Ep. 230 - John Dominic Crossan & Michael Okinczyc-Cruz "Jesus and Justice" pt. 2

About this episode

The episode explores the implications of understanding Jesus within the context of Roman imperial power and its relevance to contemporary issues in Christianity and politics.

In Part Two of our conversation with John Dominic Crossan and Michael Okinczyc-Cruz , we move from historical foundations to present-day consequences. Once Jesus is understood within the realities of Roman imperial power, the implications become unavoidable — especially in a moment when Christianity in the United States is increasingly entangled with political authority, violence, and domination. In this episode, we explore: The meaning of the “Kingdom of God” in contrast to imperial power Nonviolence, resistance, and the cost of discipleship How Christianity shifted from challenging empire to aligning with it The difference between domination systems and distributive justice Why these ancient tensions feel so familiar today This isn’t about telling listeners what to believe politically. It’s about asking whether Christianity still resembles the movement it began as — or whether comfort and power have rewritten the story. Why This Conversation Matters Now The questions raised in this episode aren’t abstract or theoretical. They echo loudly in today’s debates about nationalism, violence, faith, and identity in the United States. By grounding the conversation in history, Crossan…

People in this episode

Host: John Williamson

Guests: John Dominic Crossan, Michael Okinczyc-Cruz

Topics covered

• Jesus and justice
• historical foundations
• Roman imperial power
• Christianity and politics
• nonviolence and resistance
• distributive justice
• faith and identity

Keywords

• Jesus
• justice
• Christianity
• political authority
• nonviolence
• empire
• faith
• identity
• distributive justice
• nationalism

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Christianity, United States

Books & works: Kingdom of God

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