Inspired by the biblical prophets’ call to “beat swords into plowshares,” best-selling author and activist Shane Claiborne and Mennonite pastor-turned-blacksmith Mike Martin will tour the country this spring with a forge and other blacksmithing tools. We will be hosting their Minneapolis stop on the tour—a 90-minute event that will feature music, art, and stories of people impacted by gun violence, culminating with an invitation for the audience to take the hammer and transform a gun into garden tools.

We’ll also be joined by those who are working locally to imagine a better future for our community, one marked by less violence and more beauty and justice. No matter your perspective on guns or your political leanings, this event is for you! You are welcome here and your voice is important.

The event is free – we simply that you RSVP by registering HERE. Please email Matt Anderson with any questions. We hope you’ll join us as we work to first change our hearts so that together we can change our world!

To hear a bit more about the idea for the book and tour from Mike Martin, please listen to our interview with him HERE. And here’s what others are saying about the Beating Guns book:

“Finally we have a winsome, reasonable approach to an issue that usually generates far more heat than light.”
– Philip Yancey | New York Times bestselling author

“As a Black woman, mother and reconciler who has witnessed countless parents losing their children to gun violence, one of my greatest concerns is to find a way to stop this senseless loss of life. That’s why I highly recommend this timely, relevant and necessary book!”
– Brenda Salter McNeil | author of Roadmap to Reconciliation and A Credible Witness

“This is the quintessential pro-life book if there ever was one! A must for those who care but who have not yet cared enough to weigh in actively for the sake of an abundant life that overrides the lethal power of fear.”
– Walter Brueggemann | Columbia Theological Seminary

“This is a book worth reading and then doing something about.”
– Bob Goff | New York Times bestselling author of Love Does

“This book could change America and awaken Christianity! Seldom have I seen such a combination of documented history, compelling narrative, helpful visuals, and practical, readable theology in one book. Read Beating Guns and try to decide whether you need to weep or rejoice. Probably both!”
– Richard Rohr, OFM | Center for Action and Contemplation

“Sometimes we get stuck in our frustration with problems that seem like they will never go away. This book is how we get unstuck on guns.”
– Shaun King | writer, speaker and activist