In this LIVE episode of The Convocation Unscripted, the team talks about the bright line Trump has crossed, as we witness his first overt attempts to turn America into a militarized police state. He’s creating a made-for-TV authoritarian reality show. It’s West Coast/East Coast split screen features Trump’s escalation of conflict by deploying the national guard and the marines in LA and his vain $45 million military parade in DC. It’s classic authoritarian propaganda: chaos and threatening brown people juxtaposed with displays of force and order—all meant to project the great white leader as the king, the only one who can save the country. We also talked about the tragic death of Jennifer Lyell, who survived alleged sexual abuse at the hands of her Southern Baptist seminary professor. After speaking out, she was smeared by church leaders, lost her job, and ultimately lost her life at age 47. Meanwhile, at the SBC annual meeting--amid this loss, the denomination's own refusal to address rampant sexual abuse in its own ranks, and the attacks on our democracy by the man Southern Baptists were instrumental in bringing to power--the leaders at the meeting determined that the most pressing issues God was calling them to address were overturning the legality of marriage equality and banning women from being pastors. Finally, we talk about the importance of resistance in all its forms and about empathy and solidarity as the antidote to authoritarianism.

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Jemar Tisby- JemarTisby.Substack.com

In this episode, the Convocation Unscripted team discussed President Trump's bonkers speech and dishonorable behavior at West Point's graduation ceremony and his inappropriate Memorial Day message on Truth Social, where he attacked political opponents rather than honoring fallen soldiers. Diana and Kristin expressed dismay at Trump's lack of respect for military traditions and values--noting that Trump seems only to honor himself while disparaging soldiers who died or were captured as losers and suckers--while Jemar and Robby highlighted how the President is repositioning national holidays as platforms for political propaganda. The discussion concluded with deeper reflections on the values of honor, service, and self-sacrifice and their religious roots. The Convocation Unscripted team also reflected on our recent retreat, where we decided to continue producing the Convocation Unscripted podcast beyond Trump's first 100 days. We heard from you all, and we agree, that TCU is helping provide all of us with a weekly dose of sanity and community. We’ve also decided to open the comments you YouTube, so please share your thoughts below on this episode!

Show Notes:

This episode is a whirlwind! With critical headlines stacking up by the day, we sprint through urgent stories shaping our moment:

--South African President Ramaphosa’s visit to the White House,

--the Supreme Court’s shocking decision on religious schools in Oklahoma,

--Pete Hegseth’s dominionist prayer rally,

--a tragic shooting in DC raising tensions around antisemitism and Zionism,

--and the political targeting of Harvard and international students.

Plus, we recap the joy and connection we found at The Convocation Unscripted retreat.Like we said, a whirlwind—but it’s honest, grounded, and deeply necessary.

P.S. Here's the LINK to Lisa Sharon Harper's article we reference in the episode.

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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