Episode 4 - The Silent Church Speaks

The church has a choice: keep the peace, or make it. In this episode, co-hosts Dilys Brooks and Nathan Brown sit down with theologian Dr. Zdravko Plantak — author of The Silent Church — and young adult Ezekiel Teo to ask the question that has never been more urgent: why is the church so often silent in the face of injustice, and what will it take to finally speak up?TIMESTAMPS0:00  Intro & Theme Music1:00  Host Welcome & Episode Overview3:00  Personal Connection to JustLove's Mission5:00  Guest Introductions — Dr. Zdravko Plantak & Ezekiel Teo7:00  The Story Behind The Silent Church — London, Homelessness & Phil Collins12:00  How the Book Was Received by the Church16:00  Ezekiel's Discovery of the Book & Its Continued Relevance20:00  The Kingdom of God: Now and Not Yet25:00  What Do We Mean by "Church"? Corporate vs. Local Community29:00  The Church's Official Statements — More Active in the 80s and 90s33:00  Peacemakers vs. Peacekeepers — A Word for Church Leaders38:00  Zach's Hopeful Vision: Students Carrying the Mantle Forward42:00  Closing — A Church That Acts, Not Just Speaks44:00  Host Sign-Off & Episode CreditsFeatured BookThe Silent Church: Human Rights and Adventist Social Ethics — Dr. Zdravko Plantak (Macmillan Press, 1998)People & Works Referenced This EpisodeJürgen Moltmann — Theology of HopeJohn Brunt — Now and Not Yet (Kingdom of God concept)Dietrich Bonhoeffer — "Who is Jesus Christ for us today?"Phil Collins — "Another Day in Paradise" (cultural prophets)Bob Dylan — "Blowin' in the Wind"Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles) — Social loneliness and communityEllen White — Kingdom of Grace and Kingdom of GloryProverbs 31 — Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselvesLuke 4 — Jesus' Nazareth ManifestoMatthew 24–25 — Signs of the times and caring for the leastChuck Scriven, Roy Branson, Doug Morgan — Adventist justice scholarsChimamanda Ngozi Adichie — The Danger of a Single Story (referenced by Dilys)CALL TO ACTIONThis Week's ChallengeAsk yourself: Is my church keeping the peace or making it? Then identify one issue in your local community where your faith community could move from silence to action — and take one step toward making that happen, however small.Book RecommendationRead The Silent Church by Dr. Zdravko Plantak — and ask what has changed since 1998, and what hasn't.EPISODE CREDITSDilys Brooks — Co-Host & Content ProducerNathan Brown — Co-Host & Editorial FeedbackBeverly Maravilla Jaramillo — Scheduling Coordination & Guest ConfirmationsSam Gungaloo — Audio Engineer Web Content ManagerCorban Rosspencer — Mix & MasterMusicLumber Down — Intro Music, licensed via Riverside FMPalms Down — Outro Music, licensed via Riverside FMThe JustCoz is a podcast of JustLove Collective.