Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
FULL EPISODE: youtu.be/oIk7F3fQhw8
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.
In This Episode We Discuss:
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
Books Referenced
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.
FULL EPISODE: youtu.be/oIk7F3fQhw8
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.
In This Episode We Discuss:
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
Books Referenced
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.






![Stuck in the Cycle of Doom and Gloom?
We love your comments. In fact, we led off our discussion by sharing our reflections on one particular comment.
Robby shared,
[This person was] finding themselves feeling a little jaded by the constant, “You wont believe what just happened now.”
And same thing, day after day, after day—kind of a Groundhog Day experience, and worried about getting caught up in the negativity, not being able to think about: What do we do?
How can we manage the chaos?
How can we manage our own responses to it, and try to get to do something productive in the meantime?
So we each shared how we approach our obligation to tell the truth—which necessarily involves a lot of “doom and gloom”—with the equally urgent call to hope and resilience.
We do these live episodes once a month, and the best part for us as hosts is interacting with you in real time.
So we devote about half the episode to answering your questions.
We’re curious: How do you resist feeling jaded when there’s so much bad news? How are you cultivating hope and resilience? Let us know in the comments.
A Live Q & A Session with The Convocation Unscripted
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