Doctrine of Discovery” is a philosophical and legal framework dating to the 15th century that gave “Christian” governments in Europe the moral and legal rights to invade and seize indigenous lands and dominate indigenous peoples. For more than five centuries, this doctrine and the laws based upon it have legalized the theft of land, labor, and resources from across the world – crimes that continue to this day.This Doctrine originated with the Christian church in the 15th century. Today, a movement of Christians is acting on the church’s responsibility to dismantle it.We will watch the powerful 43-minute documentary "Doctrine of Discovery: In the Name of Christ,” in which indigenous scholars, leaders, and activists from around the world, as well as Christian theologians and pastors, unpack the pernicious history of this doctrine and its impact throughout the centuries as a key tool of imperialism and colonialism. We will explore what actions we can take to reverse this vicious form of systemic sin and injustice.Join us for this important time of reflection and discernment. A light breakfast will be served. A $10 donation (or whatever you can afford) is requested to cover costs – though if you can’t pay, please feel free to come anyway! Hold in the Light Holding in the Light is a Quaker practice. This form is intercession is grounded in silence and uses one's imagination. We visualize the Light wrapping around those we have in mind, not pushing for an outcome but placing our trust in this all-consuming Love, believing that she will hold and carry them through.



We ask that you hold these people and communities in the Light. Pray as you feel led.



We lift up those combating fascism in the streets,

Lord, walk with them.



We lift up those in prison,

Lord, walk with them.



We lift up all those stumbling into revolution,

Lord, walk with them.



We lift up all holy trouble-makers, sabotaging the systems of this world and ushering in the kin-dom of God,

Lord, walk with them.



We lift up Christians for Socialism, Friendly Fire Collective, and the growing movement of militant Christian leftists,

Lord, walk with them. The French cultural theorist Paul Virilio passed away on September 10th. Memory eternal!

“Being a Christian, I have to say that I participate in what Saint Paul called ‘a hope against all hope.’ It means that in a way, I see hope behind the threat of the apocalypse. It doesn’t put an end to humanity. It’s possible, but not certain. And at the bottom of the pit, there is only hope. We are approaching the pit of ignorance.”

—Paul Virilio (source: “Being a Christian, I have to say that I participate in what Saint Paul called ‘a hope against all hope.’ It means that in a way, I see hope behind the threat of the apocalypse. It doesn’t put an end to humanity. It’s possible, but not certain. And at the bottom of the pit, there is only hope. We are approaching the pit of ignorance.”—Paul Virilio (source: Vice We're looking for submissions!

We’re looking for submissions for both our blog and newsletter! If you have any reportbacks from Christian leftist actions or events, or any devotionals and reflections you’d like to share, or really just anything that aligns with our apocalyptic and revolutionary perspective on Christianity, we’d love for you to send it in! All submissions can go to friendlyfireinfo@protonmail.com God calls us to tear tyrants off their thrones “Dr. King’s policy was, if you are nonviolent, if you suffer, your opponent will see your suffering and will be moved to change his heart. That’s very good. He only made one fallacious assumption. In order for nonviolence to work, your opponent must have a conscience. The United States has none.”

—Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael) “The limitation of ‘speaking truth to power’ is and always was that it risks leaving us with the truth and them with the power.”

—Richard D. Wolff Liberals don’t understand how power works. It’s why so many of them are quick to enforce respectability politics, unable to recognize their own classism and racism. It’s why they can claim, in good conscience, that anything that has the scent of “violence” is worthy of the harshest condemnation. For liberal Christians, it’s the same thing. They don’t understand how God’s love interacts with power. They often frame power as something that can be transformed, reformed, changed from within. To them, that’s the power of the gospel. They’re detached from the violence these systems they’re attempting to “transform” are built on, as well as their own complicity to systemic violence. Their inaction in the world punctuated by reformist tactics is excused by the goal of being non-violent. They’re deceived, believing their hands are clean. There are others, though, who are realizing that there is no such thing as being non-violent under capitalism and are confronted by the reality that power will not convinced into yielding to the people. Where does that leave them? Liberation theologians, and advocates of the Catholic social teaching “preferential option for the poor,” understand that those experiencing poverty and systemic oppression are favored by God and deserve to be centered. Christians are called to manifest this favor by living in solidarity with them, joining the class struggle to abolish the gap between the poor and the ruling class. And yet liberal Christians present us with a god whose love has been reduced to a dimensionless, vague sense of “equality.” Their dream is a world where all can be at the table. But maybe, some just can’t be at the table. In Mary’s song (Luke 1:46-56), she reveals how God’s universal love manifests when dealing with those in power, and those deprived of freedom: “He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

He has brought down rulers from their thrones

but has lifted up the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things

but has sent the rich away empty.” Liberal Christians fix Christianity to be accommodating, unchallenging, and uncontroversial. They may have progressive rhetoric but avoid calling for sacrifice from those in power, or causing them discomfort in any sense. They invite rich and poor alike to their churches, but in the end most appeal to the sensibilities and consciences of the rich. The gospel of Christ, on the other hand, is determined to undo the powers of this world in order to lift up the oppressed. Though a proclamation of God’s universal love, this love is experienced differently by oppressors. It even appears to be antagonistic as it sends “the rich away empty.” God’s love tears rulers off their thrones for the sake of lifting up the humble. It restrains those in power in order to disrupt the violence they inflict on the poor and oppressed. As John Feeney put it in his essay “Theology of Violence,” God’s love in Christians “reconciles by taking sides.” God sides with those exploited for their labor and robbed of their dignity. In these last days, liberal capitalists have led us to believe that they are on the side of oppressed, fighting for “equality.” As they stomp on our livelihoods, we praise them for extending justice into this world by preaching inclusion into capitalism. We need to stop letting the ruling class determine what justice and equality look like and instead discover and build power from the working class, while combating the powers-that-be until all thrones are abolished. The Scriptures testify that it’s just about impossible for hearts fattened with power and wealth to willingly surrender these things. Instead of speaking of a future where the rich are awakened and choose to abolish private property, it is written that God’s judgment would bring misery upon the rich for hoarding wealth and failing to pay workers (James 5). We can pray for the rich who have made us their enemies, and hope that they will be miraculously undone by the grace of God, but we must be honest about the state of their consciences and the desperate need for justice. Most will not de-throne themselves and force may be needed. Perhaps such a notion is offensive, upsetting to those who hold a dogmatic pacifism. In this eschatological tension – where we are not yet living in a society built on mutual aid, or in the new heavens and new earth where lion and lamb lay together, but instead are caught in empire’s web of systemic sins and oppressive powers – less than ideal actions may be needed to extinguish power. Committing acts of destruction and violence is never the hope or goal, but under capitalism, we cannot opt out of violence. There are times where God’s love calls us to betray our sense of piety in order to more fully love God and the people. I’m moved by insurrectionists and how often and beautifully they initiate moments of revolutionary possibility. Through the propaganda of the deed, they ignite faith and stretch political imaginations. That said, militancy for the sake of militancy is but a performance. Our destructive actions must be strategic. It would be foolish to put ourselves at risk of state violence and incarceration if our message and vision won’t be effectively communicated. The Left does not have the time, energy, and resources to deal with sloppy, dangerous actions. I have little idea how revolution will play out, or how soon, but it is clear that a radical restructuring of society is needed. It will not be accomplished through anything but insurrection, and God’s love even demands it. I pray that the revolutionary struggle in the US will be bloodless. It’s possible. I look back to the Russian revolutionaries over a century ago that led an almost bloodless coup d’État. May it be so again, Lord. I pray for the leaders of bourgeois society to be haunted by the struggles of the working class. May their hearts be crucified and may they humbly surrender their power. May revolutionary communities and bases grow and adapt to the needs of the people, building up a popular power. May the State become irrelevant and therefore abolished. But if things do not go this smoothly, may we be ready to do the work that is needed to love as God loves. May we have the strength, courage, and faith to tear tyrants off their thrones. Support Comrade Alyssa, a Christian comrade in prison! The People's Devotional We will do greater things than Jesus “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father…”

–Jesus, John 14:12 Jesus said that he was sent to proclaim freedom to the prisoners. This was a central aspect of his gospel. He ended up dying in the place of Barabbas, an insurrectionist, but other than that, he wasn’t able to free any prisoners. But Christ’s ministry of reconciliation continues through his living Body. Jesus gathered and fed thousands, developed a revolutionary discipline and formed dozens of bands of holy insurrectionists, publicly rebuked empire and the leaders of his day, released people from the bondage of shame, sin, sickness, even death. And he promised us that we will do greater things. That’s our inheritance as the Body of Christ. That’s our corporate calling. Maybe I will never heal a sick person. Or lead a cop to quit their job and repent. Or be able to break into prisons and free every captive. But I can be part of the living Body of Christ that creates a world where everybody had their needs met and where there are no police or prisons. We cannot let the life of Jesus limit us. We need to let the life of Jesus challenge us to do even greater things. Jesus flipped tables and whipped the merchants out of the temple, I love him for it, and guess what? We’ll burn down fucking prisons.