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

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

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March 23rd, 2026

Episode #64, John Dear in conversation with Daniel Hunter on resistance

 
On this week’s episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John Dear speaks with writer and scholar of nonviolent resistance, Daniel Hunter. He coaches and trains movements across the globe; is a founder of ChooseDemocracy.us which organizes against authoritarianism; and is currently the director of Freedom Trainers. [www.freedomtrainers.net] His books include “What Will You Do If Trump Wins,” “Climate Resistance Handbook” and “Building a Movement to End the New Jim Crow.” His essays about resistance to growing fascism are widely read [see www.wagingnonviolence.org].
 
“How can you help stop authoritarianism?” he asks. “You stop viewing them as legitimate; you non-cooperate and don’t comply with their orders.”
 
“We are seeing unprecedented collective action. For example, over 1.5 million people participated in the Disney boycott within hours of Jimmy Kimmel being removed from his show. Disney tracked who was more powerful–the government or the people—and saw that the people are more powerful so his show was restored… Authoritarianism does not care about polls or the number of activists protesting. Authoritarian power only cares about what it can make us do.”
 
“I’m really excited about March 28th, the National ‘No Kings’ day, and May 1st, ‘May Day Strong,’ which calls for no work, no school, and no shopping. [see www.nokings.org and www.maydaystrong.org] This is a good moment. We’re getting ready to take on the biggest super villain the world has ever seen. Every action, everything we’re doing–it’s all adding up right now.” Listen in and be inspired! God bless you!

Next week…

The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast welcomes Jim Finley! For more information, visit here.

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

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March 30th, 2026

Episode #65, Jim Finley on God and the mystics

 
On this week’s episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John Dear speaks with his friend Jim Finley, the beloved teacher of contemplation and mysticism.
 
When he was a teenager, Jim entered the Abbey of Gethsemani and was a novice and later a friend of Thomas Merton. Eventually, he left the monastery, became a clinical psychologist, and opened his practice in Los Angeles, where he still lives. He wrote the first serious book about Merton’s spirituality, Merton’s Palace of Nowhere. Jim has taught and lectured on Merton, spirituality and mysticism for over 50 years, and these days is a faculty member of Fr. Richard Rohr’s Living School at the Center for Action and Contemplation. He hosts a free popular podcast, “Turning to the Mystics,” which has hundreds of thousands of regular listeners. He is author of several other bestsellers, such as The Awakening Call, The Contemplative Heart, and his recent memoir, The Healing Path.
 
This year, Orbis Books is launching a ten volume series by Jim on the mystics, such as Teresa of Lisieux, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, and Meister Eckhart. The first volume is on Merton. “I saw Merton as a living mystic,” he tells John. “I was so honored to be in his presence. He was my spiritual director, so every other week for six years, I would meet with him and he would always ask the three same questions: How’s it going? Then, how’s it going in your surrender to God who accessed your heart to lead you to this place? And finally, how’s it going in discovering the depth of the 2nd question percolating to the messy details of the 1st question?” He says he learned from Merton that “the only way to ever be at peace is to accept myself as I am, because I’ll never be anyone else.”
 
“The infinite presence of God is pouring itself out, whole and complete in the very presence of ourselves and others,” he concludes. “We can never lose God’s love. Jesus is God’s complete surrender to us. We have to accept that we are infinitely accepted.” Listen in to this wise teacher and be inspired for Holy Week to deepen in the contemplative life of mystical peace! God bless you!

Next week…

The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast welcomes Kerry Kennedy! 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, Available February 17th, 2026!

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
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“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

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