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

May 11th, 2026

Episode #71, John Dear in conversation with Prof. Kate Common

On today’s new episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John Dear speaks with Prof. Kate Common on the nonviolent origins of the Hebrew community as she describes in her new book, Undoing Conquest: Ancient Israel, the Bible, and the Future of Christianity (Orbis). Dr. Kate Common is the Assistant Professor of Public and Practical Theology at Methodist Theological School in Ohio, and the Theologian-in-Residence at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Northampton, MA. (katecommon.com)

“In the battle of Jericho, in the book of Joshua, Israel’s army kills everyone– men, women, children and livestock. Suddenly, human violence—genocide–is condoned by God,” she explains. But decades of archeological evidence from the “highland settlements,” she reports, now prove definitively there was no genocide as Israel entered the promised land. Instead of conquest and genocide, the Hebrews originated from a peaceful, nonmilitaristic movement of indigenous people who formed egalitarian communities living outside the reach of the Egyptian empire. Wow!

“These people never had a conquest story until 500 years later in 722 BCE when Israel was terrorized and conquered by the Assyrian empire. Later, they wrote their origins story as a conquest of the promised land, portraying themselves like the brutal, genocidal Assyrians!” That false narrative has been used to justify violence, war and genocide ever since.

White European colonists who killed millions of indigenous people and enslaved millions of Africans invoked this image, as did the white racists who created South Africa’s apartheid, and the Israeli warmakers and Christian Zionists who justify the recent genocide in Gaza. Secretary of War Hegseth recently invoked the genocide described in Joshua to defend the US and Israeli war on Iran. Jesus, Kate Common concludes, was calling us back to the Hebrew ideals that renounced empire and created egalitarian communities of peace. Listen in and learn something new about the biblical origins of Hebrew and Christian peacemaking.

Next week…

The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast welcomes Michael Curry! For more information, visit here.

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

May 4th, 2026

Episode #70, John Dear in conversation with Bishop Mariann Budde of the National Cathedral

On today’s new episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John Dear speaks with his friend Bishop Mariann Budde of the National Cathedral. She received global attention last year during the interfaith prayer service at the National Cathedral when she called upon Trump to show “mercy” to people.

Marian Budde is the first woman elected to lead the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, DC and the National Cathedral. Before that, she served for 18 years as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Minneapolis. She is the author of three books, most recently, How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith.

“I knew for months that I would be preaching at an interfaith service,” she tells John. “We didn’t know if Trump would come. I felt two things. I had to speak the truth about the dangers of praying for unity as a country when we were as a people and our elected officials had no intention of working toward that unity. I knew, too, there were many people who were terrified and wondered if there was a place for them with his return, so I took the opportunity to remind the most powerful person in the country that he could afford to be generous and merciful.”

One year later, this past January, she returned to Minneapolis and spoke at rallies denouncing the ICE raids and killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. “There was a sense of resolve, horror, exhaustion, fear and defiance. I’ve never been part of anything like it.”

“The gospel mandate always points us in the direction of love,” she says. “Try to speak with dignity because that gives us more options, and protects us from gratuitous contempt and meeting hatred with hatred. When Jesus was confronted with resistance and moved into Jerusalem deliberately to take his message to political power, he never wavered from nonviolence. Not once. We are called to live out the grace and love of God revealed in Jesus. Be encouraged. Hold fast. Trust that there is more at work in the world than the evil we are witnessing. It’s not all up to us, but we are needed.” Listen in to this wise Christian leader and take heart! God bless everyone!

Next week…

The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast welcomes Kate Common! For more information, visit here.

Upcoming Zoom Programs: