This essay examines whether and how activist theology can be a force for creating peace and presents some practical examples through women who broke new ground and in the midst of raging world wars organized to stop violence and militarism. Through various actions, they wanted to establish not only themselves but also create social change where women were invited and had an obvious place in the society. The purpose of this essay is to examine theological resources for resistance to violence in the peace actions carried out in Sweden by women during the period 1890-1940 through the concepts of activist and lived theology. The peace actions themselves are described and connected with different theological themes to see if the actions can be understood in new ways through these frameworks. The aim is not only to dress peace actions in a new coat and new theological concepts, but also to visualize the womens organization and methods as well as the results of their actions. Women whose contribution is particularly highlighted for this essay are Elin Wägner, Emilia Fogelklou and to some extent Fredrika Bremer as a foreground figure, this as these women particularly expressed theological and religious motivation in their peace work.

This study explores radical pacifists’ intellectual engagement with the black freedom movement by examining the New York-based magazine Liberation between 1956 and 1965. It argues that two priorities shaped Liberation’s responses to the movement: the concern to promote the philosophy and practice of nonviolent direct action, and the concern to advocate radical social change in the United States. Until 1965 Liberation promoted the civil rights movement as a potential catalyst for the nonviolent reconstruction of U.S. democracy. Liberation became a forum for exploring the common ground as well as the tensions between radical pacifist priorities and those of various black freedom activists. The tensions are particularly apparent in Liberation’s reflections on the challenges of linking peace activism with the freedom struggle in the early 1960s, and in its 1964-65 debate over civil rights leaders’ strategy of coalition with the Democratic Party in the context of the escalating war in Vietnam.

This study explores radical pacifists’ intellectual engagement with the black freedom movement by examining the New York-based magazine Liberation between 1956 and 1965. It argues that two priorities shaped Liberation’s responses to the movement: the concern to promote the philosophy and practice of nonviolent direct action, and the concern to advocate radical social change in the United States. Until 1965 Liberation promoted the civil rights movement as a potential catalyst for the nonviolent reconstruction of U.S. democracy. Liberation became a forum for exploring the common ground as well as the tensions between radical pacifist priorities and those of various black freedom activists. The tensions are particularly apparent in Liberation’s reflections on the challenges of linking peace activism with the freedom struggle in the early 1960s, and in its 1964-65 debate over civil rights leaders’ strategy of coalition with the Democratic Party in the context of the escalating war in Vietnam.