A pacifist is somebody who opposes war and refuses to kill. There are different levels of pacifism. • Absolute pacifists – Someone who refuses to kill whatever the circumstances. Even in self-defence. • Conditional pacifists – Someone who generally opposes war, but may accept there are times when it is necessary, for example, when you’re […]

I would like to respond to some of the concerns raised by my friends, Jonathan Gunnell and John Guy, who are associated with the military. Let me begin by saying that what I said was not anti-soldier diatribe coming from a simplistic, binary, doctrinaire, anti-war, pacifist position. Because, while I believe, with Gandhi, that we […]

Dave Andrews Easterfest is on again this year. Easterfest is Australia’s largest Easter festival, which as the promo on the websites says, is ‘not just AT Easter, but ABOUT Easter!’ Easterfest draws tens of thousands of people from across Australia, who make the pilgrimage up the mountain range to the beautiful regional garden city of […]

An Interview with Ron Sider Ron Sider Posted Friday, January 23, 2015 Leading Christians have lent moral backing to military action against the self-proclaimed “Islamic State” (ISIS), citing the Just War doctrine. Christian pacifists, meanwhile, have struggled to suggest convincing alternatives at a time when preaching nonviolence can seem naïve, even heartless. But does the […]

January 8, 2015 PARKER PALMER AND COURTNEY MARTIN — The Inner Life of Rebellion The history of rebellion is rife with excess and burnout. But new generations have a distinctive commitment to be reflective and activist at once, to be in service as much as in charge, and to learn from history while bringing very […]

Today I am traveling to Lahore to take part in some Micah workshops. And I am taking with me the beautiful letter below from Muslims in Australia to Christians in Pakistan, bridging the growing divide between our communities, expressing concern for their suffering and commitment to their welfare. Dave Our dear Christian sisters and brothers […]

Today we are faced with a divided world of broken relationships.   We cannot overcome the political, cultural and religious divisions unless we commit ourselves to reweaving the broken threads of relationships with the people around us whom we aren’t like and/or whom we don’t like   Its all about relationships. There is only connection […]

Spirituality is the experience and expression of the spirit of passion, com-passion and response-ability to the Other. Religion is the ideation of that experience and institutionalisation of that expression which simultaneously affirm and negate the spirit of passion, com-passion and response-ability to the Other. Dave Andrews

This was my contribution to the meeting at the Kuraby Mosque yesterday Our Dream Of A Better World We dream of a great society of small communities co-operating to practise spirituality, empathy and harmony. We dream of vibrant neighbourhoods where people relate to one another – genuinely – as good neighbours. We dream of people […]

This is an interview I did with Nomad UK about the importance of choosing to be a part of small, local, intentional, incarnational communities. Dave http://nomadpodcast.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/how-not-to-be-great-man-of-god.html#.VGWlFEsrhg0  

For many people, the Rev. Paulus Hartono, a Mennonite church minister in Solo, Central Java, might be seen as a “deranged Christian.” While most people in this country, especially Christians and other religious minorities, tend to avoid hard-line Muslims, this pastor approached — and then befriended — members of Hizbullah (“Party of God,” a Solo-based […]

When I asked my dear friend, Jewish Rabbi, Zalman Kastel, what he found most confronting in the teaching of Jesus, he quickly replied, without hesitation, it was his commitment to unflinching nonviolence in the face of violence. Jesus’ commitment to nonviolence was based on his commitment to love everyone – friend and foe alike – […]