The Convocation Unscripted | Vance, Walz, and the VP Debate; Project 2025 Revisited; and The Convocation Unscripted’s Road Show @The_Convocation | Uploaded October 2024 | Updated October 2024, 1 hour ago.
In this episode of The Convocation Unscripted, Kristin Du Mez sits in the host chair for a conversation with Diana Butler Bass, Jemar Tisby, and Robert P. Jones. We reflect on the recent vice presidential debate, possibly the last debate of the election season. Beyond the performances, we talk about what the debate revealed about the deeper stakes for democracy: outright lies in a post-truth political world, Vance’s refusal to say Trump lost the 2020 election and his admission that he would not have protected the Constitution the way Mike Pence did in 2021, and the dangers of a “normal” sounding debate in these abnormal times. We wrapped the session with a conversation about the connections between the white evangelical “theo bros” and Christian nationalist vision of Project 2025. The team also announced the first two stops on The Convocation Unscripted’s “Faith and Democracy Tour,” inviting listeners to join us in person at First Baptist Church in Greensboro, NC on October 13th at 6pm ET and Dayspring United Methodist Church in Tempe, AZ on October 20th at 5pm MST. Links to register for those events can be found on the Convocation Unscripted substack home page.
In this episode of The Convocation Unscripted, Kristin Du Mez sits in the host chair for a conversation with Diana Butler Bass, Jemar Tisby, and Robert P. Jones. We reflect on the recent vice presidential debate, possibly the last debate of the election season. Beyond the performances, we talk about what the debate revealed about the deeper stakes for democracy: outright lies in a post-truth political world, Vance’s refusal to say Trump lost the 2020 election and his admission that he would not have protected the Constitution the way Mike Pence did in 2021, and the dangers of a “normal” sounding debate in these abnormal times. We wrapped the session with a conversation about the connections between the white evangelical “theo bros” and Christian nationalist vision of Project 2025. The team also announced the first two stops on The Convocation Unscripted’s “Faith and Democracy Tour,” inviting listeners to join us in person at First Baptist Church in Greensboro, NC on October 13th at 6pm ET and Dayspring United Methodist Church in Tempe, AZ on October 20th at 5pm MST. Links to register for those events can be found on the Convocation Unscripted substack home page.
![The Convocation Unscripted [S1E2]: Trump is a Convicted Felon. Now What?](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cTCa3SuFabE/hqdefault.jpg "The Convocation Unscripted [S1E2]: Trump is a Convicted Felon. Now What?
One hundred and thirty thousand dollars. Two days of deliberation. Thirty-four utterances of “Guilty!” Backed unanimously by twelve ordinary citizens sitting on the jury. May 30, 2024, will forever be a day that marked a new era in American history, when Donald J. Trump became the first former president to receive a felony conviction.
But what does it all mean:
*For our country as a whole?
*For the political party who is poised to coronate Trump as their candidate just four days after his sentencing?
*And for Trump’s white Christian supporters who in the not so distant past crowed about their integrity as “values voters”?
Join us for a special edition of our new podcast “The Convocation Unscripted,” where Jemar Tisby, Kristin Du Mez, Robert P. Jones, and Diana Butler Bass talk about this historic moment and its implications for the presidential election and the future.")
![Godless Liberals? Faith at the Democratic National Convention - The Convocation Unscripted [S1E8]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/m6lbys11jcY/hqdefault.jpg "Godless Liberals? Faith at the Democratic National Convention - The Convocation Unscripted [S1E8]
Christian Right leaders still regularly accuse Democrats of being godless liberals, or some similar phrase. Trump has claimed that no true Christian should be able to vote for a Democrat. But as Kristin Du Mez, who was on the ground at the Democratic National Convention, reports, Christianity and other religions are alive and well among not only the rank and file but the high profile speakers in Chicago this week. Similarly, Jemar Tisby talks about his experience as part of the “Evangelicals for Harris” group, which has been the target of attacks by the Christian Right merely because of its existence. Robert P. Jones also brought in the numbers, emphasizing—despite the Republican stereotypes that 70% of Democrats identify with some religious tradition. As Jones notes, when Republican activists say the Democratic Party is devoid of Christians, what they really mean is that they are lacking white evangelical Protestant Christians (who only make up 4% of Democrats vs. 30% of Republicans). Jemar, Kristin, and Robby rounded out the show by talking about the different way religion functioned at the Republican vs. Democratic national conventions—weaponized at the former to draw us/them boundaries versus an inclusive image at the latter, emphasizing America as a place where all belong.
Follow:
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")
![The Convocation Unscripted [S1E7]: The Significance of Tim Walzs Midwestern Lutheran Dad Vibe](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pV9khiEgXOo/hqdefault.jpg "The Convocation Unscripted [S1E7]: The Significance of Tim Walzs Midwestern Lutheran Dad Vibe
What is the significance of Tim Walzs Midwestern Lutheran Dad Vibe for the 2024 presidential election? In this episode, we talk about what it means to be Lutheran and how Walz upends the old culture war trope of God, gays, and guns (hes authentically religious, has long supported LGBTQ+ rights, and both served in the military and is an avid hunter). Together with Kamala Harriss mixed-race identity, interfaith marriage, and blended family, the Harris-Walz ticket promises to redraw the traditional cultural and political fault lines (exhibit 1: A Harris-Walz version of his trademark camo hat has already sold over 25,000 units). Perhaps more importantly, compared to the gilded and testosterone infused Trump-Vance ticket, the democratic duos identities more closely reflects the beautiful messiness of most everyday Americans lives.
Follow:
The Convocation - convocation.substack.com
Robert P. Jones - robertpjones.substack.com
Diana Butler Bass - dianabutlerbass.substack.com
Kristin Du Mez - kristindumez.substack.com
Jemar Tisby - JemarTisby.Substack.com")
