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

Kristen A. Brock
  • 4.9 (9)
  • CHRISTIANITY
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Jesus, Justice & MercyBold faith, radical love, and justice for the church.   Welcome to Jesus, Justice & Mercy — a podcast for Christians who sense that justice matters but feel the tension between Jesus and much of what they see practiced in the church.   If you’re wrestling with inherited faith, questions that don’t have easy answers, or the growing gap between the Gospel and the world we’re navigating, you’re not alone.   I’m your host, Kristen Brock, rooted in the church and committed to following Jesus with honesty, courage, and compassion. Each season, we engage Scripture, history, and lived experience to explore the intersections of faith, justice, and discipleship. We talk about race, trauma, power, civic responsibility, and the ways faith has been both a source of harm and a force for healing.   Whether you’re deconstructing, rebuilding, or simply learning to ask better questions, this is a space for thoughtful reflection, faithful wrestling, and a faith shaped by justice, deeply rooted in Scripture.

  1. The Comfort We Called Holy: How White Christian Nationalism Formed Us

    1D AGO

    The Comfort We Called Holy: How White Christian Nationalism Formed Us

    White Christian nationalism shaped more than politics. It shaped discipleship. In this episode, Kristen traces the formation story beneath today’s headlines. Long before it became a political slogan, white Christian nationalism formed reflexes on what felt holy, what felt threatening, and what felt worth defending. This conversation explores: • How “chosen nation” theology reshaped American Christian identity • Why security, order, and national blessing began to feel spiritual • The rise of “law and order” rhetoric within white evangelical institutions • The Moral Majority era and the consolidation of faith and political power • The contrast between white Christian formation and the formation of the Black church • How Jesus consistently refused the fusion of faith and empire Through Scripture (John 6; Luke 19; Mark 10, 11, 12; John 2), we trace a pattern: Jesus steps away from coercive crowns, mourns violent nationalism, redefines power, limits Caesar, and disrupts sacred systems. This is not an episode about condemnation. It is about formation. Because if we want to be formed by Jesus and shaped by justice, we have to be honest about what shaped us first. White Christian nationalism is not just political. It distorts discipleship. And discipleship can be re-formed. Further Reading: Books on White Christian Nationalism and Christian Formation If you want to go deeper, here is a list of books that trace patterns historically and theologically.  Core Recommendations The Color of Compromise | Jemar Tisby How the American church has been complicit in racism from slavery to today. Jesus and John Wayne | Kristin Kobes Du Mez How evangelical masculinity and militarism intertwined with Christian nationalism from the Cold War through Trump. The Flag and the Cross | Philip Gorski & Samuel Perry A sociological study of Christian nationalism as a cultural framework. Taking America Back for God | Andrew Whitehead & Samuel Perry Data-driven analysis of who embraces Christian nationalism and why. White Too Long | Robert P. Jones How white Christianity shaped racism and continues to perpetuate it, especially in the American South. Historical Depth The Cross and the Lynching Tree | James Cone How white Christianity spiritualized violence & how Black theology confronted it. Baptizing America | Melani McAlister How evangelicals came to see the U.S. as central to God’s global plan. One Nation Under God | Kevin Kruse How “Christian America” rhetoric was constructed in the 1950s as a corporate and political strategy. Theological Depth The Myth of a Christian Nation | Gregory Boyd An evangelical critique of fusing faith with political power. The Politics of Jesus | Obery M. Hendricks Jr. How Jesus’ ministry confronted empire & challenged systems of domination. If this episode was meaningful for you, the best way to help others find the show is to: Text this episode to a friend who might need it Leave a 5-star rating and review Subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes Here’s to a faith that tells the truth, refuses silence in the face of harm, and follows Jesus all the way into healing and justice. RESOURCES: www.kristenannette.com Holy Disruption: Reclaiming a Justice-Rooted Faith course info and interest list Justice Coaching options! "Find your justice mindset" quiz!

    34 min
  2. The Cost of Staying Awake: How Long, O Lord?

    FEB 12

    The Cost of Staying Awake: How Long, O Lord?

    The Cost of Staying Awake can feel unbearable. This week isn’t a teaching episode; it’s a lament. In this raw and personal reflection, Kristen shares how cultural hypocrisy, sacred language used as cover, and the grief of watching injustice normalized have weighed heavily on her heart. Drawing from Psalm 13’s cry “How long, O Lord?” this mini episode holds sorrow and defiant trust together. This isn’t about outrage. It’s about moral exhaustion, embodied faith, and the courage to pause when the weight is too much. If this episode was meaningful for you, the best way to help others find the show is to: Text this episode to a friend who might need it Leave a 5-star rating and review Subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes Here’s to a faith that tells the truth, refuses silence in the face of harm, and follows Jesus all the way into healing and justice. RESOURCES: www.kristenannette.com Holy Disruption: Reclaiming a Justice-Rooted Faith course info and interest list Justice Coaching options! "Find your justice mindset" quiz!

    8 min
  3. Just Left of Centered: Black Theology, Liberation & the Gospel

    FEB 5

    Just Left of Centered: Black Theology, Liberation & the Gospel

    What is Black theology, and why does it matter for Christian discipleship today? In this episode, Kristen offers an introduction to Black theology, not as a political framework or academic debate, but as wisdom forged in survival, resistance, and hope. Drawing from history and the voices of Black theologians, pastors, and writers, we explore how faith shaped under oppression reveals a gospel that is embodied, costly, and communal. Rather than explaining Black theology from a distance, Kristen invites listeners, especially white Christians, to examine posture, formation, and centering. What happens when discipleship is shaped from the margins rather than the center? How has dominant American theology been formed alongside power? And why does this wisdom speak so clearly to the church's exhaustion, shallow discipleship, and longing for hope today? This episode lays theological groundwork for Black History Month conversations, framing the month as formation, not consumption, and prepares listeners to receive the interviews ahead as testimony flowing from a living tradition. Foundational Voices in Black Theology: The Cross and the Lynching Tree | James H. ConeGod of the Oppressed | James H. ConeJesus and the Disinherited | Howard ThurmanThe Politics of Jesus | Obery M. Hendricks Jr.A Fire in the Bones: Reflections on African American Religious History | Albert J. RaboteauContemporary Voices: The Color of Compromise: The Truth About the American Church’s Complicity in Racism | Jemar TisbyReading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope | Esau McCaulleyShoutin' in the Fire: An American Epistle | Dante StewartEssential Reading: The Fire Next Time | James BaldwinAfter Whiteness: An Education in Belonging | Willie James JenningsHoward Thurman: Essential Writings | Luther E. Smith Jr. Note: This is not a comprehensive list, but these are the voices that have most deeply re-formed my own discipleship. Start anywhere. Read slowly. Let the work do what it's meant to do. In this episode, we discuss: Why Black theology emerged from lived experience, not theoryHow social location shapes theology and discipleshipThe difference between faith formed at the center and faith formed under pressureWhy liberation is not optional to the gospelHow dominant American theology has been shaped alongside powerThe cost of a disembodied faith, especially for Black bodiesWhy turning toward Black theology does not polarize the churchHow listening itself becomes an act of discipleshipThis episode is for you if: You're exhausted by shallow discipleship and culture-war ChristianityYou want to understand why Black theology matters without consuming itYou're willing to listen from a different postureIf this episode was meaningful for you, the best way to help others find the show is to: Text this episode to a friend who might need it Leave a 5-star rating and review Subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes Here’s to a faith that tells the truth, refuses silence in the face of harm, and follows Jesus all the way into healing and justice. RESOURCES: www.kristenannette.com Holy Disruption: Reclaiming a Justice-Rooted Faith course info and interest list Justice Coaching options! "Find your justice mindset" quiz!

    35 min
  4. Take a Break: Hamilton, Sabbath, and the Resistance of Rest

    JAN 29

    Take a Break: Hamilton, Sabbath, and the Resistance of Rest

    The empire wants you exhausted. Because exhausted people don't resist, they can only survive. This week, we're talking about rest as resistance. Not self-care. Not work-life balance. But Sabbath as protest against a system that defines your worth by your productivity. We explore: How Sabbath was woven into creation itself, and became an act of defiance under PharaohWhy Jesus withdrew constantly, even with only three years to accomplish the most urgent mission in historyWhat trauma does to your nervous system, and why some of us can't rest even when we desperately need toElijah's breakdown and God's response: rest first, then workWhat white Christians need to grieve before we can move into repairThree starting points for practicing Sabbath as resistanceBefore we can do the repair work coming in February, March, and April, we have to stop long enough to tend to what's broken in us. Rest isn't retreat. Rest is how we stay in this for the long haul. Resources: Walter Brueggemann, Sabbath as ResistanceTrauma and grief resources Journal Gently - an 8-week guided journaling experience for women who are ready to listen to what still hurts without fixing or forcing anything. (Kari Bartkus, Love Does That)Flamingo Trauma Recovery - Faith integrated mental health education and therapy access for the underserved. Healing trauma from childhood, transition, and harmful religious doctrineKristen Humiston, MSW, APSW: Courageous Healing Therapy (WI residents) or Kristen Joy CoachingKristen A. Brock (me!) Trauma-Informed CoachingThe Body Keeps the Score: Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D.My Grandmother's Hands: Resmaa MenakemTrauma and Grace: Theology in a Ruptured World. Serena JonesOthered: Finding Belonging with the God who Pursues the Hurt, Harmed & Marginalized: Jenai AumanTranslating Your Past: Finding Meaning in Family Ancestry, Genetic Clues and Generational Trauma: Michelle Van LoonIf this episode was meaningful for you, the best way to help others find the show is to: Text this episode to a friend who might need it Leave a 5-star rating and review Subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes Here’s to a faith that tells the truth, refuses silence in the face of harm, and follows Jesus all the way into healing and justice. RESOURCES: www.kristenannette.com Holy Disruption: Reclaiming a Justice-Rooted Faith course info and interest list Justice Coaching options! "Find your justice mindset" quiz!

    38 min
  5. Risky Business: It's Not Just an '80s Movie; Just Ask Esther

    JAN 22

    Risky Business: It's Not Just an '80s Movie; Just Ask Esther

    What does holy risk actually look like, and how is it formed? In a moment when the church has confused nationalism with faithfulness and cruelty with obedience, we need to recover what it means to follow Jesus courageously. But courage isn't something we summon in a crisis. It's cultivated long before the moment arrives. This episode explores the essential components of holy risk through the lives of people who chose obedience over safety: Esther, who prepared spiritually before approaching the king. Jesus, who deliberately broke the Sabbath to expose a broken system. Bonhoeffer, who returned to Nazi Germany when he could have stayed safe. Their stories reveal a pattern and a path. Holy risk requires spiritual preparation, community discernment, and a willingness to act when the cost is real. And it's formed through practices most of us are skipping. We close with six ancient disciplines that shape risk-ready disciples: practices that ground us in Scripture, anchor us in community, and prepare us to respond faithfully when neutrality is no longer an option. The crisis is already here. The question isn't whether you'll be ready someday. It's whether you're being formed today. Content Note: This episode discusses immigration policies, family separation, Christian nationalism, and historical references to Nazi Germany. Primary Passages: Esther 4:13-16 - "For such a time as this" & "If I perish, I perish"Luke 14:1-6 - Jesus heals a man on the SabbathJohn 5:1-18 - Jesus heals the paralyzed man, tells him to carry his mat on the SabbathExodus 1:15-21 - Hebrew midwives (Shiphrah and Puah) defy Pharaoh's orderDaniel 3:16-18 - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: "But if not..."Mark 5:25-34 - The bleeding woman touches Jesus' garmentJoshua 4 - Stones of remembranceMusic: Kirk Franklin - "The Last Jesus"Books: Dietrich Bonhoeffer - The Cost of Discipleship If this episode was meaningful for you, the best way to help others find the show is to: Text this episode to a friend who might need it Leave a 5-star rating and review Subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes Here’s to a faith that tells the truth, refuses silence in the face of harm, and follows Jesus all the way into healing and justice. RESOURCES: www.kristenannette.com Holy Disruption: Reclaiming a Justice-Rooted Faith course info and interest list Justice Coaching options! "Find your justice mindset" quiz!

    37 min
  6. Episode 50 | MLK Bonus: What King Said About People Like Me

    JAN 19 · BONUS

    Episode 50 | MLK Bonus: What King Said About People Like Me

    What King said about white moderates still confronts the church today. In this MLK bonus episode, Kristen reflects on being born in 1963, the same year Martin Luther King Jr. wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail, and what his words reveal about comfort, delay, and Christian resistance to justice. Rather than beginning with King’s now-famous letter, this episode starts with the lesser-known statement that provoked it: A Call for Unity, written by eight white clergymen who urged patience, order, and restraint in the face of segregation, brutality, and state violence. Their words sound measured. Reasonable. Even familiar. This is not another tribute to Dr. King. It’s a reckoning with who he was actually writing to in 1963, not the extremists, but the moderates. The well-meaning religious leaders who agreed with justice in theory but were unwilling to be disrupted by it in practice. Kristen reflects on what it means to inherit that distance, socially, theologically, and spiritually, and how many of us are still living inside an unfinished revolution. The systems King confronted were never fully dismantled; they were managed, delayed, and reframed as “order.” And generations later, we are still being asked to wait—often by people who are not the ones waiting. In this bonus episode of Jesus, Justice & Mercy, we explore: Why Letter from Birmingham Jail was written in response—not isolationWhat King meant by the “white moderate.”How Christian calls for “order,” “unity,” and “patience” delay justiceThe difference between negative peace and positive peaceWhy comfort—not hatred—is often the greatest obstacle to liberationWhat it means to inherit an unfinished revolution If this episode was meaningful for you, the best way to help others find the show is to: Text this episode to a friend who might need it Leave a 5-star rating and review Subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes Here’s to a faith that tells the truth, refuses silence in the face of harm, and follows Jesus all the way into healing and justice. RESOURCES: www.kristenannette.com Holy Disruption: Reclaiming a Justice-Rooted Faith course info and interest list Justice Coaching options! "Find your justice mindset" quiz!

    11 min
  7. Ready or Not: The Year Courage Stops Being Optional

    JAN 15

    Ready or Not: The Year Courage Stops Being Optional

    We're launching this season in a week when the gap between what Christians claim to believe and what we're willing to rationalize has never felt clearer. This week alone, we've watched violence unfold, lies amplified, and harm defended, often by Christians claiming Jesus' name. If you've ever wondered what you would have done as authoritarianism took hold, as violence was rationalized, as truth became optional, you're doing it right now. This episode is for Christians wrestling with what following Jesus actually looks like when faith comes at a cost. We explore Joshua, Esther, and Jesus to understand courage not as fearlessness, but as obedience when neutrality is no longer possible. In this episode: Why staying silent becomes complicity when harm is being doneWhat Scripture teaches about courage in moments of crisisHow spiritual formation happens under pressureThe cost of discipleship and what it asks of us right nowThis is Re-Center: the inner work of faith before we can rebuild or reimagine anything. Scripture Referenced: Joshua 1:9, Esther 4:13-14, Matthew 4:1-11, John 6:15, Mark 8:34-35, 2 Timothy 1:7, 2 Timothy 2:1, Isaiah 61:11, Isaiah 62:1 Connect with Kristen at kristenannette.com If this episode was meaningful for you, the best way to help others find the show is to: Text this episode to a friend who might need it Leave a 5-star rating and review Subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes Here’s to a faith that tells the truth, refuses silence in the face of harm, and follows Jesus all the way into healing and justice. RESOURCES: www.kristenannette.com Holy Disruption: Reclaiming a Justice-Rooted Faith course info and interest list Justice Coaching options! "Find your justice mindset" quiz!

    33 min
  8. Discipleship on Fire: Season 3 Trailer

    SEASON 3 TRAILER

    Discipleship on Fire: Season 3 Trailer

    Discipleship on Fire is Season 3 of the Jesus, Justice + Mercy podcast, exploring Christian discipleship, justice, and faith in a complex world.  New episodes begin January 15th If this episode was meaningful for you, the best way to help others find the show is to: Text this episode to a friend who might need it Leave a 5-star rating and review Subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes Here’s to a faith that tells the truth, refuses silence in the face of harm, and follows Jesus all the way into healing and justice. RESOURCES: www.kristenannette.com Holy Disruption: Reclaiming a Justice-Rooted Faith course info and interest list Justice Coaching options! "Find your justice mindset" quiz!

    2 min
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Jesus, Justice & MercyBold faith, radical love, and justice for the church.   Welcome to Jesus, Justice & Mercy — a podcast for Christians who sense that justice matters but feel the tension between Jesus and much of what they see practiced in the church.   If you’re wrestling with inherited faith, questions that don’t have easy answers, or the growing gap between the Gospel and the world we’re navigating, you’re not alone.   I’m your host, Kristen Brock, rooted in the church and committed to following Jesus with honesty, courage, and compassion. Each season, we engage Scripture, history, and lived experience to explore the intersections of faith, justice, and discipleship. We talk about race, trauma, power, civic responsibility, and the ways faith has been both a source of harm and a force for healing.   Whether you’re deconstructing, rebuilding, or simply learning to ask better questions, this is a space for thoughtful reflection, faithful wrestling, and a faith shaped by justice, deeply rooted in Scripture.

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