Why Just Stories? Why Now?

What does justice really mean, and how does faith shape our response to injustice? In this debut episode of Just Stories, hosts Rob Brenneman and Regina Shands Stoltzfus share the experiences that shaped their work, from Central America and refugee camps to classrooms and local jails. Through honest stories about faith, dignity, and our shared humanity, they explore how listening can become the first step toward justice.

Learn more at: juststoriespodcast.org

Credits

Host: Rob Brenneman & Regina Shands Stoltzfus

Senior Producer: Yebu Ji

Sound Engineering: Alex Dugger

Research Assistance: Alaina Wolfe

Illustrator: Senna Duan

Marketing Manager: Melissa Troyer

Audience Engagement Manager: Courtney Dobrzykowski

Directed by: Duane Stoltzfus

Music

Theme Music: Umbilical Moonrise by Lotus

Mint Martini by Blue Dot Sessions

Liptis by Blue Dot Sessions

Basic Curiosity by Blue Dot Sessions

Driptape by Blue Dot Sessions

Cheap Red by Blue Dot Sessions

Cloud Cannon by Blue Dot Sessions

Just Stories is a collaboration of the Religion, Justice and Society Department and the Communication Department at Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana, part of the More Than Just Stories project, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc.

Links

Regina’s Published Works:

• Resistance, Resilience, and Radical Love: Reflections on Blackness and Teaching Peace, Tehom Center Publishing, 2025.
• Been in the Struggle: Pursuing an Antiracist Spirituality, Herald Press, 2021. (co-authored with Tobin Miller Shearer)

Rob’s Published Works:

• Homies and Hermanos: God and Gangs in Central America
• "Organized Crime, Disorganized Responses: New Research on Gangs and Organized Crime in Latin America,"
• Building Faith: A Sociology of Religious Structures
• Rob’s Personal Website