By Sydney Melson The Birmingham Times The Rev. Thomas Beavers, New Rising Star Church in Birmingham’s Brown Springs neighborhood, who has been pastor there for a decade, talks about Dr. Martin Luther King’s teachings of love and peace. “There’s nothing more powerful than the force of love,” Beavers said. “Whenever you attempt to fight hatred with hate, then there’s always retaliation. [King’s] message of peace was really important in helping us get to where we are. “A lot of times when you are an oppressed people and protest peacefully, the oppressor will view those peaceful actions as retaliation, even when they’re not. Peaceful protest is very important to prevent our ultimate goal [of equality] from getting lost in foolish behavior.