Nonviolence

Nonviolent resistance is a successful* means for achieving meaningful and positive social change. Here are a few resources for those who would like to learn more:

Articles & Blog Posts

• A Call for Evangelical Nonviolence (Ron Sider, Christian Century, Sep 15, 1976, pp. 753-757).
• Christian Nonviolence (Walter Wink, Z Net, Dec 17, 2004). Wink is the author of Jesus and Nonviolence, Engaging the Power, Unmasking the Powers, & Naming the Powers.
• Five Characteristics of Early Christian Nonviolence (Thom Stark, n.d.).
• God’s People Reconciling (Ron Sider, Mennonite World Conference, 1984). Ron is the author of Non-Violence, Churches That Make a Difference, & Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger.
• The Gospel of Reconciliation within the Wrath of Nations (David W. Shenk, International Bulletin of Missionary Research, 32 no 1 Jan 2008, p 3-6, 8-9). This is only available to Ebsco users. Shenk authored or edited Jesus Matters, A Muslim and A Christian in Dialogue, & Anabaptists Meeting Muslims.
• MLK comic book (Fellowship of Reconciliation).
• Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict (Maria J. Stephan & Erica Chenoweth, International Security, Summer 2008, Vol. 33, No. 1, Pages 7-44).

Books

• A Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict, Peter Ackerman & Jack DuVall (St. Martin’s Press, 2000).
• A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr., James M. Washington, ed. (HarperOne, 1990).
• Civil Resistance and Power Politics: The Experience of Non-violent Action from Gandhi to the Present, Adam Roberts & Timothy Garton Ash, eds. (New York, NY: Oxford, 2009).
• The Essential Gandhi: An Anthology of His Writings on His Life, Work, and Ideas, Louis Fischer, ed. (Vintage, 2002).
• From Dictatorship to Democracy, Gene Sharp (2003). [download here]
• Gandhi and Beyond: Nonviolence for a New Political Age, 2nd ed., David Cortright (Paradigm, 2009).
• Nonviolent Action: A Research Guide, Ronald M. McCarthy & Gene Sharp (New York: Garland, 1997).
• Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea, Mark Kurlansky (Modern Library, 2008).
• Non-Violence: The Invincible Weapon?, Ron Sider (1989).
• People Power and Protest since 1945: A Bibliography on Nonviolent Action, April Carter, Howard Clark, & Michael Randle, eds. (London: Housmans, 2006).
• The Politics of Jesus, 2nd ed., John Howard Yoder (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1994).
• The Politics of Nonviolent Action, 3 Volumes (Gene Sharp, 1973). [WorldCat] [Einstein Institution]
• The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of Peace, Howard Zinn, ed. (Beacon, 2002).
• Strategic Nonviolent Conflict: The Dynamics of People Power in the Twentieth Century, Peter Ackerman and Christopher Kruegler (Praeger, 1993).
• Waging Nonviolent Struggle: 20th Century Practice and 21st Century Potential, Gene Sharp (Boston, MA: Extending Horizons, 2005).

Seven books available online by Gene Sharp [list with links]

Films

• A Force More Powerful
• Budrus
• Encounter Point
• Gandhi
• Little Town of Bethlehem
• Pray the Devil Back to Hell
• The Singing Revolution

Organizations & Websites

• The Einstein Foundation
• Nonviolence International
• Voices for Creative Nonviolence
• Waging Nonviolence

Action

• 198 Nonviolent Actions for Political Change

*Of course it’s not 100% effective, but neither is violence. By definition 50% of all fighting parties lose, and even the “winning” side in a war loses in casualties and fatalities.