Rooted in Peace: Understanding Nonviolent Direct Action Through the Lens of Faith
By Camille Bianca Manangan, MFSA Organizing Associate
When I first heard about Nonviolent Direct Action (NVDA), I thought it was just a peaceful way to protest, a strategy to fight injustice without using violence. But after attending a NVDA training, I realized it is much more than that. NVDA is not only a method; it is a way of life. It shapes how we think, act, and respond to the world. It’s about standing for justice with love, choosing peace even in the face of conflict, and believing that change can happen without causing harm.
Coming from another country, I used to think of advocacy as something loud and confrontational. But the NVDA training helped me see peace differently, not as silence or weakness, but as power under control. It reminded me of what John Wesley and the United Methodist Church teach: faith must be active in love. Doing no harm, doing good, and staying in love with God are not just moral reminders, they are a lifestyle.
The call from Micah 6:8 also spoke to me during this time: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God?” NVDA helps us live out this verse. To do justice means standing up for what is right. To love kindness means treating others with compassion, even when we disagree. To walk humbly means letting God guide our hearts and actions. Nonviolence is the bridge that connects these three: it turns faith into action that restores, not destroys.
Peaceful protest, advocacy, and education are all parts of this work. Peaceful protest shows that courage doesn’t need to be violent. Advocacy turns our words and beliefs into movement. Education opens our eyes and helps us understand why injustice happens and how we can change it. When these three come together, they become powerful tools for transformation. NVDA becomes not only a way to resist oppression but also a key tool for achieving real and lasting change.
Solidarity is another lesson that deeply touched me. To be in solidarity is to stand with others, not just for them. It means walking beside those who are hurting, listening to their stories, and sharing their struggles. It means realizing that justice cannot be selective, if one group suffers, all of us are called to respond.
The heart of resistance is the hunger for change, the deep desire to make the world more just and compassionate. My hunger pushes us to act with love, not anger. To resist peacefully is to believe that God’s grace is stronger than hate. It is to be the change we long for, even when the world does not change easily.
Through this, I also came to see how peace and justice must be rooted in all the pillars of society, the church, government, education, and community. The church must speak truth and model compassion. The government must protect the dignity and rights of every person. The educational system must teach not only knowledge but empathy and responsibility. The community, where families, neighbors, and organizations belong, must become a space of care, where people feel safe and valued. When these pillars work together in peace and truth, transformation becomes possible.
During the NVDA training, I experienced how simple acts, like listening, empathizing, and learning, could break barriers and build understanding. These are not just skills for activism; they are spiritual practices. They are ways to live our faith daily.
As I continue my journey as a young leader, I want to lead with peace. I want to create spaces where everyone feels seen and respected. The NVDA training reminded me that peace is not separate from faith, it is faith in action. It is how we live Micah 6:8 in real life, through the way we speak, act, and love.
I am also reminded that peace begins within. It starts with how we care for ourselves and others. My prayer as a young leader is to keep walking this path with courage and grace, trusting that each small act of peace brings us closer to the world God desires.
Thus, NVDA is love in motion. It is the heart of Christ living in us: doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God, one peaceful step at a time.
To access and watch these prerecorded Nonviolent Direct Action Training hosted by our partner the Fellowship of Reconciliation
Recordings (rough and uncut):
Session I:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/fneYL4pe58-z40d4zEhQb9BPyVMS4aQmdXa0GEn-IC_Z0MQE2qxqorUhtvSAP2Zf.CDK3WGNEZQTEuNXs?startTime=1759690865000
Passcode: qP3&sk1M
Session 2:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/Q5BzoSx7hIRy7iVl1X94YuTBoIlN1yD-D99lBk7L1KUEJ3_492ejiqQgImP2VaRR.xkmT59B1SecgmHpI?startTime=1760295572000
Passcode: 4^zAF82b
Resources with lots of information on a wide range of related topics:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D9xMbgbEfh741hdDDwHU7a9l4hg1nEba7X3dEs4hu44/edit?usp=sharing
A summary of some International efforts to combat Authoritarianism by Dorie Wilsnak with the New England NV Trainers Network:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15FRxTEFOQK7xokVZICuwW5bDLpEx9_9a/view?usp=sharing