Welcome to a special miniseries focusing on the life and legacy of Michael "MJ" Sharp. This is part of a crossover episode which began at Peacebuilder Podcast from The Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University. We're introduced to this crossover conversation by Peacebuilder host, Patience Kamau, which is followed by two conversations hosted by ~ing Podcast producer Ben Wideman. We'll be starting with the first part of a conversation with Marshall King, author of the recent book, Disarmed, the life and legacy of Michael "MJ" Sharp, and then transition to talk with MJ’s parents, Michelle and John Sharp. Our hope is that this series provides more depth to to this powerful story of one man’s radical commitment to peacemaking.

Michael “MJ” Sharp was a modern Mennonite armed with wit and intellect, but not a gun. The son of a Mennonite pastor, he demonstrated a gift for listening and persuading early in life. His efforts to approach others with acknowledgement rather than judgement gave him the ability to connect on a level very few managed. He also honed a deep commitment to peace, and after college he joined the Mennonite Mission Network and moved to Germany, where he persuaded soldiers to choose peace and free them of their violent systems. Disarmed, the Life and Legacy of Michael "MJ" Sharp is available now from Herald Press.

A written transcript of this episode is available at our website - https://www.mennomedia.org/ing-podcast/

Today’s episode is supported by The Center for Justice and Peacebuilding and Eastern Mennonite Seminary, two graduate programs at Eastern Mennonite University. Find out more at - https://emu.edu/ing/

~ing Podcast is a production of MennoMedia, a nonprofit Publisher that creates thoughtful, Anabaptist resources to enrich faith in a complex world. To find out more, visit us online at MennoMedia.org