The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast
Posted Every Monday
The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast is a free, weekly thirty-minute podcast, posted on every Monday, featuring Fr. John Dear and his reflections about Jesus, Gospel nonviolence, and peacemaking, and guests who teach, speak out, organize and work for a more just, most peaceful, more nonviolent world. Through these weekly reflections, we hope to inspire everyone to follow the nonviolent Jesus more faithfully and do our part to welcome God’s reign of peace with justice on earth!
To listen, click on any link below to hear past podcast.
To hear the latest podcast, click on the most recent link at the bottom of the list.
Below that, you will see some of the platforms which also host it, including Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and Substack, as well as on the National Catholic Reporter.
On today’s new episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John Dear speaks with David Beckmann, former president of Bread for the World, one of the best groups fighting poverty in the world (www.bread.org). His many books include: Eden Revival; The Overseas List; Grace at the Table; Exodus from Hunger, and his latest book, “Poverty Abolitionists: Faith, activism, and Hope for Difficult Times. (See: www.davidbeckmann.org)
“In recent decades the world has made dramatic progress against poverty,” David says. “But now, the second Trump administration has pushed that progress into full reverse. I’m so appalled that we are systematically dismantling things that are important to the poor in the U.S. and the world. It’s certainly possible to end poverty where starvation and malnutrition exist. We don’t have to have millions of kids go without food in the U.S., yet we do.
“The most progressive community in the U.S. are atheists – they are not waiting for God to solve the world’s problems. Our hope is built on Jesus’ promise of the kingdom of God, but we have to do our share and advocate for justice and an end to poverty,” he says.
In the end, he calls us to “seek and form loving, justice-seeking churches; to think critically about our faith and the work to end poverty; and to open our hearts to God’s universal, forgiving love. Those who imagine a loving, forgiving God—not a violent, punishing god–are more inclined to work for justice and the end of poverty.” Listen in and be inspired to join the movement to abolish poverty! God bless you!
- August 10. #84, John Dear on Blessed Franz Jagerstatter, anti-war martyr
- August 3. #83, John Dear & Jack Cohen-Joppa on Resistance to Nuclear Weapons
- July 27. #82, John Dear on the Raising of Lazarus
- July 20. #81, John Dear with Catherine Meeks
- July 13. #80, John Dear with Fr. Ron Rolheiser
- July 6. #79, John Dear with Wes Howard-Brook
- June 29. #78, John Dear with Lisa Sharon Harper
- June 22. #77, John Dear with Zoughbi Zoughbi of Bethlehem, Palestine
- June 15. #76, John Dear with Mel Duncan
- June 8. #75, John Dear with Joyce Rupp
- June 1. #74, John Dear with John Dominic Crossan and Michael Okinczyc-Cruz, Part 2 of 2
- May 25th. #73, John Dear with John Dominic Crossan, Part 1 of 2
- May 18th. #72, John Dear with Bishop Michael Curry
- May 11th. #71, John Dear with Prof. Kate Common
- May 4th. #70, John Dear with Bishop Mariann Budde of the National Cathedral
- April 27th. #69, John Dear’s Reflections on Daniel Berrigan for the 10th Anniversary of His Death
- April 20th. #68, John Dear speaks with Prof. Melanie Harris on “Ecowomanism”
- April 13th. #67 John Dear speaks with Prof. David Cortright on war and peace
- April 6th. #66 John Dear speaks with human rights activist Kerry Kennedy
- March 30th. #65 with Jim Finley on God and the mystics
- March 23rd. #64 with Daniel Hunter on resistance
- March 16th. #63 with Jonathan Kuttab of FOSNA.org
- March 9th. #62, with Rev. Amy Brooks Paradise of Greenfaith.org
- March 2nd. #61, Part 2 of John Dear on his new book “Universal Love”
- February 23rd. #60, John Dear on his new book “Universal Love,” Part 1 of 2
- February 16th. #59, John Dear speaks with activist Ann Wright
- February 9th. #58, John Dear speaks with Ched Myers on his new book on the Gospel of Luke
- February 2nd. #57, John Dear speaks with Emily Yellin on Rev. Jim Lawson’s Memoir, “Nonviolent”
- January 26th. #56, John Dear with actor/activist Mike Farrell
- January 19th. #55, John Dear with Rev. Andrew Young
- January 12th. #54, John Dear with Charlene Howard, Director of Pax Christi USA
- January 5th, 2026. #53, Robert Ellsberg on the Saints!
- December 29th. #52, A Special Year End One Hour Episode of Highlights of the Nonviolent Jesus Podcast from 2025!
- December 22nd. #51, John Dear on the Epiphany Journey to the Nonviolent Jesus—and Civil Disobedience to the Tyrant!
- December 15th. #50, John Dear on Mary’s Advent Journey of Nonviolence
- December 8th. #49, John Dear with activist Mike Martin on beating guns into garden tools!
- December 1st. #48, John Dear with Rep. Jamie Raskin
- November 24th. #47, John Dear with filmmaker and author Gerry Straub, on his journey from Hollywood to Haiti
- November 17th. #46, John Dear with justice activist Wes Granberg-Michaelson
- November 10th. #45, John Dear Talks With Anti-Nuclear Leader Dr. Ivana Hughes
- November 3rd. #44, John Dear Talks Nonviolence with the Legendary Joan Baez
- October 27th. #43, Part 2 of John Dear’s conversation with Sr. Simone Campbell
- October 20th. #42, John Dear with Sr. Simone Campbell
- October 13th. #41, John Dear with Paul Chappell
- October 6th. #40, John Dear on “The Nonviolent Jesus and the Things That Make For Peace”
- September 29th. #39, John Dear with John Fugelsang
- September 22nd. #38, John Dear with Archbishop John Wester
- September 15th. #37, John Dear the Life and Lessons of Gandhi
- September 8th. #36, John Dear with Stanley Hauerwas
- September 1st. #35, John Dear with Rivera Sun
- August 25th. #34, John Dear with Ken Butigan
- August 18th. #33, John Dear with Brad Wolf
- August 11th. #32, Terry Rynne on Jesus the Peacemaker
- August 4th. #31, John Dear on “Love Your Enemies”
- July 28th. #30, Michele Dunne on following St. Francis and Jesus on the path of Gospel nonviolence
- July 21st. #29, Rev. Charles McCarthy on nonviolence and Christlike love
- July 14th. #28, Art Laffin on the Catholic Worker, Plowshares, and the command to love
- July 7th. #27, Cornel West on the collapse of the US empire, and the need to love our way through the darkness and cruelty
- June 30th. #26, Kathy Kelly, on Fasting for an End to the US-backed Israeli Genocide in Gaza
- June 23rd. #25, Michael Nagler on Nonviolence as the destiny of the human race
- June 16th. #24 Frida Berrigan on Remembering Hiroshima 80 Years Ago and Resisting Nuclear Weapons
- June 9th. #23. Matthew Fox on Resisting Evil & A Spirituality of Falling in Love with Life
- June 2nd. #22, Fr. John Dear on Mt. 5:39—the Most Revolutionary–and Most Disobeyed–Teaching in the Gospels
- May 26th. #21, John Dear Talks with Bishop John Stowe, head of Pax Christi, the Catholic peace movement
- May 19th. #20, Fr. John Dear Talks with Maria Stephan on Global Movements for Change
- May 12th. #19, John Dear with Bill McKibben
- May 5th. #18, John Dear with Kazu Haga, author of the new book, Fierce Vulnerability, on trauma healing and creative nonviolence
- April 28th. #17, John Dear on “Francis—the Most Radical Pope in History”
- April 21st. #16, John Dear with Martha Hennessy, longtime peace activist, member of Maryhouse Catholic Worker in New York City, granddaughter of Dorothy Day
- April 14th. #15, Eric Stoner of WagingNonviolence.org On the Growing Resistance to Trump’s Policies
- April 7th. #14 John Dear with Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy and founder and director of Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama.
- Mar. 31st. #13 John Dear on Jesus’ Grassroots Campaign of Nonviolence, a Model for our Time
- Mar. 24th. #12 Fr. John Dear with Shane Caliborne
- Mar. 17th. #11 Fr. John Dear with Brian McLaren
- Mar. 10th. #10, John Dear with Marie Dennis
- Mar. 3rd. #9 Fr. John Dear with Sr. Joan Chittister on “Jesus and the Beatitudes,” Part 3 of 3
- Feb. 24th. #8 Fr. John Dear with Sr. Joan Chittister on “Jesus and the Beatitudes,” Part 2 of 3
- Feb. 17th. #7 Fr. John Dear with Sr. Joan Chittister on “Jesus and the Beatitudes,” Part 1 of 3
- Feb. 10th. #6, Fr. John Dear on “The Nonviolence of Jesus: 10 Essentials”
- Feb. 3rd. #5 John Dear with Fr. Richard Rohr about his new book on the prophets, “The Tears of Things: Prophetic Wisdom for an age of outrage.”
- Jan. 27th. #4 The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast with Sr Helen Prejean
- Jan. 20th. #3 John Dear with Dr. Bernard Lafayette, Dr. King’s personal assistant
- Jan. 13th. #2 John Dear with actor and activist Martin Sheen
- Jan. 6th, 2025. #1 John Dear on “Living the Beatitudes”
Upcoming Podcasts
- August 24. #86. John Dear with Tim Shriver on the special olympics
- August 31. #87. John Dear with Todd Walatka on St. Oscar Romero
- September 7. #88. John Dear with Greg Boyle on gangs
- September 14. #89. John Dear on Dorothy Day
- September 21. #90. John Dear with Robert Jonas on the 30th anniversary of Henri Nouwen’s death
The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast is a free, weekly thirty-minute podcast, posted on every Monday, featuring Fr. John Dear and his reflections about Jesus, Gospel nonviolence, and peacemaking, and guests who teach, speak out, organize and work for a more just, most peaceful, more nonviolent world. Through these weekly reflections, we hope to inspire everyone to follow the nonviolent Jesus more faithfully and do our part to welcome God’s reign of peace with justice on earth!
To listen, click on any link below to hear past podcast.
To hear the latest podcast, click on the most recent link at the bottom of the list.
Below that, you will see some of the platforms which also host it, including Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and Substack, as well as on the National Catholic Reporter.
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!
- August 3. #83, John Dear & Jack Cohen-Joppa on Resistance to Nuclear Weapons
- July 27. #82, John Dear on the Raising of Lazarus
- July 20. #81, John Dear with Catherine Meeks
- July 13. #80, John Dear with Fr. Ron Rolheiser
- July 6. #79, John Dear with Wes Howard-Brook
- June 29. #78, John Dear with Lisa Sharon Harper
- June 22. #77, John Dear with Zoughbi Zoughbi of Bethlehem, Palestine
- June 15. #76, John Dear with Mel Duncan
- June 8. #75, John Dear with Joyce Rupp
- June 1. #74, John Dear with John Dominic Crossan and Michael Okinczyc-Cruz, Part 2 of 2
- May 25th. #73, John Dear with John Dominic Crossan, Part 1 of 2
- May 18th. #72, John Dear with Bishop Michael Curry
- May 11th. #71, John Dear with Prof. Kate Common
- May 4th. #70, John Dear with Bishop Mariann Budde of the National Cathedral
- April 27th. #69, John Dear’s Reflections on Daniel Berrigan for the 10th Anniversary of His Death
- April 20th. #68, John Dear speaks with Prof. Melanie Harris on “Ecowomanism”
- April 13th. #67 John Dear speaks with Prof. David Cortright on war and peace
- April 6th. #66 John Dear speaks with human rights activist Kerry Kennedy
- March 30th. #65 with Jim Finley on God and the mystics
- March 23rd. #64 with Daniel Hunter on resistance
- March 16th. #63 with Jonathan Kuttab of FOSNA.org
- March 9th. #62, with Rev. Amy Brooks Paradise of Greenfaith.org
- March 2nd. #61, Part 2 of John Dear on his new book “Universal Love”
- February 23rd. #60, John Dear on his new book “Universal Love,” Part 1 of 2
- February 16th. #59, John Dear speaks with activist Ann Wright
- February 9th. #58, John Dear speaks with Ched Myers on his new book on the Gospel of Luke
- February 2nd. #57, John Dear speaks with Emily Yellin on Rev. Jim Lawson’s Memoir, “Nonviolent”
- January 26th. #56, John Dear with actor/activist Mike Farrell
- January 19th. #55, John Dear with Rev. Andrew Young
- January 12th. #54, John Dear with Charlene Howard, Director of Pax Christi USA
- January 5th, 2026. #53, Robert Ellsberg on the Saints!
- December 29th. #52, A Special Year End One Hour Episode of Highlights of the Nonviolent Jesus Podcast from 2025!
- December 22nd. #51, John Dear on the Epiphany Journey to the Nonviolent Jesus—and Civil Disobedience to the Tyrant!
- December 15th. #50, John Dear on Mary’s Advent Journey of Nonviolence
- December 8th. #49, John Dear with activist Mike Martin on beating guns into garden tools!
- December 1st. #48, John Dear with Rep. Jamie Raskin
- November 24th. #47, John Dear with filmmaker and author Gerry Straub, on his journey from Hollywood to Haiti
- November 17th. #46, John Dear with justice activist Wes Granberg-Michaelson
- November 10th. #45, John Dear Talks With Anti-Nuclear Leader Dr. Ivana Hughes
- November 3rd. #44, John Dear Talks Nonviolence with the Legendary Joan Baez
- October 27th. #43, Part 2 of John Dear’s conversation with Sr. Simone Campbell
- October 20th. #42, John Dear with Sr. Simone Campbell
- October 13th. #41, John Dear with Paul Chappell
- October 6th. #40, John Dear on “The Nonviolent Jesus and the Things That Make For Peace”
- September 29th. #39, John Dear with John Fugelsang
- September 22nd. #38, John Dear with Archbishop John Wester
- September 15th. #37, John Dear the Life and Lessons of Gandhi
- September 8th. #36, John Dear with Stanley Hauerwas
- September 1st. #35, John Dear with Rivera Sun
- August 25th. #34, John Dear with Ken Butigan
- August 18th. #33, John Dear with Brad Wolf
- August 11th. #32, Terry Rynne on Jesus the Peacemaker
- August 4th. #31, John Dear on “Love Your Enemies”
- July 28th. #30, Michele Dunne on following St. Francis and Jesus on the path of Gospel nonviolence
- July 21st. #29, Rev. Charles McCarthy on nonviolence and Christlike love
- July 14th. #28, Art Laffin on the Catholic Worker, Plowshares, and the command to love
- July 7th. #27, Cornel West on the collapse of the US empire, and the need to love our way through the darkness and cruelty
- June 30th. #26, Kathy Kelly, on Fasting for an End to the US-backed Israeli Genocide in Gaza
- June 23rd. #25, Michael Nagler on Nonviolence as the destiny of the human race
- June 16th. #24 Frida Berrigan on Remembering Hiroshima 80 Years Ago and Resisting Nuclear Weapons
- June 9th. #23. Matthew Fox on Resisting Evil & A Spirituality of Falling in Love with Life
- June 2nd. #22, Fr. John Dear on Mt. 5:39—the Most Revolutionary–and Most Disobeyed–Teaching in the Gospels
- May 26th. #21, John Dear Talks with Bishop John Stowe, head of Pax Christi, the Catholic peace movement
- May 19th. #20, Fr. John Dear Talks with Maria Stephan on Global Movements for Change
- May 12th. #19, John Dear with Bill McKibben
- May 5th. #18, John Dear with Kazu Haga, author of the new book, Fierce Vulnerability, on trauma healing and creative nonviolence
- April 28th. #17, John Dear on “Francis—the Most Radical Pope in History”
- April 21st. #16, John Dear with Martha Hennessy, longtime peace activist, member of Maryhouse Catholic Worker in New York City, granddaughter of Dorothy Day
- April 14th. #15, Eric Stoner of WagingNonviolence.org On the Growing Resistance to Trump’s Policies
- April 7th. #14 John Dear with Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy and founder and director of Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama.
- Mar. 31st. #13 John Dear on Jesus’ Grassroots Campaign of Nonviolence, a Model for our Time
- Mar. 24th. #12 Fr. John Dear with Shane Caliborne
- Mar. 17th. #11 Fr. John Dear with Brian McLaren
- Mar. 10th. #10, John Dear with Marie Dennis
- Mar. 3rd. #9 Fr. John Dear with Sr. Joan Chittister on “Jesus and the Beatitudes,” Part 3 of 3
- Feb. 24th. #8 Fr. John Dear with Sr. Joan Chittister on “Jesus and the Beatitudes,” Part 2 of 3
- Feb. 17th. #7 Fr. John Dear with Sr. Joan Chittister on “Jesus and the Beatitudes,” Part 1 of 3
- Feb. 10th. #6, Fr. John Dear on “The Nonviolence of Jesus: 10 Essentials”
- Feb. 3rd. #5 John Dear with Fr. Richard Rohr about his new book on the prophets, “The Tears of Things: Prophetic Wisdom for an age of outrage.”
- Jan. 27th. #4 The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast with Sr Helen Prejean
- Jan. 20th. #3 John Dear with Dr. Bernard Lafayette, Dr. King’s personal assistant
- Jan. 13th. #2 John Dear with actor and activist Martin Sheen
- Jan. 6th, 2025. #1 John Dear on “Living the Beatitudes”
Upcoming Podcasts
- August 17. #85. John Dear with David Beckmann on the abolition of poverty
- August 24. #86. John Dear with Tim Shriver on the special olympics
- August 31. #87. John Dear with Todd Walatka on St. Oscar Romero
- September 7. #88. John Dear with Greg Boyle on gangs
- September 14. #89. John Dear on Dorothy Day
- September 21. #90. John Dear with Robert Jonas on the 30th anniversary of Henri Nouwen’s death
The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast is available on these other platforms too!
(In the Opinion Section - Guest Voices)
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The Beatitudes Center
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John Dear’s 15 previous “Peace Podcast,” recorded 2020-2021.
Click a link below to open the podcast in a new window.
The Life And Teachings Of Daniel Berrigan
The Beatitudes of Peace and Nonviolence
The Nonviolent Sermon on the Mount
Jesus’ Campaign of Nonviolence
The Raising of Lazarus as Nonviolent Revolution
Walking With the Nonviolent Risen Jesus
Mary and the Advent Journey of Peace and Nonviolence
Gandhi’s Lessons on Nonviolence
Dr. King’s Teachings on Nonviolence
The Nonviolent Life of Dorothy Day
The Nonviolent Life of Franz Jagerstatter
Thomas Merton’s Teachings of Nonviolence
The Psalms of Peace and Nonviolence
75 Years After Hiroshima, My Stories of Nonviolent Resistance (August, 2020)