The Nonviolent Jesus

This week I speak with Rev. Charles McCarthy, one of the world’s great teachers of Christian nonviolence. Rev. McCarthy is a priest of one of the Eastern Catholic Churches, Byzantine-Melkite, in communion with the Bishop of Rome, ordained in Damascus, Syria. He is a co-founder of Pax Christi-USA, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, and author of "The Nonviolent Eucharist", "Christian Just War Theory: The...

This week I speak with Art Laffin, long-time peace activist, author, and Catholic Worker. Art was a member of the Covenant Peace community in Connecticut in the 1970s, then joined the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in Washington, D.C. in the late 1970s, where he still lives with his wife and son. He has been active in the faith-based nonviolent movements for peace, social justice, disarmament, and hu...

Author, actor, poet, musician, producer, philosopher, theologist and iconic thought leader Dr. Cornel West joins me on this episode; among the many things we discuss, he tells me: “We are witnessing the collapse and implosion of the American empire in real time,. Why does Dr. West think "the country is in deep trouble"? Like millions of others, I consider Cornel West the leading public intellectua...

As we recorded this episode, Kathy is participating in and coordinating a 40 day fast for an end to the US backed Israeli genocide in Israel, which began on May 22nd. When we spoke, she was placed on a 250 calories a day intake to keep her heart rate up. "We need to stand up against US military funding for Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza.” That’s what Kathy Kelly told me, what she insists upon....

“Nonviolence is both the deepest core of our being and also the destiny of the human race,” Michael Nagler says on this week’s episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast.” “All human progress has been a progress toward nonviolence.” Is he right? Michael Nagler is Professor Emeritus of Classics and Comparative Literature at UC Berkeley, and co-founder of the Peace and Conflict Studies Program and UC...

24: My guest today is Frida Berrigan, the daughter of legendary activists Philip Berrigan and Elizabeth McAlister, and niece of Daniel Berrigan. She offers us an intimate look into her childhood as a daughter of full time protesters at Jonah House, a community in Baltimore, and her life today. The community at Jonah House protested full-time for decades. Her housemates were regularly arrested and...

“ We’re living through a dark night of our species, our society, and our souls,” my friend Matthew Fox tells me. A world-renowned theologian, Episcopal priest, and long-time activist, Matthew has written over 37 books, including Original Blessing , The Coming of the Cosmic Christ , and The Hidden Spirituality of Men . This episode is for all seekers of peace , spiritual warriors , contemplative ar...

“Offer no violent resistance to one who does evil” (Mt. 5:39)--the most revolutionary—and most disobeyed—teaching in the Gospels, says John Dear This week, I take a deep dive into Jesus’ specific commandment on nonviolent resistance in the Sermon on the Mount, Mt. 5:39-43. I tell how Leo Tolstoy learned the power of this verse from the Abolitionists, and then wrote his classic text, “ The Kingdom...

Episode #21. "The nonviolent Jesus hasn't been preached enough in our churches:" This week I speak with Bishop John Stowe,Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky and head of Pax Christi, on how we can transform a world shaken by violence, terrorism, deepening inequalities, and global insecurity. “We have to sustain each other in hope!” . “It's so essential to root out the violent tendencies withi...

#20 John Dear speaks with political scientist, author, teacher, advocate and organizer Maria Stephan on how ordinary people can bring about extraordinary change: “The resistance is alive and well across the United States today." This week, I speak with Maria Stephan, a political scientist, teacher, advocate, and organizer, who has dedicated her life to the proposition that ordinary people, when or...

#19 Fr. John Dear Talks with Legendary Environmental Activist Bill McKibben This week, Fr. John Dear speaks with best-selling author and environmental activist and organizer Bill McKibben about catastrophic climate change and how to respond by joining movements, taking to the streets, and building political will. It will be jam packed with inspiration for anyone who supports environmental activism...

🔥This week, John Dear speaks with Kazu Haga, a brilliant young author and teacher of Kingian nonviolence about his new book, Fierce Vulnerability: Healing from Trauma, Emerging through Collapse. Kazu Haga shares with us the six principles of Kingian nonviolence, how to build the Beloved Community and that " we are in a polycrisis and we are not crazy for thinking the world is burning all around u...

#17, “Start a revolution! Shake things up! The world is deaf. You have to open its ears.” Fr. John Dear on Pope Francis — The Most Radical Pope in History. Fr. John shares his own outreach to Pope Francis and the Vatican on nonviolence; reflects on the great themes of Pope Francis; and in particular, reviews Francis’ extraordinary efforts at peacemaking and how he started to turn the church back t...

#16 "We are experiencing the thrashing of empire and death throes of capitalism ", says Dorothy Day's granddaughter Martha Hennessy in this week's conversation with Fr. John Dear. Dorothy Day was an activist, author, anarchist, and co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement. Martha Hennessy, also a longtime peace activist, lives on her family farm in Vermont and volunteers part time for the last f...

#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, fou...

🎙 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...

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 disar...

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 wors...

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...

🙏 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...

#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—w...

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 compa...

🎙 Episode #7: Fr. John Dear & Sr. Joan Chittister on “Jesus and the Beatitudes” (Part 1 of 3) 📆 Drops Feb. 17, 2025 What if the Beatitudes weren’t just comforting words, but a blueprint for a way of life ? What if Jesus wasn’t just offering hope, but a call to action in a world of injustice, violence, and oppression? In this powerful first episode of a three-part series, Fr. John Dear sits do...

The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast 🎙️ Episode #6: Fr. John Dear on “The Nonviolence of Jesus: 10 Essentials” 📅 Drops Feb. 10, 2025 What if Jesus wasn’t just a teacher of love, but a radical, nonviolent activist challenging empire, oppression, and injustice? What if his message wasn’t about passive faith but fearless resistance rooted in love ? In this episode, Fr. John Dear breaks down 10 essential les...

🔥 Spiritual seekers, this is an episode you won’t want to miss! 🔥 This week on The Nonviolent Jesus , we welcome Fr. Richard Rohr , one of the most influential spiritual voices of our time. A beloved Franciscan priest, best-selling author, and prophetic teacher , Fr. Richard has guided millions—including Oprah, Bono, and even Pope Francis—toward a deeper, more transformative faith. As the founde...