The JustCoz Podcast

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.

What if the church we know today was built on a foundation of radical social justice — and then forgot it? Historian Dr. Kevin Burton joins co-hosts Dilys Brooks and Nathan Brown to uncover the surprising, inspiring, and sometimes uncomfortable truth about early Adventism's role in the American anti-slavery movement — and what it means for who we are called to be today.KEY QUOTES"What were the pioneers thinking?""Ellen White said we are reformers.""We need to be the good Samaritan.""If we have a problem with any human being out there in the world, then we are desecrating God himself because we are created in his image.""I cannot be silent. That is actually a sin."TIMESTAMPS0:00  Intro & Theme Music0:56  Guest Introduction — Dr. Kevin Burton0:57  Why Study History?2:42  Why Study Adventist History? 4:40  How History Shapes Identity6:08  How Do We Balance Who We Were?7:44  Justice and the Adventist Church12:00  The Impact of Adventism on the Anti-Slavery Movement14:00  Apocalyptic Abolitionism — The Book23:00  Methodology: Prosopography & Cross-Archive Research29:00  Long Anti-Slavery Movement 33:46  How We Lost This History — WWI and the Conservative Turn39:00  The Two-Horned Beast Doctrine & America in Prophecy49:00  How the Saints Are Receiving This Work53:00  Personal Transformation Through Research60:00  Closing — An Invitation to Get Into Good Trouble1:01  Host Sign-Off & Episode CreditsFeatured BookApocalyptic Abolitionism — Dr. Kevin Burton (forthcoming)People & Works Referenced This EpisodeEllen White — "We are reformers" (recurring theme in her writings)Joseph Bates — Adventist founder and anti-slavery activistUriah Smith — Editor of the Adventist Review; called slavery "the prime mover"Joseph & Sarah Clark — Early Adventist evangelists in the post-Reconstruction SouthA.G. Daniels — General Conference President; racial segregation in Washington D.C.Jan Loughborough — One of the first Adventist historiansDoug Morgan — Adventist historian; work on race and the churchMichael Campbell — Adventist historian; Adventism and fundamentalismChimamanda Ngozi Adichie — "The Danger of a Single Story" (TED Talk)Matthew 25 — "Whatever you have done for the least of these"Luke 10 — The Good SamaritanRevelation 13 — The Two-Horned Beast and America in prophecyCALL TO ACTIONThis Week's ChallengeSit with this question from Dr. Burton: What does my faith mean if I remain silent in the face of injustice? Then take one concrete step — however small — to act on the answer. As our Adventist pioneers understood, silence is not neutral.Book RecommendationPre-order Apocalyptic Abolitionism by Dr. Kevin Burton — and add it to your JustLove Book Circle reading list for 2026. Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help more people discover these conversations.Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. Tag us @justlovecollective.Subscribe so you never miss an episode — new episodes every two weeks.The JustCoz is a podcast of JustLove Collective.

The Hebrew prophets were not just predicting the future — they were speaking truth to power in their present. In this episode, co-hosts Dilys Brooks and Nathan Brown sit down with theologian and professor Dr. Janice DeWhyte to explore what the biblical prophetic tradition really means, why justice is non-negotiable for God, and what Amos, Jeremiah, and Isaiah have to say to our world today.TIMESTAMPS0:00  Host Welcome & Episode Overview0:55  Intro & Theme Music0:59  Guest Introduction — Dr. Janice DeWhyte1:56  What Is a Prophet? A Communicator for and to God4:00  Deborah, Advocacy & the Prophetic Role in Community8:02 What We Get Wrong About Biblical Prophecy11:25  Reading Ancient Texts for Today — Isaiah 1018:58  Why Justice Is the Central Concern of the Prophets24:25  Mishpat & Tzedakah — Defining Justice Biblically31:57  Favourite Prophets — Amos & Jeremiah40:00  How the Prophets Can Shape Us Today47:38 Homework: Read the Prophets Alongside the News52:55  Host Sign-Off & Episode CreditsVoices & Ideas Referenced This Episode““Prophecy is the voice that God has lent to the silent agony, a voice to the plundered poor, to the profaned riches of the world. And it is a form of living, a crossing point of God and man. God is raging in the prophet’s words.” Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel — The Prophets (1962)Isaiah 10:1–4 — Woe to those who make unjust lawsAmos 5:24 — "Let justice roll down like waters"Psalm 89:14 — Righteousness and justice as the foundation of God's throneDr. Martin Luther King Jr. — The prophetic spirit and the Civil Rights MovementRosa Parks — Embodying the prophetic tradition in actionJeremiah 20 — The burden and honesty of the prophetic vocationMatthew 5–7 — The Sermon on the Mount / BeatitudesEpisode-Specific ResourcesResource 1: The Prophets by Abraham Joshua Heschel Resource 2: Our JustLove Book Circle talking about The Prophetic Imagination by Walter BrueggemannCALL TO ACTIONTake Dr. DeWhyte's homework seriously: pick up one of the prophetic books — Amos, Isaiah, or Jeremiah — and read it alongside this week's news. Ask yourself: what might this prophet say about what is happening in my community right now? Share what you discover with someone.Join the Prophetic GuildYou are not alone in this work. Find your community — your guild of fellow justice seekers — and show up for each other. That is the prophetic tradition.Upcoming EventJustLove Summit — La Sierra UniversityDetails: justlovecollective.org/summitLeave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help more people discover these conversations.Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. Tag us @justlovecollective.Subscribe so you never miss an episode — new episodes every two weeks.EPISODE CREDITS: See WebsiteThe JustCoz Podcast is a podcast of JustLove Collective.

What does it look like when justice becomes more than a cause — when it becomes a calling? In this first episode of JustCoz, co-hosts Dilys Brooks and Nathan Brown are joined by the co-leaders and a founding member of JustLove Collective to share the origins, vision, and hopes behind the movement — and why justice matters urgently in our world today.Chris BlakeRetired pastor, editor, and university professor; Co-Leader of JustLove CollectiveJen SilvaPublic health professional, global health advocate; Co-Leader of JustLove CollectiveSam GungalooPastor, JustLove Organizing Team00:00  Intro & Theme Music00:17  Host Welcome & Episode Overview01:09  Guest Introductions 04:00  What is the JustLove Collective08:17 Engagement with Justice and Love 32:41  Origin Story of JustLove Collective43:59 How Is JustLove Different49:18  How to Get Engaged with JustLove Collective57:21  Host Sign-Off & Next Episode TeaserBooks Mentioned This EpisodeImagine Life — Chris BlakePractising Justice — Nathan BrownOrganizations Mentioned This EpisodeAdventist Peace Fellowship (APF)Adventist for Social Justice (ASJ)Conscience & Justice Council (CJC)Spectrum MagazineCALL TO ACTIONThis Week's Challenge"Just love" your community, your church, and your world. Find one concrete way this week to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly — and share it with someone. Upcoming EventJustLove Summit — La Sierra UniversityDetails: justlovecollective.org/summitLeave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help more people discover these conversations.Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. Tag us @justlovecollective.Subscribe so you never miss an episode — new episodes every two weeks.EPISODE CREDITSDilys Brooks — Co-Host & Content ProducerNathan Brown — Co-Host & Scripting/Editorial FeedbackSam Gungaloo — Audio EngineerBeverly Maravilla Jaramillo — Scheduling Coordination & Guest ConfirmationsCorban Rosspencer — Mix & MasterJustCoz is a podcast of  JustLove Collective. 

Before the first full episode, meet the people behind JustCoz. Co-hosts Dilys Brooks (West Coast, USA) and Nathan Brown (Melbourne, Australia) sit down with Ezekiel Teo (West Coast, USA) and Moe Stiles  (Australia) to introduce the podcast, share why it exists, and dive unexpectedly deeply into the ideas that will shape Season 1.The conversation explores the meaning of the name JustCoz (a play on words: engaging in just causes, just because someone should), the season theme of justice + love = faith in action, and what it really means to pursue justice and love as a pattern of living rather than a reaction to headlines.Along the way the group wrestles with definitions of justice and love drawn from Bryan Stevenson, Cornel West, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Micah 6:8 and why this is a faith project with political implications, not a political project.Episode 0 sets the tone for everything to come: deeper conversations, real dialogue, and a community of practice for those who believe that uniting hearts and inspiring action is exactly what the world needs right now.Rooted in Micah 6:8, JustCoz believes justice is more than a cause, it's a calling.0:00  Intro & Theme Music0:17  Host Welcome: Dilys & Nathan Introduce Themselves1:52  Guest Introductions: Ezekiel & Moe3:21  The Name: Why "JustCoz"?5:07  Why Launch This Podcast? Going Deeper Than Reaction7:46  Reclaiming the Art of Good Conversation15:26  Season Theme: Justice + Love = Faith in Action16:58  Defining Justice & Love, Cornel West, Bryan Stevenson, Dr. King24:30  Faith as the Rubric: A Faith Project with Political Implications30:00  Hopes for the Podcast: Each Voice Shares33:58  Closing & What's NextVoices & Ideas Referenced This EpisodeBryan Stevenson: "Proximity to suffering creates empathy" (Just Mercy)Cornel West: "Justice is what love looks like in public"Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice"Micah 6:8: Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your GodRev. Tim Costello: "This isn't about going left or right. It's about going deeper."Matthew 5–7: The Sermon on the Mount / The BeatitudesCALL TO ACTIONThink about one just cause in your community that matters to you. Don't just react to a headline, go deeper. Ask yourself: what does my faith call me to do about it? Then share it with one person this week.Episode 1, dropping March 16, 2026.Upcoming EventJustLove Summit: La Sierra University, Riverside, CADetails: justlovecollective.org/summitGet the word outLeave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help more people discover these conversations.Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. Tag us @justlovecollective.EPISODE CREDITSDilys Brooks: Co-Host & Content ProducerNathan Brown: Co-Host & Scripting/Editorial FeedbackBeverly Maravilla: Scheduling Coordination & Guest ConfirmationsSam Gungaloo: Audio Engineer & Web Content ManagerCorban Rosspencer: Mix & MasterMusic "Lumber Down": Intro Music, licensed via Riverside FM "Palms Down": Outro Music, licensed via Riverside FMThe JustCoz Podcast is a podcast of JustLove Collective.