The Perisson Podcast: Recent Episodes
Andrew Klager and Jarrod McKenna — Institute for Religion, Peace and Justice
Embracing peace in a violent world can be a challenging and lonely experience. The Perisson Podcast features co-hosts Andrew Klager and Jarrod McKenna interviewing peacemakers from around the world who work in a variety of contexts to subvert empire by loving enemies, repaying evil with good, and embracing a nonviolent way of life — by "doing more (perisson) than others" (Mt. 5:20, 46–48).
The responses of those we interview are meant to distill their "best of the best," their "aha moments," those pivotal ideas that clinched their commitment to nonviolence and peacemaking. And beyond the surface behaviour of nonviolent activists and thinkers, the podcast delves into the often neglected but rapidly becoming important inner world of peacemakers — the spiritual, ascetic, contemplative interior struggles that animate their exterior behaviour.
Episode 3 – In this episode, Jarrod and Andrew have a conversation with the Rev. Dr. Sarah Bachelard who is the founding Director of Benedictus Contemplative Church (www.benedictus.com.au), which is an ecumenical community based in Canberra, Australia. She's a theologian, retreat leader, and a priest in Anglican Orders, and is a member of the World Community for Christian Meditation (www.wccm.org) and an honorary Research Fellow at the Australian Catholic University.
In preparation for listening to this episode of The Perisson Podcast, we recommend that you read this article written by Dr. Bachelard: https://www.abc.net.au/religion/the-ego-driven-church-on-the-perils-of-christian-activism/10095104
In this episode, we’re joined by the activist, author, speaker and self-described pilgrim-storyteller, Donna Mulhearn, who speaks about how her attentiveness to the inner life sustains her outer peace work, activism, and involvement in development projects especially in Iraq.
Recorded 17 June 2018
“In the kingdom of Christ, it’s not obtaining Caesar’s sword in order to do what we think is good with it. It’s a complete renunciation of it.” —Brian Zahnd
Episode 1 : In our first episode, we're joined by Brian Zahnd to discuss his pilgrimage into a life that embraces nonviolence and love of enemies. And we look at the dynamic of inner and outer peace, or how the contemplative life and inner transformation informs our peacemaking actions and the way that we work for justice.
Recorded 8 May 2018