Fr. John Dear’s new book, his life’s work, “The Gospel of Peace: A Commentary on Matthew, Mark and Luke from the Perspective of Nonviolence” is now available from Orbis Books. It is the first ever commentary on the Synoptic Gospels from the perspective of active nonviolence, in the tradition of Gandhi and Dr. King. In this new and original work, he walks us through every line of the three synoptic Gospels pointing out Jesus’ practice and teachings of nonviolence each step of the way and invites us to become practitioners of creative nonviolence like Jesus.
“The Gospel of Peace” starts with Matthew, and focuses on the Sermon on the Mount as the centerpiece and basis for everything that Jesus does. He calls it the greatest teachings on nonviolence in history, and proposes we use it as a how-to manual, as Gandhi did. Then we move on to Mark as an action thriller of nonviolence, where Jesus engages in non-stop nonviolent resistance to systemic injustice and empire. Next in Luke, we hear a call to service, compassion and solidarity with the poor, as Jesus acts like a classic movement organizer like Gandhi and King. He launches a grassroots campaign of nonviolence to Jerusalem, by sending out 72 nonviolence trained disciples as “lambs into the midst of wolves” until he arrives in Jerusalem and engages in civil disobedience in the Temple. Not only is Jesus meticulously nonviolent through his action, arrest, trial, torture and execution, but in his resurrection he returns to his friends as gentle and nonviolent as ever, and sends them forth to carry on his global grassroots campaign of nonviolence to the ends of the earth.
Dear’s Jesus is like Gandhi and Dr. King—nonviolent to the core, a disarming, healing presence toward those in need and a revolutionary disrupter of the unjust status quo and a political threat to the ruling authorities who succeed in killing him, only to push Jesus to the heights of nonviolence through his death and resurrection. This original commentary brings a fresh new approach to the Gospels that will help all those who preach and engage in social ministries, and inspire everyone in this time of permanent warfare, gun violence, racism, poverty, nuclear threat and climate change to join Jesus’ ongoing global movement for justice, disarmament and creation.
To order copies at the discounted price, call Orbis Books at 1-800-258-5838 and give the promo code: “JDT”
Also available from www.amazon.com
