This week, we reflect on the anticlimactic America250 celebrations in Washington, DC, and around the country. We also talked about the tragic, suspicious death of African American 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells, whose body was found after he disappeared during a boat trip with a group of white friends on Horn Island over the Fourth of July weekend, and why so many Black Americans are reacting differently than white Americans to this story. Finally, we talk about the mainstreaming of Doug Wilson, an extremist self-described Christian nationalist who leads a small denomination of churches to which Pete Hegseth belongs. In the past year, he's landed high-profile interviews from CNN, New York Times, and most recently NPR. But his rising influence is mostly due to the failure of mainstream white evangelicalism to defend itself from incursions from the far right. Today, mainstream white evangelical leaders are not only failing to condemn his dangerous, illiberal views, they are inviting him into their circles and joining him on his own platforms. If we needed one more piece of evidence of the complete moral and theological collapse of the white evangelical world, the embrace of Wilson is it.

Follow on BlueSky:

https://bsky.app/profile/jemartisby.b...

https://bsky.app/profile/kkdumez.bsky...

https://bsky.app/profile/dianabutlerb...

https://bsky.app/profile/robertpjones...

Follow on Substack:

The Convocation- convocation.substack.com

Robert P. Jones- www.whitetoolong.net

Diana Butler Bass- dianabutlerbass.substack.com

Kristin Du Mez- kristindumez.substack.com

Jemar Tisby- JemarTisby.Substack.com

Independence Day Edition

Follow on BlueSky:

https://bsky.app/profile/jemartisby.b...

https://bsky.app/profile/kkdumez.bsky...

https://bsky.app/profile/dianabutlerb...

https://bsky.app/profile/robertpjones...

Follow on Substack:

The Convocation- convocation.substack.com

Robert P. Jones- www.whitetoolong.net

Diana Butler Bass- dianabutlerbass.substack.com

Kristin Du Mez- kristindumez.substack.com

Jemar Tisby- JemarTisby.Substack.com

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld President Trump’s order to remove Temporary Protected Status from hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian immigrants. The lead opinion, written by Justice Alito, declared that Trump’s derogatory language about these groups (“they’re eating the pets”) and their country of origin (“sh*thole countries”) was not “OVERTLY” racist and therefore not a factor in discerning his motivation for the order. Justice Sotomayor, in a blistering dissent, declared that “the references—of filth, disease, and primitiveness—are shot through with racial stereotypes.” Meanwhile, Trump is giving white South African refugees welcome bags with a PragerU children’s book on so-called reverse racism, and a document that defends the country’s founding on slavery. We talk about how these moves violate not only basic moral decency but Christian teaching about treating immigrants with hospitality and respect and, well, just not bearing false witness against your neighbor. We close by reminding listeners of the need to pay attention to the bright lines being crossed and to not cede the flag or patriotism to the Christian nationalists who distort their meaning.

Follow on BlueSky:

https://bsky.app/profile/jemartisby.b...

https://bsky.app/profile/kkdumez.bsky...

https://bsky.app/profile/dianabutlerb...

https://bsky.app/profile/robertpjones...

Follow on Substack:

The Convocation- convocation.substack.com

Robert P. Jones- www.whitetoolong.net

Diana Butler Bass- dianabutlerbass.substack.com

Kristin Du Mez- kristindumez.substack.com

Jemar Tisby- JemarTisby.Substack.com

This week, the Convocation Unscripted team talk about the implications of the silencing of women’s voices in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and the erasure of women’s voices in the New Testament. On the even of Juneteenth, we also discuss the importance of embracing Juneteenth as our newest federal holiday, and the power of commemorating that holiday alongside Independence Day, which falls just 15 days later. And we wrap by reflecting on the findings of the latest survey, which shows that the loud voices of Christian nationalism only represent about three in ten Americans. Two thirds of our fellow citizens still embrace the ideals of a racially and religiously pluralistic America.

Follow on BlueSky:

https://bsky.app/profile/jemartisby.b...

https://bsky.app/profile/kkdumez.bsky...

https://bsky.app/profile/dianabutlerb...

https://bsky.app/profile/robertpjones...

Follow on Substack:

The Convocation- convocation.substack.com

Robert P. Jones- www.whitetoolong.net

Diana Butler Bass- dianabutlerbass.substack.com

Kristin Du Mez- kristindumez.substack.com

Jemar Tisby- JemarTisby.Substack.com

Because it’s the first week of the month, this week’s Convocation Unscripted episode was live. We talked about the latest happenings in the world of religion and politics: the drastic narrowing of officially recognized religions within the Department of Defense, the further politicization of the civil service by the Trump administration, and moral bright lines being crossed that we must continue to see and resist. And we answered your questions for the second half of the show. Hope you’ll tune in if you missed it! It was lively as always. Thanks so much for reading, listening, and supporting our work.

Subscribe: Convocation.Substack.com

Follow on BlueSky:

https://bsky.app/profile/jemartisby.b...

https://bsky.app/profile/kkdumez.bsky...

https://bsky.app/profile/dianabutlerb...

https://bsky.app/profile/robertpjones...

Follow on Substack:

The Convocation- convocation.substack.com

Robert P. Jones- www.whitetoolong.net

Diana Butler Bass- dianabutlerbass.substack.com

Kristin Du Mez- kristindumez.substack.com

Jemar Tisby- JemarTisby.Substack.com

In this episode, we talk about the broad interdisciplinary research across the humanities and social sciences that has converged to establish the clear threat of Christian nationalism to pluralistic democracy, both here and across Europe. From the headlines, we also discuss the surprising victory by scandal-laden Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary race in Texas. The coming showdown between Paxton and Democratic nominee James Talarico promises not only to be the most expensive senate campaign in American history but also a clear contest between two visions of religion and the nation: Christian nationalism from Paxton and faith-infused support for pluralistic democracy by Talarico. In this race and so many others, we’ll be sure to see the Christian nationalist tactic of literally demonizing political opponents—a practice that destroys democratic ideals, short circuits moral thinking, and distorts Christian theology.

Subscribe: Convocation.Substack.com

Follow on BlueSky:

https://bsky.app/profile/jemartisby.b...

https://bsky.app/profile/kkdumez.bsky...

https://bsky.app/profile/dianabutlerb...

https://bsky.app/profile/robertpjones...

Follow on Substack:

The Convocation- convocation.substack.com

Robert P. Jones- www.whitetoolong.net

Diana Butler Bass- dianabutlerbass.substack.com

Kristin Du Mez- kristindumez.substack.com

Jemar Tisby- JemarTisby.Substack.com

Subscribe: Convocation.Substack.com

Follow on BlueSky:

https://bsky.app/profile/jemartisby.b...

https://bsky.app/profile/kkdumez.bsky...

https://bsky.app/profile/dianabutlerb...

https://bsky.app/profile/robertpjones...

Follow on Substack:

The Convocation- convocation.substack.com

Robert P. Jones- www.whitetoolong.net

Diana Butler Bass- dianabutlerbass.substack.com

Kristin Du Mez- kristindumez.substack.com

Jemar Tisby- JemarTisby.Substack.com

In this episode of The Convocation Unscripted, we wrestle in real time with two competing visions of America unfolding side-by-side. On one hand, we discuss the “Rededicate 250” event and the growing effort to frame the United States as a distinctly Christian nation rooted in white Christian nationalist mythology. On the other hand, we reflect on “All Roads Lead to the South,” a contemporary voting rights pilgrimage through Montgomery and Selma that reminds us democracy has always required organized resistance, moral courage, and collective action.

We connect the current political moment to deeper historical currents: the dismantling of the Voting Rights Act, the myth of “Christian America,” the weaponization of religious liberty rhetoric, and the ways memory and public history shape our understanding of democracy itself. Along the way, we talk about political performance art in Washington, DC, the emotional and spiritual weight of visiting civil rights landmarks, and why this moment increasingly feels like the Civil Rights Movement of our generation.

As always, this conversation is unscripted, historically grounded, and deeply engaged with the urgent questions shaping religion, culture, and politics in America today.

• The Supreme Court’s continued dismantling of voting rights protections
• The significance of Selma, Montgomery, and “All Roads Lead to the South”
• The “Rededicate 250” event and the resurgence of Christian nationalist rhetoric
• The myth of “Christian America” and why it remains politically powerful
• How public memory and historical storytelling shape democracy
• Political performance art, protest, and creative resistance
• The difference between patriotism and nationalism
• Why this political moment echoes earlier struggles for civil rights and democratic participation

• The Search for Christian America by Mark Noll, Nathan Hatch, and George Marsden

Subscribe to The Convocation Unscripted on Substack for weekly conversations at the intersection of faith, politics, history, and culture. You can also follow the individual work of Robby Jones, Jemar Tisby, Kristin Du Mez, and Diana Butler Bass.

This week, we talk about the dismay our friends in Canada and other nations are expressing about the decline of America as a good neighbor. We also talk about two events that are taking place this weekend: 1) Jemar is attending the “All Roads Lead to the South” event, a day of action in Selma in response to the dismantling of the voting rights act; and 2) Robby is attending the Trump administration’s Christian nationalist event called “Rededicate 250” that is taking place this Sunday on the National mall in Washington, DC. Diana gives some hopeful examples of how Virginia, home to the former capitol of the Confederacy, is honestly facing the troubling parts of its past while illuminating a new path forward.

Subscribe: Convocation.Substack.com

Follow on BlueSky:

https://bsky.app/profile/jemartisby.b...

https://bsky.app/profile/kkdumez.bsky...

https://bsky.app/profile/dianabutlerb...

https://bsky.app/profile/robertpjones...

Follow on Substack:

The Convocation- convocation.substack.com

Robert P. Jones- www.whitetoolong.net

Diana Butler Bass- dianabutlerbass.substack.com

Kristin Du Mez- kristindumez.substack.com

Jemar Tisby- JemarTisby.Substack.com