The Convocation came to Theology Beer Camp, minus one sociologist. Robbie Jones picked a tux and an induction into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences over hanging out with us in Kansas City, so his chair sat empty on stage, Passover-style. That left three historians. Diana Butler Bass, a camp veteran, hosted. Kristin Du Mez and Jemar Tisby, at their first camp, were fresh off panels that were somehow scheduled at the same time. (We have received the complaints.) Diana opened with a question she'd been chewing on since her conversation with Bill Leonard: what if American religion is being restructured again? Robert Wuthnow argued in 1989 that it had sorted itself into liberal and conservative political camps. All four Convocation hosts think that map is now wrong. From there it's pyramid versus table, how high-control systems turn ordinary people into enforcers, and Jemar's challenge to the deconstruction crowd: why does the reconstruction still look so segregated? Then they get practical. Can progressives build coalitions with people they don't fully agree with? What can white Christians, feeling powerless for the first time, learn from communities that have resisted state power for centuries? Jemar ends with what that takes: grief, lament, healing, and doing justice because it's right, not because you'll win. Subscribe to the Convocation and our hosts The Convocation is the shared Substack and podcast (The Convocation Unscripted) from Diana, Jemar, Kristin, and Robbie: convocation.substack.com Diana Butler Bass, historian of American religion and author of Freeing Jesus, writes The Cottage, including her Sunday Musings on the lectionary. Jemar Tisby, historian and author of The Color of Compromise and The Spirit of Justice, writes Footnotes, current events with historical context, including the History Rhymes series he discusses here. Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Professor of History at Calvin University and author of Jesus and John Wayne and Live Laugh Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made, writes Du Mez Connections. Join us at Theology Beer Camp 2027: Sign up at theologybeer.camp for updates on TBC 2027. You'll be the first to hear the dates and location and get pre-sale tickets at the cheapest rate. Join me in Berlin for the Bonhoeffer Travel Learning Trip In June 2027, Andy Root and I are leading two Rise of Bonhoeffer travel-learning weeks. The Seminar (June 12–17) reads Bonhoeffer’s sources where they were fought over — Luther in Wittenberg, Schleiermacher and Barth in Berlin, the prison letters in his own house. The Pilgrimage (June 17–22) is for pastors and faith leaders, built around Bonhoeffer as a working minister in a time of resistance. Twenty-two seats each, back to back so you can do one or both. Early bird pricing through January 31. Details and registration at www.BonhoefferTrip.com UPCOMING ONLINE ADVENT CLASS: Tear Open the Heavens: Advent for Indifferent Strangers Most of us are running faster just to stay in place, and the one season that asks us to wait gets swallowed by the busiest month of the year. Meanwhile, the neighbors have changed: fewer people argue with the church, and more have simply never heard the story. This Advent, Andy Root and Tripp Fuller take up Isaiah’s prayer, “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,” and ask what it means to pray it now. One lectionary text a week, timed to land before Sunday, with Taylor, Rosa, Han, Bonhoeffer, Luther, and Schleiermacher brought into the conversation. For pastors who need sermon fuel, readers who want to go deeper, and anyone who never learned the words.Pre-recorded lectures, live conversations based on your questions, a short weekly reading packet, and an online community. Free to join; give if you’re able. Join at homebrewedclasses.com. Homebrewed Christianity, Theology Nerd Throwdown, & The Rise of Bonhoeffer podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 75,000 other people by joining our Substack - Process This! Get instant access to over 50 classes at www.TheologyClass.com Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
