Nonviolence

New Research on Why Nonviolence Works

Rose Marie Berger 5-18-2010

I was in a "webinar" (live online presentation thingy) recently with Erica Chenoweth from Wesleyan University.

The Myth of Out-of-Control Border Violence

Ian Danley 5-17-2010

My beloved city, Phoenix, is making a fantastic run at being the punch line in the larger immigration drama. I wish we were focused on a less volatile campaign, working toward getting the Olympics or something.

A Day in the Life of Phoenix

Ian Danley 5-11-2010

8:00 a.m.

Palestine's True Leaders

Sami Awad 5-05-2010

For many years, Palestinians have engaged in nonviolent actions aimed at resisting the Israeli military occupation and its violent and humiliating policies aimed at suppressing the will of the Palestinians in seeking to achieve their legitimate aspirations.

40 Years After: 'Four Dead in Ohio'

Duane Shank 5-05-2010

May 4, 1970 -- 40 years ago yesterday -- was the day protesting the war in Vietnam became serious.

White Flag Warriors at the Border: Recognizing Humanity on All Sides of the Immigration Debate

Jonny 5 5-04-2010

About a year ago, when we were writing our song "White Flag Warrior," my friend (and fellow frontman) Stephen and I had quite a conversation. We talked about Leonard Cohen's song "Story of Isaac" and about Kierkegaard's multiple interpretations of Genesis 22, about Malcolm X challenging MLK Jr.

'Tear Down This Wall'

Jim Rice 5-01-2010

Sami Awad’s vocation is to tear down walls in the Middle East. As executive director of the Holy Land Trust, based in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Awad works to build bridges between Palestinians and Israelis—and between Christians, Muslims, and Jews—as a necessary path to peace in the region. He was interviewed by Sojourners editor Jim Rice this winter while Awad visited Washington, D.C., to address a gathering of Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding.

Sojourners: What is the role of nonviolence in the liberation struggle and search for peace and security in Palestine and the broader Middle East?

Sami Awad: Nonviolence is the only option that Palestinians should engage in and the only option we have, in terms of resisting occupation. At certain points, I could have seen it as a strategic option, where people look at it and say, is it the right way to engage in or not to engage in? But now, I have come to the conclusion where I see it as the only option that Palestinians should engage in. It’s very important for us to realize this and focus all our efforts on nonviolence.

From a strategic point of view, we understand our strength. The strength of the Palestinians is in the people. We don’t have weapons. We don’t have armies. We don’t have training in military warfare. But we do have the power to unite the community, and the struggle for liberation and the struggle to end occupation is something that people can be united around.

What are the foundations for your philosophy of nonviolence? I grew up in a Christian family, which always said that reconciliation and seeking peace is the way we should go. The struggle for me was balancing my upbringing with an occupation that was treating us as Palestinians in a very unjust way. The question “How do you resist this injustice but not engage in violence” was always a challenge for me.

My uncle, Mubarak Awad, established the Palestinian Center for the Study of Nonviolence in the mid-’80s. As a teenager, I started finding myself in that center, where I could really be engaged in standing up and saying no to the occupation and no to injustice, but in ways that also addressed my own faith-based background, which is not to engage in violence toward those who do this to us.

Wall Street and the Crisis of Urban Violence

Chris Butler 4-27-2010

As an urban minister and a political professional, there have been two big news stories that I have followed with some level interest recently.

Dialogue at the Demonstration: Risking Conversation with the Face of Occupation

Gary M. Burge 4-26-2010

Bethlehem, West Bank. Evangelicals have never been keen on political protests. Especially the sort that includes rifles and grenades -- in the hands of your opponents.

Another Vatican II Moment for the Catholic Church?

John Gehring 4-23-2010

These are dark days for Catholics and our church. The clergy sexual abuse scandals are a source of profound pain and raw anger.

Fight or Die: How to Lose Friends and Irritate People

Jarrod McKenna 4-21-2010

This video clip by The Work of The People is going to upset a lot of people.

30 Years of Zimbabwean Independence: Promises of Hope and 'Acts of Madness'

Nontando Hadebe 4-20-2010

Thirty years ago on April 18^th, Zimbabwe celebrated independence and started a new chapter in its political history, full of promise and hope.

Putting 'Collateral Murder' in Full Context: Rotten Fruit and the Tree From Which It Fell

Josh Stieber 4-19-2010

Recently, Wikileaks, an online whistleblower site, released a video which was dubbed "Collateral Murder." I write as a former member of the Infantry c

The Oklahoma City Bombing Anniversary and Home-Grown Terrorism

Jim Wallis 4-19-2010

Today, April 19, is the 15^th anniversary of one of the most heinous acts of domestic terrorism -- the bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building -- which killed 168 people, many of th

Beyond Anti-War: Nonviolence in Our Neighborhoods

Andrew Wilkes 4-16-2010

This semester at Princeton Seminary, I am taking a course on War and Christian Conscience.

This Palestinian Life: Stories of Nonviolent Resistance

Ryan Rodrick Beiler 4-14-2010

Last weekend I was at a family reunion where I had been invited to show pictures from my sabbatical in the Middle East last spring.

Tragic Anniversaries and Embodying Resurrection Hope

Ruth Hawley-Lowry 4-12-2010

This week is a confluence of anniversaries. April 7 was the 16^th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda where more than 800,000 died in a few days.

Nonviolence: What About Hitler?

Rose Marie Berger 4-12-2010

In any in-depth conversation about the effectiveness of nonviolence as a strategy, this question always comes up: Would these nonviolent strategies have worked against the Nazis?

Presidents' Plans and Precedents for Peace in the Middle East

Ryan Rodrick Beiler 4-09-2010

Several sources have recommended this commentary by M.J. Rosenberg at Media Matters as a helpful analysis of the new "Obama Peace Plan" for the Middle East.

The Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse Scandal and the Paradoxical Legacy of Pope John Paul II

Cesar Baldelomar 4-08-2010

The Catholic church is reeling from the several sexual abuse allegations that have come to light over the past three months. Downplaying the severity of this scandal will only further damage the already beleaguered church's image and credibility. Many in the media blame Pope Benedict XVI for the mismanagement of the sexual abuse crisis.