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.

• 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 policy
• The case of James Reeve—the 1844 missionary nomination that was a deliberate pro-slavery provocation and led directly to the founding of the SBC
• How the biblical defense of racial hierarchy and the biblical defense of gender hierarchy draw from the same New Testament household codes
• The “purity of white womanhood” trope—how white women were simultaneously subordinated to white men and weaponized against Black people
• Saddleback Church, Beth Moore, and the enforcement mechanisms the SBC already had in place before this amendment
• The parallel between the SBC’s centralizing of authority and unitary executive theory in the Trump administration
• The election of Willie Rice as SBC president and what it signals about the denomination’s further rightward turn
• Why 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

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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 Alabama
• What the Purcell Principle is, where it comes from, and why the Court is applying it selectively
• How the Louisiana v. Callais decision gutted the Voting Rights Act and opened the door to rapid redistricting across the South
• Why Republicans stand to gain up to 15 additional House seats through redistricting — and what's at stake in the 2026 midterms
• The historical roots of Black voting patterns, from Reconstruction and the New Deal to LBJ's Civil Rights Act
• Governor Kay Ivey's response to the ruling — and what the language of "states' rights" has always meant in the context of Black political power
• The Congressional Black Caucus's letter to Corporate America and its June 9th deadline for action
• Justice 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

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.

• Why Ken Paxton's primary victory shocked even seasoned observers of American politics
• The corruption allegations, impeachment, and legal controversies surrounding Paxton
• How loyalty to Donald Trump became more important than character or experience
• Why Paxton's victory signals a deeper shift within the modern Republican Party
• The contrast between Paxton's and James Talarico's competing visions of Christianity
• How white Christian nationalism shapes contemporary political debates
• Why Black Christian political traditions are often overlooked as authentic expressions of faith
• What 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

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