Book Interview: Commons Church
A video interview that captures the heart of my book
Last week in Calgary, Alberta, I got to sit down with my good friend, Jeremy Duncan who pastors Commons Church - an inspiring, Jesus-centered and justice-oriented community in heart of Calgary.
From the video description:
The Justice of Jesus: A Conversation with Joash Thomas
In a recent conversation, I had the privilege of sitting down with my friend Joash Thomas to talk about the journey of writing, the legacy of the Apostle Thomas in India, and the vision behind his new book, The Justice of Jesus, releasing this September.
Writing as Calling
I described Joash as an amateur writer, but don’t let that fool you. With a lifetime of preparation behind him, he began writing this book at 29 and poured three years of reflection and rigor into the project. The actual writing process took six months, carving out weeklong retreats each month to meet a goal of 1,500 words per day. For Joash, writing was less a task and more a vocation. “It felt like what I was put on earth to do,” he told me.
The Legacy of St. Thomas in India
Before diving into the book’s premise, we took a moment to explore Joash’s heritage. As a descendant of St. Thomas Indian Christians, Joash carries a spiritual lineage tracing back to the Apostle Thomas, the very one who doubted and then found the courage to proclaim Christ in India.
St. Thomas is said to have planted seven churches before being martyred, and today, Indian Christians across denominations — Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, Pentecostal — all trace their faith lineage to him. This long, rich history was met with surprise by European colonizers, who sought to evangelize a people who had been Christian longer than they had.
The Justice of Jesus: Hope Beyond Diagnosis
So, what’s the book about? The Justice of Jesus is, in Joash’s words, “a handbook for Western Christians to reimagine a future where the church prioritizes justice.” It begins with diagnosis: how colonial theology has shaped the church to resist justice, both in the Global South and here in the West.
Joash argues that colonization not only damaged the Global South but deeply malformed the Western church itself. He critiques inherited frameworks that prioritize souls over bodies and hierarchy over human dignity. But this isn’t a book that wallows in critique. It’s a book that moves forward.
“We can’t change the past,” Joash reminds us, “but we can be faithful in the present.”
The latter half of the book focuses on a hopeful prognosis — real stories, real churches, real people living into justice today. He sees this work being done in churches across Canada, among communities learning to grapple with colonial legacies while practicing generosity, solidarity, and faithful imagination.
The Call to Faithfulness Now
Joash’s work makes space for paradox. He names how one can be both a survivor of colonization and a beneficiary of it. His call is not to guilt, but to responsibility. The justice of Jesus does not settle for disembodied salvation. It touches bodies and souls, communities and systems.
Throughout our conversation, Joash distinguishes between the "colonizer's gospel" and the gospel of Jesus:
The colonizer’s gospel promotes hierarchy, silence in the face of suffering, and escapism to the afterlife.
Jesus' gospel brings dignity, liberation, and the healing of both body and soul.
In the book, Joash draws from his own St. Thomas Christian heritage to both celebrate its theological depth and confront its complicity in caste oppression. It’s a powerful model of how we all can reckon with our histories and step into the work of repair.
Why This Book Matters
There is a growing fatigue with critique that offers no pathway forward. The Justice of Jesus does not stop at analysis; it invites the reader into mission. Joash believes deeply that when Christ is at the center, naming the past becomes a doorway, not a dead end.
The Justice of Jesus is available for pre-order now, wherever books are sold. For underrepresented authors in Christian publishing, every early order makes a real difference. Find Joash online at @joashpthomas or on his Substack, Jesus, Justice & Joash.
Let’s read, reflect, and reimagine together. Pre-order your copy here today!
Proud of you, Joash!