The Justice Briefing with Dr. Jemar Tisby

Dr. Jemar Tisby
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The Justice Briefing is your weekly guide to understanding current events through a historically grounded, theologically rooted, justice-centered lens. Instead of framing the world through fear or culture-war panic, we draw from the spirit of justice—from the biblical prophets to the Civil Rights Movement. This isn't just commentary; it’s discipleship for truth and justice.

  1. 15h ago

    Why America 250 Needs a Theology of History

    As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, white Christian nationalists are telling their version of the story: that America was founded as a Christian nation. In part two of his America 250 series on The Justice Briefing, Dr. Jemar Tisby argues that there is a better, more truthful story to tell if we know how to tell it, and that telling it requires something most churches have never named: a theology of history. Dr. Tisby is a historian and a believer, and he makes the case that those two things belong together, and that Christians should be passionate about truth and history. Topics AddressedAnniversaries as arguments about the past, and how they shape who we were, who we are, and who we must becomeWhat white Christian nationalists actually mean by "Christian nation": theocracy, a covenant like ancient Israel, Christian privilege, and a religious test for being a "real" AmericanThe restoration narrative of fear and grievance, and why regression differs from progressionThe biblical case for a theology of history: the Bible as a history book, and God's repeated command to rememberThe dangers of forgetting, and why memory is a guardrail against idolatry and injusticeHistory and identity: how the power to tell the story is the power to shape identityThe church's abdication of teaching history, and the "potato chips" problem of getting your history from social mediaApplying the ARC of Racial Justice (Awareness, Relationships, Commitment) to doing history wellResources ReferencedPart one of the series: "Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?" on The Justice Briefing"James Baldwin Was Right About Patriotism," drawn from the autobiographical note in Notes of a Native Son"The Trick Inside Frederick Douglass's Fourth of July Speech""How Gerald R. Ford Celebrated Black History During America's 200th Anniversary"The Spirit of Justice and How to Fight Racism by Dr. Jemar TisbyPrimary sources: the U.S. Constitution and First Amendment, the Treaty of Tripoli, the Danbury Baptist letter, and the Declaration of IndependenceScripture: Deuteronomy 8, Psalm 77:11, Luke 22:19"Echoes of Injustice: From Manzanar to Mass Deportation," a mini documentary on the YouTube channel (YouTube.com/@JTisby)Christians Against Christian Nationalism, by the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious LibertyPublic Religion Research Institute (PRRI) at prri.org Support This WorkEverything I do here is available for free, but I would really like your help. This kind of truth-telling at the intersection of faith, history, and justice is possible because of the people who choose to support it. Subscribe at JemarTisby.Substack.com: $5.83 a month on the annual plan, and help make this work possible. Stay informed. Stay faithful. Stay in the fight.

    50 min

  2. 2d ago

    Fourth of July Teach-In with Dr. Jemar Tisby

    How should we think about the Fourth of July, a day dedicated to celebrating independence and freedom, in light of the unfreedom of race-based chattel slavery? What do we do about the fact that of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence 41 of them held slaves? Do those noble words of the Declaration stating that “all men are created equal” apply to anyone other than wealthy white men? Frederick Douglass, the formerly enslaved 19th century abolitionist, has something to say. We take his speech, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July” as our primary text for exploring the tension between liberty and bondage in U.S. history. Listen and share! Right now, curricula across this country are being rewritten to erase exactly the tension Douglass named in 1852. Subscribe and make sure this history does not get edited out from under you. JemarTisby.Substack.com

    57 min

  3. Jun 26

    Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? The Honest Answer

    As the country marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, one claim is everywhere: the United States was founded as a Christian nation. In this episode of The Justice Briefing, Dr. Jemar Tisby refuses the flat yes or no and insists on the first move any honest answer requires, which is to define the terms. If "Christian nation" means a country shaped by Christians and their ethics? Does it mean a government with an official, state-sanctioned church? History has the receipts, Dr. Tisby walks through the primary sources, from Article VI and the First Amendment to the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom and the Treaty of Tripoli, and he traces the longer backstory of Henry VIII and the colonists who fled state religion. In This EpisodeWhy "define your terms" is the first move in answering the Christian nation questionThe sense in which the claim is true and the sense in which it is falseHistory has the receipts: Article VI, the First Amendment, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and the Treaty of TripoliHenry VIII, the Act of Supremacy, and why colonists fled state religionThe difference between the separation of church and state and the separation of faith and politicsThe Enlightenment roots of the DeclarationWhat white Christian nationalists actually mean, and why the slogan works as a permission structure for powerResources ReferencedThe Christian Past That Wasn't: Debunking the Christian Nationalist Myths That Hijack History by Warren ThrockmortonThe Spirit of Justice: True Stories of Faith, Race, and Resistance by Jemar TisbyThe Color of Compromise (book and video study) by Jemar TisbyRededicate 250, National Mall, May 17, 2026Primary sources: Article VI of the U.S. Constitution; the First Amendment; the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1786); the Treaty of Tripoli (1797); the Act of Supremacy (1534); John Locke, Second Treatise on Civil GovernmentSupport the ShowSupport The Justice Briefing by subscribing at JemarTisby.Substack.com, where Dr. Tisby brings the receipts every week so you can answer questions like this one from an informed perspective.

    45 min

  4. Jun 19

    Juneteenth vs. America 250

    This week on The Justice Briefing, Dr. Jemar Tisby breaks down why Juneteenth and America 250 are not the same kind of anniversary, even though they fall just weeks apart this summer. Dr. Tisby argues that America 250 asks the nation to celebrate how great it has been, while Juneteenth asks a harder, more honest question: how free are we, really? Using a ten-point comparison chart, he walks through what each holiday marks, whose freedom it centers, and what's at risk of being lost or co-opted in 2026. Dr. Tisby also explains why this year carries extra weight. With a White House actively promoting a whitewashed version of history through initiatives like Freedom 250 and PragerU's Freedom Trucks, he makes the case that you cannot responsibly celebrate the country's anniversary while erasing the centuries of bondage that came before emancipation. In This EpisodeThe origin of Juneteenth and the text of General Order No. 3Why the Emancipation Proclamation didn't actually free enslaved peopleHow U.S. slavery was uniquely race-based, matrilineal, and perpetualThe White House's "Freedom 250" rebrand and PragerU's Freedom TrucksA 10-point T-chart comparing Juneteenth and America 250What it looks like for white and Black Americans to commemorate Juneteenth differentlyBooks ReferencedHow to Fight Racism by Jemar TisbyI Am the Spirit of Justice by Jemar Tisby (picture book)Stories of the Spirit of Justice by Jemar Tisby (middle grade and up)Support the ShowIf this episode helped you think more clearly about faith, history, and justice, the best way to support it is to subscribe at JemarTisby.Substack.com. Paid subscriptions fund the research, the production, and the in-person interviews that make episodes like this possible.

    47 min

  5. Jun 12

    Racism, Patriarchy, and the Southern Baptist Convention

    In this episode of The Justice Briefing, Dr. Jemar Tisby breaks down the Southern Baptist Convention's recent vote to amend its constitution—by a 77 percent margin—banning women from preaching to assembled congregations. Dr. Tisby draws on his own history with the SBC to offer an insider's analysis of what the Truth and Unity Amendment actually says, why Al Mohler pushed for it, and what the election of new SBC president Willy Rice signals about the denomination's continued rightward turn. But Dr. Tisby goes deeper than the headlines. Tracing the SBC's origins back to 1844 and the case of James Reeve—an enslaver whose deliberate nomination as a missionary candidate was the spark that led to the denomination's founding—Dr. Tisby makes the case that the SBC's patriarchy and its racism are not two separate problems that happen to coexist. They share a common theological architecture: the divine sanctioning of hierarchy, the use of Scripture to compel submission, and the punishment of those who resist. From the household codes that justified chattel slavery to the amendment that just passed, the logic is the same, and understanding that connection, Dr. Tisby argues, is essential to understanding what faithful resistance must look like today. In This Episode...The Truth and Unity Amendment, what it says, and why Al Mohler pushed for it even though the restriction on women pastors was already denominational policyThe case of James Reeve—the 1844 missionary nomination that was a deliberate pro-slavery provocation and led directly to the founding of the SBCHow the biblical defense of racial hierarchy and the biblical defense of gender hierarchy draw from the same New Testament household codesThe “purity of white womanhood” trope—how white women were simultaneously subordinated to white men and weaponized against Black peopleSaddleback Church, Beth Moore, and the enforcement mechanisms the SBC already had in place before this amendmentThe parallel between the SBC’s centralizing of authority and unitary executive theory in the Trump administrationThe election of Willie Rice as SBC president and what it signals about the denomination’s further rightward turnWhy you cannot address patriarchy in the SBC without also addressing its racism and why the denomination is case in point I believe women are called and qualified to preach and pastor. And I name the links between racism and patriarchy. If that’s the kind of insight you value, become a paid subscriber. JemarTisby.Substack.com Host a screening of Jesus Was a Migrant: jesuswasamigrant.com

    47 min

  6. Jun 5

    How the Supreme Court Is Rigging the Midterm Elections

    In this urgent episode of The Justice Briefing, Dr. Jemar Tisby breaks down the Supreme Court's latest ruling in Allen v. Milligan--a decision that allows Alabama to eliminate one of its only two majority-Black congressional districts just months before the 2026 midterm elections and while primaries are already underway. Drawing on his training as a historian and his recent trip to Selma to march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Dr. Tisby explains how the Court's selective application of the Purcell Principle exposes a legal system being weaponized to dilute Black political power rather than protect it. He traces the historical roots of Black voting patterns from Reconstruction through the Civil Rights Movement to make the case that Black voters aren't loyal to a party--they're loyal to their survival. Dr. Tisby also examines the Congressional Black Caucus's pointed letter to Corporate America, holding hundreds of major corporations accountable to voting rights commitments they made publicly in 2021--and demanding they prove those words still mean something before a June 9th deadline. From the courtroom to the boardroom, Dr. Tisby asks the question that drives the entire episode: do you care? In This Episode The Supreme Court's ruling in Allen v. Milligan and what it means for Black congressional representation in AlabamaWhat the Purcell Principle is, where it comes from, and why the Court is applying it selectivelyHow the Louisiana v. Callais decision gutted the Voting Rights Act and opened the door to rapid redistricting across the SouthWhy Republicans stand to gain up to 15 additional House seats through redistricting — and what's at stake in the 2026 midtermsThe historical roots of Black voting patterns, from Reconstruction and the New Deal to LBJ's Civil Rights ActGovernor Kay Ivey's response to the ruling — and what the language of "states' rights" has always meant in the context of Black political powerThe Congressional Black Caucus's letter to Corporate America and its June 9th deadline for actionJustice Sotomayor's dissent — and why Dr. Tisby says every justice-minded person should be reading it We have a lack of voices raising the alarm about voting rights in the church. If you think that work is important, you can help make it possible. Become a paid subscriber today. JemarTisby.Substack.com A news report just revealed that children are still being separated from their parents in the immigration crackdown. We must speak up. This film will help you. Host a screening of Jesus Was a Migrant: jesuswasamigrant.com

    46 min

  7. May 30

    The Most Corrupt Senate Nominee in America Just Won

    In this episode of The Justice Briefing, Dr. Jemar Tisby examines the stunning victory of Ken Paxton in the Texas Republican Senate primary and asks what it reveals about the moral state of American politics. Despite years of scandals, impeachment, felony indictments, and allegations of corruption, Paxton not only survived politically—he won decisively. Dr. Tisby explores why voters embraced a candidate with such a record, how loyalty to Donald Trump has eclipsed character as a political qualification, and why this race represents a larger battle over the meaning of Christianity in public life. Contrasting Paxton's vision of faith with that of Democratic nominee James Talarico, Dr. Tisby argues that Texas is becoming a testing ground for two competing religious and political visions: domination versus care, power versus conscience, and white Christian nationalism versus a faith rooted in justice and love. In This EpisodeWhy Ken Paxton's primary victory shocked even seasoned observers of American politicsThe corruption allegations, impeachment, and legal controversies surrounding PaxtonHow loyalty to Donald Trump became more important than character or experienceWhy Paxton's victory signals a deeper shift within the modern Republican PartyThe contrast between Paxton's and James Talarico's competing visions of ChristianityHow white Christian nationalism shapes contemporary political debatesWhy Black Christian political traditions are often overlooked as authentic expressions of faithWhat the Texas Senate race reveals about power, religion, and democracy in America When corruption becomes normal, context becomes essential. To support independent analysis at the intersection of faith, history, and justice that helps make sense of this political moment, become a paid subscriber: JemarTisby.Substack.com Subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@jtisby Follow on Instagram: instagram.com/jemartisby

    42 min

  8. May 22

    Why Isn't Your Pastor Talking about Voting Rights?

    Episode DescriptionIn this episode of The Justice Briefing, Jemar Tisby confronts a pressing question facing the American church: Why are so many pastors silent about voting rights in this moment? Drawing from his firsthand experience at the “All Roads Lead to the South” march and rally in Selma and Montgomery, Alabama, Tisby connects today’s attacks on voting rights to the long struggle for Black political power during the Civil Rights Movement. He reflects on the spiritual weight of marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the legacy of Bloody Sunday, and the urgent need for moral courage from clergy and congregations alike. Tisby also examines the Supreme Court’s recent Voting Rights Act ruling, critiques pastoral silence through the lens of God's Long Summer and Letter from Birmingham Jail, and challenges churches to move beyond “deracinated piety” toward the concrete application of Christian ethics in public life. This episode is both a prophetic critique and a pastoral plea for believers to speak up, organize, and act courageously in what Tisby calls “the civil rights movement of our day.” In This Episode, You’ll Hear About:The “All Roads Lead to the South” march and rally in Selma and MontgomeryWhy voting rights are deeply personal in the Black freedom struggleThe Supreme Court ruling that further weakened the Voting Rights ActHow racial gerrymandering operates under the language of “colorblindness”The silence of many pastors and churches around voting rightsMartin Luther King Jr.’s warning about the “white moderate” from Letter from Birmingham JailThe example of Reverend Douglas Hudgins and church complicity during segregationBiblical models of courage, prophetic witness, and justice in times of crisisWorks ReferencedGod's Long Summer by Charles Marsh"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King Jr.Register for The Justice JourneyThe next cohort of The Justice Journey begins June 2nd. This eight-week online course explores the biblical, historical, and practical foundations of justice and faithful public witness. Join a community committed to truth-telling, courage, and action in this critical moment. JemarTisby.Substack.com Support The Justice BriefingIf you value independent analysis at the intersection of faith, history, and justice, support this work by becoming a paid subscriber. JemarTisby.Substack.com

    57 min
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About

The Justice Briefing is your weekly guide to understanding current events through a historically grounded, theologically rooted, justice-centered lens. Instead of framing the world through fear or culture-war panic, we draw from the spirit of justice—from the biblical prophets to the Civil Rights Movement. This isn't just commentary; it’s discipleship for truth and justice.

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