John Stedman is a community organizer for JONAH - Joining Our Neighbors Advancing Hope, which is a grandchild of the national organization called Gamaliel, an effort to promote activism from a congregational base. John's journey to activism started with a father working for the UN, life and study in Kenya, alcoholism & fishing, and a daughter who got him back to church.
Spirit in Action
Each week, Spirit In Action brings you stories of people living lives of fruitful service, of peace, community, compassion, creative action and progressive efforts. We will trace the spiritual roots that support and nourish them in their service. Above all, we will seek out Light, Love and Helping Hands, being shared between our many neighbors on this planet, hoping to inspire and encourage you to sink deep roots and produce sacred fruit in your own life.
Spirit In Action is an hour of interviews with those providing leadership in peace, justice and "good works", interspersed with relevant music. The theme music is "The Turning of the World" performed by Sara Thomsen (written by Ruth Pellham).
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Toward Taking Away the Occasion of Abortion - Rachel MacNair and Stan Becker
A thoughtful dialog about abortion, peace witness and care for creation. Guests are Rachel MacNair, Phd. in Psychology and undergraduate in Peace & Conflict Studies, and Stan Becker, Phd. in Demographics at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, where he is currently professor in the Dept of Population, Family and Reproductive Health.
Charlie King - A Voice for Peace and Justice
Charlie King has been performing music since he was four, eventually finding a home with folk music. A lifelong Roman (or roaming) Catholic, he morphed from a Goldwater supporter in 1964 to an anti-war protester by 1967, and he's been an outspoken voice for peace and justice ever since.
Listening for Light in Rwanda
David Thomas has a passion for discerning God's will, and he's shared that drive with the Friends Church in Rwanda. Ending up in Rwanda is a result of his practical encounter with discernment as he and his wife, Debby, sought clearness on where they were called in mission - could they really be called to genocide-torn Rwanda?
Vets Fast for Peace - Antiwar Thanksgiving
Elliott Adams, a past president of the Veterans for Peace, was part of a Thanksgiving fast for peace in Syracuse, NY, protesting the USA's use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (aka drones). Elliott was an enthusiastic volunteer during the Vietnam War, so he speaks powerfully of his journey from war and into peace work.
Saving Paradise - Reclaiming Christianity from Empire
Rita Nakashima Brock is co-author of Saving Paradise: How Christianity Traded Love of This World for Crucifixion and Empire, tracing how the radically pacifist Christianity of the first centuries was corrupted to support violence and empire.
Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer - A Government of Justice and Peace
Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, assistant professor of Justice & Peace Studies at the University of St Thomas, spoke at the 2009 Ways of Peace conference sponsored by Friends for a Non-violent World. He's got an insightful and practical theology of transformation for our world which fueled his run for the Democratic nomination for the US Senate.
Holistic Development Mission in Rwanda - Debby Thomas
Missionary doing holistic development in Rwanda? To a lot of folks almost any other destination might have seemed preferable to God's call for Debby & David Thomas to become missionaries in Rwanda just after the genocide of1994.
The Wisdom To Know The Difference - Eileen Flanagan
Eileen Flanagan shares insights & stories of lives heading toward serenity, empowerment and wisdom. A writer, mother and former Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana, Eileen draws on deep spirit and wide ranging vision to help us make decisions leading to a better world.
Norman Morrison's Self-immolation - Anne Morrison Welsh
Anne Morrison Welsh was left with 3 kids when Norman Morrison self-immolated in protest of the Vietnam War on 11/2/1965. Anne has written "Held in the Light: Norman Morrison's Sacrifice for Peace and His Family's Journey of Healing" about her experience. It has included continued peace work, a visit to Vietnam, and continued growth and insight.