John Dear's Peace Podcast

Podcasts by Peace Activist, Author and Lecturer Fr. John Dear

In these podcasts Fr. John Dear reflects on some aspect of nonviolence highlighting lives of prominent people of nonviolence. John Dear has been studying, teaching and writing about nonviolence for forty years, given thousands of lectures and published over 35 books. Share his latest insights on nonviolence as they are specially recorded in an informal conversational style. -- Rev. John Dear is an internationally recognized voice and leader for peace and nonviolence. A priest, activist and author, he served for years as the director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the largest interfaith peace organization in the U.S. After September 11, 2001, he was a Red Cross coordinator of chaplains at the Family Assistance Center in New York, and counseled thousands of relatives and rescue workers. John has traveled the war zones of the world, been arrested some 80 times for peace, led Nobel Peace prize winners to Iraq, given thousands of lectures on peace across the U.S., and served as a pastor of several churches in New Mexico. He arranged on many occasions for Mother Teresa to speak to various governors to stop an impending execution, and helped draft Pope Francis’ Jan. 1, 2017 World Day of Peace message on nonviolence. He was a co-founder of Campaign Nonviolence and the Nonviolent Cities Project while on the staff of Pace e Bene. His thirty five books include: The Beatitudes of Peace; They Will Inherit the Earth; The Nonviolent Life; Radical Prayers; Walking the Way; Thomas Merton Peacemaker; A Persistent Peace; Transfiguration; You Will Be My Witnesses; Living Peace; The Questions of Jesus; The God of Peace; Jesus the Rebel; Peace Behind Bars; Lazarus Come Forth! and Disarming the Heart. He has been nominated many times for the Nobel Peace Prize, including by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. John is now Director of The Beatitudes Center for the Nonviolent Jesus located on the Central Coast of California and offering Zoom sessions, workshops, lectures, and retreats.

  1. The Life And Teachings Of Daniel Berrigan

    05/10/2021

    The Life And Teachings Of Daniel Berrigan

    John Dear speaks about the life of Daniel Berrigan and all he taught us as a peace activist in celebration of his 100th year birthday.

    1h 5m
  2. The Nonviolent Life Of Dorothy Day

    10/01/2020

    The Nonviolent Life Of Dorothy Day

    Dorothy Day is recognized as one of the "Greatest of all Americans" by Pope Francis and here John Dear tells you why in a talk covering Day's life, the Catholic Worker, and many, many quotes from Dorothy Day. Day at one time said that one can't be a Christian or a Catholic and support war and she lived up to that comment in her life protesting war, weapons and nuclear build up. Dear explains that Dorothy Day was the first Catholic to publicly say no to war. As a journalist she began the Catholic Worker newspaper and sold it for one cent. It became one of the most popular social justice publications of all time and is still going today. Dear emphasizes that Day is the epitome of a nonviolent life. Her "manifesto was the Sermon on the Mount" and she lived it setting up Catholic Worker houses that now spread across the country where the poor and homeless found a permanent home. You can learn more about living the nonviolent life that Day was committed to by reading John Dear's book, "The Nonviolent Life" which is available at the Pace e Bene www.paceebene.org.

    52 min
  3. The Raising Of Lazarus As Nonviolent Revolution

    09/01/2020

    The Raising Of Lazarus As Nonviolent Revolution

    So, you think you know the story of Lazarus? Guess again! In this podcast John Dear brings us on a journey through biblical times with Jesus, his disciples, the sisters of Lazarus, and the people of Bethany with his interpretation of the Gospel according to John, Chapter 11. Dear likens Jesus to Gandhi and the Salt March as Jesus marches on through Bethany to Jerusalem and the Cross. He states that Jesus had it figured out when he was brought the news of the death of his friend Lazarus. He reads to us Chapter 11 of John the Disciple’s Gospel and then offers us a much broader description of what that gospel means. Imagine if you will that Lazarus represents the entire human race. Imagine again that discipleship is friendship and Jesus states that there is no greater thing than to lay down your life for your friends. Imagine that the people of Bethany represent a people of a culture of death not unlike what we suffer with today; those enmeshed in violence and war. Jesus walks alone to Bethany. Where are the disciples? John Dear then gives you the shortest sentence in the Bible; “And then Jesus wept.” What does this mean? Dear explains it. With the story of Lazarus, Dear asks the question, “Does death get the last word?” He then gives you Jesus’ three commandments and has us confronting the power of death and our inability to handle hope. “Lazarus, come forth!” How is this a message for us today? Find out in this powerful and dynamic podcast. You can learn more about Lazarus in John Dear's book "Lazarus Come Forth" available at www.johndear.org.

    42 min
  4. 75 Years After Hiroshima - Stories Of Resistance

    08/01/2020

    75 Years After Hiroshima - Stories Of Resistance

    In this presentation John Dear speaks about the 75th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan and the danger humanity faces from the possibility of ever suffering from a nuclear attack. He tells how the movement against nuclear weapons calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons, not a freezing of developing them. Freezing just leaves a stockpile on hand ready to be used and about nine major countries hold a majority of nuclear warheads. John tells how most people alive today have lived under the threat of nuclear destruction all of their lives. He says we suffer from psychic numbness. There are approximately 16,000 nuclear weapons in the world, all ready to go at the pressing of a button. This and the fact that we spend trillions of dollars to produce them is the crux of the protest against them. John tells personal stories of his nonviolent actions in demonstrating for the end to nuclear weapons. These stories, some of them humorous, are in effect truly not funny. John has been arrested numerous times with these protests and you will gain insight as to why he perseveres in this work. Listen carefully as he explains "the greatest lie" having to do with the explanation as to why the United States dropped the Atomic bomb. "It is legal to build nuclear weapons," says John, but "when will we stop."

    58 min
  5. The Nonviolent Life of Franz Jagerstatter

    06/30/2020

    The Nonviolent Life of Franz Jagerstatter

    In this podcast John Dear speaks to the journey to Fascism today with the true life story of Austrian Franz Jagerstatter, a farmer who refused to join the Nazi army in 1943 to fight on the Russian front knowing he would die if he refused. Franz was arrested and beheaded by the Nazis. He was Beatified in 2007 by the Roman Catholic Church. He may be elevated to sainthood. John tells how Franz would not give up his spiritual beliefs to participate in killing. As a young priest John visited Austria and met Franziska, Jagerstatter's wife. He tells how he considers Franziska a saint as well as a Franz. He tells how Franz went to the church and asked what he should do when being told to join the Nazi army and how church bishops and priests all told him he should do as they say. But Franz's faith was stronger and he refused. The recent movie production "A Hidden Life" tells the story of a man most people have never heard of before. Hear about Franz's dream and vision about the train that took the men from his town to join the Nazis and how he heard the words "Get off that train to Hell." John ends his podcast with a warning to us as we face the path to Fascism and gives us strength to pursue nonviolence with noncooperation just like Franz Jagerstatter did. This is a fascinating tale for all to hear and take note.

    46 min
  6. Thomas Merton's Teachings on Nonviolence

    05/25/2020

    Thomas Merton's Teachings on Nonviolence

    John Dear speaks to us on the life and teachings of the monk Thomas Merton. Dear tells us that Merton was one of the first United States priests or monks to publicly denounce war, racism, nuclear weapons, and violence. He quotes Merton as saying, “the God of peace is never glorified by human violence.” John extends that by adding “the God of peace is always glorified by human nonviolence.” Thus, begins a podcast filled with eye opening revelations that Merton experienced and wrote about in his many books and and essays. Merton says that “the chief difference between violence and nonviolence is that violence depends entirely on its own calculations, Nonviolence depends entirely on God.” John tells of Merton’s past that was radically different from his life as a Trappist monk where he spent years in contemplative prayer. Merton, he states, rejected war, and dedicated his life to abolishing war and the weapons of war. His revelation that he loved the entire human race may have come from his study of Gandhi during the 1950s and he wrote that we should first find unity within ourselves rather than trying to force unity on others. John tells of one essay wherein Merton states, “I believe that the problem of solving international conflict without massive violence has become the number one problem of our time. The task of humanity and of the church is to end all wars.” John goes on to speak to how we are now living in a global pandemic of violence and war. We have the virus of violence. This is a powerful message with much more for you to listen to.

    53 min
  7. Walking with the Nonviolent Risen Jesus

    04/25/2020

    Walking with the Nonviolent Risen Jesus

    (This podcast was recorded in February prior to John leaving on his national book tour, which was cancelled shortly after it began due to the corona virus pandemic. John is sheltering at home on the Central Coast of California and sends his blessing to everyone at this difficult time.) It is more than resurrection according to John Dear on his latest podcast Walking with the Nonviolent Risen Jesus. It is Revolution! Listen as John tells us how it all came down as described in Luke 24. Resurrection is not possible without nonviolence. He goes on to wonder why Jesus put up with all the torture and death and then comes back! John says. "If it was me I wouldn't have come back, but this guy not only comes back to his disciples, he makes breakfast for them." We will understand the disciples better and understand ourselves better as we hear John explain the grammatical past pluperfect of "We had hoped."

    33 min
  8. Jesus' Campaign of Nonviolence

    03/29/2020

    Jesus' Campaign of Nonviolence

    (This podcast was recorded in February prior to John leaving on his national book tour, which was cancelled shortly after it began due to the corona virus pandemic. John is sheltering at home on the Central Coast of California and sends his blessing to everyone at this difficult time.) John Dear talks about Jesus stating the way he lived during his time was totally nonviolent. He resisted the Roman empire just as we should be resisting the empire of war and death we live in now. Dear speaks about the peace movements going on in the country like Fire Drill Fridays with Jane Fonda and the 3000 participants across the country in last year's week of nonviolence actions around International Peace Day. He states "we need to be a global movement now!" Dear explains nonviolent resistance as us "cooing like a dove and hissing like a snake, but not hurting anyone." We are existing under the demons of apathy and complacency, but if we took up the "cross" like Jesus did nonviolently we would find out that we have already won. Through Jesus' campaign of nonviolence we have been given the power if we claim it.

    34 min
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4.8
out of 5
33 Ratings

About

In these podcasts Fr. John Dear reflects on some aspect of nonviolence highlighting lives of prominent people of nonviolence. John Dear has been studying, teaching and writing about nonviolence for forty years, given thousands of lectures and published over 35 books. Share his latest insights on nonviolence as they are specially recorded in an informal conversational style. -- Rev. John Dear is an internationally recognized voice and leader for peace and nonviolence. A priest, activist and author, he served for years as the director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the largest interfaith peace organization in the U.S. After September 11, 2001, he was a Red Cross coordinator of chaplains at the Family Assistance Center in New York, and counseled thousands of relatives and rescue workers. John has traveled the war zones of the world, been arrested some 80 times for peace, led Nobel Peace prize winners to Iraq, given thousands of lectures on peace across the U.S., and served as a pastor of several churches in New Mexico. He arranged on many occasions for Mother Teresa to speak to various governors to stop an impending execution, and helped draft Pope Francis’ Jan. 1, 2017 World Day of Peace message on nonviolence. He was a co-founder of Campaign Nonviolence and the Nonviolent Cities Project while on the staff of Pace e Bene. His thirty five books include: The Beatitudes of Peace; They Will Inherit the Earth; The Nonviolent Life; Radical Prayers; Walking the Way; Thomas Merton Peacemaker; A Persistent Peace; Transfiguration; You Will Be My Witnesses; Living Peace; The Questions of Jesus; The God of Peace; Jesus the Rebel; Peace Behind Bars; Lazarus Come Forth! and Disarming the Heart. He has been nominated many times for the Nobel Peace Prize, including by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. John is now Director of The Beatitudes Center for the Nonviolent Jesus located on the Central Coast of California and offering Zoom sessions, workshops, lectures, and retreats.

Information

  • Creator
    Podcasts by Peace Activist, Author and Lecturer Fr. John Dear
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2021
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    John Dear's Peace Podcast