2024 Speaking Tour

Host Fr. John Dear on his 2024 Speaking Tour for his Forthcoming Orbis Book: “’The Gospel of Peace: A Commentary on Matthew, Mark and Luke from the Perspective of Nonviolence.” For more info, click here

microphone_2368382.png

Listen on Apple, Spotify, all major platforms,
and the National Catholic Reporter

Spotify_Primary_Logo_RGB_Green.png
ncr-logo.png
apple-podcasts-logo.png
amazon-music-logo.png
podbean.jpg
podcast-index-logo.png
fountain-fm-logo.png
true-fans-logo.png
youtube-logo-40x40-1.png

July 27, 2026

Episode #82, John Dear on the Raising of Lazarus

On today’s new episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John Dear reflects on the Gospel of John, chapter 11, the story of the raising of Lazarus, based on his book, Lazarus Come Forth! In this podcast, he offers a dramatic socio-political re-reading of the story.
 
John Dear proposes that the author of John’s Gospel rewrote the story of Jesus to portray Jesus as the God of life who calls humanity in the person of Lazarus out of the tombs of death, out of empire, violence and war, and commands us to unbind humanity from the trappings of death and let humanity go free in the fullness of life and resurrection peace. The message is: have nothing to do with death, with violence, injustice, war or anything that inflicts death on others. Instead, live life to the full, and help others live life to the full!
 
He’ll review how the male disciples promise to walk with him but never show up; how the professional mourners weep over Lazarus, even though they just tried to stone Jesus to death; how Martha tries to stop Jesus’ nonviolent resistance; and how Jesus announces, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever is fully alive here and now in the present moment of resurrection peace, and believes in me as I walk the way of life and nonviolence and confront the forces of death, will never die.” “Do you believe this?” he asks us.
 
As Jesus approaches the tomb, he issues three new commandments: “Take away the stone!” “Lazarus/Humanity come forth!” and “Unbind humanity and let him go free.” John will conclude that this is the climactic call of John’s Gospel, and our mission today: to take away the stone that keeps humanity stuck in empire, war, poverty, racism, injustice, fascism, greed, MAGA, nuclear weapons, and the culture of death;  to call humanity forth out of the culture of death, and to unbind one another to live free in the new life of love and peace. Listen in and see what you think. God bless you!

Next week…

The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast welcomes Jack Cohen-Joppa! For more information, visit here.

microphone_2368382.png

Listen on Apple, Spotify, all major platforms,
and the National Catholic Reporter

Spotify_Primary_Logo_RGB_Green.png
ncr-logo.png
apple-podcasts-logo.png
amazon-music-logo.png
podbean.jpg
podcast-index-logo.png
fountain-fm-logo.png
true-fans-logo.png
youtube-logo-40x40-1.png

July 20, 2026

Episode #81, John Dear with Catherine Meeks

On today’s new episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John Dear speaks with Dr. Catherine Meeks, a nationally recognized leader in racial healing and founder of the Turquoise & Lavender Institute for Transformation and Healing. (See: www.turquoiseandlavender.com)  Her latest book is Bridging the Rivers of Difference: A Proclamation of Unity in Resistance. Her other books include The Night Is Long but Light Comes in the Morning: Meditations on Racial Healing, and The Quilted Life: Reflections of a Sharecropper’s Daughter. She spent 25 years as chair of the African American Studies program at Mercer University.
 
“I grew up poor and black in Arkansas, and my way in the world is to 
connect to the spiritual and God and the way people should be treated right,” she says. “This country was founded on the notion that some humans were worth more than others, included black people and women. The Constitution wasn’t talking about us. The Heritage Foundation has been working militantly with Project 2025, but we have to be willing to stop having a hierarchy of human value.
 
“Racism has injured us all,” she continues. “Everyone has been wounded by it. The culture in the US reinforces the notion that people of color are inferior to white people, but we’re all made in God’s image and we all deserve to be treated right. We have to create new narratives and trust each other enough to work for the general welfare that benefits everybody, not just one set of people.
 
“We need to recognize the nonviolent Jesus. To dehumanize another person is violent while Jesus was always respecting people. There is no Jesus for warmongers. War is never going to end other wars. We need to reimagine what nonviolence really is about. I see this moment as a time to come to grips with what kind of human we want to be.” Listen in and be inspired! God bless everyone.

Next week…

The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast welcomes John Dear! For more information, visit here.

John Dear’s new book now available!

“The Gospel of Peace:
Reading Matthew, Mark & Luke
from the Perspective of Nonviolence”

For info, click here
 
To order, call Orbis Books at 1-800-258-5838
 

To invite John Dear to speak in your city, write to: john@beatitudescenter.org 

National Catholic Reporter Review of “The Gospel of Peace,” click here
 
To watch Fr. John’s interview with Dean Young of Grace Cathedral about the book, click here
 
To watch Fr. John’s sermon at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, on Jan. 21, 2024, (at the 30 minute mark) click here
 
The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast, a free weekly podcast with John Dear
click here

John Dear’s New Book

Universal Love:
Surrendering to the God of Peace

By John Dear

For more information, click here
 
Available from www.orbisbooks.com or call 1-800-258-5838, or Amazon.com 
 
“One of the people I respect most on this earth and whose winsome company I enjoy most is Fr. John Dear. In this short, valuable, and practical book, John shares his conversations with a young spiritual seeker named Will who came to him seeking spiritual guidance. As I read each chapter, I felt like I was meeting with John for coffee, sharing my struggles, and receiving his wisdom and encouragement.
This book is a treasure.”
 
— Brian McLaren, author of Faith After Doubt and The Last Voyage

Recent Books

GospelOfPeace
Praise-Be-Peace-cover-pdf-663x1024
“The Sacrament of Civil Disobedience”
Revised 2022 Edition, with new foreword by Shane Claiborne,
Available on amazon, in the U.K.  To order, visit: https://labora.press/product/the-sacrament-of-civil-disobedience/

Recent Articles

John Dear Talks Nonviolence with Joan Baez: A Conversation

Read More

The Peacemaking Life of Pope Francis

A few years ago, three French peace activists met with Pope Francis and asked him for advice. “Start a revolution,” he said. “Shake things up! The world is deaf. You have to open its ears.” That’s what Pope Francis did — he started a nonviolent revolution and invited us all to join. 

I’m grateful for him for so many reasons, but mainly because he spoke out so boldly, so prophetically in word and deed for justice, the poor, disarmament, peace, creation, mercy and nonviolence. It is a tremendous gift that we had him for 12 years, that he did not resign or retire, but kept at it until the last day, Easter Sunday.

Read More

My Long Lost Conversation with John Lewis

Last summer, after Congressman John Lewis died, I posted a photo on social media of me and John from a memorable afternoon we spent together in his congressional office. It was 26 years ago. We had talked for a while, and then filmed a formal conversation on nonviolence.

Needless to say, it was one of the greatest days of my exciting life.

Read More

Recent News

“Nonviolence,” a new 147 page special edition
of Richard Rohr’s journal Oneing, now available from www.cac.org

John Dear on “Democracy Now” talking about Thich Nhat Hanh and Archbishop Tutu 

Visit
www.DanielBerrigan.org

“Jesus was totally nonviolent and calls us to practice and teach Gospel nonviolence and welcome God’s reign of peace and nonviolence, which means from now on, we work for the abolition of war, poverty, racism, gun violence, the death penalty, nuclear weapons, environmental destruction, and all violence.” – Fr. John Dear

Find the Beatitudes Center on Facebook!

Find the Beatitudes Center on Instagram

Find John Dear on Facebook

john-dear-and-friend

Visit Fr. John Dear’s Work at:
The Beatitudes Center for the Nonviolent Jesus

Sign Up Here to receive John Dear’s Free eblast newsletter with news of upcoming podcasts, zooms and speaking events!

Free, weekly podcast: “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast“

Contact Fr. John Dear via the email or mailing address at: www.beatitudescenter.org