Welcome to The Convocation [1:1]
A new collaborative Substack magazine on religion, culture, and politics.
It’s launch day for The Convocation!
Today, the four of us—
, , , and —are excited to announce the launch of The Convocation, a unique new Substack magazine. We are each scholars (three historians and one sociologist) who write about religion and its intersection with culture, history, and politics in America. We also each take our own Christian faith seriously and are deeply concerned about the future of both democracy and Christianity in the U.S.Most importantly, over the years, we’ve found ourselves to be not just fellow travelers but friends.
Many of you may already be subscribed to one of our individual Substack newsletters above, each of which has both free and paid content. We think this new experiment will help our individual readers get a broader sense of what’s on our collective radar and provide a place for cross-fertilization of ideas.
We hope you’ll subscribe to The Convocation (everything here is free), where you’ll get both a digest of our best writing all in one place and free-wheeling conversations between us, all delivered weekly directly to your inbox.
Why this, why now?
In the midst of a fast-moving news cycle, especially as we head toward the fall presidential election season, we believe this digest can help break through the clutter by sharing what developments have demanded our attention and what insights we’ve tried to bring to them.
Here’s how it will work. The Convocation, a unique collaborative Substack magazine, will publish weekly on Thursdays with the following rhythm. One week, we’ll publish The Convocation Digest, which brings into one place a collection of the best writing from each of our Substack newsletters (and occasional guest posts from other writers in our orbit):
The Cottage by Diana Butler Bass;
Du Mez CONNECTIONS by Kristin Du Mez;
On the alternating week, we’ll share The Convocation Unscripted, a video/podcast featuring the four of us in a wide-ranging conversation about the latest at the intersection of religion and politics.
Welcome to The Convocation. We hope you’ll join us and share with folks in your circles.
Warmly,
Diana, Kristin, Robby, and Jemar
The Convocation Unscripted [S1E1]:
Launch Episode
Check out the video below, where we introduce The Convocation in our first unscripted conversation.
The Convocation Digest:
Highlights from Our Newsletters
Below, you can find a digest of our best recent writing from each of our individual Substack newsletters. We’ll typically share one or two pieces from each of us, along with the occasional link to an important post by someone in our circles.
One quick suggestion. Because we’re conceiving this platform as a magazine, think of consuming it this way. No need to read everything below in one sitting. Jump around and come back to it across the week. And please do leave comments on this post about anything you read below, either about individual posts or any connections you see between them. Happy reading!
From Kristin at Du Mez Connections
A recent post from Du Mez Connections, with notably poignant and insightful conversation in the comments section.
And one of her most popular posts.
From Robby at White Too Long
A recent one tapping PRRI survey data to highlight the importance of the overlooked “religious middle” as we look ahead to the 2024 election.
One from a year ago that is relevant again this week.
From Jemar at Footnotes
From the recent headlines.
One from the archives.
From Diana at The Cottage
One more Bible-oriented.
And one grounded in American history.
I’m excited, too, to be part of this launch - especially since I have already subscribed to each of your Substacks!
It seems that y’all have been talking about, even incarnating some of the wisdom in John 15. Here’s what I mean, in Eugene Peterson’s rendering and my edit for gender inclusivity:
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you, but if I go, I will send HER to you.
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, SHE will guide you into all the truth” (vv. 7, 12-13).”
You had me at "substack" when I saw 4 of my favorites!