Undaunted: Conversations with Radical Peacemakers

This month marks five years since 2020 and a summer of protest across the world for Black lives, dignity, and justice. There was a lot of hope during that summer—hope that our communities would begin to ask questions about our history; pursue lasting, structural changes to our society; and begin to take serious steps towards true repair.In the years since, we've worked hard at Telos to create space for this work through our ReStory US Program. In this episode, we have a conversation in review of what the past 5 years have meant for that program and for our nation: Where have we seen it work, how has the world changed around it, and what might be its future as we continue to face mounting challenges to honest conversations about race, history, and justice in this country. We were delighted to have Director of US Programming, Dr. DeSean Dyson, Telos' co-founder and Executive Director, Todd Deatherage, and former Director of ReStory US and current Sprout NOLA Co-Executive Director, Administration and Operations, Yvonne Therese Holden, with us for this important conversation.--If you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Sprout NOLAYvonne's Video Game Recommendation: South of Midnight

We have a new ambassador in town. Earlier this month, the US Senate confirmed former Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, as US Ambassador to Israel. As Ambassador, Huckabee is expected to endorse policies that forcibly promote Israeli government priorities. He has been quoted saying, “there is no such thing as a Palestinian” and that the West Bank is “Judea and Samaria,” a term used by Israeli settlers (and increasingly American Christian leaders) who claim ownership of the land based on their Biblical interpretations.Huckabee, and millions of American Christians like him, champion a theology of Christian Zionism, which prioritizes Jewish ownership of the land between the Jordan river and the Mediterranean Sea by any means necessary.This week, we discuss what that means, especially for the future of the millions of Palestinian in the West Bank, who are facing the most extreme circumstances of violence and displacement seen for decades. And we hear a special, bittersweet update from our colleague Sarah Sturm at the end of the show.  --If you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Read Greg's op-ed on the embassy move to Jerusalem circa 2016

What does US history have to tell us about what's happening in Israel/Palestine? Last month, a cadre of four Palestinian theologians—the next generation of scholars and activists and social scientists—joined us in an exploration of US history and how its legacies carry us to the present. These legacies exist as both currents of deep injustice, and as the wellsprings of joy that sprung out of the communities who resisted that injustice and emerged with their humanity intact.In this episode, we hear from ReStory US Director Dr. DeSean Dyson and participant Daniel Bannoura, co-host of the Across The Divide podcast, about the experience. We chart some of the connections between the forces of oppression and dehumanization across both contexts. We discuss how understanding history in context actually makes us better prepared to promote human flourishing and be more "fully human." And we celebrate the solidarity, connection, and humanity that emerges out of this work. --Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or SpotifyIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking --Listen to Daniel's podcast, Across the DivideLearn more about and register for the Church at the Crossroads conference

In the past year, Telos has launched a new peacemaking travel experience in Ireland & Northern Ireland, to see what we can learn from the history, movement, and current reality of the conflict in Northern Ireland, and how we can support the work of true justice and peace in the area.While we're still in the early stages of this program,  we traveled with 5 different groups in 2024—and there's already a lot we've learned. In this episode, we hear from Eli Philip, our staff member who runs these trips, on what you might expect from the trip as far as itinerary and locations.Then we hear from two of our board members who have both recently traveled with us to Ireland & Northern Ireland, Bretta Warren-Kim and Ainka Jackson, about their experiences—what they saw and felt, how it changed their perspective of peacemaking, and why they believe it's important to engage this story as Americans. If you are interested, we have open spots on our upcoming Ireland & Northern Ireland trip, September 5th - 13th. Go to our website to get all the details. You can register there, or click on “Ask a Question” to contact us and find out more. Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifyIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Join us in September in Ireland & Northern Ireland

Mahmoud Khalil, a legal resident and green-card holder, was arrested without charge or warrant on private grounds for his activism during last year's encampments in protest of the genocide in Gaza. He is currently detained in Louisiana, alongside a number of other legal residents and foreign national scholars who have also been arrested and detained without charge—including Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish student of Tufts University who was arrested by plain clothes officers in plain sight over the weekend. On what legal grounds are his, Rumeysa, and others' arrests—or rather their abductions, as Greg puts it—sitting on? What does it mean for the status of free speech in our country and the protection of our constitutional rights? And what is our job right now as peacemakers to uphold the constitutional and human rights of all in the interest of our democracy and freedoms? We discuss some tangible next steps, essential talking points, and joint strategies for what to do. These are urgent times—yet they are full of opportunities for peacemakers to show up for justice, peace, and human rights. --If you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Read Mahmoud Khalil's letter from his detention center in Louisiana and watch his arrest. Watch Rumeysa Ozturk's arrest in Boston.

Since January 19th, when the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect, a lot has continued to unfold on the ground. While for the first time in 15 months a path out of the horrific violence seems possible, we know it is far from the end of the road towards a sustainable future of peace and justice for Israelis and Palestinians. Since the ceasefire we've seen violence expand across the West Bank, a new US Administration take power, and laws negatively impacting humanitarian aid take effect. We've also seen Israeli hostages being reunited with their loved ones, and Palestinian families across Gaza returning to their destroyed homes. It's been an emotional few weeks. Join the Telos team as we discuss state and settler violence across the West Bank, the current threat to UNRWA, and the actions and implications of the new Trump Administration and American rhetoric and power shaping the region. --Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or SpotifyIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking 

Telos recently led a ReStory US trip to the city of Charleston, South Carolina. Through our ReStory program we are working together to repair our home by knowing, owning, and writing a more honest American story. This conversation with Dr. DeSean Dyson and Dr. Otis Pickett unpacks some of the unique history of Charleston, and lessons, insights, and stories that can help our work of ReStorying our own communities, regardless of where we live. Our conversation touches on the history of Christian implication in injustice as well as Christian resistance to it, the importance of seeking out diverse historical narratives, and why history is critical to understanding the context today. With it, we can own our agency to act in imaginative and creative ways in pursuit of true and lasting peace.Read and share the Principles and Practices of PeacemakingJoin the Telos Learning CorpsFrom DeSean and Otis:40 Acres and a LiePurpose That Prevails (Dr. Otis' podcast)Liberia, South CarolinaVoices of Black South CarolinaBlack CharlestoniansIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Cities across America have boulevards named after him. The nation celebrates his life and legacy every year in January. Washington, D.C. boasts a massive monument of his likeness. Even so, most Americans have no idea that Martin Luther King Jr. was widely despised during this life and decades after his death. On this MLK Jr. Day, it's important to go "beyond the quotable King," as historian and author Jemar Tisby, PhD compels us.In this conversation, Jemar unpacks that history and his newest book, "The Spirit of Justice: True Stories of Faith, Race, and Resistance." In it, we also talk about the "great man myth" and the centrality of Coretta Scott King, not only to Martin's activism, but also to the broader civil rights movement. And we end with an important conversation on the opportunities before all of us today to pursue justice in the moment we're entering.--Purchase "The Spirit of Justice: True Stories of Faith, Race, and Resistance" by Dr. Jemar TisbyLeave a rating and review of The Telos Channel on Apple Podcasts or SpotifyIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos Newsletter

What roles can and should women play in peacemaking movements? How can we connect the struggle for justice across contexts in a way that furthers the work of mutual flourishing and collective liberation? What does it mean to be an effective ally, advocate, and friend?This week, we are joined by our friend, author, preacher, trainer, liturgist, activist Sandra Van Opstal. Sandra is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Chasing Justice, a movement led by people of color to mobilize a lifestyle of faith and justice. Sandra recently joined the And Still We Rise Conference put together by our friends at CMEP, a conference intentionally created by and for women. After two trips to the region this year, one with Telos in May, and this recent one in November, Sandra shares with us what it looks like to be an effective advocate for our friends in Israel/Palestine, especially in this horrific moment. --Learn more about Chasing Justice If you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking

No one could have predicted what happened in Syria last week. After more than half a century of rule and thirteen years of a bloody war, the Assad regime fell.Across the world, Syrian communities erupted in celebration at seeing the brutal, dictatorial regime end, many quickly filling the roads back to Damascus and the city squares across large portions of the country to gather in freedom for the first time in decades.Many of us watching are asking: what does this mean for the region? Who is this group taking power? And what if this means things are going to get worse? This week, we hosted a conversation between guest host Sarah Sturm and two Syrian-Americans to discuss the events—including their reactions to hearing the news, what it might mean for them and their communities, and how to support Syrians as they embark on a journey of writing a new future for their country.Our first guest is Syrian-American musician, novelist, and political commentator Paul Nabil Matthis, and our second is actually your host - David Katibah!--Follow Paul on Instagram A faction cheat-sheet by Paul Nabil MatthisSyria Live MapIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking

With Christmas on the horizon, what does it look like to not just take the Advent stories seriously, but also the land out of which they came?In this episode, we invite our listeners who come from the Christian tradition to encounter a new lens on Advent that recognizes the geographic, political, and economic landscapes out of which it emerged—landscapes whose terrain echoes across millennia to bring us to today, a Holy Land enveloped in war, occupation, and a desperate need for hope.Kelley Nikondeha, author of the brilliant book, "The First Advent in Palestine: Reversals, Resistance, and the Ongoing Complexity of Hope," joins us to invite us into this new lens. She helps us ask essential questions, like what was the story behind the story of the Advent narratives, how can they help us understand and engage with the modern realities of injustice and violence facing the Bethlehem community today, and how can we ask that most crucial question of the narratives: whose peace, and at what cost? --Purchase “The First Advent in Palestine” by Kelley Nikondeha If you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking

What does it take to be humanely happy? Perhaps it's the very journey of the peacemaker that helps us discover the answer to this question, and it might not be the journey you would expect. Theologian, author, and peacemaker Andrew DeCort details this journey in his new abundantly profound and copiously beautiful book, “Blessed Are the Others: Jesus' Way in a Violent World."Through the nine-part movement known as the Beatitudes—the introduction to Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount—Andrew helps us see that the pathway to "human happiness" is actually the pathway to peacemaking, but it doesn't come without a cost. Through his own experiences of building a massive peacemaking movement to having to flee a country that had become his home as it plunged into civil war, he helps us learn how to walk this path with him—not in fear, but in new purpose and joy. It's a chillingly challenging and beautiful episode you don't want to miss. --Purchase “Blessed Are the Others” by Andrew DeCort Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or SpotifyIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking 

Before we can hope to heal our world, we must first learn to see it how it actually is. By listening to understand, we cultivate our curiosity while surfacing the motivations and views that underlie the issues that divide us. But what does this look like in practice?Over the past weeks, we've focused on individuals and organizations who model how holding perspectives in tension allows us to engage the views and experiences of others, even and especially, when they do not reconcile with our own. Today, we pick up on when and how to add our voices to the conversation. Our guest this week is Ashlee Eiland. Ashlee is a thought leader, writer, and Bible teacher who exists to join in God's redemptive work on earth. Her new book, “Say Good: Speaking Across Hot Topics, Complex Relationships, and Tense Situations,” invites us to discover the power of stewarding our unique voice, through a four-part discernment process—through passion, accountability, influence, and relationship—to understand the spaces, ways, and times where our words are needed. --Learn more about "Say Good" and get a copy of the bookRead and share the Principles and Practices of PeacemakingJoin the Telos Learning CorpsIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Before we can hope to heal our world, we must first learn to see it how it actually is. By listening to understand, we cultivate our curiosity while surfacing the motivations and views that underlie the issues that divide us. But what does this look like in practice?Over the next few weeks, we're focusing our Learning Corps series on individuals and organizations who recognize that my story is not the only story, and model how holding perspectives in tension allows us to engage the views and experiences of others, even and especially when they do not reconcile with our own. Our guest this week is Ayanna Behin. Ayanna is the Director of Training and Conflict Consulting at the New York Peace Institute, an organization committed to promoting peace in communities and doing work around mediation, conflict coaching, group facilitation, and restorative justice. In our conversation, Ayanna shares about the New York Peace Institute's work equipping communities with the skills necessary to transform conflict from something destructive to a process where ultimately communities emerge strengthened. --Visit the New York Peace Institute WebsiteRead and share the Principles and Practices of PeacemakingJoin the Telos Learning CorpsIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Before we can hope to heal our world, we must first learn to see it how it actually is. By listening to understand, we cultivate our curiosity while surfacing the motivations and views that underlie the issues that divide us. But what does this look like in practice?Over the next few weeks, we're focusing our Learning Corps series on individuals and organizations who recognize that my story is not the only story, and model how holding perspectives in tension allows us to engage the views and experiences of others, even and especially when they do not reconcile with our own. Our guest this week is Sami DiPasquale. Sami is the Founder and Director of Abara, a nonprofit based in El Paso, Texas serving both sides of the US-Mexico border. In our conversation, Sami shares about Abara's work inspiring connections beyond borders through mutual understanding, education, and meaningful action. --Visit Abara's websiteRead and share the Principles and Practices of PeacemakingJoin the Telos Learning CorpsIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

It's been a whole year. A whole year since the region was upended by the violent attacks of October 7, and the 365 days of onslaught on Gaza. Now expanded into Lebanon. What has it meant for our friends in the region? And what can we do in this moment to support them? This week, we hear from our dear friend Robi Damelin, who is a peacemaker, internationally renowned speaker, and mother. Robi shares with us what she's been up to in this past year with the Parents Circle, how we can support their work, and some of the places she's finding inspiration and hope, without shying away from the difficulty and despair of the moment. --Check out the new Parent's Circle resource "Listening from the Heart"Read and share the Principles and Practices of PeacemakingIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

It's been one year. A whole year since the region was upended by the violent attacks of October 7, and 365 days of merciless onslaught on Gaza, now expanded into Lebanon. What has it meant for our friends in the region? And what can we do in this moment to support them? This week, we hear from former Telos Israel/Palestine Director and dear friend of ours, Jack Saba. He shares with us his reflections on the past year, and challenges us to remain the kinds of people who act in hope in the midst of crisis. Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifyIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Learn more about Hilweh Market 

This week, we were joined by the pastor of City Bible Church of Beirut, Marwan Aboul-Zelof. He gives us an on-the-ground perspective of what's happening in Beirut right now (recorded Friday Sept. 27, before the Israeli invasion or the Iranian strikes on Israel). Pastor Aboul-Zelof has been living in Lebanon for eight years, and his church was the closest church to the Beirut port explosion. He offers witness to the immense suffering the Lebanese people have experienced over many years, especially over the past few weeks. And he shares with us the opportunity we have as Americans to participate in the work of justice and peace.We know the situation on the ground is changing in real time. We will have further conversations with other experts on the issue to come. --Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or SpotifyIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of PeacemakingFollow Marwan Aboul-Zelof on Twitter and Instagram

Women are often at the forefront of effective nonviolent movements for peace and justice across the world. But their stories are often not the ones being told in mainstream spaces.Over the next few weeks, we're focusing our next Learning Corps series on women who embody what it means to embrace nonviolence as a courageous and countercultural way of life. We'll tell the stories of individuals committed to the work of nonviolence, which we describe as “creative and clear resistance to injustice” rooted in an ethic of love—both Israeli and Palestinian.Our guest this week is Rula Salameh. Rula is a veteran journalist, community organizer, and the Education and Outreach Director in Palestine for Just Vision, an organization that fills a media gap on Israel-Palestine through independent storytelling and strategic audience engagement. Rula discuses Just Vision's film "Naila and the Uprising" and the power of storytelling when it comes to centering the roles women have historically played in Palestinian nonviolence movements. By diving into the stories of the past, we gain new imagination about the roles women can play in the present and future as we cultivate imaginations of what nonviolence can look like, as we commit to transforming the immediate violence on the ground. -- Watch Naila and the UprisingCheck out Just Vision's ResourcesRead and share the Principles and Practices of PeacemakingJoin the Telos Learning CorpsIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

We have an invitation for you, your church, and your faith communities. Join us Sunday, October 6th for a Global Sunday of Mutual Flourishing. After almost an entire year of witness and reflection, the time is now to speak with a collective voice for the sake of peace. Todd Deatherage is joined by Telos alum Mike Goldsworthy to discuss how you can join us to use your platforms and pulpits, your prayers and liturgies, your voices and instruments, to honor the victims of war, lament the indignity of violence, and plant the seeds of peace.--Learn more about the Global Sunday of Mutual FlourishingLeave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or SpotifyIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking 

Women are often at the forefront of effective nonviolent movements for peace and justice across the world. But their stories are often not the ones being told in mainstream spaces.Over the next few weeks, we're focusing our next Learning Corps series on women who embody what it means to embrace nonviolence as a courageous and countercultural way of life. We'll tell the stories of individuals committed to the work of nonviolence, which we describe as “creative and clear resistance to injustice” rooted in an ethic of love—both Israeli and Palestinian.Our guest this week is Noam Shuster-Eliassi. Noam is an Israeli comedian and activist, who models why relationships across lines of difference are foundational to peacemaking, as she uses humor to call out violence and injustice. Noam shares about the challenges of being a peacemaker in this moment and invites us into an embodied vision for mutual flourishing where we have to be ready to continue advocating "the day after" the immediate violence ends. --Follow Noam on Instagram Watch the documentary about Noam, Reckoning with LaughterRead and share the Principles and Practices of PeacemakingJoin the Telos Learning CorpsIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Women are often at the forefront of effective nonviolent movements for peace and justice across the world. But their stories are often not the ones being told in mainstream spaces.Over the next few weeks, we're focusing our next Learning Corps series on women who embody what it means to embrace nonviolence as a courageous and countercultural way of life. We'll tell the stories of individuals committed to the work of nonviolence, which we describe as “creative and clear resistance to injustice” rooted in an ethic of love—both Israeli and Palestinian.Our guests this week are Rana Salman and Eszter Koranyi. They are the Palestinian and Israeli Executive Directors of Combatants for Peace, an organization of Palestinians and Israelis working in solidarity to end the occupation and all forms of oppression, guided by the values of nonviolent resistance, and showing themselves and the world there is another way possible. They share their personal stories of discovering the power of nonviolence to enact lasting change, about the costs of committing to nonviolence in a world that seeks easy answers, and about the possibility of mutual flourishing in the region—even right now. --Learn more about Combatants for PeaceRead and share the Principles and Practices of PeacemakingJoin the Telos Learning CorpsIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Women are often at the forefront of effective nonviolent movements for peace and justice across the world. But their stories are often not the ones being told in mainstream spaces.Over the next few weeks, we're focusing our next Learning Corps series on women who embody what it means to embrace nonviolence as a courageous and countercultural way of life. We'll tell the stories of individuals committed to the work of nonviolence, which we describe as “creative and clear resistance to injustice” rooted in an ethic of love—both Israeli and Palestinian.Our first guest is Shadia Qubti, a Palestinian Christian who has worked in peace building and advocacy initiatives for 15 years. She is particularly focused on amplifying the voices and perspectives of women and other minorities in a variety of ways, one of which was in the Women Behind the Wall podcast. Shadia was born and raised in Nazareth, and has degrees from Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Trinity College Dublin, and Vancouver School of Theology.--Read and share the Principles and Practices of PeacemakingJoin the Telos Learning CorpsIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or SpotifyLearn more about Women Behind The Wall PodcastLearn more about Shadia's researchRead Shadia's hymn, Keeper of Justice

Perhaps one of the most contested terms when it comes to talking about Israel/Palestine. Many in our network ask: What does “apartheid” really mean? Is it a fair word to use in this context? If so, why is there such a strong reaction to it? And how might it shape the engagement of peacemakers like us, who are working to build a future where Israelis and Palestinians can flourish in equal measure?This week, we brought in our Israel/Palestine team to discuss this important conversation. --Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or SpotifyIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking

This week, the largest “pro-Israel” lobbying organization is hosting its annual conference. Featuring politicians, commentators, and religious leaders, the Christians United For Israel annual summit will represent the convictions and policy interests of more than 10 million Christians in the US, according to the CUFI website. We're here to talk about it. Who is CUFI, what do we need to know about the ideology of Christian Zionism it is driven by, what difference does it make in the region, and what can those who come from Christian communities do to help build a posture on I/P rooted in love of God and neighbor.In this episode, we were joined by special guest Michelle Graham. Michelle is an ordained pastor, author, and hospital chaplain from Raleigh, North Carolina, who has joined Telos on a number of trips to Israel/Palestine and done graduate work on the questions around the theology of Christian Zionism.--Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or SpotifyIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Resources to learn more: See the Theology section of this list Christianity Today graphic

What will it take to address gun violence in America, and what might peacemaking have to say about it? These last few weeks, we have taken some time to hear from visionary peacemakers addressing the issue in creative, imaginative ways. In the last podcast of this series, we are joined by our good friends from the Selma Center for Nonviolence, Truth, and Reconciliation. Ainka Sanders Jackson and Lydia Chatmon share with us what these three values mean within the context of gun violence. They explain the racial and economic layers that are at the root of gun violence in America, and offer us a restorative pathway forward. Chatmon and Jackson call us to interrogate where we are complicit in these realities, but they also remind us of our agency and responsibility to be a part of the solution. While this conversation was recorded over a year ago, we think it remains a helpful resource for folks looking for accessible entry points into the conversation of gun violence. Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroupIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifySubscribe to the Telos NewsletterLearn more about the Selma Center for Nonviolence, Truth, and Reconciliation

What will it take to address gun violence in America, and what might peacemaking have to say about it? These next few weeks, we're taking some time to hear from visionary peacemakers addressing the issue in creative, imaginative ways. Our second guest is Michael Allen, co-founder and co-CEO of Together Chicago, a cross-sectional organization that exists to be a catalyst for lasting change by reducing gun violence and increasing thriving communities. Together Chicago works through a Christian faith lens and focuses on five areas: economic development, educational achievement, violence reduction, gospel justice and faith-community mobilizationWhile this conversation was recorded over a year ago, we think it remains a helpful resource for folks looking for accessible entry points into the conversation of gun violence. Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroupIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifySubscribe to the Telos NewsletterLearn more about Together Chicago

Telos' Co-founder and President Greg Khalil is spending the rest of 2024 on a sabbatical from Telos. In this conversation, we get the chance to hear from him one last time before the long break. He speaks honestly about the crisis continuing to unfold, its risk of escalation, and the horror that it has brought on everyone in the region, particularly on those in Gaza. He also inspires us to be a people of action, to be people who don't wait for charismatic leaders to take the helm to get to work, but to steer the ship ourselves toward greater justice, freedom, and peace for all of us. We will miss Greg's leadership on this show and on our team, but we know he is inviting each and every one of us to own our power in this moment to build a world where all of us can flourish. So let's get to work alongside him. --Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or SpotifyIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking

What will it take to address gun violence in America, and what might peacemaking have to say about it? These next few weeks, as we close out Gun Violence Prevention Month this June, we're taking some time to hear from the visionary peacemakers addressing the issue in creative, imaginative ways. Our first guest is Mike Martin, the Founder and Executive Director of RAW Tools. RAW Tools turns guns into garden tools (and other lovely things), resourcing communities with nonviolent confrontation skills in an effort to turn stories of violence into stories of creation. As they say it, they disarm hearts to forge peace. Mike is also the co-author of Beating Guns with Shane Claiborne, which discusses how our nation, and especially communities of Christian peacemakers, can transform the violence of guns into healing, generation, and life. While this conversation was recorded over a year ago, we felt the time was finally right to share, and we didn't want to sit on it any longer. This conversation is rich with policy analysis, theological framing, and personal stories, and we think you'll be powerfully inspired by it. Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Join the Telos Learning Corps If you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifyLearn more about RAWToolsRead “Beating Guns: Hope for a People Who Are Weary of Violence”

On June 11th, many of us from the Christian tradition gathered together for an evening of lament and repentance in Washington, DC. A night to grieve, but also to transform our grief into the work of imagining a new world and beginning to build it together. We heard prayers of lament, participated in a corporate confession, and opened our hearts to hear an important message from Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, Palestinian Lutheran pastor and academic. Ultimately, we ended the service with a commissioning to live and act in hopeful ways, to begin the work of “praying with our feet,” as Frederick Douglas said. In this episode, you'll find the major portions of the service. Lament and repentance is not easy work. But it's healing work. And it's the beginning of honest and effective action. We hope you'll join us in it.Watch the full show on YouTube--Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifyIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking 

Nearly 8 months after October 7, what message do the Palestinians and Israelis living in the land have for those of us watching from the US?A group of about a dozen faith leaders traveled with Telos last week to meet with our partners on the ground—to mourn with them, to stand in solidarity and compassion with them, and to return with fresh courage to embrace the work of peacemaking and bring their message back to us.In today's episode, we hear from two of the participants on that trip, Todd Deatherage and Amy Graham, Pastor of Spiritual Care at The District Church in Washington, D.C. They share what they saw and heard, how they're carrying it with them, and what we need to know about how best to support an end to the atrocities ongoing today. We need the new imagination they're offering us in this episode if we are to do the work of peace in our neighborhoods, and in our nation, in this critical moment. Lean in and imagine with them. --Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifyIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking 

With the nation embroiled in debates over the campus protest movement, we sat down with a few experts and eye witnesses to discuss: what are our misconceptions about the protests, how can we become better advocates for the flourishing of all (including our local neighbors), and how might we respond to our own communities' divisions while keeping our focus on what's happening in the region? This episode has two parts: In the first, we speak with internationally renowned expert Rabbi Jill Jacobs,  CEO of T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. Rabbi Jacobs provides an important perspective on understanding Zionism from the Jewish context, and how to identify and resist antisemitism in our communities. It is a helpful conversation to ground us as we discuss the protests. The second part is a conversation with Greg Khalil, Sarah Sturm, and Marina Klimchuk, a former Telos team member who's spent time living in Israel and journalist who reported from the encampments at Columbia and UCLA. We discuss misconceptions of the protests, inclusive and exclusive language, discursive policing, and how we might keep our focus on the very urgent matter of the events in Gaza today.It's a long one, but we think you'll enjoy the extra time to dive into the topics of today's episode. --Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifyIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroupLearn more about T'ruah

Welcome to the Learning Corps podcast, the newest show on the Telos Channel! Together, we'll excavate the core issues of conflict with experts from around the world, to uncover the path forward toward creative action in our communities. In this Learning Corps conversation, we were joined by Dr. Joy Banner, the  Co-Founder and Co-Director of The Descendants Project. The Descendants Project is a nonprofit foundation founded to preserve and protect the health, land, and lives of the Black descendant community located in Louisiana's River Parishes. Many of the folks on our ReStory US experience visit these parishes and hear from Dr. Joy Banner, who is the former Director of Communications and descendant of people enslaved at Whitney Plantation, the only plantation museum in Louisiana that centers the lives of the enslaved.We explore who these descendant communities are, as well as how they've been disproportionately impacted by environmental policies that have their legacies in slavery. But we also center the resilience and resources of this community,  the strategic actions they are taking to advocate for themselves, and how we can come alongside them in their healing and flourishing. Links:Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifyIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroupJoin the Telos Learning Corps for more of these conversations and community collaboration calls with the Telos network--Learn more about The Descendants ProjectRead about the Wallace Grain ElevatorFinancially Support The Descendants Project Follow the Descendants Project on Instagram

Massive student protests at Columbia University in solidarity with Gaza were met with swift and intense repression by university administrators and NYPD over the weekend, leading to the arrests of more than 100 students. Greg Khalil, President and Co-founder of Telos, was present for some of the events over the weekend as an adjunct professor at Columbia. He shares what he saw, what he has heard from students leading and participating in the protests, and what it means for our nation as we struggle to reckon with our part of what's happening in Gaza.*Note: This conversation was recorded on Tuesday, April 23—the situation on college campuses across the country is evolving quickly. Protests and student encampments have grown on dozens of campuses. Police on campuses at the University of Texas, Cal-Poly University, Emerson College, and others have cracked down on these protests with violent measures, arresting hundreds of students. Our conversation hopefully offers a way forward to know how to engage these protests with a vision of mutual flourishing.Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifyIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of PeacemakingFollow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroup

After Israel's strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Iran launched a barrage of 300 missiles at Israel from sites around the Middle East. While around 99% of the projectiles were intercepted before landing, the retaliatory response represented an escalation in a moment already fraught with risk of greater war. Then, overnight last Friday, Israel responded with a strike near an Iranian nuclear site, raising concerns that the region could be on the brink of massive violence.In this episode, we explore the complex relationship between Israel and Iran, how the recent strikes factor into Washington's relationship to the actors and what's happening in Gaza, and what it all means for us—those of us who care to see the human rights of all people honored in the region. In order to provide a range of perspectives on the issue, we brought on guest expert Joe Cirincione to discuss. Joe is the Former Director for Non Proliferation at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace where he closely tracked Iran's nuclear program and then, as the President of Ploughshares Fund, played a key role in the campaign for the Iran Deal, which rolled back Iran's nuclear weapons development program. Joe is an internationally recognized expert on the issue and offered invaluable insights for us on this episode.Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifyIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroupRead Joe's substackRead Nicholas Kristoff in the New York Times, as mentioned by Joe: Gaza is Biden's War Now

After an Israeli strike killed IRGC leaders in Syria, the region has waited with baited breath for a response from the Iranian regime. Could regional war be on the horizon?We explore:What (and who) is a proxy? How does the US-Israel alliance shape Iran's engagement in the region? What does the strike mean for the ongoing negotiations to end the war? We hear the perspectives of two accomplished guest experts from DAWN: Democracy for the Arab World Now, a human rights organization founded by the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 to promote the rule of law and democracy across the Middle East, just before his murder in Turkey. Joining us were Sarah Leah Whitson, DAWN's Executive Director, and Omid Memarian, DAWN's Director of Communications and an Iranian journalist. Both have impressive resumes in human rights work in the region and offer a helpful perspective on the current moment. There's more to explore on Iran, so stay tuned for further conversations with more perspectives, and send us your questions from this episode to address in a follow-up conversation coming soon.Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifyIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroupRead more about DAWN's work

Yesterday, after three attempts vetoed by the US, the U.N. Security Council successfully passed a resolution calling for an immediate and “lasting” ceasefire in Gaza, with the US abstaining.We discuss: What does this reflect about the US' ongoing relationship to the region? What difference will the resolution make on the ground, and for the protection of international norms of human rights? And what can we do to use our voice to build a world that supports the freedom, security, and dignity of all people—in Israel/Palestine and elsewhere?The Check-in:Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifyIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Subscribe to the Telos NewsletterRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroup

UPDATE!! This morning, the International Court of Justice issued its ruling on the provisional measures of South Africa's case against Israel at The Hague, after it accused it of failing its commitments to the Genocide Convention in its campaign in Gaza. This ruling is potentially a world-pivoting event. Listen to find out why...BUT FIRST, be sure to listen to our previous episode discussing the case: "The Check-in: South Africa takes Israel to Court."*David was recording on the road today so audio-quality wasn't as sharp as normal. He promises to remember his mic next time :) Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroupIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifySubscribe to the Telos Newsletter

All you need to know about South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. South Africa's complaint accuses Israel of breaching its commitments to the Genocide Convention in relation to its 100+ day war against the people of Gaza, in which more than 24,000 people have been killed. The significance of this case could not be higher. What difference will it make for the people of Gaza and Israel, how might the US be held accountable in a future hearing, and what can we—those of us who care to see the dignity of all upheld in the region—do to support a future of mutual flourishing? Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroupIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifySubscribe to the Telos Newsletter--Read South Africa's complaint against Israel.

This week, we take a deeper dive into the ongoing conversations and questions around language that have surfaced in our nation (and across the world) since October 7. We discuss how to speak in both honest and yet invitational ways that keep mutual flourishing at the center. We'll hear from Eli, who joins us from Jerusalem, and touch on how we – as peacemakers – can hold multiple perspectives in tension at once, while practicing listening to understand.Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroupIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifySubscribe to the Telos Newsletter--Resources we'd recommend: JDA Definition of antisemitismOur training on how to combat antisemitism

** Since we recorded this podcast, we received the news that Israel and Hamas had reached a deal regarding a release of hostages and a 4-day ceasefire. Check out our Instagram for our response. As such, this conversation reflects a previous reality but includes helpful discussion we think is still worth sharing. **40 days after October 7, what are realities on the ground for Israelis and Palestinians? What does the next day after a ceasefire look like? What else can we do to support not just an end to the bloodshed, but a transformation of the deeper issues that keep the region from a true and lasting peace?The Telos team gets together to discuss. Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroupIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifySubscribe to the Telos NewsletterEvangelicals and Israel/Palestine FAQ

In the midst of so much sorrow and grief, we released Peace Songs, a record in partnership with Good Shepherd Collective on our Principles and Practices of Peacemaking. When it was planned to be released at the end of October, we didn't know it would come as a timely dose of beauty and hope in a time of so much sorrow. But we are glad it has. Listen to a conversation with David Gungor and Kate Gungor, Liz Vice and Diana Gameros about the new album and one of the songs, Accomplice. Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroupIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!The song was written at @laitylodge, recorded at @sonicranch, and produced by @davidgungor.

This week, we answer some of your most frequently asked questions on what's happening in Israel and Gaza, how we got here, and what it will take to get out, including questions like:- Why did the US veto a UN Security Council resolution for a humanitarian pause?- What will a ceasefire actually accomplish?   - If it's a 6000 year old conflict (hint, that's a myth), will it ever actually end? Tune in for the update on the region, and a reminder of the agency each of us has in this moment to advocate for lasting, durable peace, and human rights for all.--Sign petitions and call your MOC to call for a ceasefireRead and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroupIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to TelosLeave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifySubscribe to the Telos Newsletter

This past weekend, Hamas launched a surprise attack in Southern Israel. Hundreds of Israelis have been killed, dozens taken hostage, and thousands wounded. Israel responded with airstrikes in Gaza. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed, thousands wounded, and hundreds of thousands displaced. Our hearts are breaking. We hosted a live conversation with our team reflecting on what happened and is happening, and how we can respond as peacemakers. Friends, now more than ever, as the narratives entrench us into our camps and convince us of the inhumanity of our perceived “enemy,” we must lean in as peacemakers.We offer you this conversation with our team as a vision for how to do that. How to uphold the dignity of every person, pursue peace through justice—which contends with both physical and systemic violence—and center the possibility of mutual flourishing for Palestinians and Israelis alike.Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroupBecome a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifySubscribe to the Telos Newsletter--Join the Telos Learning CorpsTake the Alison course: The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict - OriginsThe Pedagogy of Conflict by Pádraig Ó Tuama.

After eight and a half years, beloved Telos team member Jack Saba, Israel/Palestine Program Director, is transitioning into a year-long sabbatical from Telos starting in September. He joined David Gungor on the show to reflect on time with Telos and what's next.Sometimes, peacemaking can be perceived as “neutrality” or “passivity.” Jack reminds us that actually, peacemaking is tough and gritty. It comes with a cost. With clarity and vulnerability, he describes what those costs have been for him and his family, reminding us that a future of mutual flourishing means a future free to simply be human, without having to be consumed by conflict (or even its transformation).It is a radical act to commit to rest and your own humanity when you're wired to jump into the midst of conflict for its transformation. But we're thankful Jack is doing so. Somehow, even when stepping away for a time, Jack is still teaching us what it means to be a peacemaker. Listen to his last interview (for now!) on the show and wish him a farewell on social media

What do we do when it feels like we take one step forward toward peace and justice, but two steps back? When the temptation to nihilism is strong, is there room for hope? In the newest single in the Peace Songs album, Kate Gungor, John Guerra, and Diana Gameros explored the possibility of hope in the face of nihilism. They declare with us that hope is not a feeling, but an action. It is something we do—like the patient, attentive tending of a garden, in expectation of its bloom.Hear from Kate and David Gungor in this episode exploring the story behind Garden Will Bloom, the newest single by Good Shepherd Music Collective in partnership with Telos. And listen to the album wherever you get your podcasts. Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroupIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifySubscribe to the Telos Newsletter--Garden Will Bloom was written by @iamjonguerra, @dianagameros and @kategungor at @laitylodge.The song was recorded at @sonicranch and produced by @davidgungor.

Last week, the Israeli Knesset passed a law that has the international community, and large portions of Israeli society, asking: what's happening to democracy in Israel? We discussed the law, the months-long protest movement against it, and what it all means for peace, justice, and human rights for all people in the land—both Israeli and Palestinian.And to make things even more interesting, we did all of this with the newest member of the Telos team, Eli Philip! Eli walks us through what's important to know about the political scene in Israel, and goes on to share a little bit about his story and what brought him to Telos. Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroupIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifySubscribe to the Telos Newsletter

On June 29th, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in cases against the University of North Carolina and Harvard University that race-conscious admissions practices, otherwise known as affirmative action, are unconstitutional, as they violate the 14th Amendment requirement of equal protection under the law.In this episode, we opened a conversation on our team about this ruling. We discussed the history and argument for the practice when it was first established, the benefits and drawbacks of it nearly 60 years later in today's world, and the important differences between “diversity” and “equity” in the work of peacemaking. Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroupIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifySubscribe to the Telos Newsletter

You may not know it, but you've probably seen Joan Trumpauer Mulholland's mugshot. Or the back of her head in the world-famous photo of the Woolworth's sit-in in Jackson, MS as civil rights activists were harassed and assaulted by a mob of white segregationists. Joan was an activist in the Civil Rights movement who by the age of 23, had spent two months on death row at Parchman prison for participating in the Freedom Rides of 1961, had been nearly killed by the Klan in Mississippi, and had stood her ground for justice at countless sit-ins, protests, and rallies. Despite coming from a wealthy, white family in the South, she knew the world would only become a more just place if she accepted her call to become a peacemaker and advocate on behalf of her disenfranchised neighbors. And she has inspired generations of others behind her to believe in their agency too. As her son has pointed out, she was and is an “ordinary hero.”In this special ‘live” episode, we get to hear from Ms. Mulholland herself on the events of her life and how she found the courage to be a peacemaker time and again. We were also joined by her son Loki, who is now an accomplished educator, filmmaker, and advocate for justice himself, on the work they are doing together today to “educate to end hate.” We loved getting to hear from these two, and were so inspired by their courage and humility. Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroupIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifySubscribe to the Telos NewsletterResources Mentioned:Learn more about the murders of James Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman, the three civil rights workers killed in MississippiGet Back to the Counter: Seven Lessons from Civil Rights Icon Joan Trumpauer Mulholland by Loki MulhollandThe Joan Trumpauer Mulholland Foundation

A reflection and short history on one of the most important Civil Rights families you might not have heard of. Medgar Evers was an icon in the Civil Rights Movement (also known as the Southern Freedom Movement) in Mississippi until his untimely assassination in his family's home on June 12, 1963. Yet, many of us have never heard about his impact on the movement or the way his assassination reverberates still today in some communities.We unpack those dynamics and honor the legacy of both Medgar and his wife Myrlie in this special episode, coming on the heels of the 60th anniversary of that day. And we offer some thoughts in reflection on how we can be better students of our own history, and where you can go to learn more and take up the mantle of Medgar, Myrlie, and now their daughter, Reena Evers-Everette, too. Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroupIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifySubscribe to the Telos NewsletterResources Mentioned:Learn more about the Evers family; visit the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum; visit the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument.Join an upcoming Telos ReStory US trip this September! Join the Learning Corps and stay on the journey

Meet Peace Songs, the album by the Good Shepherd Music Collective in partnership with Telos, coming this September!In this short, musician, pastor, and Telos team member David Gungor invites us into stories and inspiration behind this exciting new project, which is based on Telos' Principles and Practices of Peacemaking. David had his first experience with Telos in 2013 with a group of Christian leaders. After it, he embarked on a new journey of creating music that inspires empathy. This album, almost 10 years after his first trip, invests deeper into that mission by exploring each of the  Principles and Practices of Peacemaking. More than a dozen musicians and artists contributed to this album, which hopes to bring peacemaking to congregations, communities, and beyond. Listen to the end to get a sneak preview to the first single, Side by Side, sung by Charles Jones and Dee Wilson, dropping tomorrow June 2! Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroupIf you're enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or SpotifySubscribe to the Telos Newsletter