On this episode, we discussed the deep logic of white Christian nationalism. It’s all about protecting the hierarchy: men over women, white people over all people of color, straight people over LGBTQ people (when they are even acknowledged at all). So this week, when we saw Doug Wilson—who has been an apologist for white Confederate slave-owning society and an advocate of stripping the right to vote for women—invited by Pete Hegseth to preach at an explicitly Christian worship service at the Pentagon, we were disturbed but not surprised. It’s all about defending the hierarchy. Robby unpacked a major new PRRI survey on Christian nationalism, which demonstrate how strongly these views are correlated to denials of systemic racism, patriarchal gender roles, anti-LGBTQ attitudes, and anti-immigrant attitudes. We wrapped with an appreciation for the life and witness of Jesse Jackson Jr., who died this week. Jemar shared his personal experience meeting Jackson and described his vision of a rainbow coalition that contrasted with white Christian nationalism.

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On this episode, we discussed the ways white femininity has been weaponized by Trump and the MAGA movement, along with the erasure of climate change as a scientific conclusion by the Trump administration. Pam Bondi’s recent contentious testimony before Congress, which was widely criticized for its disrespectful demeanor towards Democratic lawmakers, provided a vivid example of conservative white feminine performativity. Kristin gave us a sneak peek into a chapter in her forthcoming book, Live Laugh Love, titled "Lipstick on Pitbulls," which analyzes such performances. There she notes how ideals of white femininity and beauty are marshaled to justify authoritarianism and state violence. We wrap the episode with a discussion of the U.S. government's official erasure of the scientific consensus that climate change is real, which removes the EPA’s authority to regulate emissions. We note that this remarkable action represents half a century of collusion between the oil industries and the Christian right. Finally, we close with some thoughts about resistance and experiencing Lent in these challenging times.

In this TCU+LIVE conversation, we talked about Trump’s shameful, rambling speech at the National Prayer Breakfast, where he talked three times longer than his allotted slot. His remarks were filled with lies about losing the 2020 election, cursing, threats to churches and nonprofits who disagreed with him, and the demonization of Democrats.

We’ve come a long, long way from the days when conservative Christians were proudly talking about themselves as “values voters”—to the point where few white evangelical Trump supporters are even attempting to explain away his markedly unChristian behavior and rhetoric. Would it even be problematic anymore if all white Christian Trump supporters watched the entire speech and were asked, about every 10 minutes, to personally affirm that this is the man they believe is most fit to lead and the vision they want for the country? And if not, what does that mean for the moral state of white conservative Christianity? Be sure to watch the second half, where we took questions from our subscribers across a range of issues: continued violence by ICE, Trump’s threats to seize the midterm elections, and more.

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In this episode of The Convocation Unscripted, Jemar, Diana, and Kristin talk about what it means—and what it costs—to speak up in a moment of moral and political crisis. 

Reflecting on the Southern Lights Conference, Alex Pretti, and midterm elections, they explore why so many people who once remained silent are now finding their voices, and what finally pushes individuals past fear, caution, and self-protection. 

The discussion examines the forces that keep people quiet—especially within Christian communities—and challenges the tendency to weigh personal risk more heavily than the harm caused by silence. 

The episode calls listeners to move beyond delayed outrage and performative concern toward courageous, faithful witness rooted in solidarity, truth-telling, and moral responsibility.

This week we talk about the recent autopsy reports that reveal the escalating brutality of ICE. Renee Goode’s autopsy revealed that she was shot four times in rapid succession. Another autopsy report this week revealed that the death of migrant Geraldo Lunas Campos, who was in ICE custody at an internment camp in Texas, was unlikely a suicide as the government claimed but caused by wounds consistent with strangling by a third party. A witness testified seeing Campos handcuffed, restrained by multiple guards who squeezed his neck until he passed out. We also emphasized that a small number of Republicans in Congress could potentially stop these immoral, harmful policies. We also discussed the ICE protest that interrupted a church service in Minnesota and the historical parallels between those actions and Civil Rights campaigns that targeted white churches in the 1960s. In the wake of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we concluded by reflecting on the hope of his message and his faith that "right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant."

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Following our conversation last week about the senseless, unjustified killing of Renee Good by and ICE agent in Minneapolis, this week we bring you a special episode of The Convocation Unscripted with our first ever guest, Rev. Angela Denker. Angela is an ordained Lutheran pastor in Minneapolis (her full bio is below) and author of DISCIPLES OF WHITE JESUS: The Radicalization of American Boyhood. We’ve been fans of Angela’s courageous writing and preaching for years, and this week she gives us firsthand experience and reporting of the brutality and chaos that has been unleashed on Minneapolis residents by ICE and CBP, which combined now outnumber local city law enforcement by a factor of five. This invasion of an American city based on the thinnest pretext—over the protests of both the mayor and the governor—is a dress rehearsal for Trump’s dream of authoritarian rule across the country. Angela gives us both the horror and the hope from the faithful resistance. You don’t want to miss this one.

Rev. Angela Denker is an award-winning author, ELCA Lutheran pastor, and veteran journalist. Her first book, Red State Christians, was the 2019 Silver Foreword Indies award-winner for political and social sciences. Her second book, Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Boyhood, came out on March, 25, 2025. She is a former columnist for the Minnesota Star Tribune and has written for many publications, including Sports Illustrated, the Washington Post, and FORTUNE magazine, and has appeared on CNN, BBC, SkyNews, and NPR to share her research on politics and Christian Nationalism. Pastor Angela lives with her husband, Ben, and two sons in Minneapolis, where she is a sought-after speaker on Christian Nationalism and its theological and cultural roots. She also serves Lake Nokomis Lutheran Church in Minneapolis as Pastor of Visitation and Public Theology. You can read more of her work on Christian Nationalism, American culture, social issues, journalism, theology, and parenting on her Substack, I'm Listening.

Our first conversation of the year was a heavy one. We mourned the senseless, unjustified killing of Renee Good by and ICE agent in Minneapolis, noting that the chain of events that lead to her death is anchored in Trump’s racist lies about Somali immigrants. And we also warned that the $170 billion of our tax dollars that ICE received to dramatically expand operations on U.S. soil in 2026 will mean that this lie-fueled violence is likely coming to a community near you this year. We also saluted the Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for courageous calling out the lies about both the situation in the city and about the circumstances of Good’s killing; the courageous clergy such as Rev. Angela Denker who are speaking out; and the everyday citizens who are standing up. We wrap by noting that Christian faithfulness in this regime will mean taking risks for justice and truth in 2026.

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This week we discuss the explosive Vanity Fair article and accompanying photographs that reveal unflattering images of Trump administration officials, including Susie Wiles, Marco Rubio, and Karoline Leavitt. The photographer, Christopher Anderson, defended his work as authentic journalism rather than celebrity-style portraiture. The article and the backslash against it exposed the vanity and vulnerability of authoritarian regimes, who need to maintain the facade of power. We talk about how this vanity is at odds with the humility of Advent and how the White House and the Department of Homeland Security have distorted and defiled the message of Christmas to celebrate the cruelty of their mass deportation scheme. We close by highlighting a recent “Choose Love, Not ICE” ad—produced by Interfaith Alliance in partnership with Protect Democracy and set to the tune of “O Holy Night”—is pushing back.

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Why his latest rants signal a deeper unraveling

We’re living in a moment where authoritarian power is panicking, elites are hiding, and ordinary people are the ones finding their voice.

You could read Trump’s outburst against Somali immigrants as just another racist rant.

But if you listen more closely you can also hear it as a panic siren from an authoritarian project that knows it’s slipping, even as everyday people quietly find their courage again.

Trump’s racist tirade against Somali immigrants wasn’t new, but as Diana Butler Bass, Kristin Du Mez, and I unpacked on this episode of The Convocation Unscripted, it landed differently.

This wasn’t just more ugly rhetoric. It sounded like fear. It sounded like a regime running out of tricks and grasping for one of its oldest tools: dehumanizing immigrants to rally its base.

But while the president doubles down, something else is happening on the ground.

Diana described a subtle but powerful shift in public spaces. Strangers are groaning out loud at the news, trading comments in security lines, and saying what they used to only text in group chats.

In places like Chicago, Nashville, and beyond, people aren’t just talking—they’re organizing, marching, and even turning Home Depot product returns into a protest tactic.

Meanwhile, the elites—on both sides of the aisle—feel further away than ever.

Bubble-wrapped in security details, donor circles, and curated media, they seem unable or unwilling to name what’s happening: an authoritarian movement testing the limits daily, and a public that is more awake than the political class wants to admit.

Kristin put it bluntly: they keep pushing because they keep getting away with it.

When there finally is pushback—a lawsuit, an impeachment article, a rare moment of moral clarity—the response is denial, distraction, or outright lies. But beneath that, the fear is showing. The grip is loosening.

If you want to hear how all this connects to Advent, empire, and light breaking through the darkness, you’ll want to watch the full conversation.

Register to see Jemar, Diana, and more at the Southern Lights Conference.

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Just this week, Trump and his administration have shrugged off the brutal 2018 murder of a Washington Post Journalist and welcomed the person the CIA identified as its mastermind to the White House, called for the death penalty and hanging for six democratic sitting members of Congress, and—over at the Coast Guard under the Department of Homeland Security--downgraded nooses and swastikas from hate symbols to “potentially divisive” objects. We talk about the positive correlations between this increasingly violent rhetoric and Christian nationalism, and the inexplicable tendency of some prominent journalists to refuse to acknowledge the reality of this movement or the scholarship supporting its existence and its threat to democracy. We close with an off-beat segment on the rise of AI-powered chatbots that purport to let Christians text with Jesus. But which Jesus has AI trained itself to emulate? All is not what it seems here.

Check out Jemar's new podcast: The Justice Briefing - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-justice-briefing-with-dr-jemar-tisby/id1460240056

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