Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

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Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

Kristen A. Brock

40 episodes

4 days ago

When faith fights for power instead of people, it stops looking like Jesus. In this episode of Jesus, Justice + Mercy, Kristen unpacks Micah’s call to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly alongside Isaiah’s daring vision to beat swords into plowshares. Set against the backdrop of empire, fear, and misplaced trust, these prophets reveal what God requires in a faith that’s forgotten its purpose. From Christian nationalism to performative religion, Kristen explores how humility and imaginatio...

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Religion & Spirituality

All content for Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church is the property of Kristen A. Brock and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

When faith fights for power instead of people, it stops looking like Jesus. In this episode of Jesus, Justice + Mercy, Kristen unpacks Micah’s call to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly alongside Isaiah’s daring vision to beat swords into plowshares. Set against the backdrop of empire, fear, and misplaced trust, these prophets reveal what God requires in a faith that’s forgotten its purpose. From Christian nationalism to performative religion, Kristen explores how humility and imaginatio...

Show more...

Religion & Spirituality

Episodes (20/40)

Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

Weapons Down: What God Requires for a Faith at War with Itself

When faith fights for power instead of people, it stops looking like Jesus. In this episode of Jesus, Justice + Mercy, Kristen unpacks Micah’s call to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly alongside Isaiah’s daring vision to beat swords into plowshares. Set against the backdrop of empire, fear, and misplaced trust, these prophets reveal what God requires in a faith that’s forgotten its purpose. From Christian nationalism to performative religion, Kristen explores how humility and imaginatio...

1 week ago

36 minutes

Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

Noise Complaint: When Worship Gets Loud but Justice Goes Silent

In a time of booming worship and deep injustice, Amos steps into the crowd and says, “God isn’t impressed.” This episode explores the book of Amos and the prophet’s critique of a nation that sings songs while silencing the poor. Kristen unpacks what God’s justice (mishpat) and righteousness (tzedakah) really mean, why systems matter as much as hearts, and how faith that never leaves the sanctuary can’t change the world. Amos wasn’t condemning music or devotion; he was exposing a faith t...

2 weeks ago

36 minutes

Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

The Gospel According to Empire: And the Jesus Who Refused to Preach It

Many Christians say, “The church shouldn’t be political.” But Jesus and politics were never separate. His ministry directly confronted empire, exposing how faith rooted in love and justice will always challenge systems built on power and fear. In this episode, Kristen confronts the myth of a neutral, apolitical faith and exposes how empire-shaped Christianity has confused control for holiness. Drawing from Obery M. Hendricks Jr.’s The Politics of Jesus (2006), Howard Thurman’s Jesus and the D...

3 weeks ago

35 minutes

Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

Prophet? Please.: Rethinking prophecy, courage, and how to follow love’s voice in fearful times

The word prophet can make us squirm. For many of us, it’s loaded with baggage, misuse, mystery, or even manipulation. In this episode, Kristen names that tension and reclaims the word from fear and hype. What if being prophetic isn’t about predicting the future but echoing God’s heart in the present? Drawing from Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Bonhoeffer’s After Ten Years, Kristen explores how faithful discernment moves us from fear to courage, from judging to showing up with love. She unpacks what S...

1 month ago

29 minutes

Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

Reread, Repent, Repair: Exegesis for Everyday Disciples

How we read Scripture shapes how we live it. In this episode, Kristen walks through exegesis, learning how to think with the Bible, not just what to think. We start with why names and narratives matter (think Columbus Day → Indigenous Peoples’ Day), then watch Jesus reframe a weaponized text in John 8. From there, Kristen equips you with the 6 C’s (Context, Characters, Canon, Christ, Community, Consequence), quick skills, red flags, and a 60-second demo on Jeremiah 29:11. The invitation: rere...

1 month ago

38 minutes

Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

Jesus Isn’t Running for Office: Because God Doesn’t Need Political Power to Bring His Kingdom

How did a young theologian in 1930s Germany see what so many others missed? In this episode, Kristen revisits Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s question, “Who is Jesus Christ for us today?” and boldly traces the unsettling parallels between Hitler’s “playbook” and the ways Christian nationalism shows up now. She talks about fear-driven policy, silence disguised as unity, cheap grace versus costly grace, and why Jesus isn’t running for office, because God doesn’t need political power to bring His Kingdom....

1 month ago

35 minutes

Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

Holy Ghosting: Faithful but Left Behind

When faith begins to stretch toward the justice of Jesus, it can cost you belonging. Suddenly, the people who once prayed beside you pull away, and the table that once felt full grows quiet. In this episode, Kristen traces that ache through Jesus’ own story in Luke 4, naming the pain of being ghosted for the gospel and the courage it takes to keep walking awake. Along the way, she explores how labels, idols, and politics complicate our faith, and why forsakenness is never the final word...

1 month ago

28 minutes

Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

Holy Sawdust: Because Building the Kingdom gets Messy

What if Jesus was a carpenter not just by trade, but by intention? What if his workshop was meant to show us how to build a kingdom table, one wide enough, strong enough, and welcoming enough for everyone? In this episode, Kristen explores what it means to stop guarding the table and start building it bigger. She unpacks the difference between inclusion and belonging, why DEI/DEIB exists, and how the kingdom vision goes even deeper, and who’s actually holding the tools of leadership in our ch...

1 month ago

27 minutes

Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

Jesus Made Me Do It: The Spiritual Work of Unlearning

Episode 12: Jesus Made Me Do It: The Spiritual Work of Unlearning In a week marked by another school shooting, Christians lionizing a man who built his platform on hate, and the devastating news of two Black men found hanging from trees in Mississippi, deaths that many fear echo the terror of lynching, even as officials rush to call them suicides, Kristen reflects on why silence is not an option. What if the bravest thing you can do in your faith is admit you’ve been wrong? In this episode, K...

2 months ago

22 minutes

Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

Half a Gospel Is No Gospel at All: Liberation for the poor, resisted by the powerful

Half a Gospel Is No Gospel at All: Liberation for the poor, resisted by the powerful Why do churches resist justice? In this episode, Kristen digs into the roots of resistance in our faith communities, beginning with James Cone and the birth of Black Liberation Theology. Cone’s bold claim that the gospel must be interpreted from the perspective of the oppressed still unsettles churches today. Through the voices of Howard Thurman, Gustavo Gutiérrez, Walter Brueggemann, Albert Raboteau, Susan R...

2 months ago

31 minutes

Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

Tariffs of Faith: The Price of Justice-Rooted Discipleship

What does it really cost to follow Jesus? In this episode of Jesus, Justice + Mercy, Kristen explores the Tariffs of Faith, the price we pay when discipleship is rooted in justice, not cheap grace. From Moses’ mother and Esther to Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Rosa Parks, we trace the stories of ordinary people whose faith demanded risk, courage, and sacrifice. Along the way, Kristen challenges us to confront erasure in our culture, resist the temptation of comfort, and embrace justice-rooted disci...

2 months ago

17 minutes

Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

When Faith Refuses to Whitewash: Candice Zakariya on Justice and Discipleship

In my very first interview on Jesus, Justice + Mercy, I sit down with my dear friend Candice Zakariya, a disciple-maker, Bible teacher, and business coach whose story is deeply rooted in faith and justice. Candice shares her journey growing up in the Black church, where justice was woven into discipleship, and reflects on the challenges and beauty of navigating predominantly white church spaces as a Black woman. From cultural tokenism to discipleship that misses justice, her stories shed ligh...

3 months ago

43 minutes

Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

"Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve: Faith at the Altar of Power"

From Constantine to Christian nationalism, the church has faced a choice: align with empire or follow Jesus. This episode traces moments when faith bent toward power—and the courageous voices that refused to bow. Episode Summary From the Roman Empire to modern politics, the church has faced a constant tension: Will we align with the power of the world, or with the way of Jesus? In this episode, we walk through key turning points in church history, from Constantine’s legalization of Christiani...

3 months ago

36 minutes

Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

Over Before It Started: Power, Oppression, and the Systems That Decide Who Wins

In this episode of Jesus, Justice + Mercy, Kristen dives into the hidden systems shaping our everyday lives from schools and healthcare to voting rights and clean water. She unpacks how privilege and intersectionality determine who gets a head start and who carries the heaviest burdens. Through Scripture, personal story, and powerful examples, Kristen reveals why naming systemic injustice is part of faithful discipleship. Because following Jesus means more than personal piety, it means confro...

3 months ago

34 minutes

Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

The Part We Skipped in Sunday School: What History Forgot and Faith Can’t Ignore

Episode 6: The Part We Skipped in Sunday School, What History Forgot, and Faith Can’t Ignore We can’t tell the story of justice without naming the stories the Church forgot, or chose not to tell. In this episode of Jesus, Justice + Mercy, Kristen kicks off a 3-part arc by unearthing the roots of racial inequality in the U.S., tracing how race was constructed to uphold power, and how theology was twisted to justify injustice. From slavery and Jim Crow to redlining and church silence, she...

3 months ago

35 minutes

Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

Not Just Pie and Playlists: Bias, Privilege, and the Bible

Episode 5: “Not Just Pie and Playlists: Bias, Privilege, and the Bible” Bias isn’t just about politics. Privilege isn’t just about power. And interpreting Scripture isn’t as neutral as we’ve been taught. In this deeply personal episode, I share why I almost didn’t hit record, and why I knew I had to. We’re talking about the invisible lenses we all carry, the unearned advantages we may not notice, and how both shape how we read the Bible and live out our faith. From sweet potato pie to Paul’s ...

4 months ago

33 minutes

Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

Exodus Faith – When You’ve Left, but Haven’t Arrived

There’s a sacred tension between the Jesus we love and the version of faith many of us inherited. If you’ve ever felt caught in the messy middle, between belonging and questioning, between clarity and disorientation, this episode is for you. In today’s conversation, Kristen names the holy discomfort so many of us carry and explores what it means to walk through a season of unraveling. With wisdom from the Exodus story, the life of Jesus, and the disciples’ own wilderness journey, you’ll find ...

4 months ago

34 minutes

Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

Jesus Isn’t Triggered by Justice, (But We Might Be): Why God’s vision of justice goes beyond culture wars, punishment, or politics.

Episode 3: Jesus Isn’t Triggered by Justice, But We Might Be Justice makes some Christians squirm, but Jesus never flinched. So why do we? In this episode, we untangle the difference between biblical justice and the modern versions we see in headlines and hashtags. We’ll unpack the Hebrew words (mishpat, tzedakah), explore the vision of shalom as kingdom come, and ask why justice has become such a trigger in the Church when it’s actually central to God’s character. We’ll also spend time with ...

4 months ago

36 minutes

Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

Why Does Social Justice Feel So Divisive in the Church?

Why does something so clearly rooted in Scripture feel so controversial in Christian spaces? In this episode, we name the emotional, cultural, and theological weight behind the term “social justice” from fear and guilt to confusion and grief. We trace its Christian roots, explore how it became politicized in the American Church, and wrestle with why it still sparks tension today. Through Scripture, history, and honest reflection, we ask: What if justice isn’t a threat to the gospel, but a vit...

4 months ago

32 minutes

Jesus, Justice + Mercy: Bold faith, radical love and justice for the church

Is it possible to love Jesus and pursue justice?

For the believer who’s wrestling with faith, identity, and the world’s deep ache. Can you love Jesus and care deeply about justice? If you’ve ever felt caught in that tension—longing to follow Christ while also seeking change in a hurting world—this episode is for you. In this Season Two opener, Kristen shares the heart behind Jesus, Justice + Mercy and her personal journey navigating faith, identity, and the messy, beautiful call to justice. As a trauma-informed mentor, budding theologian, a...

4 months ago

13 minutes