Welcome to IPWG Resources

Explore ideas, stories, and resources for building a more peaceful and just world.

Here you’ll find articles, reflections, educational resources, and stories that connect peace with action. Browse by topic to learn more about nonviolent resistance, demilitarization, interfaith connections, and the history of IPWG.

We invite you to explore, learn, and find ways to put peace into action.

Interfaith Peace Working Group Spring 2026 Conference Videos

Shane Claiborne IPWG Conference April 2026

One of the first things that happens outside the Garden of Eden is Cain’s Murder of Able. And we have been hurting each other ever since. But scripture shows us a God who cares about the suffering and shows us a way to heal the wounds. Shane Claiborne heads up Red Letter Christians, a movement of folks who are committed to living “as if Jesus meant the things he said". Shane’s faith has led him to jail advocating for the homeless, and to places like Iraq and Afghanistan to stand against war. He has worked to end the death penalty and help stop gun violence. Shane was one of the keynote speakers at Interfaith Peace Working Groups Spring Conference, Thursday April 23, 2026 in Madison, WI.

Kathy Kelly IPWG
Spring Conference April 2026

"Living as we do in the heart of darkness, how can we move closer to the light?" Kelly asks. How can we foster unity while also exposing the consequences of genocide and war? As part of the conversation, she'll describe unexpected brightness that has, at times, arrived in her life . She'll also address faith-based capacity to resist complicity with war profiteers. Kathy Kelly was one of the keynote speakers at the IPWG conference, Thursday April 23rd 2026 in Madison, WI. Board president of World BEYOND War, Kathy helped design the first training of Community Peacemaker Team volunteers in 1992. She co-founded Voices in the Wilderness in 1996, which bore witness to the suffering of Iraqis brought about by US/UN imposed sanctions. From 2005 to 2020, she worked with Voices for Creative Nonviolence to oppose US economic and military warfare in the Middle East. An educator for most of her life, she regards children of war and victims of war's violence as her most important teachers.

JEFF WILD MODERATOR

Gun Violence Prevention and the Peace of God

Reducing the epidemic of gun violence in the United States requires a multi-faceted approach. The members of this panel will share their calling to further peace in a culture of gun violence. Moderator: Jeff Wild Panelists: Dr. James Bigham, Anthony Cooper, Sr., and Scott Marrese Wheeler. IPWG conference April 23rd 2026.

DENNY WEAVER MODERATOR

Visions for a Just Peace between Palestinians and Israelis

Finding the steps forward in establishing a just peace between Palestinians and Israelis starts with education about the history of the Palestinian -Israeli conflict. It involves recognition of past and ongoing human rights abuses and accountability for war crimes and genocide. There must be a process of restitution to people who have lost lives, property and land in the conflict. Regardless of whether a one state or two state solution is proposed, any state constitution must be based on the rule of law in which people of all religions, ethnicities and races have equal rights. Moderator: Denny Weaver Presenters: Rev. Dr. Fahed Abu-Akel, Marc Rosenthal, and Susan Smith.

The Power and Promise of Nonviolent Action

NOVEMBER 2023, TRIPP COMMONS (UW MADISON)

Speaker: Dr. Maria Stephan

Dr. Maria J. Stephan, former director of the program on nonviolent action at United States Institute of Peace and co-author with Erica Chenoweth of Why Civil Resistance Works (2010), joins the Center for Interfaith Dialogue for a talk on the relevance of nonviolence as an effective way to address political crisis. She considers questions like the relationship between nonviolence and communities of faith, as well as what an active role in nonviolent struggle would look like for students and citizens. The talk is followed by a Q&A. Date: November 15, 2023. Location: Tripp Commons, Memorial Union.