In 'Nonviolence: The Revolutionary Way of Jesus', Preston Sprinkle presents a comprehensive biblical case for nonviolence, examining the Old and New Testaments to argue that Christians should not engage in violence. The book challenges the church to emulate Christ's nonviolent teachings and offers practical insights into living out this ethic in modern society.
In this ambitious one-volume history, Jill Lepore examines the origins and rise of the United States, focusing on the core ideas of political equality, natural rights, and the sovereignty of the people. The book spans over five centuries, from 1492 to the present, and delves into various themes such as the legacy of slavery, the persistence of inequality, and the impact of technological change. Lepore's narrative is characterized by its elegant prose and comprehensive coverage of American politics, law, journalism, and technology, highlighting both well-known and lesser-known figures in American history[2][5][3].
This book presents a comprehensive analysis of nonviolent resistance, demonstrating its strategic advantages over violent insurgency. Through statistical analysis and case studies, Chenoweth and Stephan show that nonviolent campaigns are more successful in achieving regime change and territorial independence. They highlight factors such as higher participation, tactical innovation, and shifts in loyalty among regime supporters as key to their success.
The 2010s witnessed a sharp uptick in nonviolent resistance movements all across the globe. Over the course of the last decade we’ve seen record numbers of popular protests, grassroots campaigns, and civic demonstrations advancing causes that range from toppling dictatorial regimes to ending factory farming to advancing a Green New Deal.
So, I thought it would be fitting to kick off 2020 by bringing on Erica Chenoweth, a political scientist at Harvard specializing in nonviolent resistance. At the beginning of this decade Chenoweth co-authored Why Civil Resistance Works, a landmark study showing that nonviolent movements are twice as effective as violent ones. Since then, she has written dozens of papers on what factors make successful movements successful, why global protests are becoming more and more common, how social media has affected resistance movements and much more.
But Chenoweth doesn’t only study nonviolent movements from an academic perspective; she also advises nonviolent movement leaders around the world (including former EK Show guests Varshini Prakash of the Sunrise Movement and Wayne Hsiung of Direct Action Everywhere) to help them be as effective and strategic as possible in carrying out their goals. This on-the-ground experience combined with a big-picture, academic view of nonviolent resistance makes her perspective essential for understanding one of the most important phenomena of the last decade -- and, in all likelihood, the next one.
References:
"How social media helps dictators" by Erica Chenoweth
"Drop Your Weapons: When and Why Civil Resistance Works" by Erica Chenoweth
Book recommendations:
These Truths by Jill Lepore
Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea by Mark Kurlansky
From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation by Keenga-Yamahtta Taylor
If you enjoyed this podcast, you may also like:
Varshini Prakash on the Sunrise Movement's plan to save humanity
When doing the right thing makes you a criminal (with Wayne Hsiung)
My book is available for pre-order! You can find it at www.EzraKlein.com.
Want to contact the show? Reach out at ezrakleinshow@vox.com
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Credits:
Producer and Editor - Jeff Geld
Engineer- Cynthia Gil
Researcher - Roge Karma
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The Gray Area with Sean Illing 
