#15: "Contrary to what a lot of people see or think, there is more protest and resistance to Trump than you see or read in the mainstream media" with Eric Stoner, co-founder and editor of WagingNonviolence.org

On Feb 28 up to 4oM people participated in the economic blackout boycott, making it one of the most successful acts of non-compliance in U.S. history.

John Dear speaks with Eric Stoner, founding editor of WagingNonviolence.org, an independent, non-profit media platform that covers social movements and grassroots activism around the world on all issues of justice, disarmament and creation. Since 2009, it has published original reporting on nonviolent action from contributors in more than 90 countries.

Eric and friends started this clearinghouse of nonviolent movements in the 2000s from scratch, and today it regularly gets over 1.3 million readers looking for news about people power movements that you will never hear on the mainstream media.

John asks Eric about the signs of movement and hope in recent months against the growing authoritarianism and oligarchy, as well as stories of movements from around the world, and Eric says surprisingly that covering the world from the perspective of nonviolence actually gives him hope because so many people are struggling hard for positive social change.Eric also shares the 10 points based on Daniel Hunter's article published on November 6,

Eric Stoner: "Boycotting is the most important tool in protesting, hands down".

wagingnonviolence.org

choosedemocracy.org

beatitudescenter.org

🎙Bryan Stevenson: "If I am successful at all, it is because I got close to a condemned man and heard his song."

This week on “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John Dear speaks with the legendary lawyer, founder and executive director of Equal Justice Initiative, professor of law at New York University law school, and author of the best-selling book, JUST MERCY, which was made into a great movie of the same name starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx.

Bryan graduated from Harvard and moved to Montgomery, Alabama, where he started a non-profit to serve those on death row, the poor, the wrongly condemned, and those trapped in the furthest reaches of our criminal injustice system. He tells us that "going to death row completely changed me" and at the heart of his story is Walter McMillian, an innocent man sentenced to die for a notorious murder he did not commit.

After a profound struggle, Walter was released.

Bryan has won relief for dozens of condemned prisoners, argued five times before the supreme court, and won many awards, including the MacArthur Foundation Genius grant. A few years ago, he raised millions of dollars and built 2 museums in Montgomery: the National Museum of Peace and Justice, the nation’s first comprehensive memorial dedicated to the legacy of Black Americans who were enslaved and terrorized by lynching; and “the Legacy museum: from Enslavement to Mass Incarceration,” which displays the history of slavery, racial lynchings, and segregation.

Archbishop Tutu called Bryan “America’s young Nelson Mandela,” and deservedly so.

John asks Bryan for his take on the current national crisis under Trump, the rise of fascism, racism, and ongoing systemic injustice, as well as his understanding of nonviolence, what he has learned from so many unjust incarcerated people, and where he finds hope. “

The politics of fear and anger are reigning. We need to become hopeful, courageous, faithful truth-tellers,” Bryan Stevenson says. "Truth is the antidote to the abuse of power: the truth will set us free." Join us!

beatitudescenter.org

eji.org

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4916630/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Mercy_(book)

Episode #13 – "Jesus is a nonviolent general leading a peace revolution:" How to Build a Nonviolent Movement Today with Fr. John Dear

Jesus wasn’t just a teacher—he was a movement builder, a grassroots organizer, and a radical leader of nonviolent resistance. This week on The Non-Violent Jesus, John Dear unpacks Luke 10, where Jesus sends out 72 disciples in pairs—not to conquer, but to disarm, disrupt, and dismantle empire through radical peace.

What if following Jesus meant joining a real, organized, strategic movement of nonviolence?

What does it mean to be “lambs among wolves” in a world of rising fascism, white supremacy, and war? How do we mobilize like Jesus, Gandhi, and MLK to create real change today?

"Jesus isn't just a community organizer," Dear says. "He's a nonviolent general leading a peace revolution. But instead of war, he wages peace." Like Gandhi’s Salt March and MLK’s Selma-to-Montgomery march, Jesus calls us to get moving, start organizing, and take action.

Are you ready to step into the movement? Listen now and learn how to carry on Jesus’ campaign of daring, active nonviolence.

For more, check out John Dear’s book, The Gospel of Peace.

Learn more at www.johndear.org beatitudescenter.org

#JesusTheOrganizer #NonviolenceNow #GrassrootsResistance #TheNonViolentJesus #FaithInAction #ResistEmpires

Episode #12 – "Our love doesn't stop at our own borders" with author, activist and founder of Red Letter Christians, Shane Claiborne

This week, Fr. John Dear has a dynamic conversation with Shane Claiborne in about public organizing, bold resistance, and living out the Gospel where it matters most—on the streets, in communities, and on the frontlines of change; how we need to respond to the worsening violence, racism, war making, greed, lies, death and destruction that are overtaking our nation and the world. Shane reminds us: "The closer we are to the pain, the more urgent we respond to it."

John Dear calls Shane one of the greatest Christian peacemakers of our time. Shane has worked on the streets of Calcutta with Mother Teresa, spent time in Rwanda and Iraq, and journeyed with John to Kabul, Afghanistan during the war.

How do we follow the nonviolent Jesus in a world consumed by war, greed, and injustice? Shane Claiborne is an author, activist, and founder of Red Letter Christians—and he doesn’t just talk about it. He lives it. Shane has put radical love into action. He invites us to "proclaim a vision of a better world because our protest is a form of liturgy" and "we can bring joy in the midst of public lament".

If you’re ready to challenge injustice, reclaim Christianity from empire, and take action for peace, this episode is for you.

Listen now and join the movement for a nonviolent revolution!

Learn more at www.redletterchristians.org and beatitudescenter.org

#JesusForJustice #RedLetterChristians #Nonviolence #TheNonViolentJesus #Resist #FaithInAction

Episode #11 – "Decide how you want to show up: this is your one and only life!" with best-selling author, theologian and activist Brian McLaren

In a time of rising Christian nationalism, oligarchy, and fascism, here at home under the Trump administration, the Republican party and FOX news, as well as around the world, what does it mean to follow the nonviolent Jesus? Brian warns us: "we are going to have to keep our eyes and ears open for the right time to do the right thing".

This week, Fr. John Dear sits down with a provocative Brian McLaren - best-selling author, theologian, and activist - to explore how Jesus challenged the violent rulers of his day and how we can respond with bold, creative nonviolent action today: "Jesus was an agent of dissent" and "He is the absolute inverse of an authoritarian!"

Brian McLaren is Dean of Faculty for the Center for Action and Contemplation, founded by Fr. Richard Rohr, and a podcaster with Learning How to See, a leading voice in progressive Christianity. He brings deep wisdom from his books Faith After Doubt, Do I Stay Christian?, and Life After Doom. If you're questioning, resisting, or seeking a faith rooted in justice and peace, this episode is for you.

Listen now and join the movement for a fearless, nonviolent faith!

More at www.brianmclaren.net and beatitudescenter.org

#Nonviolence #ResistAuthoritarianism #FaithAfterDoubt #GospelRevolution #TheNonViolentJesus

🙏 Episode #10 – "Nonviolence is the only way forward" with Marie Dennis

❓What if the Church fully embraced the radical nonviolence of Jesus? Can the Church lead a nonviolent revolution?

This week on The Nonviolent Jesus, Fr. John Dear sits down with longtime peace activist and Catholic Nonviolence Initiative leader Marie Dennis to talk about shaking up the Vatican, challenging the outdated just war theory, and reclaiming the heart of the Gospel—active, world-changing nonviolence.

She states: "We can no longer view war as a solution...now we want to see nonviolence move to the center of the Catholic Church teaching."

Marie has spent her life pushing the Church toward justice, especially in recent years working behind the scenes at the Vatican and on the frontlines of global peacemaking. She calls nonviolence not just an ethic, but a way of life—a force capable of transforming entire societies. She tells us "Jesus teaches us to be more imaginative in how we deal with moments of crisis".

If you care about justice, social change, and living out the revolutionary message of Jesus, this is an episode you can’t miss! Marie Dennis reminds us that "Jesus on the cross is the ultimate witness to nonviolence!" and challenges us to a new way of thinking, a new way of living, and to carry on his witness of total nonviolence in our world of violence."

🎧 Listen in and join the movement for a Church that leads with peace, not war.

👉🏽 Learn more at www.paxchristi.net and beatitudescenter.org

#Nonviolence #Christianity #SocialJustice #GospelRevolution #PaxChristi #TheNonViolentJesus

#9: ✨"How to be a human being" ✨: Sr. Joan Chittister with Fr. John Dear on “Jesus and the Beatitudes” (Part 3 of 3)

❓What does it really mean to be a peacemaker? To fight for justice? To get into “good trouble” for the sake of love? "How do we form a happy, holy world"?

In this powerful final conversation, Fr. John Dear and the unstoppable Sr. Joan Chittister explore the last Beatitudes—where Jesus calls us:

💠 Blessed are the peacemakers – How do we become fearless, nonviolent warriors for peace in a world addicted to war?

💠 Blessed are those persecuted for justice – What does it mean to stand for truth, even when it costs us everything, as Joan says to "get in trouble for justice or peace" ?

Sr. Joan challenges us to go beyond words and build a real movement—a “Beatitudes Movement” that brings people together in small communities of action, resistance, and deep faith. What if we reimagined the Church as a “new Church of the Beatitudes”—a community of justice-seekers, healers, and changemakers?

The Beatitudes aren’t just lessons—they tell us "how to be a human being". Joan shares that "to me, the Beatitudes are a hunk of pasta mix and my next loaf of bread". Are you hungry yet?

Tune in, be inspired, and take action. Joan encourages us to "find and build your own happiness group".

Sr. Joan Chittister is an internationally known lecturer and teacher, a columnist for The National Catholic Reporter, and the author of 60 books including The Time Is Now; Becoming Fully Human; Radical Spirit; Aspects of the Heart; The Gift of Years; and The Rule of Benedict. She has served as Benedictine prioress and Benedictine federation president, president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and co-chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women.

👉 Learn more about Sr. Joan Chittister: www.joanchittister.org

👉 Sign up for our newsletter and join the movement for nonviolence: www.beatitudescenter.org

#BeatitudesMovement #Peacemakers #GoodTrouble #NonviolentResistance #JesusTheRebel #SpiritualActivism #JusticeForAll

Episode #8: "It's so easy!" Fr. John Dear with Sr. Joan Chittister on “Jesus and the Beatitudes” (Part 2 of 3)

📆 Drops Monday, Feb. 24, 2025

❓What if living the Beatitudes wasn’t just about faith—but about transforming the world?

In this second powerful conversation, Fr. John Dear and the fearless Sr. Joan Chittister dive into the next three Beatitudes, showing how they call us to radical compassion, unshakable justice, and undivided hearts: "Americans have a hard time with humility, and what goes around, comes around".

💠 Blessed are the merciful – How do we practice radical forgiveness in a world filled with violence and division?

💠 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice – What does it mean to crave justice so deeply that it drives every part of our lives?

💠 Blessed are the single-hearted – How do we stay focused on love and truth when the world pulls us in every direction?

Sr. Joan doesn’t just talk about faith—she lives it. "They will see God...it is so easy! God is manifest in everything of everything!" She’s a Benedictine sister, a fierce advocate for peace, human dignity, and justice, and the author of 60+ books. In this episode, she reminds us that the Beatitudes aren’t just spiritual ideals—they’re the key to finding God, serving others, and living a life of deep joy.

Want to build a world rooted in mercy, justice, and love? This episode will inspire you to take action.

🎧Listen now.

🔥 Get fired up.

🌍 Change the world.

Sr. Joan Chittister is an internationally known lecturer and teacher, a columnist for The National Catholic Reporter, and the author of 60 books including The Time Is Now; Becoming Fully Human; Radical Spirit; Aspects of the Heart; The Gift of Years; and The Rule of Benedict. She has served as Benedictine prioress and Benedictine federation president, president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and co-chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women.

Learn more about Sr. Joan Chittister: www.joanchittister.org

Sign up for our newsletter and join the movement for nonviolence: www.beatitudescenter.org

#Beatitudes #FaithInAction #HungerForJustice #MercyMatters #JesusTheRevolutionary #Peacemaking #SpiritualActivism