August 3, 2026 – This Week’s Episode
Episode #83, John Dear & Jack Cohen-Joppa on Resistance to Nuclear Weapons
This week marks the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. John Dear plans to join the vigil for nuclear disarmament at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, where the U.S. tests missiles by shooting them across the Pacific ocean to prepare for nuclear warfare. With the trillion dollars spent to “modernize” the nation’s nuclear weapons, they are currently preparing to replace the Minuteman III ICBM fleet with the newly developed LGM-35A Sentinel. Like the Pentagon, Los Alamos Labs, Livermore Labs, Pantex, and many other places, it should immediately close.
On today’s new episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John speaks with Jack Cohen-Joppa, who along with his wife, Felice, has published The Nuclear Resister newspaper since 1980. With over 200 issues, they have chronicled over 100,000 anti-nuclear and anti-war civil disobedience actions and related prosecutions covering thousands of activists, and encouraged support for the women and men jailed and imprisoned for such nonviolent actions. Visit: www.nuclearresister.org
Their newspaper has tracked every public action that involved crossing a line against war and nuclear weapons, that is, every campaign, every local and regional grassroot effort, and the rise and fall of national movements. When you open its pages or study their website, you discover a whole world of peace activism that few know about, a lifetime of steadfast resistance in campaigns at the Pentagon, Livermore Labs, Los Alamos Labs, the Nevada Test Site, the Trident submarine bases and the Plowshares movement.
“We face a nuclear threat now that is comparable with the threat we faced during the Cold War,” Jack says. “Our challenge is to continue to delegitimize and stigmatize the building of nuclear weapons. I am in touch with the people who believe that hope is a verb and take action. We believe that this is work worth doing.” Listen in, discover an ongoing grassroots movement against nuclear weapons and join it. God bless you!
August 10, 2026 – This Week’s Episode
Episode #84, John Dear on Blessed Franz Jagerstatter, anti-war martyr
On today’s new episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John Dear reflects on the life and death of anti-war martyr, Blessed Franz Jagerstatter
On today’s new episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John Dear reflects on Franz Jagerstatter, one of the most important saints in history. In the late 1970s, he learned about Franz. He was amazed by the story of a young Austrian farmer, born on May 20, 1907, who in 1936 married Franziska, the local sacristan at their church in St. Radegund. Franziska was a saint, and so he tried to become one, too. Together, they inspired John.
When the Nazis invaded Austria in 1938, nearly everyone in Austria supported the Nazis. In February 1943, Franz received a letter ordering him to turn himself in and join the Nazi military, where he would be sent off to the Russian front. He went and spoke with several priests and even the bishop. Each one of them said it was his duty as a Catholic to fight for Hitler. But what about Jesus? he asked them. So Franz refused to fight, was arrested, imprisoned, taken to Berlin, brought before the Nazi high court, condemned to death for “undermining military morale,” and beheaded on August 9, 1943.
John’s been studying him for decades, and in the 1990s, became friends with Franziska and the family. In this episode, he’ll reflect on Franz and Franziska, his beatification in Austria, and some concluding lessons, which we hope will encourage you in your own commitment to the nonviolent Jesus.
In particular, Franz demonstrates a new political mysticism, a sanctity that is a threat to empire and the culture of war. This needs to become the new norm, as it was in the early Church, John Dear suggests. “As a Christian, I prefer to do my fighting with the Word of God and not with arms,” Franz wrote from prison. “We need no rifles or pistols for our battle, but instead spiritual weapons—and the foremost among these is prayer…Let us love our enemies, bless those who curse us, pray for those who persecute us. For love will conquer and will endure for all eternity. And happy are they who live and die in God’s love.” Listen in and be inspired! God bless you!
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Surrendering to the God of Peace
By John Dear
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August 3, 2026 – This Week’s Episode
Episode #83, John Dear & Jack Cohen-Joppa on Resistance to Nuclear Weapons
This week marks the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. John Dear plans to join the vigil for nuclear disarmament at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, where the U.S. tests missiles by shooting them across the Pacific ocean to prepare for nuclear warfare. With the trillion dollars spent to “modernize” the nation’s nuclear weapons, they are currently preparing to replace the Minuteman III ICBM fleet with the newly developed LGM-35A Sentinel. Like the Pentagon, Los Alamos Labs, Livermore Labs, Pantex, and many other places, it should immediately close.
On today’s new episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John speaks with Jack Cohen-Joppa, who along with his wife, Felice, has published The Nuclear Resister newspaper since 1980. With over 200 issues, they have chronicled over 100,000 anti-nuclear and anti-war civil disobedience actions and related prosecutions covering thousands of activists, and encouraged support for the women and men jailed and imprisoned for such nonviolent actions. Visit: www.nuclearresister.org
Their newspaper has tracked every public action that involved crossing a line against war and nuclear weapons, that is, every campaign, every local and regional grassroot effort, and the rise and fall of national movements. When you open its pages or study their website, you discover a whole world of peace activism that few know about, a lifetime of steadfast resistance in campaigns at the Pentagon, Livermore Labs, Los Alamos Labs, the Nevada Test Site, the Trident submarine bases and the Plowshares movement.
“We face a nuclear threat now that is comparable with the threat we faced during the Cold War,” Jack says. “Our challenge is to continue to delegitimize and stigmatize the building of nuclear weapons. I am in touch with the people who believe that hope is a verb and take action. We believe that this is work worth doing.” Listen in, discover an ongoing grassroots movement against nuclear weapons and join it. God bless you!
Listen on Apple, Spotify, all major platforms,
and the National Catholic Reporter
August 10, 2026 – This Week’s Episode
Episode #84, John Dear on Blessed Franz Jagerstatter, anti-war martyr
On today’s new episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John Dear reflects on the life and death of anti-war martyr, Blessed Franz Jagerstatter
On today’s new episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John Dear reflects on Franz Jagerstatter, one of the most important saints in history. In the late 1970s, he learned about Franz. He was amazed by the story of a young Austrian farmer, born on May 20, 1907, who in 1936 married Franziska, the local sacristan at their church in St. Radegund. Franziska was a saint, and so he tried to become one, too. Together, they inspired John.
When the Nazis invaded Austria in 1938, nearly everyone in Austria supported the Nazis. In February 1943, Franz received a letter ordering him to turn himself in and join the Nazi military, where he would be sent off to the Russian front. He went and spoke with several priests and even the bishop. Each one of them said it was his duty as a Catholic to fight for Hitler. But what about Jesus? he asked them. So Franz refused to fight, was arrested, imprisoned, taken to Berlin, brought before the Nazi high court, condemned to death for “undermining military morale,” and beheaded on August 9, 1943.
John’s been studying him for decades, and in the 1990s, became friends with Franziska and the family. In this episode, he’ll reflect on Franz and Franziska, his beatification in Austria, and some concluding lessons, which we hope will encourage you in your own commitment to the nonviolent Jesus.
In particular, Franz demonstrates a new political mysticism, a sanctity that is a threat to empire and the culture of war. This needs to become the new norm, as it was in the early Church, John Dear suggests. “As a Christian, I prefer to do my fighting with the Word of God and not with arms,” Franz wrote from prison. “We need no rifles or pistols for our battle, but instead spiritual weapons—and the foremost among these is prayer…Let us love our enemies, bless those who curse us, pray for those who persecute us. For love will conquer and will endure for all eternity. And happy are they who live and die in God’s love.” Listen in and be inspired! God bless you!
Listen on Apple, Spotify, all major platforms,
and the National Catholic Reporter
Next week…
The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast welcomes John Dear! For more information, visit here.
Next week…
The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast welcomes David Beckmann! For more information, visit here.
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