November 9, 2026 – This Week’s Episode
Episode #98, John Dear Speaks with John Ashworth on his journey toward nonviolence in Sudan
On today’s episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John Dear reflects with John Ashworth on his lifelong work for peace in Sudan. They discuss his new book, Journeying Towards Nonviolence: My life in Sudan. Originally from England, John has worked since 1982 with the church in Sudan and South Sudan, teaching and doing humanitarian work. For the last twenty years, he has been doing fulltime advocacy for peace and reconciliation. They met in Rome at the first Vatican conference on nonviolence in 2016. A former priest, John Ashworth recently retired with his wife Jane to rural Kenya. His books include Faith on the Margins; Stop Fighting, Start Talking; and The Voice of the Voiceless: The Role of the Church in the Sudanese Civil War 1983-2005.
More than 2.5 million people have been killed or died from conflict-related starvation and disease in Sudan and South Sudan in recent decades.
John Ashworth describes his years in the warzones of Sudan: “We were living on the front lines for many years with regular shellings and raids. We were kidnapped, taken hostage, sentenced to death and faced a firing squad. If I had a firearm, I would be dead. They were ready to kill, and I wasn’t. I survived because of dialogue; instead of challenging them, I was compliant, calm, peaceful, friendly, and built a relationship with them.
“What is going on in Sudan is connected with you whether you like or not. Training in nonviolence is now happening everywhere in South Sudan. We now have the language and theology of nonviolence. If nonviolence can work in Sudan, it can work anywhere. Defending Jesus with violence from being arrested, tortured and murdered seems justified, but Jesus doesn’t win by violence, only by nonviolence. We can live with nonviolence because the strength of the resurrection is greater than violence and death.” Listen in and be inspired!
November 16, 2026 – This Week’s Episode
Episode #99, John Dear reflects on the Book of Jonah, the story of the Whale, the call to Repent, and the compassion and mercy of God
On today’s episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John Dear talks about the book of Jonah and its three acts—first, how God tells him to march through Nineveh and call the people to repent, how Jonah runs away, catches the next ship out, is thrown overboard, swallowed by a whale, turns to God in prayer and is finally released.Next, Jonah walks through the great capital city of his hated enemy, Ninevah, calls them to repent, and lo and behold!, the whole city repents in sackcloth and ashes, fasts and prays, and eventually learns to live in peace with God.
In the final comical act, Jonah responds to God’s compassion by throwing a temper tantrum! “I knew you were kind and gracious and merciful,” he complains to God. He goes off and sulks and begs for death. The gentle, merciful God tries to reason with him, asking, “Isn’t it right that I care for the 120,000 people of Nineveh, who don’t know their right hand from their left, not to mention the cattle?”
It’s one of the shortest and greatest books of the Bible, but it throws a great challenge at us. If God was upset with the violent people of Nineveh, what must the God of peace think about America, its permanent warfare, corporate greed, racism, executions, fascism and plans to destroy the planet with nuclear weapons, AI and fossil fuels?
“We don’t want to end up like Jonah, bitter, resentful and vindictive,” John concludes. “We want to repent of the social sin of war and spend the rest of our lives celebrating God’s kindness, forgiveness, compassion and universal love, and get on with the mission of peace that God gives us. In the end, we find that it’s more pleasant to be people of peace and nonviolence than sitting under our dead gourd tree, nursing our rage, feeling depressed and begging for death.” Listen in and be inspired!
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John Dear’s new book
Universal Love:
Surrendering to the God of Peace
By John Dear
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Available from www.orbisbooks.com or call 1-800-258-5838, or Amazon.com
November 9, 2026 – This Week’s Episode
Episode #98, John Dear Speaks with John Ashworth on his journey toward nonviolence in Sudan
On today’s episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John Dear reflects with John Ashworth on his lifelong work for peace in Sudan. They discuss his new book, Journeying Towards Nonviolence: My life in Sudan. Originally from England, John has worked since 1982 with the church in Sudan and South Sudan, teaching and doing humanitarian work. For the last twenty years, he has been doing fulltime advocacy for peace and reconciliation. They met in Rome at the first Vatican conference on nonviolence in 2016. A former priest, John Ashworth recently retired with his wife Jane to rural Kenya. His books include Faith on the Margins; Stop Fighting, Start Talking; and The Voice of the Voiceless: The Role of the Church in the Sudanese Civil War 1983-2005.
More than 2.5 million people have been killed or died from conflict-related starvation and disease in Sudan and South Sudan in recent decades.
John Ashworth describes his years in the warzones of Sudan: “We were living on the front lines for many years with regular shellings and raids. We were kidnapped, taken hostage, sentenced to death and faced a firing squad. If I had a firearm, I would be dead. They were ready to kill, and I wasn’t. I survived because of dialogue; instead of challenging them, I was compliant, calm, peaceful, friendly, and built a relationship with them.
“What is going on in Sudan is connected with you whether you like or not. Training in nonviolence is now happening everywhere in South Sudan. We now have the language and theology of nonviolence. If nonviolence can work in Sudan, it can work anywhere. Defending Jesus with violence from being arrested, tortured and murdered seems justified, but Jesus doesn’t win by violence, only by nonviolence. We can live with nonviolence because the strength of the resurrection is greater than violence and death.” Listen in and be inspired!
November 16, 2026 – This Week’s Episode
Episode #99, John Dear reflects on the Book of Jonah, the story of the Whale, the call to Repent, and the compassion and mercy of God
On today’s episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John Dear talks about the book of Jonah and its three acts—first, how God tells him to march through Nineveh and call the people to repent, how Jonah runs away, catches the next ship out, is thrown overboard, swallowed by a whale, turns to God in prayer and is finally released.Next, Jonah walks through the great capital city of his hated enemy, Ninevah, calls them to repent, and lo and behold!, the whole city repents in sackcloth and ashes, fasts and prays, and eventually learns to live in peace with God.
In the final comical act, Jonah responds to God’s compassion by throwing a temper tantrum! “I knew you were kind and gracious and merciful,” he complains to God. He goes off and sulks and begs for death. The gentle, merciful God tries to reason with him, asking, “Isn’t it right that I care for the 120,000 people of Nineveh, who don’t know their right hand from their left, not to mention the cattle?”
It’s one of the shortest and greatest books of the Bible, but it throws a great challenge at us. If God was upset with the violent people of Nineveh, what must the God of peace think about America, its permanent warfare, corporate greed, racism, executions, fascism and plans to destroy the planet with nuclear weapons, AI and fossil fuels?
“We don’t want to end up like Jonah, bitter, resentful and vindictive,” John concludes. “We want to repent of the social sin of war and spend the rest of our lives celebrating God’s kindness, forgiveness, compassion and universal love, and get on with the mission of peace that God gives us. In the end, we find that it’s more pleasant to be people of peace and nonviolence than sitting under our dead gourd tree, nursing our rage, feeling depressed and begging for death.” Listen in and be inspired!
Listen on Apple, Spotify, all major platforms,
and the National Catholic Reporter
Listen on Apple, Spotify, all major platforms,
and the National Catholic Reporter