Mending Divides

Global Immersion
  • 4.9 (36)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

In a world accustomed to conflict, Mending Divides offers a refreshing counterpoint. Hosted by Dr. Jer Swigart, this Global Immersion podcast dives deep into the conflicts we’re all dealing with in conversation with those who think deeply about them. This is not a prescriptive conversation about how to build peace. Instead, Mending Divides features the human beings behind the work. It's a portal into their stories, analyses, and practices. As we encounter the myriad ways they understand and navigate their conflicts, we’ll discover who we must become to face our own. Expect honest, unfiltered conversations that: - Challenge your assumptions: Discover diverse and often unexpected paths to peace. - Illuminate new perspectives: Understand the roles that religion, culture, and biology play in shaping the complexities of conflict and our approaches to it. - Offer hope: Hear stories of resilience, creativity, and bravery that will inspire us to live likewise. Join us as we explore the many faces and facets of conflict and peace. Learn more at globalimmerse.org or follow along on Instagram @globalimmerse and wherever you get your podcasts.

  1. Loving Our Enemy in a Wounded World — Shane Claiborne

    12/04/2025

    Loving Our Enemy in a Wounded World — Shane Claiborne

    From the Holy Land and US Prisons to our very living rooms, this conversation reveals how proximity, humility, and courageous tenderness make enemy love—the radical way of Jesus—possible, disarming fear, confronting injustice, and transforming our own hearts in the process.01:53 Two Stories - The call to enemy love 05:36 Grappling with enemy love 10:19 Tent of Nations - refusing to be enemies 11:29 How to build our capacity for enemy love 14:33 Creativity in refusing violence 17:30 Personal wrestling - who is my enemy? 21:25 Different versions of Jesus 22:11 The state of our hearts towards our enemies 23:17 Thank God I’m not like those people... 24:51 Speaking ill of others 29:28 Story from death row 34:03 Am I condoning my enemy’s behavior? 40:18 Loving individuals while resisting harmful systems 44:13 Closing Mentioned in this episode: In a world of division, your support fuels peace, courage, and connection. Help us keep going. Donate Now. Donate

    47 min
  2. Pastoral Presence in a Fracturing World: Wisdom from Northern Ireland — Rev. Harold Good

    10/15/2025

    Pastoral Presence in a Fracturing World: Wisdom from Northern Ireland — Rev. Harold Good

    Rev. Harold Good—Protestant minister, contemporary of Desmond Tutu, and key figure in Northern Ireland’s peace process—reflects on what it means to pastor through division. Having played a pivotal role in bringing Catholics and Protestants to the same table, Rev. Good shares hard-won wisdom for our polarized age, inviting us all to lead pastorally with courage, compassion, and the hope of reconciliation. Mentioned in this episode: In a world of division, your support fuels peace, courage, and connection. Help us keep going. Donate Now. Donate

    58 min
  3. Enneagram Wisdom for Conflict — Rob Yackley

    09/11/2025

    Enneagram Wisdom for Conflict — Rob Yackley

    Conflict is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to divide us. In this episode, Enneagram coach Rob Yackley joins Jer to explore the Enneagram and how each of the nine types tends to show up in conflict. Together, they explore each type’s default responses, the unique gifts and traps they bring, and practical ways each can move from reactivity to resourcefulness. Whether you’re new to the Enneagram or fluent in this resource, join us as we discover how the Enneagram can help us show up more fully, more compassionately, and more peaceably when things get hard. 02:00 Opening 02:43 The Dynamic Nature of the Enneagram 05:45 Enneagram and Conflict Navigation 06:53 Intro to Enneagram in the Context of Conflict 11:10 Core Desires and Fears of Each Type 16:30 The Two Tasks of Life 21:53 Virtues and Vices of the Nine Enneagram Types 36:08 Conflict and the Enneagram 41:44 Belly Breathing and Re-growing our Fuses 43:37 Practical Tips for Each Enneagram Type 50:24 The Importance of Otherness in Enneagram 52:12 Conclusion Mentioned in this episode: Become an Ember EMBERS is our community of investors and partners committed to igniting and fueling the Everyday Peacemaking movement. Through their continued monthly support, EMBERS members accompany us in our work of forming Everyday Peacemakers and Reconciling Leaders to mend divides. Donate 2026 Leadersip Cohort Discover the 2026 Global Immersion Leadership Cohort! Join a community of leaders, receive coaching from global peacemakers, take part in an immersive experience in Northern Ireland, and earn certification in Dialogue for Peaceful Change. Applications are open until October 31 at globalimmerse.org/cohort

    56 min
  4. History Repeats When We Forget: A Call to the Remnant — Latasha Morrison

    08/07/2025

    History Repeats When We Forget: A Call to the Remnant — Latasha Morrison

    In a time of exhausting division, what we need isn’t a new moral majority—it’s a faithful remnant. In this timely conversation with Latasha Morrison of Be the Bridge, we explore what it means to follow Jesus into the hard and holy work of repair. We talk about the habits that shape bridge builders, and name the biblical and historical illiteracy at the root of so much of our current brokenness. We also reflect on the need for lament and explore prayer as the seedbed for the work of justice. Mentioned in this episode: In a world of division, your support fuels peace, courage, and connection. Help us keep going. Donate Now. Donate

    46 min
  5. Circles and Pollination: A New Way to Engage Conflict — John Paul Lederach

    07/09/2025

    Circles and Pollination: A New Way to Engage Conflict — John Paul Lederach

    What if peacemaking meant moving into people’s lives instead of waiting for them to come to the table? In this profound conversation, renowned peacemaker Dr. John Paul Lederach shares how presence, story, and deep listening can transform conflict—and why this “circulation” approach looks a lot like Jesus.02:29 John Paul Lederach’s journey with conflict transformation 07:48 How do we approach conflict today? 10:01 Humiliation and dehumanization 12:20 The way of Jesus with conflict 16:01 A story from Maze prison in Belfast 19:25 What formation is needed? Looking at Defensiveness 24:52 The Pause of Curiosity 26:16 The Vocational Pause 30:22 Fixing conflict vs. wounded companions 36:58 This moment in time? 42:29 Hope in the Everyday and the Local 46:28 Circulatory Approach 48:24 Learning from insects 55:31 Deepening in circles vs. linear “fixing 59:49 Jesus’ circulatory “along the way” ministry 01:02:23 Final encouragement 01:07:49 Closing reflection Mentioned in this episode: In a world of division, your support fuels peace, courage, and connection. Help us keep going. Donate Now. Donate

    1h 10m
  6. Ending Conflict Begins with Listening — Robi Damelin

    06/05/2025

    Ending Conflict Begins with Listening — Robi Damelin

    What if the path to peace begins with listening? In this story-driven conversation, Robi Damelin—a bereaved Israeli mother and peace activist—shares how, after losing her son to a Palestinian sniper, she chose to seek connection with those she was taught to see as enemies. Her journey is not just about Israel and Palestine—it’s about all of us, and the conflicts we each face. Discover why listening across divides may be the first courageous step toward ending conflict and reclaiming our shared humanity.04:26 Robi Learning to Survive as a Child 08:07 Memorial Day Rememberance 10:50 Revenge Motivating the Violence in Gaza 13:26 Pursuing Survival Together 17:44 Impact on Universities 21:39 Respect for Our Other 23:55 Columbia University Story 29:22 Al Jazeera Interview 32:08 Hoping Beyond Boundaries 34:54 Hope and Resilience 38:46 United States 43:05 close Mentioned in this episode: In a world of division, your support fuels peace, courage, and connection. Help us keep going. Donate Now. Donate

    46 min
  7. From Othering to Belonging: A Radical Reimagining — Ben McBride

    05/01/2025

    From Othering to Belonging: A Radical Reimagining — Ben McBride

    The dominant story isn’t working. In this bold conversation, Ben McBride challenges Christians to confront power, discomfort, and exclusion—and reimagine a faith big enough for belonging. Learn why he says we must be hard on systems, soft on people, and always building a bigger table. 00:25Iintro 01:34 Leaning into discomfort 06:10 Self-compassion, or hope that’s larger than our fears 09:24 Jer remembers similar experience with his dad 11:20 The need for a new story 15:28 The perceived righteousness of the dominant Christian story 17:52 Gospel of a dead Jesus 22:00 Personal Suffering and America’s Decline 26:22 Relationship with the powerful 36:00 Relationship with the suffering 38:42 The pace of transformation 42:51 Relationship with people in pain 45:25 Challenges engaging all sides at once 48:02 End Mentioned in this episode: Listen to Navigating Deep Disagreements with Loved Ones Navigating Deep Disagreements with Loved Ones (Everyday Peacemaking Podcast) In a world of division, your support fuels peace, courage, and connection. Help us keep going. Donate Now. Donate

    50 min
  8. Conflict Is Inevitable, Division Is a Choice — Nina Barnes

    04/03/2025

    Conflict Is Inevitable, Division Is a Choice — Nina Barnes

    Conflict can strengthen relationships—if handled well. Nina Barnes shares why avoiding conflict causes more harm, how to tell the truth with kindness (not just niceness!), and why “agreeing to disagree” isn’t always the answer. Learn strategies for turning conflict into deeper connection. This episode kicks off the newly relaunched Mending Divides Podcast, where Dr. Jer Swigart has unfiltered conversations about conflict—what it is, why it matters, and how to navigate it well—with those who think deeply about it. Chapters 01:00 Start 01:34 Conflict is inevitable 04:43 Conflict styles 06:36 Conflict as an opportunity 09:15 Suspicion in the Absence of Conflict 10:53 Conflict is modeled for us 15:48 Nina’s Direct Conflict Style 16:50 Niceness vs. Kindness 21:17 Truth-telling with Kindness: What’s the Goal? 26:30 Getting Practical - How to do this 32:54 Agree to Disagree? 36:56 Dehumanization is “the line” 42:53 A Real Life Story 50:56 Invitations 58:32 Closing Guest bio: Nina Barnes Nina Barnes is a Spiritual Director, the Founder of Transforming Journey, and a featured faculty member of Global Immersion’s Leadership Cohort. She is a seasoned leader who spends her life accompanying Reconciling Leaders as they grow their cultural awareness, resilience, and prophetic witness. Nina's Website Mentioned in this episode: In a world of division, your support fuels peace, courage, and connection. Help us keep going. Donate Now. Donate

    1 hr
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4.9
out of 5
36 Ratings

About

In a world accustomed to conflict, Mending Divides offers a refreshing counterpoint. Hosted by Dr. Jer Swigart, this Global Immersion podcast dives deep into the conflicts we’re all dealing with in conversation with those who think deeply about them. This is not a prescriptive conversation about how to build peace. Instead, Mending Divides features the human beings behind the work. It's a portal into their stories, analyses, and practices. As we encounter the myriad ways they understand and navigate their conflicts, we’ll discover who we must become to face our own. Expect honest, unfiltered conversations that: - Challenge your assumptions: Discover diverse and often unexpected paths to peace. - Illuminate new perspectives: Understand the roles that religion, culture, and biology play in shaping the complexities of conflict and our approaches to it. - Offer hope: Hear stories of resilience, creativity, and bravery that will inspire us to live likewise. Join us as we explore the many faces and facets of conflict and peace. Learn more at globalimmerse.org or follow along on Instagram @globalimmerse and wherever you get your podcasts.

Information

  • Creator
    Global Immersion
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    79
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 Global Immersion
  • Show Website
    Mending Divides