Homebrewed Christianity

America is Obsessed with Problems but Denies Catastrophe

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 06:36:00 -0000

Cornell West says America is obsessed with problems but denies catastrophe — and the moment you reduce the catastrophic to the problematic, you have already deodorized the discourse, sanitized it, and started looking at the wasteland from the air-conditioned office of upper management. That line has been working on me since I sat with his Gifford Lectures, and this reflection is what came of it. I want to make one claim and trace it through two unlikely conversation partners. The claim is that the resurrection is apocalyptic blues — catastrophe lyrically expressed, the tragic named without evasion, despair stubbornly refused the last word — and that a church which cannot stay in the room with what is true is not capable of the gospel, because the gospel is a blues song. The conversation partners are Cornell, who has been telling us this in technical philosophical language for forty years, and episode three of The Last of Us, "Long, Long Time," where Bill plays Linda Ronstadt on the piano and his voice cracks, and sixteen years of love inside the apocalypse becomes a kind of theology no committee meeting and no strategic plan and no air-conditioned think piece about the future of the church will ever produce. We have routinely skipped past Good Friday to get to Easter because we wanted resurrection to be a problem solved rather than a song sung from inside the wreckage. The blues will not let us. Neither, I suspect, will the moment we are actually living in.

Come keep thinking with us — Theology Beer Camp 2026

This is exactly what we will be sitting with at Theology Beer Camp this October 8–10 in Kansas City. Our theme this year is the God-podcalypse. Cornell West is coming. So are a lot of your favorite theologians and podcasters and six hundred of your soon-to-be-favorite people. We are going to think together about what it means to be a people of faith in catastrophic times — without deodorizing the catastrophe, and without giving despair the last word.

Early-bird pricing ends April 30. Don't wait. → TheologyBeer.Camp

JOIN ⁠⁠THE CLASS - Theology for Troublemakers: Christian Social Ethics from the Margins⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This 6-week online course, led by Dr. Gary Dorrien and Dr. Aaron Stauffer, recovers the radical tradition of Christian social ethics — from Reverdy Ransom and Reinhold Niebuhr to James Cone and the Welfare Rights Movement — and asks what faithfulness demands of us right now.

Weekly lectures, live Q&A conversations, guest lecturers, and an online community included.

💰 Donation-based — including $0 🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sign up at HomebrewedClasses.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Gary Dorrien on the Niebuhr You Thought You Knew

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 16:09:00 -0000

Gary Dorrien is the Niebuhr Chair at Union, and nobody alive can walk you through the whole arc of Reinhold Niebuhr with his range — from the German-American pastor's kid at Elmhurst and Eden, to the Yale divinity student who felt like a country boy among thoroughbreds, to the Detroit preacher at Bethel Church writing articles in 1916 begging German Americans to prove their Americanism months before Wilson took the country into war, to the young professor at Union who felt like an imposter for a decade and overcompensated by ridiculing everyone in sight, to the author of Moral Man and Immoral Society (1932), the bomb that ended the social gospel's fifty-year run and rerouted the entire field of American social ethics overnight. This is the second live Q&A for the Theology for Troublemakers class, and Gary, Aaron Stauffer, and I work through student questions covering the whole trajectory: why Niebuhr still towers over the field; what H. Richard's devastating private letter did to his brother's theology; how he metabolized Augustine into Christian realism in the Gifford Lectures that became Nature and Destiny; why Children of Light and Children of Darkness (1944) is the road not taken; and how Niebuhr drifted into establishment Democratic Party machinery with no emotional drama at all — the one transition he made smoothly, and arguably the one that cost the most. Plus the neocons who stole him, William Cavanaugh calling Gary a heretic at AAR in Montreal, Ron Stone tearing up when he says "saint," and the legendary Claremont nickname Five-Beer Barthian. Gary and Aaron are both coming to Theology Beer Camp in Kansas City in October. The class lives at homebrewedclasses.com.

JOIN ⁠THE CLASS - Theology for Troublemakers: Christian Social Ethics from the Margins⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Weekly lectures, live Q&A conversations, guest lecturers, and an online community included.

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The Power Made Perfect in Weakness: Nonviolence as Metaphysical Revelation

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:34:00 -0000

There is a habit in Western theology so old it feels like air: imagining God as the supreme instance of coercive power — the divine despot whose omnipotence is measured by the capacity to override whatever resists. Whitehead called this the deep idolatry, and we would rather work like cross-builders than cross-bearers because of it. This essay argues that nonviolence is not a secondary ethical application of Christian faith, a political strategy, or a counsel of perfection for those with the luxury to afford it. Nonviolence is a metaphysical revelation — a disclosure of the actual structure of divine agency in the world, worked out across the long history of the cosmos and concentrated in the particular life of a first-century Jewish peasant. The power made perfect in weakness is not an exception to how the universe works. It is the deepest account of how the universe works. I am writing as someone who has done the cross-building too, and this is my attempt to name what is at stake when we make that choice, and what becomes possible when we stop.

This audio essay is the kind of theology you will find at Process This — my Substack. You the join 75k+ subscribers and get them all delievered to your inbox.

This lecture was sponsored by Humanitas, the Anabaptist Mennonite Centre at Trinity Western University. I was honored by the invitation, and the three days I spent with students and faculty were some of the best conversations I've had this year. My thanks to Dr. Myron Penner, who runs the Centre, and to Dr. Shannon Parrott and Dr. Jesse Nickel for their responses to the lecture — responses that sharpened the argument in real time. And to the Canadian podcast listeners who came out after the talk: you made the trip.

ONLINE CLASS - Theology for Troublemakers: Christian Social Ethics from the Margins⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The injustices we face are immense — but they are not unique. Previous generations confronted the same powers with theological conviction and strategic brilliance. The question is whether we'll learn from them.

Weekly lectures, live Q&A conversations, guest lecturers, and an online community included.

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What Would a New Abolition Be? Gary Dorrien on the Black Social Gospel, Ida B. Wells & Reverdy Ransom

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 15:31:00 -0000

This is the first live Q&A for Theology for Troublemakers — the class Gary Dorrien, Aaron Stoffer, and I have been building for exactly this moment — and if the questions that came in after the first lecture are any indication, we've got a room full of people who came ready to learn. Gary is the Reinhold Niebuhr Chair at Union Seminary and has written more books and supervised more PhDs on the history of Christian social ethics in America than anyone alive. When Aaron said we could get Gary to join I was thrilled!

This session covered the ground the first lecture opened up: what the social gospel actually was and why it took forty years to get its name (Walter Rauschenbusch held out until 1917, and even then conceded reluctantly), what social crises made the movement urgent, and why the Black social gospel is — as Gary puts it without hesitation — the better side of it. We went deep on the moral formation of Ida B. Wells and Reverdy Ransom: Wells going to four or five church services on a Sunday, working through her own rage at the Eliza Woods lynching before she could write about it, and eventually being burned out of Memphis for telling the truth about what lynching was actually about. Ransom, Harriet's son, clawing his way toward education in an Ohio that barely saw him, discovering socialist thought through George Herron's underlined pages, hiding his theological liberalism from bishops for years. We talked about the organizing question — why Frederick Douglass was wrong about race-specific organizations, why the Afro-American League and Council kept collapsing, why Booker T. Washington was the most famous living American in 1900 and used every bit of that power to undermine protest organizations, and what finally made the NAACP stick. And we ended with Ransom's late-life declaration that Africans and their descendants are the last spiritual reserves of humanity — part resignation, part prophecy, entirely worth sitting with.

Next week: Reinhold Niebuhr. Gary's lecture is already on the resource page.

If you haven't joined yet, come find us at www.HomebrewedClasses.com — it's donation-based, including zero. You'll get access to Gary's full lecture series tracing the history of Christian social ethics in America, Aaron's bonus interviews with leading scholars and activists, curated readings, discussion guides for small groups, and the online community. This is the class for right now.

JOIN THE CLASS - Theology for Troublemakers: Christian Social Ethics from the Margins⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Just War for People Who Actually Know What It Means w/ Kevin Carnahan

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 16:16:00 -0000

So many clergy members and theology nerds messaged me after JD Vance told the Pope to dial back the theology talk that I had no choice — I called my friend Kevin Carnahan, co-editor of the Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics and author of an extremely technical book on just war theory that he will tell you not to read. Kevin teaches at Central Methodist University in Missouri and he showed up having apparently thought about all of this in serious depth while the rest of us were just screaming into the void. What followed was one of the best episodes we've done. We traced the actual history of just war theory from Aquinas through John XXIII's Pacem in Terris— which moved the Catholic Church so close to pacifism in practice that nearly no war could satisfy its criteria — through the moment nuclear weapons broke the entire framework, through drone warfare and AI targeting that's broken it further, and right up to a Trump administration that dismantled the actual government office dedicated to minimizing civilian harm and then had the audacity to invoke just war theory as a fig leaf. Kevin's read on the papal conflict: the Pope knows exactly what he's doing and is faithfully representing a tradition that JD Vance passed through on Peter Thiel's E-Z Pass lane. We also got into the three streams of Protestant ethics on war — peace churches, just war thinkers, and crusaders — why Hegseth fits cleanly into the crusader category, why Trump fits none of them, why the Lord of the Rings is the best undergraduate ethics text available, and what Bonhoeffer's prayer for his own country's defeat sounds like in 2026. Tripp eventually brought up Tolkien. Bo noted it took an hour and eleven minutes. Bonhoeffer was invoked. John Cobb got in at the end. The trifecta complete.

For those regular Homebrewed Christianity listeners, this is an episode of another weekly podcast ⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown ⁠that I do with Bo Sanders and our (nonviolent) army of theology nerds in the chat. If you enjoy it,⁠ subscribe to the TNT feed⁠ and feel the lure to join live most Friday mornings.

⁠⁠You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube⁠⁠

Kevin Carnahan is Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri.

📱 ⁠TikTok⁠: 📸 ⁠Instagram⁠: 📬 ⁠Substack⁠

Previous Episodes with Kevin

Want to hangout with us in person?! ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join 600+ Listeners, 30 theologians, & 30 God-Pods at Theology Beer Camp 2026 this October 8-10 in Kansas City!⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - Theology for Troublemakers: Christian Social Ethics from the Margins⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Weekly lectures, live Q&A conversations, guest lecturers, and an online community included.

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I Thought I Was a Doctor: Trump, the Pope & the Most Chaotic Week in Religion News with Diana Butler Bass

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:49:00 -0000

It's Ruining Dinner with Diana Butler Bass on Tax day! Also, apparently, the day the Vice President told the Pope to stop doing theology. Diana Butler Bass joined me for what was supposed to be a casual religion news roundup and turned into something I didn't entirely expect — a full-on church history seminar about what happens when empire tries to silence the gospel and why it never actually works. We started where everyone started this week: JD Vance, a newly minted Catholic who received what sounds like the Peter Thiel E-Z Pass lane through RCIA, publicly suggesting that the Pope — the Pope — should think more carefully before opining about theology. The same Pope who then responded to a Pentagon threat referencing the Avignon papacy by giving an even stronger anti-war speech. We talked about Trump's Easter posts, the Jesus meme, the "I thought I was a doctor" explanation, and the remarkable spectacle of evangelicals — evangelicals — saying the president might be demon-possessed. But Diana being Diana, she kept pulling the historical threads, and we ended up somewhere genuinely useful: the long story of how American Christianity split the sacred from the secular, why that split is breaking down, what it means for a congregation trying to figure out what to do with the 250th anniversary of a nation that's currently threatening popes and bombing people on Easter Sunday, and why Whitehead's image of the flickering Galilean vision might be the most honest thing you can say right now about where hope lives. We didn't ruin anything. The ruining is, as Diana noted, already adequately covered.

Want to hangout with us in person?! ⁠⁠Join 600+ Listeners, 30 theologians, & 30 God-Pods at Theology Beer Camp 2026 this October 8-10 in Kansas City!⁠⁠⁠⁠

This conversation was originally for our Substack members, but we’re sharing a portion with all of you – join us at The Process This or The Cottage to catch future episodes live!

Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D., is an award-winning author, popular speaker, inspiring preacher, and one of America’s most trusted commentators on religion and contemporary spirituality.

a Few Previous Episodes with Diana & Tripp

⁠You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - Theology for Troublemakers: Christian Social Ethics from the Margins⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Weekly lectures, live Q&A conversations, guest lecturers, and an online community included.

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Two Eyes, One Reality: Toward Fuller Knowing

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:15:00 -0000

I've been wearing glasses since seventh grade, when I discovered mid-car-ride that the rest of my family could actually read a license plate and I had no idea that was something people could do. When the optometrist put corrective lenses in front of my eyes for the first time, I gasped. That's the image I keep coming back to when I think about what happens when a philosophy filters out whole categories of human experience — not maliciously, just structurally, the way astigmatism works. You adapt so well to what you're missing that you don't know you're missing it.

This essay is about that. It started with a conversation I witnessed between Philip Clayton and Dan Dennett — two brilliant philosophers, one coffee shop moment, and a question that stopped everything: where in a purely physical universe does "mattering" actually live? It moved through two more conversations in an Edinburgh coffee shop a week apart — one with a theologian who could defend every doctrine but couldn't explain why holding his newborn made him weep, and one with an evolutionary biologist who could describe the neurochemistry of her daughter's depression but couldn't answer the question her daughter was actually asking. Both were half-blind in the same direction, just from opposite sides.

What I'm after here is coherence. Whitehead's test, Griffin's challenge, Clayton's emergence framework — the claim that a philosophy failing to account for time, causation, moral urgency, beauty, consciousness, or the felt reality of love isn't humble or rigorous. It's just incomplete. And the good news is that correcting for both eyes doesn't require abandoning science or embracing magic. It requires something harder: sitting with the full weight of human experience and refusing to explain any of it away. You can read this essay and find plenty of others on my Substack, Process This.

⁠Join 600+ Listeners, 30 theologians, & 30 God-Pods at Theology Beer Camp 2026 this October 8-10 in Kansas City!⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - Theology for Troublemakers: Christian Social Ethics from the Margins⁠⁠⁠⁠

Weekly lectures, live Q&A conversations, guest lecturers, and an online community included.

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Theology for Troublemakers: Gary Dorrien & Aaron Stauffer on Social Ethics for This Moment

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 08:40:00 -0000

This one is a preview of something I've been wanting to do for a long time — a class on the history of Christian social ethics that's actually useful for the moment we're in. Cornell West calls Gary Dorrien the greatest living Christian social ethicist, and after spending any amount of time with him, you understand why. Gary and Aaron Stoffer joined me to give people a taste of what's coming in Theology for Troublemakers, and what they gave us was a genuine history lesson that landed like a live wire. We started with Gary's own formation — a rural Michigan kid who never took a school book home until second semester senior year, who walked into a Catholic church and couldn't stop staring at the figure on the cross, who read a biography of King in ninth grade three times and went looking for the theologians King mentioned in the public library and found none of them. That kid became one of the most important social ethicists of our time. From there we moved into Norman Thomas's warning — that American populism always surges toward a dictator who scapegoats the vulnerable — and what the left's recurring failure to build cross-racial, multi-issue coalitions has to do with where we are now. Gary named the nineties as the most demoralizing decade of his life: TINA, triangulation, NAFTA, three-strikes, welfare gutted, and a Democratic Party that treated its progressive base as something to prove it could overcome. He was not gentle about Clinton, or Obama, or the way purity politics has consistently kneecapped the left's ability to organize. He was hopeful, carefully, about cooperatives, about DSA's organizing culture in New York, and about the strange opening the current moment creates for public theology. The class runs the whole history — from the Black Social Gospel and the new abolitionists to the Christian realists to Yoder and Dorothy Day — and Aaron frames it all in terms of what congregations can actually do with it. Go to homebrewclasses.com. This is the class for right now.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - Theology for Troublemakers: Christian Social Ethics from the Margins⁠⁠⁠⁠

Weekly lectures, live Q&A conversations, guest lecturers, and an online community included.

💰 Donation-based — including $0 🔗⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sign up at HomebrewedClasses.com

⁠⁠⁠Join 600+ Listeners, 30 theologians, & 30 God-Pods at Theology Beer Camp 2026 this October 8-10 in Kansas City!⁠⁠⁠

Gary Dorrien is Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary and Professor of Religion at Columbia University.

Aaron Stauffer is the Associate Presbyter for Congregational Vitality at Heartland Presbytery, and is an ordained Teaching Elder in the PC(USA), and was most recently was the associate director of the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice at Vanderbilt Divinity School.

Previous Episodes with Gary or Aaron

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a Systematic Theology of Love with Thomas Jay Oord

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 14:30:00 -0000

Okay, I genuinely don't know how many times Tom Oord has been on this podcasttwenty plus times, but this one felt different, because Tom has officially done the thing: he wrote a Systematic Theology of Love, Volume One, which is also his 50th book, which means his wife has had to endure approximately 50 different versions of "another love book." We dug into what makes this project unusual — a progressive, open relational systematic theology organized around love as its orienting concept, built on abductive reasoning rather than deductive certainty, which turns out to matter a lot when the thing you're centering is inherently vulnerable, risky, and relational. Tom walked us through his claim that God is a universal spirit who is genuinely material without having a localized body, why he's done with creatio ex nihilo and what his very Latin replacement actually means, the distinction between animate organisms and inanimate aggregates (rocks, it turns out, are great for explaining panpsychism), and why he's invented a new word — Gino-Theology — to talk about God as a dynamic becoming rather than a static being. We also covered why he thinks Whitehead solved both the problem of evil and the problem of good, what he's planning for Volume Two around Christology and divine hiddenness, and ended up somewhere around the enchantment of the universe. The chat had 140 people. Tom's substack has chapters. And Volume Two starts in the fall — get in early.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube⁠

⁠Join 600+ Listeners, 30 theologians, & 30 God-Pods at Theology Beer Camp 2026 this October 8-10 in Kansas City!⁠

⁠⁠UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - Theology for Troublemakers: Christian Social Ethics from the Margins⁠⁠⁠

Weekly lectures, live Q&A conversations, guest lecturers, and an online community included.

💰 Donation-based — including $0 🔗⁠⁠⁠ Sign up at HomebrewedClasses.com⁠⁠⁠

⁠Thomas Jay Oord⁠ is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. He is an award-winning author, and he has written or edited more than twenty-five books. Oord directs a ⁠doctoral program⁠ at Northwind Theological Seminary and the ⁠Center for Open and Relational Theology⁠. He won the Outstanding Faculty Award twelve times as a full-time professor and now speaks at institutions across the globe. Oord is known for his contributions to research on love, open and relational theology, science and religion, and freedom and relationships for transformation.

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Adventures in the Spirit: Building a New Architecture for Christian Doctrine w/ Philip Clayton

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:55:00 -0000

Philip Clayton has been one of the most important conversation partners in my theological life — we literally worked out some of this stuff together at Claremont — so sitting down with him to trace the whole architecture of his thought from the beginning felt less like an interview and more like a reunion at the whiteboard. We started where Philip started: the secular believer, that figure he described in his Yale dissertation who carries doubt not as a problem to be solved before the real theology begins, but as the very medium through which faith moves. From there we mapped his six-level structure for how beliefs actually work — spoiler: about five percent of what Christians believe falls into the "demonstrably true" category, and the rest is a lot more interesting and honest than most of us admit. Philip walked us through what he learned from Pannenberg about doctrine as hypothesis, the racetrack-and-motorcycle story behind his concept of theological "traction," and why the shift from reductionism to emergence in contemporary science matters so much for anyone trying to think seriously about God and the world. We got into panentheism — why it's more compelling than classical theism, what it means for divine action, and how a Korean doctoral student's research on comfort women completely changed the way Philip thinks about where God shows up in the world. By the end, we were talking about what he calls a new architecture for Christian doctrine: not a final set of answers, but a set of questions a follower of Jesus simply has no choice but to keep returning to. This one is the long game. Pour something good.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Join 600+ Listeners, 30 theologians, & 30 God-Pods at Theology Beer Camp 2026 this October 8-10 in Kansas City!

⁠UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - Theology for Troublemakers: Christian Social Ethics from the Margins⁠⁠

Weekly lectures, live Q&A conversations, guest lecturers, and an online community included.

💰 Donation-based — including $0 🔗⁠⁠ Sign up at HomebrewedClasses.com⁠⁠

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What God Do They Worship In There? The Black Social Gospel and the Crisis of American Christianity w/ Gary Dorrien

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:11:00 -0000

In this episode, theologian and historian Gary Dorrien opens Theology for Troublemakers by recovering two of the most important — and most forgotten — figures in American Christianity: Ida B. Wells and Reverdy Ransom. Dorrien traces the birth of the Black social gospel out of one excruciating question: what would a new abolition be? From Wells's explosive anti-lynching journalism and her landmark pamphlet Southern Horrors, to Ransom's vision of a cooperative commonwealth and his decades of prophetic ministry inside a church that kept trying to expel him, this lecture shows that the roots of liberation theology run far deeper than the 1960s — and that the tradition's most radical voices were being erased even as they were still speaking. If you want to go deeper, Gary Dorrien is teaching a full six-week course alongside Aaron Staufer and Tripp Fuller — covering Niebuhr, James Cone, the Welfare Rights Movement, and the challenge of Christian nationalism today. It's donation-based, including $0. Join us at HomebrewedClasses.com.

You can WATCH the lecture and slides here.

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - Theology for Troublemakers: Christian Social Ethics from the Margins⁠

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Easter Against the Empire: Faith in a Time of War

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 15:40:00 -0000

In this final Q&A for our Jesus of Galilee series, I sat down with Dom Crosson to connect the dots between the hills of Galilee and the high-stakes political drama of Passion Week. We dove deep into how Jesus invited us away from the "apocalyptic delusion" of waiting for God to intervene and toward a participatory eschatology where we actually collaborate with the Divine. From unmasking the "asotopic fallacy" of biblical literalism to reimagining the resurrection as a collective human exit from imperial normalcy rather than a solo miracle, Dom reminds us that the Kingdom isn’t a future escape but a present, distributive justice. We even got real about the "escalatory violence" of our own time, discussing what it looks like for faith communities to embody nonviolent resistance while war rages in Iran. It’s a heavy, holy, and deeply subversive conversation to carry with you into Easter. If you want to hear all four lectures behind these Q&As and send in your own questions for our final session, head over to ⁠crossanclass.com⁠ — you can join for whatever you can give, including zero.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Join 600+ Listeners, 30 theologians, & 30 God-Pods at Theology Beer Camp 2026 this October 8-10 in Kansas City!

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - Theology for Troublemakers: Christian Social Ethics from the Margins⁠

Weekly lectures, live Q&A conversations, guest lecturers, and an online community included.

📅 Starts Tuesday, April 14 | 1pm ET 💰 Donation-based — including $0 🔗⁠ Sign up at HomebrewedClasses.com⁠

⁠

John Dominic Crossan, professor emeritus at DePaul University, is widely regarded as the foremost historical Jesus scholar of our time. He is the author of several bestselling books, including The Historical Jesus, How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian, God and Empire, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, The Greatest Prayer, The Last Week, and The Power of Parable. He lives in Minneola, Florida.

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

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Giving the Beast a Stomach Ache: A Peacemaker's Starter Kit for a Time of War

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 08:34:00 -0000

Okay, so confession: my kids had just gone to bed when we started this one, and honestly, the timing felt about right — because this conversation with Jarrod McKenna is the kind of thing you need to sit with after the noise dies down. Jarrod is an Australian activist, peacemaker, and theologian who's been doing this work since he got arrested at a US military base in the middle of the Australian desert back in 2002 — and the wild thing is, the world looks eerily similar now. We talked about what it actually means to follow a nonviolent Messiah when your government just joined a war you didn't vote for, how prayer isn't an escape hatch but a way of composting all the grief and rage so you can actually be useful, and why the just war tradition — which most Christians cheerfully ignore — would rule out basically everything happening right now. We got into the Black church's tradition of Christian socialism, why the megachurch model accidentally trained people to accept autocracy, and how base communities might be the most subversive thing you can plant in the shell of the old world. We also wandered into eschatology, Harry Potter, the Counting Crows, and whether God has been patient enough with this whole experiment for 13 billion years, that maybe we should take a deep breath. It's a lot — in the best way.

Join 600+ Listeners, 30 theologians, & 30 God-Pods at Theology Beer Camp 2026 this October 8-10 in Kansas City!

Australian peace award-winning pastor Jarrod McKenna has been described by Civil Rights legend Rev. Jim Lawson as 'an expert in nonviolent social change'. With over 20 years of experience in pastoral ministry and at the leading edge of climate justice, refugee rights, and nonviolent social change, Jarrod has seen his work featured internationally on the BBC, Al Jazeera, ABC, and The Guardian. Co-host of the InVerse and 'Good on Wood' podcasts, Jarrod pastors at Steeple Church (Melbourne) and Table in the Trees (Perth). He lives in the Perth hills on Whadjuk Noongar Boodja with his beloved, Kat, and their four sons.

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - Theology for Troublemakers: Christian Social Ethics from the Margins

Weekly lectures, live Q&A conversations, guest lecturers, and an online community included.

📅 Starts Tuesday, April 14 | 1pm ET 💰 Donation-based — including $0 🔗 Sign up at HomebrewedClasses.com

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The Sin Is White Supremacy: a Theological Encounter with the Film “Sinners"

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 08:29:00 -0000

What is the sin in Sinners? — and then four of the most brilliant theologians working today spent an hour doing what great theologians do: they cracked the whole thing open. Set in 1932 Mississippi and layered with blues, hoodoo, vampires, and Black survival, Ryan Coogler's film turns out to be a theological event, and this conversation treats it like one. Adam Clark names white supremacy as the film's central sin — parasitic, predatory, embodied in white vampires who can only survive by consuming Black vitality. Kelly Brown Douglas traces the deep dialectic between the blues and the Black church, and how the juke joint functions as a kind of invisible institution keeping Black faith alive from the underside. Juan Floyd-Thomas goes deep on conjure, Papa Legba, and why Sammy at the crossroads isn't just a blues musician but a gateway between the living and the dead. And Stacey Floyd-Thomas brings the womanist lens that names what the film itself only partially names: the women are the most spiritually powerful figures in the story, and they pay the highest price. By the end, someone looks around the room and says what a lot of us were thinking — Theology Beer Camp is a hush harbor. This is one of the most popular sessions from camp this year, and after you listen, you'll understand why.

Join 600+ Listeners, 30 theologians, & 30 God-Pods at Theology Beer Camp 2026 this October 8-10 in Kansas City!

Panel Members

Kelly Brown Douglas is Visiting Professor of Theology at Harvard Divinity School and Canon Theologian at Washington National Cathedral.

Juan Floyd-Thomas is Associate Professor of African American Religious History at Vanderbilt Divinity School, where he teaches Black religion, race, religion, and film.

Stacey Floyd-Thomas is the Carpenter Professor of Ethics and Society and Chair of African American Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School.

Adam Clark is Professor of Theology and Director of Civic Engagement at Xavier University.

Will Rose is the co-host of Systematic Geekology, a podcast exploring theology and pop culture for people who geek out on the deeper things.

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - Theology for Troublemakers: Christian Social Ethics from the Margins⁠

Weekly lectures, live Q&A conversations, guest lecturers, and an online community are included.

📅 Starts Tuesday, April 14 | 1pm ET 💰 Donation-based — including $0 🔗⁠ Sign up at HomebrewedClasses.com

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The Medium Is the Message — Crossan on Parables, Provocation, and the Pedagogy of Jesus

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 08:56:00 -0000

This is the fourth live Q&A from the Jesus and Galilee class with John Dominic Crossan — recorded, appropriately, on St. Patrick's Day, which means Dom is operating with a slight green halo and absolutely zero intention of slowing down. The questions this week go deep into parable theory: what it actually means for a parable to "point elsewhere," why the Parable of the Sower is not about sowing, what the Parable of the Vineyard Workers is doing to anyone in the crowd who has ever stood all day looking for work and been blamed for standing there, and why Luke's version of the Good Samaritan is both right and a domestication of something far more dangerous. Dom takes apart the three sub-genres — riddle, example, and challenge parables — shows how the tradition keeps sliding one into another, and makes the case that Job, Ruth, and Jonah are all challenge parables of the Hebrew Bible aimed at blowing up the certainties of post-exilic restoration theology. There's a devastating reading of the Eucharist as a public political declaration that you are willing to die for what Jesus died for, a meditation on why comic eschatology is the first great act of resistance against autocracy, and a moment where Dom explains why he became an American citizen in 2000 — and it will not surprise you. If you want to hear all four lectures behind these Q&As and send in your own questions for our final session, head over to crossanclass.com — you can join for whatever you can give, including zero.

⁠You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube⁠⁠

⁠⁠ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This Lenten class ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠begins where all of Dr. John Dominic Crossan's has work begins: with history. Only by understanding what Jesus' parables meant then can we wrestle with what they might demand of us now.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Person, Not the Principle: How Bonhoeffer’s Christology Became Treason — and What Eric Metaxas Did With It

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 09:00:00 -0000

This is an audio essay from Process This, my Substack — head over there if you want more essays like this one, and subscribe if you want them delivered to you. In this one, I'm going deep on a question that sounds biographical but is actually theological: how did Dietrich Bonhoeffer — the man who stood at a lectern in 1933, surrounded by Nazi-pin-wearing theology students, and told them that the historical Jewish particularity of Jesus Christ was "the last truth separating the churches from barbarism" — how did that man become the patron saint of Christian nationalism? The short answer is Eric Metaxas, a bestselling biography, and a fabricated quote. But the real answer is older and more dangerous than any of that, because what Metaxas did to Bonhoeffer is exactly what the German Christians did to Jesus — they turned a Person into a Principle, kept the symbol, and evicted the flesh. Bonhoeffer had a word for it in 1933. He called it Docetism. And here's the thing that should take your breath away: his Christology is not just the subject of the abuse — it is its diagnosis. I'll also tell you about the five-minute rant I recorded and deleted, what Bonhoeffer's Christmas 1942 letter to the resistance said about contempt, and why I think the most important question he leaves us with is not primarily about Eric Metaxas — it's the one he put to those sweat-soaked students, and puts to us now: which are you following — the Person or the Principle?

You can subscribe to the Audio Essay podcast feed here.

Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This Lenten class ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠begins where all of Dr. John Dominic Crossan's has work begins: with history. What was actually happening in Galilee in the 20s CE? What did Herod Antipas' transformation of the "Sea of Galilee" into the commercial "Sea of Tiberias" mean for peasant fishing communities? Why did Jesus emerge from John's baptism movement proclaiming God's Rule through parables—and what made that medium so perfectly suited to that message? Only by understanding what Jesus' parables meant then can we wrestle with what they might demand of us now.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Reason Prayer Feels Impossible (And It's Not Your Fault) w/ Wes Ellis

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 09:38:00 -0000

Okay, so here's a question that sounds simple until it isn't: why is prayer so hard? Not hard like "I need a better technique" hard — hard like something has gone structurally wrong with the way we even think about it. Wes Ellis, practical theologian, pastor, and author of Abiding in Amen: Prayer in a Secular Age, joins Tripp to diagnose what's actually going on — and it turns out the problem isn't your prayer life, it's the framework you've been handed. In a world shaped by achievement culture, algorithmic distraction, and the modern obsession with controlling outcomes, prayer has been quietly turned into a self-optimization project, something you master, measure, and feel guilty about not doing enough of — and Wes wants to blow that whole thing up. Drawing on Charles Taylor, Hartmut Rosa, Henri Nouwen, and yes, the Big Lebowski, Wes makes the case that prayer is not something you do toward God but something God initiates toward you — and our job is less about clamoring upward and more about learning to abide, to wait, to say amen and actually mean it: let it be so. If the inner room Jesus talked about is being colonized by data extraction and constant evaluation, this conversation is a genuinely counter-cultural act. Come sit in the wasted space for a while.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Dr. Wes Ellis is a practical theologian who actually practices — meaning he doesn't just write about congregational ministry from a distance, he does it, currently serving as a pastor while holding down serious academic theological work at the same time. He's the author of Abiding in Amen: Prayer in a Secular Age and a previous book on youth ministry that develops a theological anthropology beyond the developmental lens .

Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This Lenten class ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠begins where all of Dr. John Dominic Crossan's has work begins: with history. What was actually happening in Galilee in the 20s CE? What did Herod Antipas' transformation of the "Sea of Galilee" into the commercial "Sea of Tiberias" mean for peasant fishing communities? Why did Jesus emerge from John's baptism movement proclaiming God's Rule through parables—and what made that medium so perfectly suited to that message? Only by understanding what Jesus' parables meant then can we wrestle with what they might demand of us now.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tradition Without Traction Is Lame: An enclosed lake and a constitutional crisis w/ John Dominic Crossan

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 15:55:00 -0000

In this week's live Q&A, John Dominic Crossan takes questions from over 2,000 students in the Lenten class — and the questions are so good that even Dom says so (which, if you know Dom, is not nothing). The conversation moves fast: from the commons and enclosure as the operating logic of empire, to why Antipas moved his capital to a mosquito-infested lakeside city, to the first-century fishing boat built from twelve types of recycled wood as a symbol of economic squeeze, to why the multiplication of the loaves and fish is not just a miracle story but an act of interference in Antipas's export economy, to the difference between traction and distraction in political movements, to whether Christian theology has any business celebrating GDP growth when the boom doesn't boom for the people at the bottom. Crossan also takes on demons as imperial oppression embodied, Jesus as a healer who makes house calls and never sets up a shrine, and the Hagia Sophia mosaic where John says I am the light of the world and Matthew says you are — and why that single-word difference is the whole theology of participation in one sentence. If you haven't watched the lecture yet, do that first. If you have, this is where it gets applied. To join the class and get access to all four visual lectures, head to CrossanClass.com.

⁠You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube⁠

⁠ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This Lenten class ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠begins where all of Dr. John Dominic Crossan's has work begins: with history. Only by understanding what Jesus' parables meant then can we wrestle with what they might demand of us now.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beer in the Temple? & What the Bible Actually Says About Alcohol w/ John Anthony Dunne

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 16:28:00 -0000

Okay, so most Christians have been handed exactly one question about alcohol — is it okay? — and look, I get it, but what if that question is not just too small, it's actually the wrong one? Because when you sit down with John Anthony Dunne, New Testament scholar, beer nerd, and author of The Mountain Shall Drip Sweet Wine, and you actually let the Bible speak on its own terms, what you find is a text that is soaking in fermented beverages — daily beer libations poured out in the temple, prophets describing God's restoration of all things as mountains literally dripping with sweet wine, and Jesus showing up to a wedding and turning water into not just wine, but the best wine the sommelier had ever tasted — and John's Gospel puts that right next to the temple cleansing, on purpose, because of course it does. John brings this brilliant "varietal" framework to the whole conversation: just like wine comes in Cabernet, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Noir, the Bible's wine symbolism comes in distinct varieties — blessing, judgment, abundance, sacrifice, joy, wrath — and here's the thing, all of them blend together in the Eucharistic cup, which means the Lord's table isn't a symbol of one thing, it's the thematic climax of the entire biblical story. Bible nerds, craft beer lovers, people who've ever wondered if there's more going on at communion than grape juice in a tiny plastic cup — come on. This one's for you.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Dr. John Anthony Dunne is Associate Professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he also teaches courses on wine in the Bible. He completed his PhD at the University of St. Andrews under the supervision of N.T. Wright, which means he has the theological pedigree to back up every bold exegetical claim he makes over a pint. John is a co-host of the Two Cities podcast—a collaborative project featuring 15+ scholars and theologians—and volunteers at St. Croix Vineyard in Stillwater, Minnesota, because of course he does.

Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This Lenten class ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠begins where all of Dr. John Dominic Crossan's has work begins: with history. What was actually happening in Galilee in the 20s CE? What did Herod Antipas' transformation of the "Sea of Galilee" into the commercial "Sea of Tiberias" mean for peasant fishing communities? Why did Jesus emerge from John's baptism movement proclaiming God's Rule through parables—and what made that medium so perfectly suited to that message? Only by understanding what Jesus' parables meant then can we wrestle with what they might demand of us now.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Flying Saucers, Deep Incarnation, and the Covered Dish Dinner: Astro Theology with Ted Peters

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 14:16:00 -0000

What happens when a Lutheran theologian who grew up reading UFO books and whose parents followed a Venusian contactee cult becomes one of the most rigorous thinkers at the intersection of space science and Christian theology? You get Ted Peters — and one of the most genuinely fun conversations I've had on the podcast. Ted coined the term astro theology and has spent decades asking what the discovery of extraterrestrial life would mean for our doctrines of creation, incarnation, and the common good. We get into why astrobiology is almost a religious science, the ethics of protecting microbial life on Europa, whether Jesus's incarnation is sufficient for the whole cosmos or if God might show up on other planets too, the Copernican fallacy hiding inside a lot of anti-anthropocentric arguments, what Christians should do if a UFO lands at the church potluck (hospitality, obviously), and why both ufologists and astrobiologists need to be at the same barbecue. If the government finally releases the files tomorrow, Ted is the person you want to call — and after this conversation, you'll understand why.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Ted Peters is a Lutheran theologian, professor emeritus at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, and a senior fellow at the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences (CTNS). He coined the term astro theology to describe theological reflection on the implications of off-earth, non-human intelligence, and has spent decades at the frontier where Christian doctrine meets space science, artificial intelligence, and public ethics. His systematic theology, God — The World's Future, remains one of the most widely used constructive theology texts in graduate education. He is the author and editor of numerous books, including a volume on Astrotheology, and writes the Substack newsletter The Voice of Public Theology, where he engages with science, religion, global politics, and the impact of advancing technology for a broad public audience.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This Lenten class ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠begins where all of Dr. John Dominic Crossan's has work begins: with history. What was actually happening in Galilee in the 20s CE? What did Herod Antipas' transformation of the "Sea of Galilee" into the commercial "Sea of Tiberias" mean for peasant fishing communities? Why did Jesus emerge from John's baptism movement proclaiming God's Rule through parables—and what made that medium so perfectly suited to that message? Only by understanding what Jesus' parables meant then can we wrestle with what they might demand of us now.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are We Waiting for God, or Is God Waiting for Us? with John Dominic Crossan

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 14:42:00 -0000

In this second live Q&A of our Lent 2025 series Jesus in Galilee, Dom works through nearly 40 questions from the more than 2,000 people in the class — and Dom is, as promised, brief. The conversation moves from Cyrus and the economic disruption of Roman Galilee, to the misplaced colon in Isaiah 40 that quietly rewrote John the Baptist's identity, to why Mark borrowed a Roman horror story about a prostitute at a banquet to tell the story of John's execution. Dom defends his claim that Jesus underwent a genuine conversion after John's death — bigger than Paul's, he says, because it involved a different vision of God entirely — and insists that the apocalyptic tradition of waiting for God to intervene is not just a theological mistake but, after 2,000 years, edges toward something harsher than delusion. As always, Dom leaves you with more to think about than when you started. To join the class and get access to all four visual lectures, head to CrossanClass.com.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MAGA and the Post-Christian America: A Meditation on Power, the Cross, and the World We're Choosing

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 10:00:00 -0000

In this audio essay from my SubStack ⁠,Process This,⁠ I take Stephen Miller's claim that the "real world" is governed by strength and force and use it as a window into something much bigger than one political figure—a diagnosis of the soul of America. Drawing on the thesis Tom Holland developed in ⁠Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World⁠, Reinhold Niebuhr's ⁠The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness⁠, and the Black prophetic tradition of King and West, traced by Gary Dorrien in his ⁠3 volume history of the Black Social Gospel movement, ⁠I argue that what we're witnessing isn't actually Christian nationalism triumphing—it's post-Christian nationalism wearing Christian clothes. The cross is still everywhere, but the crucified one has been removed, and what's left is just Rome again: empire, domination, and the ancient lie that might makes right. But here's where it gets really interesting—Niebuhr doesn't let progressives off the hook either, naming them as "children of light" who kept the Christian ethics of justice and victim-focus but severed them from grace, forgiveness, and the theological roots that make them sustainable. It's a prophetic call that refuses easy partisanship, traces the American rhetoric of force back through white supremacy to its Roman origins, and ultimately invites us back to the "sublime madness" of King's Beloved Community—where power is redefined not as domination but as the capacity to achieve a shared, constructive purpose.

⁠⁠⁠⁠You can subscribe to the Audio Essay podcast feed here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This Lenten class ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠begins where all of Dr. John Dominic Crossan's has work begins: with history. What was actually happening in Galilee in the 20s CE? What did Herod Antipas' transformation of the "Sea of Galilee" into the commercial "Sea of Tiberias" mean for peasant fishing communities? Why did Jesus emerge from John's baptism movement proclaiming God's Rule through parables—and what made that medium so perfectly suited to that message? Only by understanding what Jesus' parables meant then can we wrestle with what they might demand of us now.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What Would God's State of the Union Look Like? with John Dominic Crossan

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 13:54:00 -0000

In this first live Q&A of our Lent 2025 series ⁠Jesus in Galilee⁠, Dom and I work through 35 questions from the more than 2,000 people who have joined the class — and true to form, Dom tries to honor every single one of them. The conversation ranges from the silver cups of Boscoreale to the Gulf of Mexico, from Josephus's gritted-teeth defense of Judaism to what a State of the Union address might look like if Jesus gave it tonight. Dom argues that the apocalyptic imagination is, bluntly, a loss of faith; that coinage was the only real mass media of antiquity; that nonviolent resistance was invented — not borrowed — in first-century Judea; and that if you want to understand what an autocrat is planning, read very carefully what the autocrat accuses his opponents of. It is, in other words, exactly the kind of conversation I look forward to all year. ⁠If you want in on the rest of the series — the lectures, the live Q&As, and the full archive — head to CrossanClass.com⁠.

⁠You can WATCH the conversation YouTube⁠

⁠ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Universe Is Alive and It Might Be Looking Back: Andrew Davis on Astrotheology

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 13:48:00 -0000

My buddy Andrew Davis is back on the pod, and this time we're talking about aliens — yes, that kind. Andrew is a process philosopher who's been publishing serious academic work in astrobiology, and with Obama casually confirming UFOs are real, the Age of Disclosure documentary making waves, and Spielberg's Disclosure Day film on the way, it felt like the right time to ask: how does a Whiteheadian process thinker engage the question of extraterrestrial life? Turns out, with a lot more philosophical firepower than you'd expect. We dig into Andrew's critical engagement with Steven Dick's cosmo-theology and why he thinks Dick is right that humanity is cosmologically peripheral but wrong to draw the metaphysical conclusion that we're therefore insignificant — because we're an anthropo-cosmic expression of what this universe is doing, not an accident in it. Andrew introduces his concept of exo-axiology (the philosophical exploration of value beyond Earth), and we get into why Whitehead's philosophy of organism flips the modern assumption that the universe is fundamentally dead and life is the weird anomaly. For Whitehead, life, mind, and value go all the way down — which means if you rewind evolution on another planet with the right conditions, something like us might show up again, not because it's designed for us, but because the universe is in the business of producing aesthetic intensities. We tackle the Fermi Paradox, the Dark Forest hypothesis, whether aliens would be hostile or hospitable (Andrew's a cosmological optimist who thinks any civilization advanced enough to reach us would've had to undergo a spiritual evolution to get past the bottleneck), plasma intelligence, UAPs, and why we should take people's encounter experiences seriously without being naive about them. Phil Clayton apparently thinks Andrew is the David Ray Griffin of this generation, so take that for what it's worth — it's worth a lot. Also, if you've had a weird encounter story and want to share it, send it to me. I'm collecting them. And if you've been wanting to get into Whitehead's process philosophy, Andrew's intro course is running in March and April at whiteheadsuniverse.com Listeners who took the last round loved it. Limited space. Go sign up.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Andrew’s Previous visits to the podcast

ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Theses on Reactionaries: How White Evangelicalism Became America's Most Dangerous Ideology with Tad Delay

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Philosopher and religion scholar Tad DeLay (author of Future of Denial) drops a guest essay on us this week, and it's a barn-burner. Tad brings together Wilhelm Reich, Walter Benjamin, Lacan, Althusser, and Adorno — yeah, the whole squad — to lay out a series of theses on how reactionary consciousness actually works, from repressed sexuality to theological cover stories for raw materialism. He makes the case that white evangelicalism is basically a half-century-old improvisation around whiteness and anticommunism, and that Trumpism is its perfected form — an ecumenical fascism where confessing the dear leader functions like a sinner's prayer. Along the way he unpacks Frank Wilhoit's devastating one-line definition of conservatism, explains why charging evangelicals with hypocrisy is a category error (they simply don't care what they believe), and uses Lacanian psychoanalysis to show how shame, guilt, and anxiety keep the whole machine running. Fair warning: Tad doesn't let liberals off the hook either — the essay's conclusion forces all of us to sit with the moral compromises we've made and what it means to keep breathing in hell.

Tad DeLay, PhD is a philosopher, religion scholar, and interdisciplinary critical theorist. He has written four books, including his latest, Future of Denial: The Ideologies of Climate Change. He is a philosophy professor and lives in Grand Rapids.

ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Keeping Hope Alive: A Conversation with Rev. Jesse Jackson

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 11:00:00 -0000

We lost a giant. Reverend Jesse Jackson has passed away, and I wanted to share this conversation we had with him back during lockdown in 2020 as part of the Black Theology reading group Adam Clark and I were running with over 3,000 people. We were joined by Grace Ji-Sun Kim, who edited a collection of Jackson's sermons and speeches called Keeping Hope Alive, and the Reverend himself showed up and gave us a masterclass in what it looks like when theology breaks out of its bubble — and that bubble image is the thing that'll stick with you. Jackson talked about growing up in Greenville, South Carolina, where the entire Black community lived behind walls that white people set up for exploitation, and how your theology can either reinforce the bubble or blow it apart. He drew a sharp line between piety — behaving, adjusting, staying safe — and power, which is what happens when you follow a Jesus who challenges domination systems instead of one who follows you to the back of the bus. He gave us the real history of the movement, from Rosa Parks and Emmett Till to Fannie Lou Hamer and Daisy Bates, made a clear-eyed and probably controversial distinction between King and Malcolm — arguing Malcolm never really broke out of the bubble while King changed actual public policy — and told the origin story of both "I Am Somebody" and "Keep Hope Alive." He talked about being one of the first Black ministers to publicly embrace the LGBTQ community, about internationalizing Black identity from "Black" to "African American," and about why Obery Hendricks' The Politics of Jesus changed how he saw Christ. Grace brought the warmth and the theological framing, Adam brought the hard questions about Kwame Ture and SNCC, and I mostly just sat there grateful to be in the room with a man who spent his entire life pulling down walls so the sun could get in.

ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This Lenten class ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠begins where all of Dr. John Dominic Crossan's has work begins: with history. What was actually happening in Galilee in the 20s CE? What did Herod Antipas' transformation of the "Sea of Galilee" into the commercial "Sea of Tiberias" mean for peasant fishing communities? Why did Jesus emerge from John's baptism movement proclaiming God's Rule through parables—and what made that medium so perfectly suited to that message? Only by understanding what Jesus' parables meant then can we wrestle with what they might demand of us now.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Conflict to Collaboration: The Science-Religion Conversation We Need with Dr. Elaine Howard Ecklund

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:05:00 -0000

The conflict between science and religion? Turns out it's mostly a myth perpetuated by a handful of really loud voices on both sides. Dr. Elaine Howard Ecklund has spent 15 years using actual social science to study what scientists and religious people really think about each other, and the results are surprising: nearly half of elite scientists maintain religious commitments, most aren't hostile to faith communities, and there are way more varieties of atheism than you'd think (including "religious atheists" who attend church and pray). We dive into her research on "spiritual entrepreneurs," the eight shared values between science and religion (yeah, doubt is on the list for both), what went wrong during COVID, and why the science-religion conflict narrative is particularly American and Western. Plus, we get super practical about what churches can actually do—spoiler: it starts with honoring the scientists already sitting in your pews. This conversation challenged my assumptions, gave me hope, and reminded me that the people doing the real work are way more interesting than the stereotypes suggest.

You can WATCH this conversation on YouTube

Dr. Elaine Howard Ecklund is the Herbert S. Autrey Chair in Social Sciences and Professor of Sociology at Rice University, where she directs the Religion and Public Life Program. A leading scholar in the sociology of science and religion, she has conducted groundbreaking research surveying over 15,000 scientists and interviewing nearly 1,000 across eight countries to understand how scientific and religious communities actually relate to each other. Her books include Science vs. Religion: What Scientists Really Think, Varieties of Atheism in Science (with David Johnson), Why Science and Faith Need Each Other, and Secularity and Science: What Scientists Around the World Really Think About Religion. Her work challenges popular stereotypes, revealing the complex and often collaborative relationship between science and faith—and offering practical wisdom for churches, scientists, and anyone trying to hold these worlds together.

UPCOMING ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This Lenten class ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠begins where all of Dr. John Dominic Crossan's has work begins: with history. What was actually happening in Galilee in the 20s CE? What did Herod Antipas' transformation of the "Sea of Galilee" into the commercial "Sea of Tiberias" mean for peasant fishing communities? Why did Jesus emerge from John's baptism movement proclaiming God's Rule through parables—and what made that medium so perfectly suited to that message? Only by understanding what Jesus' parables meant then can we wrestle with what they might demand of us now.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Too Fast, Too Furious for Jesus: Justin Lin on Last Days

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 10:00:00 -0000

My friend and filmmaker Sarey Concepción and I got to sit down with Justin Lin — yeah, that Justin Lin, the Fast and Furious guy — but this time he's not racing cars, he's exploring the too-fast-too-furious side of evangelical missions gone to the extreme. His new film Last Days tells the story of John Chau, the young American missionary who was killed trying to bring the gospel to the uncontacted Sentinelese tribe off the coast of India. If you remember, two years ago we screened the documentary about this story at Theology Beer Camp, and this is a totally different angle — a scripted Hollywood film from an outsider to Christianity who read the news story, had the same eye-roll most of us did, and then did what good artists do: made something to understand what he couldn't dismiss. What's remarkable is that Justin took the time to get to know the diversity within evangelicalism, so you get characters ranging from the hardcore adventure missionaries who are basically Carmen San Diego with Bibles, to John's immigrant father wrestling with how his roughest years shaped his son's path, to a parallel storyline with an Indian police officer whose own experience with religion's harm makes her a mirror image of John's conviction. It's a film about faith without being a faith-based film — it doesn't mock John or martyrize him — and it creates this cognitive empathy where you get to sit with the logic that says if people really are going to hell, why wouldn't you risk everything? Sarey and I unpack the father-son dynamics, the theological engine of unreached people groups and unlocking the second coming, those surprisingly sexy Australian missionaries, and why the Voyage of the Dawn Treader might be the most spiritually dangerous book in the Narnia series. We also may have invented the entire backstory of the Presbyterian minister with a Tesla who stole someone's missionary girlfriend, and honestly, Justin should use it for the sequel.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

⁠⁠⁠Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UPCOMING ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This Lenten class ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠begins where all of Dr. John Dominic Crossan's has work begins: with history. What was actually happening in Galilee in the 20s CE? What did Herod Antipas' transformation of the "Sea of Galilee" into the commercial "Sea of Tiberias" mean for peasant fishing communities? Why did Jesus emerge from John's baptism movement proclaiming God's Rule through parables—and what made that medium so perfectly suited to that message? Only by understanding what Jesus' parables meant then can we wrestle with what they might demand of us now.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Cloud and the Kingdom: Discerning the Spirits of a New Economic Epoch

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 10:00:00 -0000

I don't remember who first told me to read Yanis Varoufakis's Techno-Feudalism: What Killed Capitalism, but whoever you are—thank you and also how dare you. This book broke something in my brain, in that good way where you realize the map you've been using doesn't match the territory anymore and now you have to rethink everything. Varoufakis isn't a theologian, but reading him felt like encountering a prophetic voice—someone naming the powers and principalities of our moment with a clarity that made me uncomfortable in all the right ways.

So what you're about to read isn't exactly a book review. It's more like the stuff that ran through my head while I was reading—the connections I couldn't stop making to our faith, our politics, our souls. I kept thinking about Paul's language of powers and principalities. I kept thinking about the psalmist's warning against idols. I kept thinking about Jesus flipping tables in the temple, and wondering what he'd do with an algorithm. Varoufakis gave me a new vocabulary for something I'd been feeling but couldn't name: the sense that we've crossed into a new kind of unfreedom, one that's less about chains on our bodies and more about the curation of our desires.

Consider this an invitation. Read the book. Argue with it. Let it mess with you. And then let's figure out together what faithfulness looks like when the lords live in the cloud.

⁠⁠You can subscribe to the Audio Essay podcast feed here.⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UPCOMING ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve Bannon Is Not an Idiot: Reinhold Niebuhr's Unheeded Advice for a Democracy in Crisis

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 14:55:00 -0000

This is an audio essay from my Substack, Process This.

Look, I wasn't planning to write 5,000 words on Steve Bannon, but then he goes on his podcast and announces that ICE—the same agency that just shot two American citizens in Minneapolis—is going to "surround the polls" in November, and I couldn't help myself. So I went back to Reinhold Niebuhr's 1944 book The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness, where he divided the political world into naive idealists who think reason and dialogue will save us, and moral cynics who understand power but recognize no law beyond their own will. Turns out Niebuhr basically wrote Bannon's biography eighty years early. This essay traces how Bannon evolved from "flooding the zone with shit" to proposing armed federal agents at polling places—and why liberals kept bringing fact-checks to a knife fight. Niebuhr called the children of darkness "wise" because they understand self-interest, but he also called them "evil" because they serve no good beyond domination. The question he leaves us with is whether the children of light can get wise without losing their souls. Spoiler: he doesn't promise we win.

PS. I was in the middle of writing a completely different essay on Niebuhr before Bannon interrupted me. I loved re-reading The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness⁠ recently, and it's way too timely.

⁠You can subscribe to the Audio Essay podcast feed here.⁠⁠

⁠Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠UPCOMING ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This Lenten class ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠begins where all of Dr. John Dominic Crossan's has work begins: with history. What was actually happening in Galilee in the 20s CE? What did Herod Antipas' transformation of the "Sea of Galilee" into the commercial "Sea of Tiberias" mean for peasant fishing communities? Why did Jesus emerge from John's baptism movement proclaiming God's Rule through parables—and what made that medium so perfectly suited to that message? Only by understanding what Jesus' parables meant then can we wrestle with what they might demand of us now.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Neighbors Turn on Neighbors with Miroslav Volf

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 11:30:00 -0000

What happens when our obsession with being better than everyone else destroys both who we are and how we relate to each other? Dr. Miroslav Volf joins us to talk about his new book The Cost of Ambition and why America's comparison culture, achievement addiction, and hardening tribal identities are setting us up for something dangerous. Volf witnessed neighbors turn on neighbors during the Yugoslav wars, and he's seeing the warning signs again—right here, right now. We dive into how striving for superiority traps us in an unstable cycle of pride and inferiority, why our worth can't be based on achievement, and what it means to trust in our naked humanity as the site of God's gift rather than our endless performance metrics. From social media's algorithmic comparison engines to the terror of trusting Jesus to raise our kids, this conversation cuts deep into the spiritual crisis of modern life and points toward a different way—one grounded in the self-giving love of Christ rather than the desperate scramble to stay on top.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Dr. Miroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and founding director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture. Born in Croatia, he lived through the Yugoslav wars—an experience that profoundly shaped his theological work on reconciliation, identity, and belonging. He is the author of numerous influential books including Exclusion and Embrace, Free of Charge, and his newest works The Cost of Ambition and Glimmerings (co-authored with poet Christian Wiman). Widely recognized as one of the world's most respected theologians, Volf's work bridges the academy and the church, helping Christians reflect on faith, public life, and what it means to follow Christ in fractured times.

You can listen to our previous conversation on the podcast here: Faith in the Public Square in the Era of Trump.

UPCOMING ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cheap Grace in a Red Hat, Stealing Bonhoeffer’s Fire: What Bonhoeffer Actually Meant—and Why It Condemns His Admirers

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 18:31:00 -0000

Friends, this week we're diving into something that's been eating at me for a while now—how the architects of Christian nationalism have had the audacity to claim Dietrich Bonhoeffer as one of their own. I'm talking about Project 2025 invoking "costly grace" as if Bonhoeffer wasn't writing about them. Here's the thing: when Bonhoeffer penned those famous words in 1937, he wasn't crafting a devotional for suburban book clubs—he was running an illegal seminary under Nazi surveillance, training pastors who were forfeiting their careers, their pensions, and their safety to follow Jesus instead of the Führer. The German Christians of his day fused faith with national identity, blessed political power, and demanded loyalty to a strongman who promised to make their country great again. Sound familiar? The brutal irony is that those who now quote Bonhoeffer are functionally aligned with the very forces he resisted—they're the German Christians quoting the Confessing Church, and that's about as theologically obtuse as Caesar celebrating the cross while forgetting he's the one who put Jesus on it. Costly grace is still available, y'all—it just actually has to cost something.

⁠Read the full essay and subscribe for more at my SubStack, Process This⁠

⁠You can subscribe to the Audio Essay podcast feed here.⁠

Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠UPCOMING ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠⁠⁠⁠This Lenten class ⁠⁠⁠⁠begins where all of Dr. John Dominic Crossan's has work begins: with history. What was actually happening in Galilee in the 20s CE? What did Herod Antipas' transformation of the "Sea of Galilee" into the commercial "Sea of Tiberias" mean for peasant fishing communities? Why did Jesus emerge from John's baptism movement proclaiming God's Rule through parables—and what made that medium so perfectly suited to that message? Only by understanding what Jesus' parables meant then can we wrestle with what they might demand of us now.

⁠⁠⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bible and the Cosmos: Which Story Comes First? with Dom Crossan & Phil Clayton

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:45:00 -0000

So Dom Crossan (JC) and Philip Clayton (PC) came together for this conversation I've been hoping would happen for a year and a half, and it was everything I wanted. We started with this question about why atheist political philosophers like Badiou and Žižek are turning to Paul because they need someone who has a militancy about being human that can resist civilization's death-dealing power. Dom and Phil had this beautiful back-and-forth about whether we should start with Cosmology or the Bible - Dom says both, simultaneously, which is a contradiction but he owns it. They talked about civilization as fundamentally violent since Mesopotamia, whether we're a sustainable species, and what it means that we can finally ask that question seriously. The Kingdom of God language came up as "kin-dom" - returning to our evolutionary origins where we lived in groups of about 200 people, before agriculture trapped us in civilization. Phil made this point about how our brains were formed on the grasslands of Africa for hundreds of thousands of generations, and now we're living in a hyper-civilized world where the devil looks primitive compared to OpenAI's $500 billion valuation. The hope is in asking the right questions, in returning to a kin-dom structure, and in Jesus sending out his disciples to do healing, not setting up a healing shop in Nazareth.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

⁠Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!

As a scholar, Philip Clayton (Ingraham Professor, Claremont School of Theology) works at the intersection of science, philosophy, and theology. As an activist (president of EcoCiv.org, President of IPDC), he works to convene, facilitate, and catalyze multi-sectoral initiatives toward ecological civilization. As a disciple of Jesus, he finds himself energized by the Spirit in the Quaker community.

⁠⁠UPCOMING ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠⁠⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Exhausted Soul and a World Gone Mute: The Economy That Ate Your Soul and Wants to Blame You

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 03:50:00 -0000

Okay, so you know that bone-deep exhaustion you feel? That sense that no matter how hard you run, you're still falling behind? What if I told you that's not a personal failure—it's a structural trap? German sociologist Hartmut Rosa has been asking why modern life feels like a whirlpool we can't escape, and his diagnosis is devastating: our growth economy requires our exhaustion. It's a feature, not a bug. But here's where it gets good for us theology nerds—Rosa's solution isn't just slowing down. It's something he calls resonance, and when you hear him describe it, you're gonna think, "Wait, that sounds like prayer. That sounds like what church is supposed to be." This essay is my attempt to lay out Rosa's big ideas and why I think every person of faith should be paying attention to this guy. We're reading his new book Time and World with Matt Segall this February, so consider this your on-ramp and feel the lure.

If you want to join the Rosa reading group this February, become a member of the ⁠⁠Process This⁠⁠ Substack and you will get invited to all the zoom sessions and have access to the recordings after.

⁠Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!⁠

⁠⁠UPCOMING ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠⁠⁠This Lenten class ⁠⁠⁠begins where all of Dr. John Dominic Crossan's has work begins: with history. What was actually happening in Galilee in the 20s CE? What did Herod Antipas' transformation of the "Sea of Galilee" into the commercial "Sea of Tiberias" mean for peasant fishing communities? Why did Jesus emerge from John's baptism movement proclaiming God's Rule through parables—and what made that medium so perfectly suited to that message? Only by understanding what Jesus' parables meant then can we wrestle with what they might demand of us now.

⁠⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Tale of Two Gods: Why C.S. Lewis's Famous Argument Falls Apart with John Dominic Crossan

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 10:00:00 -0000

In this preview for our upcoming Lent class, Jesus in Galilee, John Dominic Crossan dives into what he calls "A Tale of Two Gods"—Caesar and Christ. He takes on C.S. Lewis's famous trilemma (Lord, Lunatic, or Liar) and asks the question Lewis never considered: what if there were two contemporary claimants to divinity? Because there were. Before Jesus ever showed up, Caesar Augustus was already being called Son of God, Savior of the World, and Lord. Dom walks us through the Battle of Actium and how Octavian's victory became the foundation for a theology of peace through violent victory—and then sets that against the Jesus movement's counter-claim: peace through distributive justice. It's not just ancient history either; as our live audience pointed out, we're watching the "normalcy of civilization" play out in real time right now. The big question Dom leaves us with is whether our species is sustainable if we keep betting on escalatory violence. Heavy stuff, but exactly the kind of thing we'll be unpacking together throughout Lent. Hope you'll join us at CrossanClass.com—lectures drop soon, and we'll have live Q&As throughout Lent.

You can WATCH the lecture and see all the slides on YouTube.

⁠⁠⁠⁠Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!⁠

⁠UPCOMING ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why Postliberals Want Authoritarian Power (And What to Do About It) with David Congdon

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 10:00:00 -0000

David Congdon came on to talk about his lecture from the Democracy in Tension summit, and man, did we get into it. We're unpacking what liberalism actually means - not the Fox News version or the MSNBC version, but the philosophical tradition that emerged because people were literally killing each other over interpretations of the Eucharist after the Reformation. David makes this case for why we need to rejuvenate liberalism as a framework for dealing with diversity, because the postliberals basically want to recreate medieval Christendom through authoritarian power, which is... problematic. We talked about historical amnesia, why privatizing religion isn't the same as excluding it from public life, how both the left and right misunderstand what liberalism offers, and why we can't just abandon institutions even when they're flawed. Plus David schooled me on what he's learned spending eight years working in political theory and philosophy, which has given him a way more nuanced view than most theologians have about this stuff.

You can get access to Congdon's lecture and the entire Democracy in Tension series here.

You can WATCH this conversation on YouTube

⁠⁠⁠⁠Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!

UPCOMING ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠⁠This Lenten class ⁠⁠begins where all of Dr. John Dominic Crossan's has work begins: with history. What was actually happening in Galilee in the 20s CE? What did Herod Antipas' transformation of the "Sea of Galilee" into the commercial "Sea of Tiberias" mean for peasant fishing communities? Why did Jesus emerge from John's baptism movement proclaiming God's Rule through parables—and what made that medium so perfectly suited to that message? Only by understanding what Jesus' parables meant then can we wrestle with what they might demand of us now.

⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Burnout, Burn Up, Burn It Down: Hartmut Rosa's Diagnosis of Modern Life

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 10:00:00 -0000

What is up, Theology Nerds! This week I'm joined by my buddy Matthew Segall from the Footnotes to Plato Substack to announce something exciting: we're doing a joint reading group on Hartmut Rosa's new book Time and World. Rosa's a German sociologist who does big-picture thinking—like old school "let me tell you about modernity" stuff—and his work resonates deeply with process philosophy. His diagnosis? We're stuck in what he calls a frenetic standstill—exhausted, burnt out, running faster just to stay in place. I gave Matt my above-ground pool whirlpool metaphor: we're all running in circles, and if you stop, you get pulled under. Modernity promises us the good life through control—making everything available, accessible, attainable—but the cost is a mute world and the birth of monsters. Rosa's antidote isn't slowing down; it's resonance—a mode of relationship where we're genuinely touched, we respond, we're transformed, and we accept it's all gloriously uncontrollable. Process folks will eat this up: it's Whitehead's prehension, creativity, and divine persuasion in sociological clothing. The invitation? Stop. Listen. Let the world address you again. If you want to join us for the Zoom sessions this February, become a member of either Process This or Footnotes to Plato—preferably both. See you soon.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!

Dr. Segall is a transdisciplinary researcher and teacher who applies process philosophy to various natural and social sciences, including consciousness. He is also an Assistant Professor in the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, CA.

Make sure you check out SubStack Footnotes to Plato, his YouTube channel, and his recent book.

Previous Podcasts with Matt

⁠

UPCOMING ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

⁠This Lenten class ⁠begins where all of Dr. John Dominic Crossan's has work begins: with history. What was actually happening in Galilee in the 20s CE? What did Herod Antipas' transformation of the "Sea of Galilee" into the commercial "Sea of Tiberias" mean for peasant fishing communities? Why did Jesus emerge from John's baptism movement proclaiming God's Rule through parables—and what made that medium so perfectly suited to that message? Only by understanding what Jesus' parables meant then can we wrestle with what they might demand of us now.

⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bonhoeffer’s Warning, Unheeded: the Moral Collapse of White Evangelicalism

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 19:36:00 -0000

This is an audio essay from my SubStack, Process This. ⁠⁠You can head over here to read or watch the entire essay⁠.⁠

I grew up as a Baptist church planter's kid, and the church gave me everything that matters most to me—my faith, my love of Scripture, my relationship with Jesus. But for over two decades now, I've watched the tradition that formed me transform into something I barely recognize. In this essay, I explore the concept of "sequential complicity"—how small, seemingly reasonable compromises lock communities into escalating patterns of moral accommodation. Using research on how ordinary German Christians became bystanders during the Nazi era, I trace a similar pattern in white American evangelicalism: from the real origins of the Religious Right in the 1970s (hint: it wasn't abortion), through Reagan, through the Iraq War, and into the Trump era. The data is stark—white evangelicals have undergone the most dramatic ethical shift of any religious group in modern polling history. And the most devout churchgoers aren't the exception; they're the most captured. This isn't an outsider's attack. It's a lament from someone who still reads his Bible every night and talks to Jesus before bed. I'm not asking anyone to become a Democrat. I'm asking whether the sequence has carried us somewhere we never intended to go—and whether it's too late to find our way back.

I hope you enjoy it and consider supporting my work by joining 75k+ other people on ⁠⁠⁠Process This⁠⁠⁠. If you want to ⁠⁠⁠read or watch the essay, you will find it here⁠⁠ ⁠on SubStack.

UPCOMING ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan

What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?

For over five decades, Dr. John Dominic Crossan has been one of the world's foremost scholars of the historical Jesus—rigorously reconstructing the life, teachings, and world of a first-century Jewish peasant who proclaimed God's Rule in Roman-occupied Galilee. His work has shaped an entire generation of scholarship and transformed how millions understand the figure at the center of Christian faith.

This Lenten class begins where all of Dom's work begins: with history. What was actually happening in Galilee in the 20s CE? What did Herod Antipas' transformation of the "Sea of Galilee" into the commercial "Sea of Tiberias" mean for peasant fishing communities? Why did Jesus emerge from John's baptism movement proclaiming God's Rule through parables—and what made that medium so perfectly suited to that message? Only by understanding what Jesus' parables meant then can we wrestle with what they might demand of us now.

The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.

⁠⁠⁠Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Practicing Love Without Being Naive About Power with Marvin Wickware

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 10:00:00 -0000

Marvin Wickware came on to talk about his lecture from the Democracy in Tension summit and his book Loving Through Enmity, and we got into some really beautiful and difficult territory. Marvin's story is powerful - raised by an interracial couple in 1980s Indiana who were treated terribly by churches, converted through evangelical campus ministry, ended up at Union studying with James Cone, and that's where his faith, his values, and his intellectual work all clicked together. We talked about need-based love as an ethical framework, how both democracy and Christianity are aspirational projects that we're always falling short of, and how to navigate the gap between ideals and reality without either abandoning the dream or using it to mask our failures. Marvin shared about being a black theologian in predominantly white mainline spaces, the importance of having people on your side who can tell you you're not crazy, and how to practice love toward enemies without being naive about power and harm. It's the kind of conversation that makes you think differently about what love actually requires of us in this political moment.

⁠You can get access to Dr. Wickware's lecture and the entire Democracy in Tension series here.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

⁠Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

ONLINE CLASS: The Rise of the Nones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

One-third of Americans now claim no religious affiliation. That's 100 million people. Ryan Burge & Tony Jones have conducted the first large-scale survey of American "Nones", which reveals 4 distinct categories—each requiring a different approach. Understanding the difference could transform everything from your ministry to your own spiritual quest.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info & join the donation-based class (including 0) here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul Tillich's Socialist Decision and the Crisis of American Christianity

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 10:15:00 -0000

This is an audio essay from my SubStack, Process This. ⁠You can head over here to read or watch the entire essay.⁠

In this episode, we explore Paul Tillich's largely forgotten 1933 work The Socialist Decision, written as Hitler rose to power and costing Tillich his professorship and homeland. Here, I explore what it reveals about the current crisis of American Christianity. Tillich argued that authentic human existence requires holding two roots in tension: the "powers of origin" (belonging, tradition, community) and the "prophetic demand" (justice, critique, openness to the stranger). When we collapse into one or the other, we get either authoritarian tribalism or rootless abstraction, and Tillich saw both failures at work in Weimar Germany. The parallels to our moment are striking: white Christian nationalism offers powerful symbols of belonging without prophetic self-criticism, while progressive Christianity has often provided critique without the embodied community and sacred symbols that move the human heart (something I explored here in The Perfect Storm). Tillich's prescription—what he called "theonomy"—charts a third way: a faith rooted in Scripture, sacrament, and particular community yet free because all these point beyond themselves to a God no finite form can capture.

This essay was inspired by two recent Substack posts from two of my regular reads, Tony Jones’ What the Hell is Going On and Robert Wright’s Some useful Trump-Hitler comparisons (in light of Minneapolis and Venezuela). Tony ends his post by saying, “I don’t know what will replace Christendom as our moral framework... Some days — and today is one of those days — I fear that we’re too fragmented to come back together under any single umbrella of morality.” Tony and I had a rather lengthy text exchange about it, and in it, I said, “It seems as we lose the cultural and ethical inertia of Christendom, Evangelicals get mean, and Mainline Protestants turn to vapid nostalgia.” As I was doing dishes and ruminating, I thought of Paul Tillich’s The Socialist Decision, an often-neglected work, and found it helpful in processing the current moment. What sparked it? Robert Wright’s measured and provocative reflections on useful Trump-Hitler comparisons. If this essay is interesting, then check out all three.

I hope you enjoy it and consider supporting my work by joining 75k+ other people on ⁠⁠Process This⁠⁠. If you want to ⁠⁠read or watch the essay, you will find it here⁠ ⁠on SubStack.

⁠Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS: The Rise of the Nones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info & join the donation-based class (including 0) here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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The Four Faces of "None": What the Largest Study of Religiously Unaffiliated Americans Reveals

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 19:06:00 -0000

In this first session of "The Rise of the Nones" online class, I am joined by Ryan Burge, Tony Jones, and Sarah Lane Ritchie to introduce findings from the largest survey ever conducted on religiously unaffiliated Americans—over 15,000 participants. The research, funded by the John Templeton Foundation's Spiritual Yearning Research Initiative, used machine learning to identify four distinct categories of "Nones": NINOs (Nones In Name Only, who are actually quite religious), Spiritual But Not Religious (the largest group), the Disengaged (content secular individuals far from any religious or spiritual practice), and Zealous Secularists (a small but vocal group actively encouraging others to leave religion). The conversation explores what these categories reveal about American religious identity, why traditional survey methods may be undercounting Christians, and the surprising finding that many "happy atheists" report life satisfaction comparable to religious Americans. Join us for the remaining sessions of this class, where we'll dive deeper into each category with special guests—registration is donation-based, including $0, at www.AmericanNones.com.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS: The Rise of the Nones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

One-third of Americans now claim no religious affiliation. That's 100 million people.

But here's what most church leaders get wrong: they're not all the same. Some still believe in God. Some are actively searching. Some are quietly indifferent. Some think religion is harmful.

Ryan Burge & Tony Jones have conducted the first large-scale survey of American "Nones", which reveals 4 distinct categories—each requiring a different approach. Understanding the difference could transform everything from your ministry to your own spiritual quest.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info & join the donation-based class (including 0) here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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From Philosopher Kings to Billionaire Oligarchs with Tad Delay

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 12:00:00 -0000

Tad Delay came on to talk about his lecture from the Democracy in Tension summit, and we got into political philosophy and why democracy keeps sliding toward tyranny. Tad teaches Plato's Republic in his intro philosophy classes, and he makes this compelling case that Plato basically had us figured out - the fundamental problem is why do people desire their own servitude as though it were their salvation? We traced the history of democratic movements from the French Revolution through the revolutions of 1848 (which most people know nothing about), and Tad connected it all to our current moment with Gaza, Zionism, and how both parties seem to have lost any sense of shame about lying. The conversation got pretty dark but also weirdly hopeful - we talked about social media as a performance of fake happiness, the need to bring back shame about lying and abuse, and how billionaires like Peter Thiel don't even understand the basics of how power works. Plus we ended with the cheerful speculation that Trump could probably admit to his crimes and people would respect him more for it. Like I said, cheery stuff.

You can get access to Tad's lecture and the entire Democracy in Tension series here.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS: The Rise of the Nones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

One-third of Americans now claim no religious affiliation. That's 100 million people.

But here's what most church leaders get wrong: they're not all the same. Some still believe in God. Some are actively searching. Some are quietly indifferent. Some think religion is harmful.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info & join the donation-based class (including 0) here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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AI & Theology

Sat, 27 Dec 2025 16:25:00 -0000

This conversation took place at Theology Beer Camp 2025 on artificial intelligence, moderated by Michael Morelli with Ben Chicka and Noreen Herzfield, and it's one of the most grounded conversations I've heard about AI from a theological perspective. Noreen has this incredible background in computer engineering before becoming a theologian, and she's not buying the Silicon Valley hype. They talked about how AI trained on human feedback becomes sycophantic and biased, how the whole AGI-by-2027 promise is already falling apart, and why the AI bubble is probably about to burst. But the hopeful part is this: they argued that AI can't replace the actual human connection that changes lives - the teacher who hands you the right book at the right time, the older person who shares a cassette that transforms you. Ben made this beautiful point about how we're all here because of little encounters that were mustard seeds, and AI can't replicate that kind of formation. Plus there was a computer programmer in the audience who basically said "there's no intelligence here, it's just yes/no questions" and everyone was like, exactly. It's neither artificial nor intelligent - it's just code.

Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS: The Rise of the Nones⁠⁠⁠⁠

One-third of Americans now claim no religious affiliation. That's 100 million people.

But here's what most church leaders get wrong: they're not all the same. Some still believe in God. Some are actively searching. Some are quietly indifferent. Some think religion is harmful.

⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info & join the donation-based class (including 0) here.⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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High-Friction Love: The Incarnation in an Age of Smooth Technology

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 14:37:00 -0000

Hey everybody, this is a special Christmas episode where I'm joined by Michael Morelli (Personalist Manifesto podcast) and Paul Hoard (professor at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology) for a live conversation about what the Incarnation has to say to our algorithmically-mediated moment. We get into Advent as a season of waiting in a world obsessed with immediacy and prediction—drawing on Lacan's understanding of desire, Hartmut Rosa on resonance, and Byung-Chul Han's "hell of the same" to explore how our devices have trained us to be unable to tolerate longing. We talk about incarnation versus ex-carnation (yes, we went there), why smoothness is a trap, how the manger subverts our fantasies of a powerful God, and what Bonhoeffer's Christ-reality hermeneutic might offer disciples trying to encounter genuine otherness in a world of narcissistic loops and NPC-ification. Paul brings the psychoanalytic heat on disgust, love, and why intimacy requires being changed by the other, and Michael reminds us that the cosmos hasn't actually been hijacked by Silicon Valley—despite appearances. We also talk about Black Mirror, The Good Place, board games, and whether Star Trek is secretly fascist. It's nerdy, it's hopeful, and it's exactly the kind of thing you need while driving to Christmas gatherings with sleeping family members in the car.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS: The Rise of the Nones⁠⁠⁠

One-third of Americans now claim no religious affiliation. That's 100 million people.

But here's what most church leaders get wrong: they're not all the same. Some still believe in God. Some are actively searching. Some are quietly indifferent. Some think religion is harmful.

⁠⁠⁠Get info & join the donation-based class (including 0) here.⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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The Great Disconnect: When the Pulpit and the Pew aren't Speaking the Same Language

Sat, 20 Dec 2025 11:00:00 -0000

What happens when the person preaching on Sunday morning believes something completely different than the folks sitting in the pews? Well friends, that's exactly what we're digging into today. My buddy Ryan Burge brought the graphs—including some brand new data that hasn't even dropped on his Substack yet—and let me tell you, it's a real deal predicament for Mainline Protestantism. Turns out about 60-70% of mainline clergy identify as liberal, but only about 25% of the people in the pews do. That's not a gap, that's a canyon. We're talking ELCA, UCC, PCUSA, Episcopalians—the whole crew. And look, Ryan and I are both mainline folks, so we're not throwing rocks across the river here. We're throwing rocks at our own faces. We get into why this disconnect exists, what the "silver tsunami" of aging Boomers means for these congregations, and why young progressive folks aren't joining our churches even though we thought we built them a home. It's honest, it's a little uncomfortable, and yeah, we also talk about Zion Williamson and Christmas movies because that's just how we roll. If you want to go deeper on where American religion is headed, join me and Ryan along with Tony Jones for our upcoming class The Rise of the Nones this January at www.AmericanNones.com. Come on.

You can WATCH the conversation and see the graphs on YouTube

Dr. Ryan Burge is a professor of practice at the Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis. He is the author or co-author of four books including The Nones, The American Religious Landscape, and The Great Dechurching. He has written for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and POLITICO. He has also appeared on 60 Minutes, where Anderson Cooper called him, “one of the leading data analysts of religion and politics in the United States.”

Previous Visits from Ryan Burge

Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS: The Rise of the Nones⁠⁠

One-third of Americans now claim no religious affiliation. That's 100 million people.

But here's what most church leaders get wrong: they're not all the same. Some still believe in God. Some are actively searching. Some are quietly indifferent. Some think religion is harmful.

⁠⁠Get info & join the donation-based class (including 0) here.⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Rian Johnson on Wake Up Dead Man – Murder, Mystery, and the Search for Grace

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 14:50:00 -0000

I am SO excited about this episode.

I got to sit down with Rian Johnson to talk about Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, and honestly? This might be my favorite conversation I’ve had all year. Not just because it’s a blast of a film (which it absolutely is), but because Rian brought so much theological depth and personal wrestling to this project.

I’m always looking for that sweet spot where great storytelling meets profound questions about faith, power, community, and what it means to be human. This film? It’s the jackpot. I literally told Rian I now have an excuse to show a movie I genuinely enjoy in class and call it “movie day.”

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

The Film: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is now streaming on Netflix. Watch it. It’s spectacular.

Rian Johnson is an acclaimed writer-director best known for creating the Knives Out mystery franchise, including Knives Out (2019), Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022), and Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025). His work is characterized by genre-bending storytelling that weaves together intricate plots with deep thematic exploration.

Johnson’s other notable films include Brick (2005), a neo-noir set in a high school; Looper (2012), a science fiction thriller; and Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017). He also directed several critically acclaimed episodes of Breaking Bad, including the Emmy-winning “Ozymandias.”

Raised in the evangelical church, Johnson draws on his formative religious experiences to explore themes of grace, moral complexity, and the tension between reason and faith in his work. He cites influences ranging from G.K. Chesterton’s Father Brown mysteries to Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell’s work on storytelling and myth.

Known for his meticulous approach to storytelling—he still writes his screenplays longhand in notebooks—Johnson creates films that function as both wildly entertaining genre exercises and thoughtful examinations of contemporary moral and social questions.

⁠Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!⁠⁠

⁠UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS: The Rise of the Nones⁠

One-third of Americans now claim no religious affiliation. That's 100 million people.

But here's what most church leaders get wrong: they're not all the same. Some still believe in God. Some are actively searching. Some are quietly indifferent. Some think religion is harmful.

⁠Get info & join the donation-based class (including 0) here.⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Books for Your Friendly Neighborhood Theology Nerd

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 16:55:00 -0000

Look, we all have that person in our life who won’t stop talking about Motlmann or keeps “accidentally” bringing up liberation theology at Thanksgiving. Maybe that person is you. No judgment. I’m right there with you.

That’s why I brought in my friend Rev. Dr. Thomas Hermans-Webster, acquisitions editor at Orbis Books, to help us figure out what books belong under the tree this year. We each picked 10 books that will make your theology nerd feel seen, challenged, and deeply grateful you know them so well.

HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS: Orbis put the whole collection on sale. Use code ZESTY at checkout and get 30% off. The code is good through the 12 days of Christmas and all the way to Mardi Gras—we’re being liturgical about this.

🎁 Shop the full collection here

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

⁠Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!⁠

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS: The Rise of the Nones

One-third of Americans now claim no religious affiliation. That's 100 million people.

But here's what most church leaders get wrong: they're not all the same. Some still believe in God. Some are actively searching. Some are quietly indifferent. Some think religion is harmful.

Get info & join the donation-based class (including 0) here.

⁠ ONLINE ADVENT CLASS w/ Diana Butler Bass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Join us for a transformative four-week Advent journey exploring how the four gospels speak their own revolutionary word against empire—both in their ancient context under Roman occupation and for our contemporary world shaped by capitalism, militarism, and nationalism.

This course invites you into an alternative calendar and rhythm. We'll discover how these ancient texts of resistance offer wisdom for our own moment of political turmoil, economic inequality, and ecological crisis. This class is donation-based, including 0. You can sign-up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.HomebrewedClasses.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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From Garden to New Jerusalem: Why the Church's Economic Blindness Matters

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 16:41:00 -0000

So here's what we're wrestling with in this episode: What if economics isn't just a topic theology comments on, but actually the bigger framework that shapes what's theologically possible? That's the question that sent Brian McLaren searching, and it's what led him—and us—to the Japanese philosopher Kojin Karatani and his game-changing framework about modes of exchange laid out in his book, The Structure of World History We're talking about how nation, state, and capital work together as these integrated energies, and how if you try to critique just one without seeing the others, you end up reproducing the very thing you're trying to escape. The biblical narrative becomes this fascinating case study—starting with naked hunter-gatherers in a garden with no religion, state, or market, and ending with the New Jerusalem coming down with no need for a temple. And maybe, just maybe, understanding these modes of exchange—the symbolic, the coercive, the economic—helps us see what kind of future we're actually moving toward. It's the kind of conversation that makes you realize the church's learned ignorance about economics might be the source of its greatest spiritual crisis, and you know what? That's worth paying attention to.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

You can find the YouTube playlist of videos outlining Karatani’s work here.

Joining me for this conversation is...

Guillermo Bervejillo is an economic geographer and community organizer who bridges critical theory and social movement practice. If you missed our previous conversation, where we introduced Karatani’s work check it out - Kojin Karatani’s The Structure of World History.

Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. Don’t miss his AMAZING new book, The Last Voyage.

Dawson Allen is the movement manager at the Center for Action & Contemplation.

Join us at Theology Beer Camp, October 8-10, in Kansas City!

ONLINE ADVENT CLASS w/ Diana Butler Bass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This course invites you into an alternative calendar and rhythm. We'll discover how these ancient texts of resistance offer wisdom for our own moment of political turmoil, economic inequality, and ecological crisis. This class is donation-based, including 0. You can sign-up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.HomebrewedClasses.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Bonhoeffer’s Witness Against Christian Nationalism

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 20:23:00 -0000

What is up, Theology Nerds! This one's a banger. At Theology Beer Camp 2025, I got to sit down with an EPIC braintrust of Bonhoeffer scholars—Jeff Pugh, Lori Brandt Hale, Reggie Williams, and Andy Root—for a panel that went deep into Dietrich's life, his communities, and why his witness matters more now than ever. We wrestled with how Bonhoeffer's critique of stupidity as a sociological force, his understanding of Christ as the center that opens us to the other, and his call to prayer and righteous action speak directly into our current moment of rising nationalism and the masquerade of evil. These scholars didn't flinch from the hard questions: What do we do when the church has failed? How do we resist without contempt? And what does a faithful community look like when you might be hiding people in your house? If this conversation lights a fire in your theological belly, then you need to be with us at Theology Beer Camp 2026—October 8-10th in Kansas City. Head over here and grab those pre-sale tickets. This is what we do: beer, community, and theology that matters. Come join us.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

ONLINE ADVENT CLASS w/ Diana Butler Bass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This course invites you into an alternative calendar and rhythm. We'll discover how these ancient texts of resistance offer wisdom for our own moment of political turmoil, economic inequality, and ecological crisis. This class is donation-based, including 0. You can sign-up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.HomebrewedClasses.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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When Empire Strikes Back: Herod, the Magi, and Holy Resistance

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 16:01:00 -0000

Well, we kicked off our Advent Against Empire series with Diana Butler Bass diving deep into Matthew's birth narrative, and wow—it did not disappoint. Diana brought her three signature lenses (anti-imperialism, non-violence, and eco-wholeness) to the most Jewish of all the gospels, and things got delightfully nerdy. We explored how Matthew's genealogy isn't just a boring list of "begats"—it's a subversive royal document packed with scandalous women and outsiders that announces Jesus as the true king in direct confrontation with Rome and Herod. Diana walked us through a brilliant two-act structure: Act One is all about the birth of Wisdom and Joseph (a dreamer who winds up in Egypt—sound familiar?) receiving divine announcements. Act Two gives us the Apocalyptic clash between the World as it is and the World to come, with the Magi's cosmic rebellion against Herod, the horrific violence that follows when the empire doesn't get its way, and the holy family's return. We also geeked out on Jesus as the embodiment of Sophia—Wisdom incarnate—and how Matthew's five-discourse structure mirrors the Torah itself. If you've always thought of Matthew as the "Christmas pageant gospel," prepare to have your assumptions lovingly dismantled.

Want to go deeper? Join Diana and me for our full four-week Advent journey, The Beginning of Another World: Advent Against Empire. Each week we're letting a different gospel speak its revolutionary word—no harmonizing, no smoothing over the rough edges. The class is fully asynchronous so that you can participate on your own schedule or join us live for our recordings. Sign up HERE and contribute whatever you can (including 0). Come get nerdy with us!

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube here

Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D., is an award-winning author, popular speaker, inspiring preacher, and one of America’s most trusted commentators on religion and contemporary spirituality.

Previous Episodes with Diana & Tripp

ONLINE ADVENT CLASS w/ Diana Butler Bass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This course invites you into an alternative calendar and rhythm. We'll discover how these ancient texts of resistance offer wisdom for our own moment of political turmoil, economic inequality, and ecological crisis. This class is donation-based, including 0. You can sign-up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.HomebrewedClasses.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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NT Wright on Ephesians: The Church as a Small Working Model of New Creation

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 10:30:00 -0000

N.T. Wright returns to the podcast for round three—no Malibu rooftop this time, but plenty of theological fireworks. We dig into Tom's new book on Ephesians, starting with why he thinks the scholarly consensus dismissing Pauline authorship is more about 19th-century German liberal Protestant hangover than good historical work. From there, we get into the real meat: Ephesians isn't answering the question "how do I get to heaven?" It's painting this massive cosmic picture of God's plan to unite heaven and earth in Christ—and the church's wild vocation to be what Tom calls "a small working model of new creation." We talk about how Western Christianity has shrunk Paul's vision into individual soul-sorting when the text is way more interested in what it looks like when formerly irreconcilable people come together as one new humanity. Tom pushes back on how both conservatives and liberals read their politics into the text, and we wrestle with the marriage passage in chapter 5 as the theological climax of the letter (not the culture war flashpoint we've made it). We close with a beautiful reflection on Ephesians 6 as an Advent text—the church holding the line between Christ's victory and his return. Plus, Tom's grandson sings in the New College Oxford choir, and honestly, that's the kind of intergenerational beauty Ephesians is pointing toward.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Prof. N.T. (Tom) Wright is Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University. He is one of the world’s leading Bible scholars, with expertise in Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity, the New Testament, and Biblical Studies. He is also Emeritus Professor at the University of St. Andrews and the former Bishop of Durham.

Tom’s Previous Visits to the Podcast

UPCOMING ONLINE ADVENT CLASS w/ Diana Butler Bass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This course invites you into an alternative calendar and rhythm. We'll discover how these ancient texts of resistance offer wisdom for our own moment of political turmoil, economic inequality, and ecological crisis. This class is donation-based, including 0. You can sign-up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.HomebrewedClasses.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Tolkien & Trump: The Professor or the Profligate with Dr. Craig Boyd

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 15:13:00 -0000

Alright Tolkien Heads, this one's important. Dr. Craig Boyd joins us to dig into Tolkien's political philosophy and—look, we gotta talk about how the alt-right has been trying to claim Tolkien as one of their own, which is just... no. Craig offers a much-needed corrective by actually reading what the man wrote and believed. The heart of the conversation is this contrast between Gandalf and Saruman as two models of leadership: one rooted in service and humility, the other in domination and control. And yeah, this feels pretty relevant right now. We get into why the easy path of controlling people is so seductive, and why the harder road—actually loving and respecting the folks you're leading—is what builds real community. Saruman thought he could use the enemy's tools for good ends; spoiler alert, it doesn't work that way. Power-hoarding corrupts everything it touches. Gandalf shows us another way: sacrifice, humility, genuine care for human flourishing over accumulating influence. Whether you're a Tolkien nerd, into political philosophy, or just trying to figure out what faithful leadership looks like in this moment, this one's for you.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

UPCOMING ONLINE ADVENT CLASS w/ Diana Butler Bass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This course invites you into an alternative calendar and rhythm. We'll discover how these ancient texts of resistance offer wisdom for our own moment of political turmoil, economic inequality, and ecological crisis. This class is donation-based, including 0. You can sign-up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.HomebrewedClasses.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Finding Our Way Forward: How Whitehead Shows Us Religion as Life's Creative Force

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 13:59:00 -0000

This is an audio essay from my Process This substack. In it, I reflect on Alfred North Whitehead and what he can teach us about religion in our time. You see, Whitehead didn't see religion as just doctrines or institutions—he understood it as a creative force that connects our deepest ideals with the passion that actually moves us to act in the world. And here's what's beautiful: he shows us that the divine isn't a force that dominates or controls, but a gentle invitation woven through all of reality, calling us toward truth, beauty, and goodness. We're not passive recipients of this, we're active partners, and every act of kindness, every moment of genuine connection actually adds something real to the universe that wouldn't exist without us. The real transformation in history, whether it's been the Civil Rights Movement or the climate movement today, happens not through force and domination, but through the slower, harder, more beautiful path of persuasion—changing hearts and minds one person at a time. And here's what gives me hope: nothing we do in love is ever lost. It all becomes part of this larger story of the universe moving toward wholeness. So in this post-religious age, we desperately need this capacity to be moved by beauty and called by goodness. The question isn't what we believe, it's whether we'll let ourselves be caught up in this larger movement of love.

To join the Whitehead reading group, become a supporting member of ⁠the Process This Substack. In addition to Zoom invites to the reading group and archives of each session, you will get an ad-free podcast feed of the podcast and invites to all the other live streams with friends like Diana Butler Bass & Ryan Burge.

UPCOMING ONLINE ADVENT CLASS w/ Diana Butler Bass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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How the Lectionary Kept Me Christian: Diana Butler Bass on Practicing the Year

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 10:49:00 -0000

What is up, Theology Nerds! So this episode we got my friend Diana Butler Bass back in the house to talk about her brand new book A Beautiful Year and this open online Advent class we're doing together over the next four weeks. Here's the deal: Diana's gonna walk us through how the Christian liturgical year—especially the lectionary—actually saved her faith during the pandemic when the church doors closed. She unpacks the lectionary as a real deep, anti-imperial, feminist, creation-care kind of reading that shows how Jesus is literally challenging Caesar through the gospel accounts. We break down why that matters for how we read the four Gospels and their unique takes on the Incarnation, and this is the crucial part: how all of this ancient story stuff actually orients us for what's happening right now with Christian nationalism and all that ugliness. The Advent class is donation-based (yeah, pay what you want), and you can catch it live each week or grab the video and audio later. Head to homebrewedclasses.com to sign up. Trust me, you're gonna want in on this conversation.

Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D., is an award-winning author, popular speaker, inspiring preacher, and one of America’s most trusted commentators on religion and contemporary spirituality.

UPCOMING ONLINE ADVENT CLASS w/ Diana Butler Bass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Community Over Cops: Building Justice from the Ground Up with Ross Halperin

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 10:52:00 -0000

On today's episode, we're talking with investigative journalist Ross Halperin about his new book Bear Witness: The Pursuit of Justice in a Violent Land. Ross takes us on a fascinating journey from academic research on impunity—the unsolved homicides plaguing American cities—to Honduras, where he discovers an unexpected solution. We dig into why the US solve rate for murders hovers around 60% compared to over 90% in other wealthy democracies, and spoiler alert: it's not about more surveillance or militarization. The real issue is witness testimony, and that requires trust. Ross introduces us to Kurt and Carlos, whose charity work proves that community trust, built through years of genuine service and investment, is the key to bridging the gap between communities and law enforcement. We talk about how faith animates their work without being preachy, the humility required to stay open to criticism, and why top-down solutions often miss what actually moves people to speak up. It's a conversation about what it means to bear witness—not just to tell a story, but to show up and be trusted.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Ross Halperin is an investigative journalist and author of Bear Witness: The Pursuit of Justice in a Violent Land. A Harvard University graduate, he worked on Wall Street before transitioning to research on criminal justice, where he worked under Mark A.R. Kleiman, one of the world's leading criminal-justice scholars. His interest in unsolved homicides and systemic violence grew from this research, which revealed that the United States has dramatically lower murder solve rates than comparable wealthy democracies.

That research led Halperin to a presentation by Kurt Biehl at a summit organized by criminologist David Kennedy, sparking a years-long investigation into how one community in Central America tackled violence through trust-building and faith. Bear Witness is the result of his embedded reporting in Honduras, exploring how real change happens not through top-down mandates, but through patient commitment to community relationships.

Halperin's own commitment to community building is evident in his work closer to home as well—he led a campaign to reconstruct the library in his hometown, reflecting his belief in the power of institutions and gathering spaces.

⁠UPCOMING ONLINE ADVENT CLASS w/ Diana Butler Bass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 70,000other 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.

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Is America Possible? with Corey Walker & Bill Leonard

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 14:17:00 -0000

Hey Theology Nerds! On this episode, we're wrestling with one of those questions that'll mess with your theology AND your politics - Vincent Harding's knockout punch of a question: 'Is America possible?' I'm talking about the REAL America, not the one on your uncle's Facebook feed, but the wild, beautiful, messy dream of a multiracial, multi-ethnic, pluralistic, egalitarian democracy that actually, you know, WORKS.

We're getting into all of it - how democracy and capitalism are duking it out, what Christianity has to say when it's not too busy blessing the status quo, and why asking better questions might just save us from ourselves. This is about imagination, the kind that gets people in trouble with empire. We're talking solidarity that actually costs something, conversations that require actual courage (not just Twitter courage), and why your algorithm might be more theologically problematic than that praise band you love to hate.

If you've ever wondered whether faith communities could stop playing defense and start building the world we actually need, or if you're ready to imagine America as something more than a 250-year-old experiment in barely not falling apart - this one's for you. We're bringing the theological fire to the most urgent questions of our time, because apparently that's what we do around here.

Corey D. B. Walker is Dean of the School of Divinity at Wake Forest University. As a scholar, he’s committed to a broad vision of human flourishing. His research, teaching, and public scholarship span the areas of African American philosophy, critical theory, ethics, and religion and American public life.

Bill Leonard is the Founding Dean and Professor of Divinity Emeritus at Wake Divinity. Leonard’s research focuses on Church History with particular attention to American religion, Baptist studies, and Appalachian religion. He is the author of over 25 books, including The Homebrewed Christianity Guide to Church History: Flaming Heretics and Heavy Drinkers.

Previous Episodes

ACCESS to the cheapest tickets.⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠UPCOMING ONLINE ADVENT CLASS w/ Diana Butler Bass⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 70,000other 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.

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The Infancy Gospel of Thomas on the Big Screen

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 14:43:00 -0000

Wow, do we have a conversation for you! My filmmaker-theologian friend Sarey Martin Concepción and I sat down with director Lofty Nathan about his wild new film "The Carpenter's Son"—and let me tell you, this isn't your Sunday school Jesus. We're talking Nicholas Cage as Joseph (yes, he's a national treasure), FKA twigs bringing something totally unconventional to Mary, and demon snakes that literally made my phone start searching when I mentioned them. The film pulls from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas—one of those apocryphal texts that didn't make the canonical cut but the Coptic Orthodox Church has preserved—and asks the question nobody really wants to ask: what was it actually like for Jesus to figure out he was, you know, God? Nathan, who grew up Coptic Christian himself, doesn't sanitize anything here. We dig into all the big stuff: identity crises, divine vocation, the problem of suffering, and what happens when your kid can perform miracles but doesn't quite get the whole "with great power" thing yet. Fair warning: I watched this alone in the dark and those demon snakes freaked me out. But underneath the horror elements, there's this sincere, thoughtful wrestling with what incarnation really means. November 17th, folks—see it in theaters where you can properly freak out with other people.

Sign up HERE to stay up to date on Theology Beer Camp 2026 & get EARLY ACCESS to the cheapest tickets.⁠⁠

⁠⁠UPCOMING ONLINE ADVENT CLASS w/ Diana Butler Bass⁠⁠⁠

Advent marks the beginning of the church year—an invitation to step out of the empire's time and into God's time, where the last are first, the mighty are scattered, and a child born in occupied territory changes everything.

This course invites you into an alternative calendar and rhythm. While our modern world races through December toward consumption and productivity, Advent calls us to a different time—a counter-imperial waiting, a subversive hope, a radical reimagining of how God enters the world. What will we experience? Each week, we'll hear one gospel's unique vision of the birth narrative, allowing Matthew, Luke, John, and Mark to speak in their own voices about what it means for God to show up when empires think they're in control. We'll discover how these ancient texts of resistance offer wisdom for our own moment of political turmoil, economic inequality, and ecological crisis. This class is donation-based, including 0. You can sign-up at ⁠⁠⁠www.HomebrewedClasses.com⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity ⁠⁠⁠⁠production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 70,000other 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.

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Two Books, One Night: Finding Beauty in What We Can't Control with Diana Butler Bass & Andy and Kara Root

Sun, 09 Nov 2025 14:12:00 -0000

Hey Theology Nerds! What an absolute banger of an episode we've got for you - two live conversations straight from the wild and wonderful chaos of Theology Beer Camp 2025 in St. Paul. First up, I sit down with the incomparable Diana Butler Bass and my co-host Sarah Heath to dive into Diana's brand new book A Beautiful Year - and let me tell you, it's peak DBB, friends. We're talking about seasons and spirituality, finding God in the everyday rhythm of time, and how the church might just be walking away from us while we're walking toward it (trust me, it makes sense when Diana explains it). Then we pivot to my friends Andy and Kara Root who share killer insights from their new book A Pilgrimage into Letting Go: Helping Parents and Pastors Embrace the Uncontrollable - basically how to not completely screw up raising kids in a world that's accelerating faster than we can keep up with. Both conversations get real about control, confession, and finding those holy moments we can't manufacture but desperately need. So do yourself a favor: grab both of these books, and while you're at it, get on the list for Theology Beer Camp 2026 - because where else are you gonna find 600 theology nerds singing Bohemian Rhapsody together? Head over here to sign up for all the info. Trust me, you don't want to miss what we're cooking up for next year!

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Sign up HERE to stay up to date on Theology Beer Camp 2026 & get EARLY ACCESS to the cheapest tickets.⁠

⁠UPCOMING ONLINE ADVENT CLASS w/ Diana Butler Bass⁠⁠

This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity ⁠⁠⁠production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 70,000other 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.

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Religion in the Making: Where Evolution Turns Up the Volume on Value

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 10:00:00 -0000

Hey friends! In this introductory session for our "Religion in the Making" reading group, Andrew Davis and I dive into why Whitehead's 1926 lectures are the perfect entry point into process thought—way more accessible than slogging through Process and Reality's 40-page tangents on numbers! We explore how Whitehead was in this exciting third phase of his life, finally getting to work out his philosophical ideas after leaving Cambridge for Harvard, and how this book captures that fresh energy of someone discovering how religion isn't just about beliefs but about the habits and ways we orient ourselves toward value and meaning. Andrew shares how Whitehead flips modern philosophy on its head by showing that our clear sense perceptions emerge from a deeper "iceberg of related connectedness," making room for those moments when the depth dimension of reality breaks through into consciousness. If you want to join us for the next four weeks as we work through each lecture, become a supporting member at ProcessThis.Substack.com and let's explore together how religion is about finding "that side of the universe we can care for" that flows from the very nature of things!

Andrew’s Previous visits to the podcast

⁠UPCOMING ONLINE ADVENT CLASS w/ Diana Butler Bass⁠⁠

⁠Sign up HERE to stay up to date on Theology Beer Camp 2026 & get EARLY ACCESS to the cheapest tickets.⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠.

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An Adventure in Ideas: Discovering Whitehead's "Religion in the Making"

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 18:00:00 -0000

In this audio essay, I explore why Alfred North Whitehead's "Religion in the Making" might be exactly what we need in 2025—especially if you're someone who's done with traditional religion but can't shake the feeling that something sacred is going on. I share Whitehead's remarkable story: a Cambridge mathematician who didn't even start teaching philosophy until he was 63, who lost his son in WWI, and whose wife Evelyn taught him that beauty and love aren't decorations on philosophy—they are the philosophy. Writing in 1926 amidst post-war trauma and scientific revolution, Whitehead saw past the tired warfare between science and religion to something more generous: What if the universe isn't dead matter but alive with meaning? What if we're not weird exceptions in a meaningless cosmos but examples of what the universe has been doing all along? I explain why this matters for anyone deconstructing faith, loving science, seeking justice, or simply hungry for a spirituality that's intellectually honest and alive to mystery. Most beautifully, Whitehead reminds us that religion isn't about safety or certainty—it's an adventure of the spirit, and maybe it's time we said yes to that adventure again.

To join the Whitehead reading group, become a supporting member of the Process This Substack. In addition to Zoom invites to the reading group and archives of each session, you will get an ad-free podcast feed of the podcast and invites to all the other live streams with friends like Diana Butler Bass & Ryan Burge.

⁠UPCOMING ONLINE ADVENT CLASS w/ Diana Butler Bass⁠⁠

⁠Sign up HERE to stay up to date on Theology Beer Camp 2026 & get EARLY ACCESS to the cheapest tickets.⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠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

Theology Beer Camp All-Stars Unite!!

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 13:14:00 -0000

Join me and the Theology Beer Camp All-Stars as we debrief the beautiful chaos that was camp this year! We're talking 600 people, ages 8 to 96, with highlights including: Jared Byas secretly being a Magic: The Gathering wizard who destroyed everyone, a volunteer named Tor who flew in from Norway and became everyone's bestie, an opening theological wrestling match, and yours truly singing karaoke in a bunny suit because someone has to lower the bar for everyone else. But here's the real deal—as much as we love talking nerdy theology stuff, what makes Beer Camp special is the permission to just be yourself. Whether you're pouring coffee at 6 AM, filling beer steins, or revealing your secret nerd hobbies, it's about people showing up as people. Big thanks to our volunteer coordinator Bren (Camp Gandalf) and her 40-person crew who made it all happen. Already can't wait for next year, and that's saying something since I usually need two weeks of sleep before I can even think about it again. You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube.

Sign up HERE to stay up to date on Theology Beer Camp 2026 & get EARLY ACCESS to the cheapest tickets.

UPCOMING ONLINE ADVENT CLASS w/ Diana Butler Bass⁠

This podcast is a ⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity ⁠⁠production. Follow ⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 70,000other 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.

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Natalie Wigg-Stevenson: Memory Loss, Rain Dancing, and Making Meaning

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 13:06:00 -0000

Wow, this conversation with Natalie was something else - one of those episodes where you start talking about a brain injury from cleaning a closet (seriously, turn the lights on, people!) and end up in the deep end discussing psychedelics, embodiment theology, and what happens when your brain decides to play tricks on you for two years straight. Natalie's journey through losing her ability to read, write, and even walk properly while being a theologian who studies embodiment is just wild - like, the irony isn't lost on anyone here. We went from talking about her accident (metal rod straight between the eyes, could've been way worse) to functional neurological disorder, to ketamine therapy and psilocybin journeys, with stops along the way for discussions about academic labor, memoir writing with amnesia, and why she finally got a dog after swearing she never would. The whole thing was this beautiful mix of vulnerability, theological nerdery, and real talk about how our bodies and minds can betray us in ways we never saw coming - and somehow we still managed to end with lawyers probably appreciating our thorough disclaimers about not giving medical advice. Classic.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Dr. Natalie Wigg-Stevenson is Associate Professor of Contextual Education and Theology at Emmanuel College, where she directs the MDiv and Contextual Education Programs. Her current research delves into how ethnographic methods could help create theological conversations across church, academy and everyday life. She is also interested in liturgical, feminist and queer theologies, cultural theories of practice, aesthetics, pop culture, and in decolonizing pedagogies. An ordained Baptist minister, Natalie is particularly passionate about preaching and worship, and about adult education in church settings.

You can check out her previous visit to the podcast here: From Transgressive Devotion to Snuggle Puppy.

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS w/ Diana Butler Bass

This podcast is a ⁠Homebrewed Christianity ⁠production. Follow ⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠, ⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠, & ⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 70,000other people by joining our ⁠Substack - Process This!⁠ Get instant access to over 50 classes at ⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠

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Casey Sigmon: Agonistic Encounters, Holy Friction, and Real Worship

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 14:44:00 -0000

Casey Sigmon joined Tim and me to wrestle with worship, justice, and what happens when we think liturgy is just the music on Sunday morning instead of the choreography of our entire lives. Casey pushed us to see worship as ascribing worth—not just to any god, but to the One revealed in Jesus who demands we care for the oppressed, which means our praise songs better match our actual practices or we're just modern-day targets for Amos's rage. We dug into how white evangelicalism has turned worship into an industry that eliminates friction—picking churches by aesthetic preference, using AI to smooth out prophetic edges, segregating by taste and theology—when the biblical tradition is all about agonistic encounter with holy otherness that disrupts and transforms us. Tim brought his years as a professional drummer in that space to ask hard questions about manipulation versus mystery, while Casey helped us think about lament, confession, and how we've lost communal accountability for systemic sin by making everything about personal purity. We also geeked out on how religion evolved from ritual and trance before language even existed, why kids should lead us in justice work, and whether God's power looks more like collaborative choreography than cosmic intervention.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Casey Thornburgh Sigmon is an Assistant Professor in Preaching and Worship and Project Director of the Pause/Play Center for Preachers at Saint Paul School of Theology in Leawood, Kan. She graduated from Vanderbilt University with a PhD in Homiletics and Liturgics. Her first book, Engaging the Gadfly: Moving from Reactionary to Reflective Preaching a Digital Age (Cascade), explores how the practice of preaching can affirm and subvert norms from social media and generative AI. Dr. Sigmon is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This transformative online class brings together distinguished scholars from biblical studies, theology, history, and faith leadership to offer exactly what our moment demands: the rich, textured wisdom of multiple academic disciplines speaking into our contemporary quest for justice. Here you'll discover how ancient texts illuminate modern struggles, how theological reflection deepens social action, and how historical understanding opens new possibilities for faithful engagement with our world's brokenness and beauty. Join John Dominic Crossan, Peter Enns, Casey Sigmon, Aizaiah Yong, & Malcolm Foley

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Found Solidarity: How the Working Class Made Social Christianity with Heath Carter

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 10:00:00 -0000

This was a conversation with Heath Carter, historian and author of Union Made: Working People and the Rise of Social Christianity in Chicago. Heath walked us through his journey from growing up in evangelical Orange County to discovering a working-class theological tradition that has been largely erased from our collective memory. We explored how the social gospel wasn't born in elite seminaries but was hammered out by workers quoting scripture in union halls, threatening to leave churches that sided with their bosses, and forcing institutional Christianity to reckon with inequality. Heath traced how both Protestant and Catholic churches went from being uniformly anti-labor in the late 1800s to embracing living wages and collective bargaining by the New Deal era—not because theologians had brilliant insights, but because grassroots pressure made it pragmatically and theologically untenable to ignore the labor question. We discussed why this tradition was gutted in the late 20th century, what UAW President Sean Fain's evangelical faith reveals about what's still possible, and whether democracy can survive when we continually compromise democratic values for market demands. Heath reminded us that 1877 was also a catastrophically bad year in American history, but out of that devastation came movements that actually changed things—not through perfect strategies or ideological purity, but through small, faithful acts and found solidarity that transformed institutional incentives. It's a story we desperately need to remember right now.

Heath W. Carter is associate professor of American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary, where he teaches and writes about the intersection of Christianity and American public life. Carter is the author of Union Made: Working People and the Rise of Social Christianity in Chicago, which was the runner-up for the American Society of Church History’s 2015 Brewer Prize. He is also the co-editor of three books: The Pew and the Picket Line: Christianity and the American Working Class, Turning Points in the History of American Evangelicalism, and A Documentary History of Religion in America, 4th Ed.

ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Join John Dominic Crossan, Peter Enns, Casey Sigmon, Aizaiah Yong, & Malcolm Foley

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Reparations, Violence, and Peacemaking: An Honest Conversation with Drew Hart

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 09:11:00 -0000

Drew Hart joined me to dig into questions from our God of Justice class about his lecture on the black church and American experience. We covered a lot of ground—from Drew's own journey as a preacher's kid who found his tribe in the prophetic tradition of the black church and Anabaptism, to why James Cone's confrontational theology is actually necessary for real liberation (not just comfortable reconciliation). Drew pushed back hard on white progressive Christianity that performs solidarity without changing oppressive structures, explaining why gradualism is always justice denied. We talked about enslaved people adapting (not just adopting) Christianity into something radically different from what slaveowners preached, the messy reality of violence and peacemaking when your back's against the wall, and what a reparations God actually means—hint: it's about healing, not just debt calculation. If you want theology that takes the crucified Jesus seriously, rather than abstracting him into universal principles that leave power structures intact, this conversation delivers.

Drew G. I. Hart is a public theologian and professor of theology at Messiah University. He has ten years of pastoral ministry experience and is the recipient of multiple awards for peacemaking. Hart attained his MDiv with an urban concentration from Missio Seminary and his PhD in theology and ethics from Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. He is a sought-after speaker at conferences, campuses, and churches across the United States and Canada. His first book, Trouble I’ve Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism, utilizes personal and everyday stories, theological ethics, and anti-racism frameworks to transform the church’s understanding and witness. Hart lives with his wife, Renee, and their three sons in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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You Can't Serve God and Mammon: Malcolm Foley on Greed, Racism, and the Gospel

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 13:23:00 -0000

This conversation was a wild ride through some of the most challenging questions facing progressive Christians today. Malcolm Foley—reverend, scholar, and all-around theology nerd—walked us through his journey from studying Greek church fathers to researching lynching and the Black church's witness to America. We dug into his book's central thesis that greed (not just ignorance or hate) is the root of racism, explored why Christians keep trying to serve both God and Mammon despite Jesus being pretty clear about that either/or situation, and wrestled with what it means to pursue justice with moral clarity, fierce perseverance, and nonviolent love. Malcolm challenged us on everything from our electoral anxieties to our tendency to spiritualize away material commitments, reminding us that the church is supposed to be an alternative political-economic community, not just a gathering of people who think the same things. We talked about David Walker's abolitionist fire, Ida B. Wells' relentless anti-lynching work, and MLK's theological commitment to enemy love—and why progressive Christians especially struggle with that last piece. It's the kind of conversation that makes you simultaneously want to holler "amen" and also maybe go hide because actually following Jesus is way harder than voting for the right candidate.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Rev. Dr. Malcolm Foley earned a PhD in religion from Baylor University in December 2021. His dissertation investigated Black Protestants responding to lynching from the late 19th to the early 20th century. Before coming to Baylor, Dr. Foley earned a BA in religious studies with a second major in finance and a minor in classics from Washington University in St. Louis. He subsequently completed a Master of Divinity at Yale Divinity School, focusing on the theology of the early and medieval church. Malcolm also serves as a co-pastor at an intentionally multicultural, nondenominational church, Mosaic Waco. He is the author of The Anti-Greed Gospel: Why The Love of Money is the Root of Racism and How the Church Can Create A New Way Forward .

ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠_____________________

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Cynthia Moe-Lobeda: Saints, Sinners, & Supply Chains: Living Faithfully in Economic Webs

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 13:48:00 -0000

I had an incredible conversation with Cynthia Moe-Lobeda about her book Building a Moral Economy (the first in a six-book series!). We dug into how most Christians experience a profound disconnect between their faith and their economic lives—knowing intellectually that our consumer choices connect us to exploitation and ecological destruction, but feeling powerless to change systems that seem inevitable. Cynthia shared her own journey from despair to action, grounded in a mystical encounter that helped her hold both grief and hope simultaneously. She laid out a compelling vision for what a moral economy actually looks like: ecological, equitable, and democratic—three criteria that radically challenge financialized capitalism. The heart of our conversation was her framework of "10 fingers on the hands of healing change"—specific forms of action like living lightly, moving money, changing rules, and building a bigger "we." What moved me most was her insistence that our current economy isn't inevitable; it was built by human decisions and can be rebuilt differently. She reminded us that we're not isolated moral agents but a "we"—the body of Christ with diverse gifts for different kinds of action. If you've ever felt torn between providing for your family and the knowledge that our prosperity is connected to the crucified people of our world, this conversation offers a path forward rooted in resurrection faith and practical action.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda is a Lutheran theologian, ethicist, and author who has dedicated her career to exploring the intersection of faith, economics, and justice. Her work focuses on building what she calls "economies for life"—economic systems that are ecological, equitable, and democratic. She is the author of Resisting Structural Evil and Building a Moral Economy. With decades of experience in ecumenical work and student ministry, Cynthia brings both academic rigor and pastoral wisdom to her writing, grounded in her conviction that the current economic system is not inevitable but can be transformed through collective action.

ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Join John Dominic Crossan, Peter Enns, Casey Sigmon, Aizaiah Yong, & Malcolm Foley

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Ryan Duns: From Jaws to K-Pop Demon Hunters: How Horror Films Reveal the Sacred

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 10:45:00 -0000

Ryan Duns is back on the podcast to talk about his provocative new book exploring horror and theology, and boy does he deliver some counterintuitive insights. He argues that horror is actually the most conservative film genre—and that's precisely why it works so well for theological reflection. Think about it: to be scared, you first have to believe there's something worth protecting. Ryan walks us through how horror films function as underground spaces where transcendence has been displaced and distorted, creating what he calls "frag events" that shatter our comfortable assumptions about reality. From The Purge and mimetic desire to The Black Phone and eucatastrophe, he shows how these films operate as photographic negatives of divine transcendence, revealing both our metaphysical vulnerability and our deep hunger for meaning. We dive into concepts like the "dark transcendent," the porosity of being, and why feeling horror is actually a sign of soul. Plus, Ryan shares stories from his Theology of Horror class—including angry parent emails and a student who ended up joining the Jesuits. If you've ever wondered what a philosophical theologian is doing teaching about chainsaw massacres and demonic possession, this conversation will blow your mind while making you rethink everything about faith, fear, and what it means to be human. Check out the book, Theology of Horror: The Hidden Depths of Popular Films.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Ryan G. Duns, SJ, (twitter) is a Jesuit priest and an assistant professor of theology at Marquette University. His locates his work the intersection of philosophy and systematic theology and is interested in regarding theology as practice or “way of life.” He has published on Karl Rahner, Jean-Luc Marion, René Girard, and his most recent work has involved a sustained engagement with William Desmond’s metaphysics. His monograph “Spiritual Exercises for a Secular Age: Desmond and the Quest for God” argues that, when read as a form of spiritual exercise (Pierre Hadot), Desmond’s philosophy can re-awaken a sense of the Transcendent.

Previous Podcasts with Ryan

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Four Questions About AI That Will Keep You Up at Night w/ Noreen Herzfeld | Theology Beer Camp 2025

Sat, 27 Sep 2025 10:55:00 -0000

Computer scientist turned theologian Dr. Noreen Herzfeld tackles the most pressing questions about artificial intelligence through a theological lens. As we race toward artificial general intelligence while simultaneously destroying our planet's climate, could this be the "great filter" that explains why we haven't found alien civilizations? This groundbreaking lecture explores whether our drive to create AI in our own image reveals something deeply spiritual about human nature—and whether it might lead to our technological doom.

This is just one of the three contributors to our special session at Theology Beer Camp where we will wrestle with AI theologically.

🤖 Four Critical Questions Explored: 1. Why Are We Creating AI in Our Own Image? * The Genesis connection: Image of God as reason, function, and relationship * How AI mirrors our deepest theological questions about what makes us human * Augustine's insight: "Our hearts are restless until they rest in you” 2. What Are We Really Looking For? * AI as tool, partner, or surrogate for God? * The rise of grief bots and digital immortality * Why "love that is safe and made to measure" might never help us grow 3. Are We Creating Digital Idolatry? * Meet "Father Justin" - the AI priest who got defrocked * How AI training makes chatbots sycophantic and biased * Why Christianity's embodied God offers what AI cannot 4. Is There a Collision Course Between AI and Climate Change? * The sustainability crisis: AI data centers using more energy than entire counties * Fermi's Paradox and the technological bottleneck theory * Could our AI dreams be leading us toward civilizational collapse? ⚡ Mind-Blowing Facts: * One Microsoft data center uses 30% more energy than the entire county it's in * By 2030, data centers could consume 30% of developed countries' annual energy * AI can't distinguish true from false—how will it distinguish good from evil? 🌍 The Great Filter Theory: Could advanced civilizations hit an existential bottleneck where their technology destroys them? Are we racing toward the same fate as we pursue artificial general intelligence while depleting our planet's resources?

💭 Deep Theological Insights: * Christianity's unique claim: a God who fully shared our embodied human condition * Why resurrection of the body matters in an age of digital dreams * The difference between "hot evil" (traditional sins) and "cold evil" (systemic destruction) * How religious wisdom might be our only path through the technological bottleneck The Ultimate Question: As we create beings in our own image, are we revealing our deepest spiritual longings—or our most dangerous delusions? This isn't just about technology. It's about what it means to be human, what we're really searching for, and whether we'll survive our own innovations. Join the Mind-Bending Conversation at Theology Beer Camp 2025! Ready to explore the intersection of cutting-edge technology and ancient wisdom? Join computer scientists, theologians, and thoughtful innovators for conversations that could shape the future.

🍺 Register now: www.TheologyBeerCamp2025.com Experience theology that grapples with tomorrow's biggest challenges while remaining grounded in timeless wisdom about what it truly means to be human.

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Hanna Reichel: Navigating Faith in the Era of Authoritarianism

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 09:25:00 -0000

Dr. Hanna Reichel returns to the podcast to discuss their timely devotional For Such a Time as This, which emerged from student questions about how theological wisdom applies to our current political moment. Drawing parallels between Trump-era America and the Weimar Republic, Reichel explores the muddy complexity of resistance, the dangers of purity politics, and why they chose the devotional form to address rising authoritarianism. We dive deep into the power of language, the difference between authoritarianism and totalitarianism, Bonhoeffer's concept of vicarious representative action, and how ancient liturgical practices can help us navigate political chaos without getting swept away by fear or rage. This conversation tackles everything from surveillance capitalism to the loneliness epidemic, offering a theological framework for discipleship in dangerous times.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Hanna Reichel is Associate Professor of Reformed Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. Reichel is an internationally recognized Barth scholar and constructive theologian.

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Aizaiah Yong - Swimming Against the Stream: How Contemplation Fuels Justice Work

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 19:10:00 -0000

In this conversation with Aizaiah Young, we dove deep into what it means to live a contemplative life in our hyperaccelerated culture. Aizaiah, who works at the Collegeville Institute and draws from thinkers like Raimon Panikkar and Howard Thurman, made a compelling case that contemplation isn't passive navel-gazing—it's about bringing your full self to every moment, whether you're protesting injustice or wiping your kid's bottom. We talked about how the monastery's vow of stability offers a radical alternative to our culture's obsession with speed and productivity, how Internal Family Systems can help us dialogue with different parts of ourselves instead of just trying to fix what's "broken," and why swimming upstream with elegance might be the key to sustainable social action. Tim and I both confessed how drawn we are to this approach, even as we wrestle with the tension between needing to combat misinformation online and recognizing that real transformation happens in those slower, face-to-face conversations where we can actually see each other's humanity.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Aizaiah G. Yong is an ordained Pentecostal Christian minister and practical theologian who has served in leadership roles in religious and higher education for over a decade, devoting his energy to healing and advocacy work that centers on QTBIPOC communities. His recent book, Multiracial Cosmotheadrism: a Practical Theology of Multiracial Experiences, received the internationally acclaimed 2022 Raimon Panikkar Prize.

ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Grant Wacker: the Defining Moments of Religion in America

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 16:52:00 -0000

What's up theology nerds! On this episode, I had the absolute privilege of sitting down with Dr. Grant Wacker, one of America's preeminent historians of religion, and man did he deliver. We dove deep into his fascinating "Bushman test" - the idea that when writing history, you should do so with the understanding that you might someday encounter your subjects in heaven. That framework of being both critical and sympathetic really animated our whole conversation. But here's the kicker - I asked Grant to reflect on the defining moments in American religion as we approach our 250th anniversary, and he came back with 11 (not 10!) pivotal moments that have shaped who we are religiously as a nation. From the expansionist impulse of colonization to the power of renewal movements, from the subjection of Native Americans to the role of reform theology, Grant unpacked these threads with the wisdom that only comes from decades of wrestling with this stuff. We also got into his work on Billy Graham, the birth of Pentecostalism, and how technology has revolutionized religious movements. This is the kind of conversation that helps you understand not just where American religion came from, but where it might be headed. Grab your coffee and settle in - this one’s worth savoring.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Dr. Grant Wacker is the Gilbert T. Rowe Professor Emeritus of Christian History at Duke Divinity School and the author of Heaven Below: Early Pentecostals and American Culture, America’s Pastor: Billy Graham and the Shaping of a Nation, and One Soul at a Time: The Story of Billy Graham. He is a former president of the American Society of Church History and has served as a senior editor of the quarterly journal Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Standing Firm: Bonhoeffer's Urgent Wisdom for Our Dangerous Times

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 09:30:00 -0000

🍺 Bonhoeffer for Dangerous Times | Theology Beer Camp 2025 Preview Are we living in the most dangerous times of our lives? Renowned Bonhoeffer scholar Jeffrey C. Pugh doesn't pull punches in this powerful preview lecture for Theology Beer Camp 2025. Drawing from Dietrich Bonhoeffer's prison writings, especially "After Ten Years," Pugh explores why the German theologian's wisdom is more urgent than ever for Christians navigating today's political and social chaos.

You can WATCH this episode on YouTube 🔥 KEY TOPICS COVERED: The "View from Below" - Why God is found among the suffering and oppressed Bonhoeffer's warning about "stupidity" as a sociological force more dangerous than evil How evil masquerades as righteousness and “safety” The church's responsibility to cultivate discernment in an age of lies Standing firm when "all ethical concepts" are thrown into confusion Practical resistance and "resistant empathy" for our times 💡 FEATURED INSIGHTS: "Unless you are willing to enter into that space of suffering, you cannot see God” Why "safety in the hands of the stupid is always a power grab” How to tell truth in a society "in love with the lie” The danger of collective stupidity during "upsurges of power” This isn't just academic theology—it's urgent wisdom for Christians asking "Are we of any use?" in times that feel increasingly authoritarian and chaotic. 🎪 JOIN US AT THEOLOGY BEER CAMP 2025! October in St. Paul, Minnesota ▸ In-person AND online options available ▸ Full Bonhoeffer session with Jeffrey Pugh, Lori Brandt Hale & Reggie Williams ▸ Keynotes from Kelly Brown Douglas, Phil Clayton, John Dominic Crossan ▸ Live podcast recordings and interactive discussions ▸ Get tickets: TheologyBeerCamp2025.com

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Pete Enns: Kings, Prophets, and Politics: Ancient Warnings About Power and Justice

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 15:36:00 -0000

We had Pete Enns back on the stream to dive deeper into questions from his "God of Justice" lecture, and man, did we get into some rich territory. Pete walked us through the fascinating tension between Deuteronomy 17's positive view of kingship versus First Samuel 8's harsh warnings - showing how the Bible itself contains multiple voices wrestling with power and justice rather than giving us simple answers. We explored why some Christians see social justice as heresy (spoiler: it's rooted in centuries of individualistic gospel interpretation), how the biblical texts often reflect hindsight commentary on failed systems rather than predictive prophecy, and why our modern drive for binary, black-and-white answers actually misses the beautiful complexity that makes scripture so relevant to our messy human experience. Tim and I got into the weeds on deconstruction, the liberating terror of discovering the Bible isn't a rulebook dropped from heaven, and how we might learn to negotiate with ancient texts the way Jesus did - amplifying calls to justice while cutting out the boundary-drawing exclusivity. Plus Pete dropped some wisdom on everything from MAGA theology to why every generation has to figure out what it means to "take up your cross" in their own time and place.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Peter Enns (Ph.D., Harvard University) is Abram S. Clemens professor of biblical studies at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. He has written numerous books, including The Bible Tells Me So, The Sin of Certainty, and How the Bible Actually Works.

Previous Episodes with Pete

ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This transformative online class brings together distinguished scholars from biblical studies, theology, history, and faith leadership to offer exactly what our moment demands: the rich, textured wisdom of multiple academic disciplines speaking into our contemporary quest for justice. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Myron Penner: Five Ways Science Can Help Your Faith

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 13:37:00 -0000

My friend Dr. Myron Penner - everyone's favorite Canadian Mennonite philosopher of science & religion - offers up five compelling ways that science can actually enrich rather than threaten faith. We move beyond the tired old "conflict thesis" between science & religion to explore how scientific discoveries can help identify factually suspect theology (looking at you, young earth creationism), create new theological spaces for thinking about evolution and our place in an unfinished cosmos, serve as a resource for people deconstructing harmful religious inheritances, keep us informed about the times we're living in (hello, AI revolution), & inspire genuine awe at the beauty of collaborative human inquiry into the mysteries of existence. Along the way, we take some playful shots at Al Mohler's dismissal of gravitational wave detection, discuss why Protestant worship could learn from cognitive science about how humans actually work, & explore how understanding the psychological mechanisms behind religious experience doesn't undermine faith but can actually deepen it. It's a conversation that assumes we're past the simplistic "yay or nay to God" debates and ready for the more nuanced work of thinking through what it means to be people of faith in a scientifically informed world.

Dr. Myron Penner is a professor of philosophy at Trinity Western University and director of the Anabaptist-Mennonite Centre for Faith and Learning. On top of being a stellar scholar, he is a dear friend and the coolest Mennonite Canadian philosopher on planet earth.

Previous Podcast Visits

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Elesha Coffman: The Christian Century and Mainline Legacy

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 10:00:00 -0000

So I had the chance to sit down with Elesha Coffman, who's written what might be the only book entirely devoted to the Christian Century magazine, and we ended up diving deep into the whole messy question of what "mainline Protestantism" even means - which apparently stumped two past presidents of the American Society of Church History during her dissertation defense, with the best answer being something about railroads in Philadelphia. We talked through her journey from Christianity Today to studying the Christian Century, how these magazines both spoke to and sometimes wildly misjudged their audiences (especially around Billy Graham), and the cultural capital that tied together mainline Protestant clergy even when their theology and politics diverged from their congregations. What struck me was how the isolation of educated clergy - whether it's the 1920s pastor in North Dakota parceling out his weekly dose of seminary culture through the Christian Century, or today's mainline clergy feeling lonely in their own congregations - keeps showing up as this recurring theme in American church history. Plus, she's working on a book about the Religion News Service, which was apparently run by Jewish editors providing church news to Christian newspapers. This goes to show how much more complicated and interesting these stories get when you actually dig into the archives.

Elesha Coffman is a historian of American Christianity and professor of history at Baylor University. She is the author of The Christian Century and the Rise of the Protestant Mainline and Turning Points in American Church History, as well as a biography of anthropologist Margaret Mead.

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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From Iron Swords to Nuclear Bombs: Tracing 3,000 Years of Escalatory Violence with John Dominic Crossan

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 09:06:00 -0000

What an incredible conversation we had with John Dominic Crossan about distributive justice and the biblical vision for creation! Dom completely reframed how I think about Genesis - showing us that the Sabbath, not humanity, is the crown of creation, and that God's distributive justice isn't just a nice idea but the very fabric of how the cosmos is supposed to work. He challenged our typical understanding of "original sin," arguing that violence, not sexuality or disobedience, is what corrupts human civilization - starting with Cain's murder of Abel in Genesis 4, not Adam and Eve's story in Genesis 3. What really struck me was his argument that Jesus' command to "love your enemies" isn't just feel-good spirituality, but actually a practical strategy for nonviolent resistance against what Dom calls "escalatory violence" - the pattern that's led us from iron swords to nuclear weapons in just 3,000 years. Tim and I peppered him with questions about how this all applies today, and Dom's bilingual approach - speaking both biblical language and evolutionary science - offers a compelling vision for why we need to take this seriously if our species is going to survive.

If this conversation has you hungry for more, you can join our "God of Justice" online class - donate whatever you can between zero and a million dollars to get access to Dom's full lecture, along with talks from other incredible scholars. We'll keep having these live streams where you can send in questions, and trust me, you don't want to miss what's coming next.

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Christian Witness in Catastrophic Times with Cornel West

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 09:00:00 -0000

I had the privilege of sitting down with Dr. Cornel West, one of America's most distinguished public intellectuals and philosophers, to discuss his historic Gifford Lectures, which marked a watershed moment in the series - bringing a jazz-soaked philosophical methodology to this centuries-old tradition of natural theology. West has spent decades at the intersection of rigorous academic scholarship & prophetic public witness. In our conversation, we explore how his lectures challenged the conventional philosophical approach of reducing catastrophe to manageable problems, instead starting with the lived reality of suffering and historical consciousness. Drawing from his deep engagement with thinkers from Plato to Kierkegaard, from his Baptist roots to his years in academia, West demonstrates how the African American musical tradition offers profound philosophical resources for understanding truth, beauty, & moral courage. We discuss his three cruciform convictions - kenosis, kinesis, and kairos - & how they inform Christian intellectual engagement with everything from ecological crisis to the ongoing violence in Gaza. This is public scholarship at its finest: academically rigorous, spiritually grounded, & courageously engaged with the catastrophic realities of our time.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Dr. Cornel West is the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary. He has written 20 books and has edited 13. He is best known for his classics, Race Matters and Democracy Matters, and for his memoir, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud. His most recent book, Black Prophetic Fire, offers an unflinching look at nineteenth and twentieth-century African American leaders and their visionary legacies.

You can WATCH all 5 of Dr. West’s Gifford lectures here on YouTube

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Mark Vernon: Awake! William Blake and the Power of the Imagination

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 15:47:00 -0000

In this episode, we turn to the radical vision of William Blake with brilliant scholar and psychotherapist Mark Vernon. Mark argues that Blake isn't just a historical curiosity—he's a guide for rewilding our humanity in an age of spiritual flatness. We explore how Blake saw the collapse of cultural imagination coming 200 years ago, offering us a way out of what Mark calls the "narrow deadening" of modern life. Blake's answer isn't to retreat from the world, but to cultivate what he calls "innocence"—not naivety, but a kind of perceptual openness that can see angels, spirits, and the infinite in a grain of sand. We talk about his critique of the mechanistic worldview, his understanding of imagination as something that has us rather than something we have, and his deeply orthodox yet mystical Christianity that treats Jesus as the imagination itself. Mark shows us how Blake's "hermeneutics of energy" offers a different way of relating to money, love, death, and the divine—one that moves from possession to participation, from control to collaboration with the creative force of reality itself.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube.

Mark Vernon is a scholar, psychotherapist, and public intellectual who bridges the worlds of ancient wisdom and contemporary life. He works as a psychotherapist while writing extensively about philosophy, spirituality, and the intersection of psychological insight with religious tradition. His latest book Awake!: William Blake and the Power of the Imagination presents William Blake as a prophet of re-enchantment for our disenchanted age. You can check out his previous visit to the podcast here.

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Nichole Torbitzky: Student Beliefs & The Evolution of Faith on Campus

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 10:00:00 -0000

I got an email from a retired university chaplain who'd hit a wall - after decades of ministry, he felt so culturally alienated from undergrad students that he didn't think he could do the job anymore. It made me think about my friend Nicole Torbitzky, who serves as both philosophy professor and university chaplain at Lindenwood University in Missouri. We dove into how she navigates the shifting religious landscape on campus, from students deconstructing their faith to the rise of the "nones," and what it looks like to facilitate interfaith dialogue when half your student body reports no religious affiliation. Nicole shares how she brings together student leaders from different faith traditions, handles the tension between Christian nationalism and Jesus's actual teachings, and creates spaces where people can find common ground across difference. We also explored how the burden of meaning-making has shifted from tradition to the individual in late modernity, and what that means for campus ministry in an increasingly fragmented culture.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Nichole Torbitzky is an Associate Professor in the Religion Department and University Chaplain at Lindenwood University. As a theologian, philosopher, and chaplain, she works to bridge religion, ethics, and process thought across the University. She teaches a diverse range of courses spanning religious studies and philosophy, including World Religions, African American Religions, Christian Theology, Philosophy of Religion, and Introducing Judaism.

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Sitting by the River with Jesus: Trauma, Mysticism, and Communal Healing with Aizaiah Yong

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 12:58:00 -0000

What if everything we think we know about trauma and healing is backwards? Today I'm talking with Aizaiah Young about his incredible new book "Trauma and Renewal" and honestly, this conversation blew me away. Isaiah survived a near-death motorcycle accident right after passing his PhD comprehensive exams (talk about terrible timing), and during a 16-hour surgery, he had this profound mystical encounter with Jesus that completely reshaped how he thinks about transformation. But here's the thing - this isn't some individualistic "I found healing and so can you" story. Instead, Aizaiah argues that real healing is relational, communal, and intercultural, and he's doing something really brave by including his parents' voices throughout the book as they process this traumatic journey together. We dive deep into contemplative tradition, Internal Family Systems therapy, the vision he had of sitting in silence by a river with Jesus (who apparently has a great sense of humor), and how the whole Western approach to selfhood might be fundamentally missing the point. Isaiah's working at the Collegeville Institute now with the Benedictines, and if you want to meet him in person, he'll be hanging out with us at Theology Beer Camp this October in St. Paul. This is one of those conversations that stays with you.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Aizaiah G. Yong is an ordained pentecostal Christian minister and practical theologian who has served in religious and higher education leadership for over a decade devoting his energy to healing and advocacy work that centers QTBIPOC communities. His recent book, Multiracial Cosmotheadrism: a Practical Theology of Multiracial Experiences, received the internationally acclaimed 2022 Raimon Panikkar Prize.

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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When the Church Forgets Christ with Tim Whitaker

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 09:00:00 -0000

In this episode, Tim Whitaker from the New Evangelical joined me for one of those sprawling conversations that somehow manages to connect Christian nationalism, the Democratic Party's moral cowardice, process theology, and whether buying burritos on payment plans signals the end of civilization. We started with our upcoming "God of Justice" class and quickly dove into the bewildering reality of watching people worship a brown-skinned immigrant named Jesus on Sunday, then cheer for the deportation of brown-skinned immigrants on Monday. Tim shared his jarring experience at the DNC, where he found himself more aligned with the leftist protesters outside than the military-industrial complex celebration inside, while I vented about Democratic senators who can't figure out why state-run grocery stores aren't communist plots. We wrestled with that familiar ex-evangelical dilemma of trying not to recreate the same purity culture dynamics we escaped from, just with new villains and shibboleths. The whole thing was anchored by this persistent question that haunts anyone trying to follow Christ in empire: where exactly is God when the people wearing Jesus name tags are the ones building alligator moats, and the politicians who should know better are too bought off to acknowledge that maybe poor people deserve vegetables?

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Randall Balmer: Myth Busting Evangelical Activism & Its Origins

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 09:00:00 -0000

What if everything you thought you knew about why evangelical Christians became politically active was completely wrong? Today I sit down with one of America's greatest historians of religion, Randall Balmer, to do some serious myth-busting. We dive deep into what Balmer calls "the abortion myth" - the widely believed but false story that evangelicals mobilized politically in the 1970s over Roe v. Wade. The real origin story? It's much more uncomfortable - it was actually about defending racial segregation in Christian schools when the IRS threatened their tax-exempt status. Balmer takes us through this hidden history he discovered firsthand at a 1990 gathering of religious right leaders, where architect Paul Weyrich admitted abortion "had nothing to do with" their political mobilization. We trace how a religious community that once championed prison reform, women's rights, and abolition transformed into today's Christian nationalist movement, and explore what this means for the future of American religion. From Jimmy Carter to Donald Trump, from the Jesus movement to Project 2025, this conversation reveals how evangelicalism lost its prophetic voice and became, in Balmer's words, dangerously "worldly." It's a sobering but essential look at how we got here - and whether there's any hope for course correction.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Randall Balmer is one of America's leading historians of religion and a prominent scholar of evangelicalism. A professor at Dartmouth College, Balmer grew up in the evangelical subculture as the son of a preacher before earning his PhD. Balmer is the author of numerous influential books, including Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the Religious Right, God in the White House, and America's Best Idea: The Separation of Church and State.

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Guillermo Bervejillo: The Structure of World History

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 15:09:00 -0000

So I got pulled into this fascinating email exchange with Brian McLaren about Kojin Karatani's The Structure of World History, and it turns out there's this whole crew of organizers and academics who've been quietly working with these ideas to rethink everything from social movements to economic theory. My guest Guillermo Bervejillo—who went from being a disillusioned neoclassical economist to writing his dissertation on Chinese imperialism using Karatani's framework—breaks down this mind-bending approach to history that shifts from Marx's "modes of production" to "modes of exchange." We're talking about how gift-giving nomads, tribute-paying states, commodity markets, and the possibility of free exchange (think: exile Judaism, early Christianity) have shaped literally everything about how power works. It's one of those conversations where suddenly all these questions you've been carrying around about why organizing feels so hard, why capitalism feels so totalizing, and what actual alternatives might look like start clicking into place. Plus, we barely scratched the surface on Jesus, which means we definitely need a follow-up.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Guillermo Bervejillo is an economic geographer and community organizer who bridges critical theory and social movement practice. After earning his PhD in Economic Geography from Ohio State University, where he studied dependency theory and Chinese imperialism through the lens of Kojin Karatani's modes of exchange framework, Guillermo has dedicated his work to translating complex theoretical insights into tools for grassroots organizing.

You can find the YouTube playlist of videos outlining Karatani’s work here.

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Why Your Politics Need a Better Cosmology (Whether You Know It or Not) w/ Matthew Segall & Aaron Simmons

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 09:00:00 -0000

You can join the Democracy in Tension online summit and get access to all the lectures today.⁠

You can WATCH this conversation on YouTube

Dr. Matthew Segall is a transdisciplinary researcher and teacher who applies process philosophy to various natural and social sciences, including consciousness. He is also an Assistant Professor in the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, CA.

Make sure you check out SubStack Footnotes to Plato, his YouTube channel and recent book.

Previous Podcasts with Matt

Aaron Simmons is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Furman University. You can f⁠ollow his Substack ‘Philosophy in the Wild.’

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Ryan Burge: Gen Z Revival?: The Next Chapter in American Religious Life

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 14:48:00 -0000

Well, Ryan Burge is back with a bunch of graphs about religion. We covered the supposed "Gen Z revival" (spoiler alert: Ryan's data says it's not happening), dove deep into some philosophical sociology about why people are leaving religion, and I went on my usual tangents about Charles Taylor and Hartmut Rosa, while Ryan kept bringing us back to earth with actual numbers. We also spent way too much time discussing whether teenagers will ever figure out how to ask someone on a date without an app, why Ted Cruz's theology is embarrassingly bad, and how both sides of the political aisle are united in their moral outrage over protecting children - whether that's the Epstein stuff or what's happening in Palestine. Classic Friday afternoon with Ryan.

Want the full conversation? This is just a taste of what we covered in over two hours of completely unhinged discussion. If you're a member of either ⁠Graphs About Religion (Ryan's substack)⁠ or ⁠Process This (mine)⁠, you get access to the entire unedited conversation, plus invitations to join us live for future streams.

Dr. Ryan Burge is a professor of practice at the Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis. He is currently working on “Making Meaning in a Post-Religious America” - funded by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation.

Previous Visits from Ryan Burge

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net⁠⁠⁠

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The Sacred, The Political, and Why We're All Vulnerable with Aaron Staufer & Aaron Simmons

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 18:25:00 -0000

Another epic live stream from our Democracy in Tension summit! Aaron Simmons and I dive deep with theologian and community organizer Aaron Staufer about how sacred values and vulnerability shape our political life together. We wrestle with the big questions y'all have been sending in - can mainline churches recover a compelling sense of the sacred while staying committed to critical thinking? How do we navigate prophetic witness without falling into the therapeutic Christianity trap? And why does good theology always seem to come with absolutely terrible music? Aaron drops some serious wisdom about radical democracy, relational power, and why humans are lovers who care deeply about things. We get into the weeds about vulnerability, value, organizing, and whether multiculturalism can actually work in practice. Plus, we tackle the hard stuff - what happens when someone's sacred values make them unreasonable participants in democracy? It's theology, politics, philosophy, and a healthy dose of complaining about boring mainline Protestant worship. Grab your favorite beverage and settle in for some real talk about faith, power, and building beloved community.

You can join the Democracy in Tension online summit and get access to all the lectures today.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Aaron Simmons is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Furman University. You can follow his Substack ‘Philosophy in the Wild.’

Aaron Stauffer is the Director of Online Learning and Associate Director of the Wendland-Cook Program at Vanderbilt University Divinity School.

Previous Episodes with Staufer

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Brian McLaren & Jacob Erickson: Ecological Crises & Lament

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 15:38:00 -0000

What's up Theology Nerds! We're diving deep into one of the most powerful sessions from last year's Theology Beer Camp in Denver - a conversation that honestly left me speechless. Brian McLaren kicks us off with a gut-punch keynote on ecological crisis and the power of lament that'll challenge everything you think you know about faith in our current moment. Then Jacob Erickson responds with some brilliant eco-theological insights that had the room scribbling notes like crazy. We're talking about overshoot, oligarchy, the impotence of religion, and what it looks like to let nature save us instead of the other way around. Plus, there's this incredible discussion about "rebellious mourning" that I'm still pondering. Fair warning - this is raw, honest, and necessary conversation about faith in the face of climate crisis. And hey, if this gets you fired up, there are still about 100 tickets left for Theology Beer Camp 2025 in St. Paul this October. Trust me, you don't want to miss what we're cooking up this year!

You can WATCH this conversation on YouTube

⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net

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Transcendence, Immanence, and Why Charlie Kirk is Bad at Theology with Kevin Carnahan & Aaron Simmons

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 15:22:00 -0000

Hey y'all, so this was our first live stream kicking off this online democracy summit we're doing - basically a bunch of us nerds getting together to wrestle with why everything seems to be falling apart politically and what the hell we're supposed to do about it. Kevin Carnahan and Aaron Simmons joined me to dig into Kevin's lecture about Christian citizenship, which traces this fascinating line from Jesus through Augustine to Luther to Bonhoeffer, showing how Christianity actually offers an alternative to totalitarianism rather than supporting it. We got into some pretty heated but friendly disagreement about whether you can have real democracy without religious reasons motivating people (Kevin's take) versus whether we need to secularize our arguments to avoid the fundamentalist trap (Aaron's pushback). The whole thing was this beautiful mess of trying to figure out how to love your MAGA neighbor while also maybe needing to put them in timeout, whether God prevents totalitarianism or enables it, and why Christians are just now talking about Palestine when they should've been screaming about it for months. Classic HBC nerdy chaos with some actual wisdom mixed in.

You can WATCH the video on YouTube.

ONLINE SUMMIT:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Democracy in Tension - NAVIGATING THE INTERLOCKING CRISES OF DEMOCRACY AND RELIGION ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Democracy today faces profound challenges – polarization, inequality, populist authoritarianism, and widespread cynicism are eroding the foundations of democratic life. Yet, what if democracy's greatest strength lies not in eliminating these tensions, but in productively embracing them?The summit will navigate the complex terrain between political equality and social justice, liberal freedom and democratic sovereignty, and ethical demands and political action.

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.HomebrewedClasses.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Aaron Simmons is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Furman University. You can follow his Substack ‘Philosophy in the Wild.’

Kevin Carnahan is Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Central Methodist University in Fayette, MO.

Previous Episodes with Aaron

⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Josh Scott: Parables - Putting Jesus's Stories in Their Place

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 16:34:00 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by Josh Scott, a minister at GracePointe Church in Nashville and author of the new book Parables: Putting Jesus Stories in Their Place. We discuss the book's exploration of Jesus' parables, focusing on their historical context and contemporary relevance. Josh shares insights into how these parables challenge both ancient and modern assumptions about power, empire, and community. We also talk about the unique nature of GracePointe Church, its mission to be a safe space for those questioning their faith, and the importance of community in navigating theological and existential questions. Additionally, they highlight the role of the Post-Evangelical Collective in connecting faith leaders and congregations who seek to foster more inclusive and justice-oriented communities.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

ONLINE SUMMIT:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Democracy in Tension - NAVIGATING THE INTERLOCKING CRISES OF DEMOCRACY AND RELIGION ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.HomebrewedClasses.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Sitting on Dietrich's Bed: A Theological Debrief from Berlin

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 09:00:00 -0000

So Andy and I just got back from this wild week in Berlin where we taught 25 folks about Bonhoeffer right there in his actual house - like, we're sitting in his bedroom, walking the same streets, the whole deal. And wow, this trip was different from the others because everyone kept asking the question that used to make me roll my eyes: "Is this our Bonhoeffer moment?" But after spending time with clergy who are dealing with ICE raids in their neighborhoods and congregations split over whether you can even mention certain realities from the pulpit, I'm not giggling at the Protestant saint thing anymore. We delved into the concrete messiness of what it meant for Niemöller and his congregation actually to resist, not just talk about it, and how Bonhoeffer's vision of a religionless Christianity might help us think through what happens when the entire Christian infrastructure starts to crumble. Plus, we got into some heavy stuff about whether the ethical gifts Christianity gave to Western civilization - you know, humanism, universalism, caring about the weak - can actually survive without the ritualistic and institutional foundations, or if we're just headed for some new form of authoritarianism. Oh, and somehow we ended up talking about Moltmann raw-dogging flights and the theological significance of Instagram memes, because that's apparently where we are now.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Andrew Root is the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary, USA. He writes and researches in areas of theology, ministry, culture, and younger generations.

Previous Visits with Andy Root

ONLINE SUMMIT:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Democracy in Tension - NAVIGATING THE INTERLOCKING CRISES OF DEMOCRACY AND RELIGION ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.HomebrewedClasses.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Jacob Erickson: Emerging Trends in Theology & Ethics

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 15:56:00 -0000

In this conversation, I got to catch up with my friend Jacob Erickson, who's doing some inspiring work at Trinity College Dublin, where they've just launched a new Master's in Theology and Social Justice. What struck me most was how Jake and his colleagues are embodying this broader transformation happening in theological education - moving beyond those traditional disciplinary boundaries to create genuinely interdisciplinary spaces where theology isn't just talking aboutother fields, but actually thinking with scientists, activists, and practitioners. We dug into how this shift has happened over the last couple decades - from philosophers bracketing God to study religion as a phenomenon, to theologians like Tillich doing theology of culture, to the changing student body that's bringing questions that don't fit neatly into traditional confessional boxes. Jake's insights about wisdom versus knowledge really hit home - how religious traditions offer this "porous knowledge" that comes with demands and can't be separated from formation and embodiment. And I loved hearing about his work with plant studies and how hanging out with botanists and mycologists at Harvard is opening up new ways of thinking about everything from Christology to what it means to be entangled with other creatures. It's exactly the kind of risky, playful, boundary-crossing work that makes theology come alive.

Dr. Jacob J. Erickson is Assistant Professor of Theological Ethics in the School of Religion, Theology, and Peace Studies at Trinity College Dublin. A constructive theologian and theological ethicist, Erickson writes to evoke an ecotheology of planetary conviviality--the playful and just cherishing of life together--in the midst of current ecological crises, ecological injustice, emerging perspectives in the wake of global warming, and new challenges in energy production.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Previous Episodes with Dr. Erickson

ONLINE SUMMIT:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Democracy in Tension - NAVIGATING THE INTERLOCKING CRISES OF DEMOCRACY AND RELIGION ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.HomebrewedClasses.com⁠⁠⁠

⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Matt Novenson: Emerging Trends in New Testament Studies

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 14:28:00 -0000

What's up, Theology Nerds! So I had my buddy Matt Novenson on to talk about what's happening on the cutting edge of New Testament research these days, and let me tell you, it's way broader than you might think. We covered five major areas where scholars are doing really fascinating work: first, bringing Jewish studies into conversation with the New Testament (like Matthew Thiessen's work on how Jesus actually dissolves ritual impurity rather than abolishing purity systems); second, looking at the broader ancient Mediterranean world beyond just "Jewish vs. Greco-Roman" contexts (Heidi Wendt's brilliant stuff on Paul as a "freelance religious expert" competing for influence); third, studying how the Bible has been interpreted not just in academic commentaries but in art, music, and everyday life (Lisa Marie Bowens' archival work on African American readings of Paul is mind-blowing); fourth, examining how biblical themes have unconsciously shaped modern cultural discourses like immigration policy (Yii-Jan Lin's work on how Revelation's New Jerusalem imagery shows up in American immigration law is wild); and finally, reconnecting New Testament studies with theology through careful hermeneutics (David Lincicum does this really well, tracing how early Christians read Paul reading Jewish scripture). The whole conversation was both entertaining for folks just interested in where the field is heading and super practical for anyone thinking about graduate school - Matt even gave great advice about just cold-emailing scholars because, surprise, most of them are normal people who actually like talking about ideas!

Dr. Matthew Novenson is a distinguished New Testament scholar now teaching at Princeton Theological Seminary. His scholarship focuses on Paul’s letters, early Judaism, and early Christianity.

Previous Visits to the Podcast

ONLINE SUMMIT:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Democracy in Tension - NAVIGATING THE INTERLOCKING CRISES OF DEMOCRACY AND RELIGION ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.HomebrewedClasses.com⁠⁠

Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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From Pit Elders to Political Theology: Making Sense of Democratic Breakdown

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 20:12:00 -0000

Just got back from three and a half weeks in Europe (still not sure what time zone I'm in), and Aaron Simmons and I dove straight into the deep end of why democracy feels like it's falling apart. We're wrestling with this massive question: what do you do when reason-giving just seems to fail completely - when people either dismiss everyone who disagrees as morally bankrupt, or assume their own views are so obviously correct that any pushback must be irrational? We wandered through everything from whether I should keep eating at this barbecue place covered in MAGA signs (still haven't decided), to how 81% of white evangelicals support the least Christian president we've ever had, to whether Western civilization can survive without its Christian roots, with a delightful detour into heavy metal pit ethics because apparently that's how we process political theory now. The whole conversation convinced us we need more voices thinking about these tensions together, which is why we're launching this Democracy in Tension summit where a bunch of our philosopher and theologian friends will tackle these questions from different angles - because honestly, Aaron and I don't have answers, but we're pretty sure the questions matter enough to keep wrestling with them, even if it makes us uncomfortable about where we get our barbecue.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

ONLINE SUMMIT:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Democracy in Tension - NAVIGATING THE INTERLOCKING CRISES OF DEMOCRACY AND RELIGION ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.HomebrewedClasses.com⁠⁠

Dr. Simmons is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Furman University. You can follow his Substack ‘Philosophy in the Wild.‘

Previous Episodes with Aaron

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. This event features a lineup of well-known podcasters, scholars, and theology enthusiasts who come together to "nerd out" on theological topics while enjoying loads of fun activities. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Nicholas Spencer: Beyond Conflict: Unraveling The Intersection of Science & Faith

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 09:00:00 -0000

Nicholas Spencer joins us for a fascinating conversation about the complex relationship between science and religion, moving far beyond the tired warfare narrative that dominates popular discourse. As a senior fellow at Theos and author of several important books including the recently released The Landscapes of Science and Religion: What Are We Disagreeing About?, Nick brings both historical depth and contemporary insight to these conversations. We dive into how the real tensions between science and religion often center on competing claims about what it means to be human and who gets to make authoritative statements about human nature. From Darwin's legacy to AI ethics, from mental health to consciousness studies, we explore how these disciplines can engage more constructively when we recognize them as complex, shifting landscapes rather than fixed territories in conflict. Nick's research with both academics and the general public reveals surprising nuances in how people actually think about these relationships, and his upcoming work on bioethics, genetic engineering, and other emerging technologies shows why these conversations are more urgent than ever.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Nicholas Spencer is a senior fellow at Theos, a British think tank focused on the intersection of religion, politics, and culture. He is the author of several acclaimed books including Magisteria: The Entangled Histories of Science and Religion, Playing God: Science, Religion and the Future of Humanity, and his latest work The Landscapes of Science and Religion: What Are We Disagreeing About?. Spencer hosts the "Reading Our Times" podcast, which explores big ideas through conversations with leading authors. With a background in literature, history, and political theology, he brings a unique interdisciplinary perspective to debates about science, religion, and public life. His work challenges simplistic conflict narratives and explores how different ways of knowing can contribute to our understanding of what it means to be human.

ONLINE SUMMIT:⁠⁠⁠⁠ Democracy in Tension - NAVIGATING THE INTERLOCKING CRISES OF DEMOCRACY AND RELIGION ⁠⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.HomebrewedClasses.com⁠⁠

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Aaron Stauffer: The Future of Faith & Justice

Mon, 07 Jul 2025 08:41:00 -0000

Ethicist and organizer Dr. Aaron Staufer returns to the podcast to tackle one of the most pressing questions facing progressive Christianity today: how do we move from feeling overwhelmed and powerless to actually building meaningful change in our communities? Aaron brings his experience as both a theologian and organizer to help us understand why mainline Protestantism has struggled to find its public voice, and more importantly, what we can do about it. We delve into the historical trajectory from the social gospel movement to today's challenges, exploring why building strong community relationships is essential for any genuine social change, and discussing how initiatives like Solidarity Circles are helping faith leaders develop the skills they need for movement work. This conversation gets into the weeds of democratic practice, theological imagination, and the practical work of organizing—all while trying to figure out how the church can be a force for justice in an increasingly complex world.

In the conversation, we discussed the decline of mainline Protestant public witness, moving beyond charity, lessons from the Social Gospel movement, the crisis in theological education, why theology matters, practical strategies for congregations, Christianity’s moral silence on Palestine, class analysis, and organizing.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Aaron Stauffer is the Director of Online Learning and Associate Director of the Wendland-Cook Program at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. He earned his PhD in social ethics at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York and has organized with the Industrial Areas Foundation in San Antonio, Texas and Religions for Peace. You can check out his previous visit to the podcast - Theology for Action.

Solidarity Circles is the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion & Justice’s flagship leadership cohort for clergy, faith leaders, and grassroots organizers who want to build the solidarity economy—not just preach about it.

For information & an application to the program, head over here.

ONLINE SUMMIT:⁠⁠⁠⁠ Democracy in Tension - NAVIGATING THE INTERLOCKING CRISES OF DEMOCRACY AND RELIGION ⁠⁠⁠⁠

As always, the summit is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.HomebrewedClasses.com⁠

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Peter Harrison: The Evolution of Belief: Science, Religion & Modernity

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 15:37:00 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by the eminent historian of science and religion, Peter Harrison. We examine how we've inherited a distorted narrative about the relationship between science and religion. Rather than the conflict narrative we're accustomed to, Harrison reveals that science and religion are not historical foes, and that modern Western sciences are actually built on theological assumptions. The real game-changer comes from tracing how Protestant reforms—notably the attack on allegorical readings of scripture and the demand for each individual to justify their belief— fundamentally transformed how we read both Scripture and nature, eventually leading to our impoverished, utilitarian view of the natural world. Harrison shows how concepts we think are timeless - like "belief," "supernatural," and even "religion" itself - are modern inventions with specific histories, and how understanding these genealogies can help us see that many of our contemporary problems in science-religion dialogue are artifacts of the categories themselves rather than real conflicts in the world. The conversation ultimately suggests that by understanding how we arrived at our current conceptual frameworks, we might find new ways forward that don't trap us in the either/or thinking that dominates so much of contemporary debate.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Dr. Peter Harrison is a former Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion in the University of Oxford, and Emeritus Professor of the History of Science at the University of Queensland, where he was also an Australian Laureate fellow and Founding Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH). His many celebrated books include The Fall of Man and the Foundations of Science, The Cambridge Companion to Science and Religion, The Territories of Science and Religion, & his newest book Some New World: Myths of Supernatural Belief in a Secular Age.

ONLINE SUMMIT:⁠⁠⁠ Democracy in Tension - NAVIGATING THE INTERLOCKING CRISES OF DEMOCRACY AND RELIGION ⁠⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠www.HomebrewedClasses.com⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. This event features a lineup of well-known podcasters, scholars, and theology enthusiasts who come together to "nerd out" on theological topics while enjoying loads of fun activities. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

_____________________

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Robert Talisse: The Polarization Paradox & Democracy Challenges

Sat, 28 Jun 2025 06:40:00 -0000

In this episode, Aaron Simmons stepped up to host this conversation with Robert Talisse while I'm leading the Bonhoeffer travel-learning trip. They unpack one of the most pressing issues of our time - this wild paradox where the very thing democracy needs (us banding together with like-minded folks to get stuff done) is also the thing that's slowly destroying our ability to see people who disagree with us as actual human beings worth listening to. Rob brilliantly unpacked how we've gotten to this place where our political identities have become so central to who we are that we'd rather our kids marry someone of a different faith than someone who votes differently, and how belief polarization turns us into these echo-chamber dwellers who can't imagine that reasonable people could possibly disagree with us. But here's the beautiful thing - they didn't just diagnose the problem; they talked about hope, about finding spaces where we can be human together without politics being the main event, like Aaron's MAGA-flag camping story. This conversation is exactly why we're doing the Democracy in Tension Summit this summer, because we need to figure out how to navigate these tensions without losing our souls or our democracy in the process.

ONLINE SUMMIT:⁠⁠ Democracy in Tension - NAVIGATING THE INTERLOCKING CRISES OF DEMOCRACY AND RELIGION ⁠⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠www.HomebrewedClasses.com⁠

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube.

Dr. Robert B. Talisse is W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Dr. Aaron Simmons is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Furman University. You can follow his Substack ‘Philosophy in the Wild.‘

Previous Episodes with Aaron

⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. This event features a lineup of well-known podcasters, scholars, and theology enthusiasts who come together to "nerd out" on theological topics while enjoying loads of fun activities. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Grace Ji-Sun Kim: The Sprit of Creation

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 09:00:00 -0000

This was our final Q&A session wrapping up Grace's lecture series on the Holy Spirit (you can get here), and what a fantastic conversation it turned out to be! Grace shared how spending time with pneumatology has shifted her focus toward the practical, embodied aspects of faith - moving beyond the academic exercises of graduate school toward understanding how the Spirit calls us to live sustainably and care for all of creation. We dove deep into how dualistic thinking has harmed both our relationship with the earth and our understanding of ourselves as whole beings - body and spirit together. Grace beautifully connected this to everything from climate justice to prayer practices, showing how recognizing the Spirit's presence in all aspects of life breaks down those false sacred-secular divisions. We also tackled some great practical questions about helping congregations develop Spirit-awareness and discerning authentic spiritual movements from cultural trends.

Grace Ji-Sun Kim ⁠is a professor of theology at Earlham School of Religion and host of the ⁠Madang podcast.⁠

Previous Episodes with Grace

ONLINE SUMMIT:⁠ Democracy in Tension - NAVIGATING THE INTERLOCKING CRISES OF DEMOCRACY AND RELIGION ⁠

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠www.HomebrewedClasses.com

⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. This event features a lineup of well-known podcasters, scholars, and theology enthusiasts who come together to "nerd out" on theological topics while enjoying loads of fun activities. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Corey Walker & Bill Leonard: Theology in the Age of Anxiety and Algorithms

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 19:14:00 -0000

On this episode, we're back live at Lot 63 in Winston-Salem. I was joined once more by Corey Walker & Bill Leonard for a wide-ranging conversation from the Council of Nicaea to smartphone addiction. We explore the roots of our civilizational crisis, tracing lines from the Anabaptist radicals 500 years ago who said "God alone is judge of conscience" all the way to today's algorithmic plantation where our phones know us better than we know ourselves. Bill reminded us that the mentality behind drowning Felix Manz in 1527 is the same one calling for politicians to be "tarred and feathered" today and drew out the connections between Christian Nationalism and the SBC. Corey talked about fear as the driving force across the religious spectrum, the collapse of institutions that never included everyone anyway, and why the "rise of the nones" might actually be the Spirit revealing itself in new places - like right here at Lot 63 on a Thursday night. Sometimes the best church happens when you're arguing across difference instead of hiding in your algorithmic echo chamber.

Previous Episodes

ONLINE SUMMIT: Democracy in Tension - NAVIGATING THE INTERLOCKING CRISES OF DEMOCRACY AND RELIGION

As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at www.HomebrewedClasses.com

⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. This event features a lineup of well-known podcasters, scholars, and theology enthusiasts who come together to "nerd out" on theological topics while enjoying loads of fun activities. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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On The Edge: Identity, Freedom and Adulthood (Getting Trippy with Josh)

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 19:01:00 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by the podcast Producer, Josh Gilbert, for our second tutorial edition. This time, we tackle some heavy stuff - Josh opens up about his modern existential crisis of living untethered from traditional institutions, which gets us into William James' "Will to Believe" and the whole mess of making momentous decisions in a culture that's allergic to commitment. Then I get nerdy about Andreas Reckwitz's fascinating analysis of late modernity - how we've split into two warring tribes: the hyper-culture individualists seeking singular authenticity and the cultural essentialists clinging to collective identity. It's a compelling framework for understanding why we're all at each other's throats politically while the middle class gets squeezed into an hourglass shape. We also geek out over Byung-Chul Han's concept of positive violence, reminisce about U2 concerts with my son Elgin, and somehow end up discussing Rob Bell's uncanny resemblance to the lead singer of Matchbox Twenty. Oh, and we're planning a cigar expo "research retreat" in September because apparently that counts as legitimate podcast planning. Standard Tuesday afternoon philosophy with your friendly neighborhood theology nerds.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

To get the entire conversation, all podcast episodes ad-free, and support our work, consider joining the ⁠Process This on SubStack⁠ or get access to our entire catalog of classes & all the rest by joining up at ⁠Theology Class.

⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. This event features a lineup of well-known podcasters, scholars, and theology enthusiasts who come together to "nerd out" on theological topics while enjoying loads of fun activities. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Grace Ji-Sun Kim: Birth, Breath & Pentecost Flames

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 16:15:00 -0000

Grace Ji-Sun Kim joined me at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Durham for a fantastic live Pentecost Podcast, and let me tell you, the Spirit was moving! Grace had just preached at Duke's chapel that morning (complete with a birth story analogy that had people talking), and we dove deep into the connections between creation's hovering spirit and the fire that made us human as a species. We explored how every culture has words for spirit that sound like breath and why starting theology with the Spirit instead of Christology might just revolutionize how we do church. Grace's latest book "When God Became White" sparked some serious conversation about how our imagery of God shapes everything from patriarchy to racism, and why the church desperately needs to reckon with these colonial legacies. Plus, I may have gotten a little too fired up connecting Pentecost to evolutionary biology and the role of fire in human development - but hey, that's what happens when you put theologians in a room together. If you want more conversations like this, come join us at Theology Beer Camp 2025 in Minnesota.

Join the Online Class & get all of Grace's lectures:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Grace Ji-Sun Kim is a professor of theology at Earlham School of Religion and host of the Madang podcast.

Previous Episodes with Grace

⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. This event features a lineup of well-known podcasters, scholars, and theology enthusiasts who come together to "nerd out" on theological topics while enjoying loads of fun activities. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

_____________________

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

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Andy Root: Evangelism in an Age of Despair

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 09:45:00 -0000

So we're back with my buddy Dr. Andrew Root and his brand new book Evangelism in the Age of Despair - and no, before you ask, this is definitely not your typical door-to-door evangelism handbook. Andy's doing what he does best here, which is taking some heavy theological machinery (theology of the cross, Charles Taylor, French philosophers you've never heard of) and making it speak to the very despair of our concrete cultural moment. The basic argument? Our whole pursuit-of-happiness project has been a spectacular failure, leaving us isolated and constantly chasing distractions. Perhaps the church's calling isn't to add happiness to people's lives but to accompany them into their sorrow. It's evangelism as consolation rather than conversion, which sounds both obvious and revolutionary at the same time. We dive into why the optimistic 90s crashed into our current age of anxiety, how social media turned authenticity into competitive rage, and what it might mean for pastors to be professionally human rather than professionally shiny. Plus, we got questions from actual Substack subscribers who read the thing, which is always dangerous territory. This will not make you feel better about anything, but it might make you think differently about what the gospel actually is.

Join us at Theology Beer Camp this October 16-18 in St. Paul, MN.⁠⁠⁠ (Andy is coming too!)

Andrew Root is the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary, USA. He writes and researches in areas of theology, ministry, culture, and younger generations. Check out some of his most recent books Andy has worked in congregations, parachurch ministries, and social service programs. He lives in St. Paul with his wife Kara, two children, Owen and Maisy, and their dog. When not reading, writing, or teaching, Andy spends far too much time watching TV and movies.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Previous Visits with Andy Root

⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. This event features a lineup of well-known podcasters, scholars, and theology enthusiasts who come together to "nerd out" on theological topics while enjoying loads of fun activities. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Online Class:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

_____________________

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 80,000 other people by joining our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 45 classes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

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"You Met One Pharaoh, You Met 'Em All" - Remembering Walter Brueggemann

Sat, 07 Jun 2025 09:15:00 -0000

What's up theology nerds! When we lost the legendary Walter Brueggemann, I knew we had to do a proper tribute to one of the most influential biblical scholars of our time. I'm joined by Bo and Rolf Jacobson from Luther Seminary for a deep dive into Walter's life and work - this is the guy who somehow managed to have both mega-nerd street cred in the academy AND pastors across the country whose preaching was transformed by his books. We explore how Walter revolutionized biblical theology by showing us a God who's relational, passionate, and takes sides (goodbye, distant philosophical absolutes), his famous disagreements with Terence Fretheim about divine freedom versus fidelity, and how "The Prophetic Imagination" is really about hope and alternative consciousness, not scolding people. Rolf shares incredible stories about Walter's pastoral heart, we discuss his brilliant interdisciplinary work that connected everything from Paul Ricoeur to economic theory, and we talk about his scathing critique of American capitalism (the golden calf in front of Wall Street is basically God trolling American Christians about their idolatry). Whether you know Walter from "The Prophetic Imagination" or you're just discovering him, this conversation captures why he was so special - a scholar who made ancient texts dangerous again and showed us that the God of the Bible is way more interesting, subversive, and liberating than we usually dare to believe. As Walter would say to his grandkids about the manna story: "You are not children of scarcity, you're children of abundance - don't forget it."

If you want to get access to the Introduction to the Old Testament class with Dr. Brueggemann, head over to TheologyClass.com

You will find 3 of my episodes with Brueggemann combined into this one episode.

Books by Brueggemann that we mention

Join us at Theology Beer Camp this October 16-18 in St. Paul, MN.⁠⁠ (Rolf is coming too!)

Dr. Rolf A. Jacobson is the Professor of Old Testament and the Alvin N. Rogness Chair of Scripture, Theology, and Ministry at Luther Seminary.

Previous Episodes with Dr. Jacobson

⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. This event features a lineup of well-known podcasters, scholars, and theology enthusiasts who come together to "nerd out" on theological topics while enjoying loads of fun activities. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠.

Online Class:⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim⁠⁠⁠⁠

_____________________

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 80,000 other people by joining our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 45 classes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025⁠

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In Honor of Walter Brueggemann

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 13:08:00 -0000

We've lost a giant in biblical scholarship with the passing of Walter Brueggemann, whose profound insights into the Hebrew Bible transformed how countless people understand scripture and faith. In this special tribute episode, we revisit three memorable conversations with Walter from across the years of Homebrewed Christianity, showcasing his remarkable ability to make ancient texts come alive with contemporary relevance. From his groundbreaking work on the prophetic imagination to his incisive analysis of money and possessions in scripture, Walter consistently challenged us to see God not as a distant, unchanging deity, but as a passionate, covenant-making partner deeply invested in justice and human flourishing. His gift was revealing how the Bible's narratives of liberation, resistance, and hope speak directly to our modern struggles with empire, inequality, and the search for authentic community. Walter's legacy lives on in every preacher who dares to let scripture speak its radical truth, every scholar who chooses particularity over abstraction, and every person of faith who embraces the beautiful, contested journey of fidelity with the God of the exodus. Thank you, Walter, for teaching us that the Bible is not a book of easy answers, but an invitation to wrestle with the living God who continues to disrupt our assumptions and call us toward justice.

If you want to get access to the Introduction to the Old Testament class with Dr. Brueggemann, head over to TheologyClass.com

Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025⁠⁠⁠

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

Online Class:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

"⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, and the Holy Ghost⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" is an open-online course exploring the dynamic, often overlooked third person of the Trinity. Based on Grace Ji-Sun Kim's groundbreaking work on the Holy Spirit (pneumatology), this class takes participants on a journey through biblical foundations, historical developments, diverse cultural perspectives, and practical applications of Spirit theology.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As always, this class is donation-based, including 0. To get class info and sign up, head over here. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

_____________________

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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The Perfect Storm: Why Liberal Christianity Faces an Existential Crisis

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 14:04:00 -0000

This is an audio essay from my SubStack, Process This. You can head over here to read or watch the entire essay.

I've been tracking the peculiar contradictions of American religious life for years now, and there's one puzzle that keeps me up at night: Why does liberal theology keep producing brilliant scholarship while liberal churches empty out? It's not just a marketing problem or bad leadership—it's what my friend Bo Sanders calls a "perfect storm."

In this episode, I dig into the fundamental incompatibility between liberalism's love affair with individual choice, Christianity's call to communal formation, and consumer capitalism's corrosive effects on both. We've got a faith tradition that's too secular for believers, too religious for secularists, and too academic for everyone else. Meanwhile, 55% of mainline Protestants voted for Trump, so we can't even claim the "liberal" label fits the folks in our pews.

I walk through five predicaments killing liberal Christianity—from what Henry Nelson Wieman called "spiritual thinness" to what I'm calling "liberal laryngitis," the inability to speak clearly on anything that matters. Add cultural shifts that make Sunday just another day for Target runs, and you've got churches with pipe organ endowments bigger than their mission budgets, wondering why nobody shows up.

But here's the thing: something valuable dies if we lose thoughtful faith entirely. The question isn't whether liberal Christianity deserves to survive—it's whether we can build something sturdy enough to weather this storm. Maybe it's time to take Whitehead's advice and "disembark on Mount Ararat" to build something entirely new.

Fair warning: This one's going to make some folks uncomfortable. But as Niebuhr reminds us, Christianity always stands under judgment—including its liberal expressions.

____________________________________________________________________________

I hope you enjoy it and consider supporting my work by joining 80k+ other people on ⁠Process This⁠. If you want to ⁠read or watch the essay, you will find it here ⁠on SubStack.

⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025⁠⁠

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

Online Class:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

"⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, and the Holy Ghost⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" is an open-online course exploring the dynamic, often overlooked third person of the Trinity. Based on Grace Ji-Sun Kim's groundbreaking work on the Holy Spirit (pneumatology), this class takes participants on a journey through biblical foundations, historical developments, diverse cultural perspectives, and practical applications of Spirit theology.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As always, this class is donation-based, including 0. To get class info and sign up, head over here. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

_____________________

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Intercession at the Intersection: The Gender-Bending History of the Holy Spirit with Grace Ji-Sun Kim

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 19:41:00 -0000

This week's Q&A dives deep into expanding our pneumatological horizons with Grace Ji-Sun Kim as we gear up for Pentecost Sunday. We tackle some fantastic questions about the Hebrew "ruach" versus Greek "pneuma," unpack how Greco-Roman philosophy (thanks, Plato!) shaped early Trinitarian debates, and explore the fascinating gender fluidity of Spirit language throughout church history - spoiler alert: the Spirit was feminine in early Syriac and Hebrew texts before patriarchal translations masculinized everything. Grace brilliantly connects the Asian concept of chi to global understandings of life-giving spirit found everywhere from Africa to indigenous Hawaiian traditions, making the case that syncretism isn't scary when you realize Easter and Christmas are already pagan mashups. We discuss how starting with pneumatology instead of Christology opens up interfaith dialogue, since everyone from Muslims to Buddhists has some concept of divine breath or energy. Plus, we get into the nitty-gritty of how embodied Spirit theology intersects with liberation work - because apparently all roads lead to the Spirit, whether you're fighting for climate justice, racial justice, or just trying to figure out why we keep praying "Come, Spirit, come" when the Spirit's supposedly already here.

You can ⁠join the class and get Grace's lectures here⁠ and ⁠watch the conversation on YouTube here.⁠

⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Grace Ji-Sun Kim⁠⁠ is a professor of theology at Earlham School of Religion and host of the ⁠⁠Madang podcast⁠⁠.

Previous Episodes with Grace

Upcoming Online Class:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

"⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, and the Holy Ghost⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" is an open-online course exploring the dynamic, often overlooked third person of the Trinity. Based on Grace Ji-Sun Kim's groundbreaking work on the Holy Spirit (pneumatology), this class takes participants on a journey through biblical foundations, historical developments, diverse cultural perspectives, and practical applications of Spirit theology. Moving beyond traditional Western theological frameworks, we'll explore feminist interpretations, global perspectives, and innovative approaches to understanding the Spirit in today's world. Whether you've felt the Spirit was missing from your faith journey or are simply curious to deepen your understanding, this class creates space for thoughtful discussion, personal reflection, and spiritual growth.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As always, this class is donation-based, including 0. To get class info and sign up, head over here. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

_____________________

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 80,000 other people by joining our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 45 classes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Justin Barrett: Cognitive Science & the Intersection of Faith and Development

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 13:00:00 -0000

Here's another fantastic conversation with Justin Barrett, cognitive scientist extraordinaire, who spends his time at the intersection of science and religion. We dove deep into why developmental psychology is such a powerful lens for understanding human nature - turns out you can't figure out if a zebra is white with black stripes or black with white stripes just by looking at adult zebras, you've got to watch how they develop. Justin walked us through the fascinating story of human evolution and our hyper-sociality, from our massive brains (five to seven times bigger than expected for mammals our size!) to our unique ability to think about each other's thoughts about our thoughts. We explored how kids naturally develop agency detection, theory of mind, and teleological reasoning - basically why three-year-olds spontaneously ask "what's that mountain for?" and start wondering about invisible agents. Then we got into the weeds about how our Stone Age minds are navigating modern technologies like social media and AI, with Justin making a compelling case using his "kudzu analogy" about technologies that spread too fast for us to understand their consequences. From the crisis of masculinity to boomers getting radicalized during COVID lockdowns, we covered how our evolved psychology is both a gift and a vulnerability in our rapidly changing world.

Check out his new book, How Can Your Faith Fuel Scientific Discovery?: Questions and Reflections for Becoming an Integrated Scientist.

Justin L. Barrett is President of Blueprint 1543 and honorary Professor of Theology and the Sciences at St Andrews University School of Divinity. Barrett previously taught in Fuller Theological Seminary’s School of Psychology, in the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology at Oxford University, at the University of Michigan, and at Calvin University.

Justin's Previous Visits to the Podcast

Here are the lectures Dr. Barrett mentioned:What makes cultural innovations attractive? and From AI to social media.

Upcoming Online Class:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As always, this class is donation-based, including 0. To get class info and sign up, head over here. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

_____________________

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 80,000 other people by joining our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 45 classes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grace Ji-Sun Kim: Before There Was a Bible & the Messy Origins of Spirit Doctrine

Thu, 29 May 2025 09:52:00 -0000

This week Grace and I dove deep into the messy, fascinating history of how the early church wrestled with the Holy Spirit - and let me tell you, it's way more complicated than most of us realize. We're talking about a time when there was no canonized New Testament, no creeds, just a bunch of monotheistic folks trying to figure out what to do with the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead and they were experiencing God through the Spirit. Grace brilliantly walks us through why it took centuries to develop clear doctrine about the Trinity (spoiler: the word isn't even in the Bible!), how Roman imperial politics shaped these theological debates, and why context absolutely matters when we're doing theology. We tackle some killer questions from our class participants about everything from explaining the Trinity to Muslims and Jews, to how we discern when the Holy Spirit is actually working versus our own emotions and desires. Plus, we discuss how theology is always a second-order discourse from the actual life of God's people - which means our language about God better be accountable to how God is actually present with us. If you want to understand where our doctrines come from and why they matter (or don't), this conversation is essential listening.

You can join the class and get Grace's lectures here and watch the conversation on YouTube here.

⁠

⁠Grace Ji-Sun Kim⁠ is a professor of theology at Earlham School of Religion and host of the ⁠Madang podcast⁠.

Previous Episodes with Grace

Upcoming Online Class:⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost⁠⁠⁠⁠

"⁠⁠⁠⁠Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, and the Holy Ghost⁠⁠⁠⁠" is an open-online course exploring the dynamic, often overlooked third person of the Trinity. Based on Grace Ji-Sun Kim's groundbreaking work on the Holy Spirit (pneumatology), this class takes participants on a journey through biblical foundations, historical developments, diverse cultural perspectives, and practical applications of Spirit theology. Moving beyond traditional Western theological frameworks, we'll explore feminist interpretations, global perspectives, and innovative approaches to understanding the Spirit in today's world. Whether you've felt the Spirit was missing from your faith journey or are simply curious to deepen your understanding, this class creates space for thoughtful discussion, personal reflection, and spiritual growth.

⁠⁠⁠⁠As always, this class is donation-based, including 0. To get class info and sign up, head over here. ⁠⁠⁠⁠

_____________________

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bill Brown: Sacred Tension & Biblical Dialogues

Tue, 27 May 2025 10:55:00 -0000

If you've ever read the Bible and felt tension between different passages, or found yourself in conversation with another Christian only to realize there are unresolvable differences at play, then Bill Brown's new book "acred Tension"is going to be right up your alley. Bill argues that this tension isn't a bug in the system—it's exactly what the Bible is supposed to do. In our conversation, we explore how the diversity of Scripture isn't a liability but rather an invitation to dialogue. From the multiple creation stories in Genesis to the competing voices in wisdom literature, Bill shows us how the biblical editors intentionally preserved these different perspectives to foster conversation among readers. We explore what it means to read Scripture as Scripture—with expectant reverence and critical engagement—and how this approach transforms both our understanding of biblical authority and our practice of faith. This is a conversation about learning to sit with sacred tension rather than trying to resolve it, and discovering how that tension itself becomes a source of wisdom and transformation.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Dr. William P. Brown is Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, where he has taught for over 20 years. He is a leading biblical scholar specializing in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament studies, wisdom literature, and the intersection of faith and critical scholarship. Known for his engaging teaching style and ability to make complex biblical scholarship accessible, Dr. Brown bridges the gap between academic rigor and pastoral formation, showing how critical study of Scripture can deepen rather than diminish faith.

In Sacred Tension: Embracing Dissonance and Dialogue in the Old Testament⁠, popular biblical scholar Bill Brown suggests that the diversity in the Bible is in fact one of its greatest strengths, pointing us toward “more” Bible, not less. He invites us to read the Old Testament as a wide-ranging dialogue that is in conversation both with itself and with us, fostering further discussion and mutual discernment. With passion and expert insight, Brown takes you on an enlivening journey through the Bible, exploring its dissonance and complexity anew. Let the conversations begin! Get 20% off Sacred Tension with promo code HBCST at store.upperroom.org

Upcoming Online Class:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠is an open-online course exploring the dynamic, often overlooked third person of the Trinity. Based on Grace Ji-Sun Kim's groundbreaking work on the Holy Spirit this class takes participants on a journey through biblical foundations, historical developments, diverse cultural perspectives, and practical applications of Spirit theology.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠As always, this class is donation-based, including 0. To get class info and sign up, head over here. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

_____________________

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 80,000 other people by joining our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 45 classes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Burge: The 2024 Election & Religion Post-Mortem

Thu, 22 May 2025 12:49:00 -0000

Well nerds, buckle up for this one. My buddy Ryan Burge has returned with his latest graphs about religion and the 2024 election, and let me tell you - it was zesty. We started talking about minor league baseball, chicken raising, and somehow ended up dissecting why 83% of white evangelicals voted for Trump (spoiler: it's not shocking).

Ryan breaks down the real story of the 2024 election - how non-white evangelicals are now 50/50, why mainline Protestants aren't actually that liberal, and the fascinating shifts happening in the Catholic vote. We dive into the data that shows education and church attendance create some pretty stark political divides, and why Democrats might want to rethink their approach to people of faith.

But this is us, so we also talked about LeBron's hair transplants, whether 100 men could take down a silverback gorilla, why online gambling is destroying America, and Ryan's ongoing campaign to get academics to eat at steakhouses instead of Sweet Green. Plus, Ryan explains why Mark Driscoll might be the godfather of the manosphere, and we debate whether Joe Scarborough and Mika have the worst work schedule in television.

Oh, and we somehow got into a deep discussion about Mayor Pete's beard and why Democrats need to learn how to talk about their faith without sounding like they're apologizing for it. Because apparently that's where our brains go.

Want the full conversation? This is just a taste of what we covered in over two hours of completely unhinged discussion. If you're a member of either Graphs About Religion (Ryan's substack) or Process This (mine), you get access to the entire unedited conversation, plus invitations to join us live for future streams where things get even more zesty - and yes, I'm using that word in the Whitehead sense, not the Gen Z sense.

Previous Visits from Ryan Burge

Ryan P. Burge is an assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University. Author of numerous journal articles, he is the co-founder of and a frequent contributor to Religion in Public, a forum for scholars of religion and politics to make their work accessible to a general audience. Burge is a pastor in the American Baptist Church.

Upcoming Online Class:⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost⁠⁠⁠⁠ is an open-online course exploring the dynamic, often overlooked third person of the Trinity. Based on Grace Ji-Sun Kim's groundbreaking work on the Holy Spirit this class takes participants on a journey through biblical foundations, historical developments, diverse cultural perspectives, and practical applications of Spirit theology.

⁠⁠⁠⁠As always, this class is donation-based, including 0. To get class info and sign up, head over here. ⁠⁠⁠⁠

_____________________

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grace Ji-Sun Kim: Jumping Vatican Barriers and Chasing the Spirit

Wed, 21 May 2025 12:18:00 -0000

In this kickoff live session for our new class on the Holy Spirit, I'm joined by Grace Ji-Sun Kim—author of the Homebrewed Christianity Guide to the Holy Spirit (and about 24 other spirit-focused books by her count!). We dive into some fascinating early questions about the nature of the spirit: Is it a person, principle, or energy? Grace reminds us that confusion is actually a good starting place, since certainty is where problems arise. We explore how her unique background—growing up Korean Presbyterian but exposed to Baptist, Pentecostal, and many other traditions—gave her a perspective that transcends denominational boundaries. Grace shares incredible stories about her unexpected adventure in Rome during the papal conclave (including jumping barriers to chase Pope Leo XIV!), reflecting on how the Spirit moves in ways that challenge patriarchal structures while still working within them. We discuss embodied spirituality, vibrations as divine creation, and how studying the Spirit has transformed Grace's own prayer life. Whether you're Presbyterian, Pentecostal, or somewhere in between, join us as we journey through this four-part exploration of the Holy Spirit leading up to Pentecost! And if you're in North Carolina, come see us live at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Chapel Hill at 7pm on June 8th!

Get access to all 4 of Grace's lectures by joining our class, Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can WATCH this conversation on YouTube

Grace Ji-Sun Kim is a professor of theology at Earlham School of Religion and host of the Madang podcast.

Previous Episodes with Grace

Upcoming Online Class:⁠⁠⁠ Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost⁠⁠⁠

"⁠⁠⁠Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, and the Holy Ghost⁠⁠⁠" is an open-online course exploring the dynamic, often overlooked third person of the Trinity. Based on Grace Ji-Sun Kim's groundbreaking work on the Holy Spirit (pneumatology), this class takes participants on a journey through biblical foundations, historical developments, diverse cultural perspectives, and practical applications of Spirit theology. Moving beyond traditional Western theological frameworks, we'll explore feminist interpretations, global perspectives, and innovative approaches to understanding the Spirit in today's world. Whether you've felt the Spirit was missing from your faith journey or are simply curious to deepen your understanding, this class creates space for thoughtful discussion, personal reflection, and spiritual growth.

⁠⁠⁠As always, this class is donation-based, including 0. To get class info and sign up, head over here. ⁠⁠⁠

_____________________

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 80,000 other people by joining our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 45 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

Pete Enns: We Promised Above-Average Answers and We're Sticking to It!

Mon, 19 May 2025 13:41:00 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by your favorite theological troublemaker, Dr. Pete Enns, for a wide-ranging Q&A session where we tackle your burning questions from our SubStack communities (Odds & Enns and Process This). We delve into everything from understanding eternal punishment in Matthew 25, to the various ways divine presence is portrayed in Genesis, to what makes deconstruction a healthy or nihilistic approach, and whether Christianity can adapt to modern existential needs. We bring a blend of biblical scholarship, philosophical musings, and irreverent humor as we engage with your questions, delivering what we hope are at least "above average" answers.

To get access to the entire conversation, submit your questions, and join live next time, join their SubStack communities, Odds & Enns⁠ and ⁠Process This.

Want to hang with Pete & Tripp? Come to Theology Beer Camp, Oct 16-18 in St. Paul for some seriously nerdy fun.

Previous Episodes with Pete

Upcoming Online Class:⁠⁠ Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost⁠⁠

"⁠⁠Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, and the Holy Ghost⁠⁠" is an open-online course exploring the dynamic, often overlooked third person of the Trinity. Based on Grace Ji-Sun Kim's groundbreaking work on the Holy Spirit (pneumatology), this class takes participants on a journey through biblical foundations, historical developments, diverse cultural perspectives, and practical applications of Spirit theology. Moving beyond traditional Western theological frameworks, we'll explore feminist interpretations, global perspectives, and innovative approaches to understanding the Spirit in today's world. Whether you've felt the Spirit was missing from your faith journey or are simply curious to deepen your understanding, this class creates space for thoughtful discussion, personal reflection, and spiritual growth.

⁠⁠As always, this class is donation-based, including 0. To get class info and sign up, head over here. ⁠⁠

_____________________

⁠⁠⁠⁠Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. ⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠ production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 80,000 other people by joining our⁠⁠⁠⁠ Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 45 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

Adam Clark: Black Christology from Howard Thurman to James Cone

Sat, 17 May 2025 09:00:00 -0000

Holy smokes, theology nerds – buckle up for a prophetic ride through Black Christology that'll completely recalibrate your understanding of Jesus and faith in times of empire. I am joined by Dr. Adam Clark as he traces the revolutionary lineage from Howard Thurman's mystical Jesus who refuses the "hounds of hell" (after being called a traitor to dark peoples for following Christianity), through Albert Cleage's literal Black Messiah who'd be riding in the colored section of Jim Crow buses, to James Cone's God who shows up at the lynching tree. At a moment when Christian nationalism weaponizes the gospel to enforce xenophobic authoritarianism, this prophetic tradition reminds us that authentic Christian witness is found in loving solidarity with the crucified of today. This isn't polite reflection, friends – it's resistance theology that exposes how God deliberately identifies with the oppressed, choosing foolishness to shame the wise and weakness to shame the strong. This episode might flip your theological world upside down, but that's precisely what good theology should do.

To get Adam's lecture and four more, join the class,⁠⁠The Many Faces of Christ Today⁠⁠.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Dr. Adam Clark is Associate Professor of Theology at Xavier University. He currently serves as co-chair of Black Theology Group at the American Academy of Religion, actively publishes in the area of black theology and black religion and participates in social justice groups at Xavier and in the Cincinnati area. He earned his PhD at Union Theological Seminary in New York where he was mentored by James Cone.

Previous Episodes w/ Adam:

Upcoming Online Class:⁠ Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost⁠

"⁠Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, and the Holy Ghost⁠" is an open-online course exploring the dynamic, often overlooked third person of the Trinity. Based on Grace Ji-Sun Kim's groundbreaking work on the Holy Spirit (pneumatology), this class takes participants on a journey through biblical foundations, historical developments, diverse cultural perspectives, and practical applications of Spirit theology. Moving beyond traditional Western theological frameworks, we'll explore feminist interpretations, global perspectives, and innovative approaches to understanding the Spirit in today's world. Whether you've felt the Spirit was missing from your faith journey or are simply curious to deepen your understanding, this class creates space for thoughtful discussion, personal reflection, and spiritual growth.

⁠As always, this class is donation-based, including 0. To get class info and sign up, head over here. ⁠

_____________________

⁠⁠⁠Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. ⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠ production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 80,000 other people by joining our⁠⁠⁠ Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 45 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

The Future of Religious Identity: Live From Theology Beer Camp

Thu, 15 May 2025 10:00:00 -0000

In this plenary session from Theology Beer Camp 2024, John Thatamanil explores the future of religious identity in an increasingly pluralistic America, arguing that multiple religious participation will be the defining feature of North American religious life. Drawing from his personal journey as an Indian Christian immigrant who also practices Hinduism, and Wilfred Cantwell Smith's provocative question about how Christians explain the existence of other scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita, Thatamanil challenges "Christian supremacy" and its colonial legacy. He distinguishes between harmful forms of religious mixing (particularly the worship of both God and capitalism) and life-giving forms that promote justice and liberation, proposing that the real theological problem isn't practicing Buddhism alongside Christianity, but trying to serve both God and mammon in a capitalist society. The talk culminates in a call for "fluid and dynamic integrity" rather than impossible homogeneity, suggesting that being "spiritually fluid" - like being gender fluid - represents a faithful response to divine truth revealed across traditions.

Dr. Thatamanil is Professor of Theology & World Religions at Union Theological Seminary in NYC.

Previous Podcasts with Thatamanil

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025⁠⁠

Theology Beer Camp ⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. This event features a lineup of well-known podcasters, scholars, and theology enthusiasts who come together to "nerd out" on theological topics while enjoying loads of fun activities. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠Get info and tickets here⁠.

Upcoming Online Class:⁠⁠ Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost⁠⁠

_____________________

⁠⁠⁠⁠Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. ⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠ production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 80,000 other people by joining our⁠⁠⁠⁠ Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 45 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

Kelly Brown Douglas: Faith at the Crossroads

Tue, 13 May 2025 13:21:00 -0000

What happens when you stand at the crossroads where the sacred meets the secular, where your identity refuses to fit into neat binaries, and where faith seeks understanding in the midst of doubt? In this deeply personal conversation, Episcopal priest and pioneering womanist theologian Kelly Brown Douglas returns to the podcast to explore theology as a lived experience, not abstract speculation.

We dive into her powerful concept of "crossroads theology" – that stable, definite space where the blues singer performs both pain and praise, where Black and Episcopalian identity refuse to be bifurcated, and where God meets us in our full complexity. Kelly unpacks how the dangerous narratives of respectability and white supremacy create false binaries that diminish our humanity, and how Jesus's own crossroads moment challenges our comfortable Christianity.

From her nightly prayers on her knees to calling the names of deported families, from finding God in resistance movements to wrestling with faith after Trayvon Martin's death, Kelly shows us what it means to do theology from "the complicated and sometimes contradictory spaces of our living." She reminds us that Christianity has a crucifixion at its center – and it's high time we act like it.

Plus, we celebrate Kelly's upcoming appearance at Theology Beer Camp 2025, where she'll be bringing this transformative theological vision to 600 nerdy friends ready to do theology while day-drinking in a sanctuary. Trust me, you don't want to miss this conversation about finding resurrection hope in our Gethsemane moments.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Theology Beer Camp is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. This event features a lineup of well-known podcasters, scholars, and theology enthusiasts who come together to "nerd out" on theological topics while enjoying loads of fun activities. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! Get info and tickets here.

Rev. Canon Kelly Brown Douglas is the Canon Theologian at the Cathedral. In 2017, she was named Dean of Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and in 2019, she was appointed to the Bill and Judith Moyers Chair in Theology at Union.

You can listen to her previous visit to the podcast here: Resurrection Hope & A Future Where Black Lives Matter

Upcoming Online Class:⁠ Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost⁠

⁠As always, this class is donation-based, including 0. To get class info and sign up, head over here. ⁠

_____________________

⁠⁠⁠Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. ⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠ production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 80,000 other people by joining our⁠⁠⁠ Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 45 classes at ⁠⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠.

⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grace Ji-Sun Kim: Feminist Christology

Sun, 11 May 2025 17:11:00 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim's to discuss Feminist Christology. We explore the importance of retrieving feminine imagery of God and Jesus through the biblical wisdom figure Sophia. She argues that despite Jesus's historical maleness, a feminist Christological approach is essential for contemporary Christianity because it challenges 2000 years of patriarchal interpretations and creates more inclusive understandings of the divine. The conversation traces Sophia's development across Hebrew Scripture, demonstrating how early Christians identified Jesus with this feminine divine figure, particularly in Paul's letters, Matthew, and John. Kim connects Sophia with Asian religious concepts like prajna, suggesting that this wisdom Christology offers liberating possibilities for Korean North American women navigating bicultural identities. She points out that feminist theologians are not inventing new concepts but reclaiming a significant biblical tradition that portrays God's presence in feminine imagery, which was largely eclipsed in later Christian history due to patriarchal influences.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Grace Ji-Sun Kim is a professor of theology at Earlham School of Religion and host of the Madang podcast.

Previous Episodes with Grace

To get Grace's lecture and four more, join the class,The Many Faces of Christ Today.

Upcoming Online Class: Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost

"Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, and the Holy Ghost" is an open-online course exploring the dynamic, often overlooked third person of the Trinity. Based on Grace Ji-Sun Kim's groundbreaking work on the Holy Spirit (pneumatology), this class takes participants on a journey through biblical foundations, historical developments, diverse cultural perspectives, and practical applications of Spirit theology. Moving beyond traditional Western theological frameworks, we'll explore feminist interpretations, global perspectives, and innovative approaches to understanding the Spirit in today's world. Whether you've felt the Spirit was missing from your faith journey or are simply curious to deepen your understanding, this class creates space for thoughtful discussion, personal reflection, and spiritual growth.

As always, this class is donation-based, including 0. To get class info and sign up, head over here.

_____________________

⁠⁠Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. ⁠⁠

This podcast is a ⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠ production. Follow ⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 80,000 other people by joining our⁠⁠ Substack - Process This!⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 45 classes at ⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠

⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠.

⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Future of Religion: Live From Theology Beer Camp

Thu, 08 May 2025 09:00:00 -0000

In this thought-provoking episode, former neuroscientist-turned-Franciscan sister Ilia Delio offers a radical vision for the future of religion at Theology Beer Camp. Speaking to a community of spiritual seekers, Delio places humanity within our cosmic context—mere seconds in the universe's 13.8 billion-year story—while arguing that we are the universe becoming conscious of itself. She challenges institutional religion's static cosmologies, drawing on Teilhard de Chardin's integration of evolution and faith to advocate for a "religion of the Earth" that recognizes God as "in love with matter." With urgency, Delio warns that if religion doesn't evolve beyond dogma into creative participation with cosmic processes, technology will replace it as humanity's guiding force. The conversation, complemented by responses from biblical scholar Pete Enns, exemplifies the kind of boundary-pushing theological dialogue that makes Theology Beer Camp a unique gathering for those reimagining faith at the intersection of science, ecology, and spirituality.

Join us at Theology Beer Camp this October 16-18 in St. Paul, MN.

You can WATCH this session on YouTube

Ilia Delio, OSF, PhD is a Franciscan Sister of Washington, DC, and American theologian specializing in science and religion, with interests in evolution, physics, and neuroscience and the import of these for theology.

Previous Episodes with Ilia Delio

Upcoming Online Class:⁠ Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost⁠

⁠As always, this class is donation-based, including 0. To get class info and sign up, head over here. ⁠

_____________________

⁠⁠⁠Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. ⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠ production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 80,000 other people by joining our⁠⁠⁠ Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 45 classes at ⁠⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠.

⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Philip Clayton: Science & the Sacred

Mon, 05 May 2025 10:00:00 -0000

What's up Theology Nerds! Today I'm thrilled to share my conversation with the brilliant Philip Clayton on his new book Science and the Sacred: Beyond the Gods in Our Own Image. This isn't your typical science vs. religion debate - it's something way more interesting! Philip co-authored this book with Claudia Pierce, an atheist religion journalist, creating a beautiful dialogue between theistic and non-theistic perspectives that finds surprising common ground. We explore how their five-year collaboration revealed shared values even as they maintained different views on God. Phil walks us through how modern scientific understanding can coexist with spiritual meaning, challenging both religious fundamentalism and reductive scientism. We dive into questions from both conservative Christians and skeptical atheists who read the book in advance, creating a lively three-way conversation about doubt, faith, and what it means to approach mystery with openness rather than certainty. If you're tired of culture war takes on science and religion and hungry for nuanced dialogue across differences, this episode is your jam! And guess what? Phil's coming to Theology Beer Camp this year, so grab your tickets before May 15th when prices go up!

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Previous Podcast Convos w/ Philip Clayton

ONLINE CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT: The Many Faces of Christ Today

The question Jesus asked his disciples still resonates today: "Who do you say that I am?"

Join our transformative 5-week online learning community as we explore a rich tapestry of contemporary Christologies. Experience how diverse theological voices create a compelling vision of Jesus Christ for today's world.

Expand your spiritual horizons. Challenge your assumptions. Enrich your faith.

As always, the class is donation-based (including 0), so head over to ⁠⁠ManyFacesOfChrist.com⁠⁠ for more details and to sign up!

_____________________

⁠⁠Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. ⁠⁠

This podcast is a ⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠ production. Follow ⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 80,000 other people by joining our⁠⁠ Substack - Process This!⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 45 classes at ⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠

⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠.

⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025⁠

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Diana Butler Bass: Religious Liberty & Violence - Unpacking the First 100 Days of Trump 2.0

Sun, 04 May 2025 09:00:00 -0000

What's up Theology Nerds! Today on the podcast I'm joined by my brilliant friend Diana Butler Bass for another edition of "Ruining Dinner" as we mark the first 100 days of Trump's second administration. We dive into some fascinating new data on religion and politics in America that just dropped, examining everything from unexpected consensus on religious liberty (a rare bright spot!) to disturbing trends in support for political violence among Christian nationalist adherents. Diana shares her recent adventures lighting the Old North Church green for Bill McKibben's "Sunday" climate initiative, while I update her on my site visit to St. Paul (not Minneapolis!) for Theology Beer Camp and my new life as a chicken dad. We explore how competing narratives of discrimination reveal deep divides in American Christianity, unpack the dangers of executive overreach, and discuss what Lindsey Graham's papal nomination trolling reveals about our political moment. This conversation was originally for our Substack members, but we're sharing a portion with all of you – join us at The Process This or The Cottage to catch future episodes live!

Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D., is an award-winning author, popular speaker, inspiring preacher, and one of America’s most trusted commentators on religion and contemporary spirituality.

ONLINE CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT: The Many Faces of Christ Today

The question Jesus asked his disciples still resonates today: "Who do you say that I am?"

Expand your spiritual horizons. Challenge your assumptions. Enrich your faith.

As always, the class is donation-based (including 0), so head over to ⁠⁠ManyFacesOfChrist.com⁠⁠ for more details and to sign up!

_____________________

⁠⁠Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. ⁠⁠

This podcast is a ⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠ production. Follow ⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 80,000 other people by joining our⁠⁠ Substack - Process This!⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 45 classes at ⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠

⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠.

⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025⁠

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Paul Capetz: The Two Paths of Liberal Christology

Fri, 02 May 2025 16:00:00 -0000

In this session, we are joined by historical theologian, Dr. Paul Capetz. Dr. Capetz, a minister in the United Methodist Church and former theology professor at various Protestant seminaries, discusses liberal Christology and its limitations. While identifying as a liberal theologian who seeks to reconcile Protestant heritage with Enlightenment thinking, Capetz argues that traditional liberal Christology is fundamentally flawed. He explains that liberal theologians like Friedrich Schleiermacher attempted to reconstruct the historical Jesus using modern historical analysis, but this approach faces insurmountable challenges. Following Rudolf Bultmann, whom Capetz considers the greatest New Testament scholar of the 20th century, he contends that a biography of Jesus cannot be written due to limited reliable historical sources. More importantly, Capetz argues that Christology shouldn't be based on speculations about Jesus's relationship with God, but rather on the apostles' witness to Jesus as the decisive revelation of God's love. Despite his fascination with the historical Jesus question, Capetz believes that the liberal approach of grounding Christology in historical reconstruction is both historically impossible and theologically misguided.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Join the class & watch Paul's lecture-> The Many Faces of Christ Today!⁠

Paul E. Capetz is professor of historical theology emeritus at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and is currently minister at Christ Church by the Sea in Newport Beach, California. He is the author of God: A Brief History and co-editor of James Gustafson’s Moral Discernment in the Christian Life. This episode centers on his recent book, Recovering Protestantism’s Original Insight.

Previous Episodes w/ Paul Capetz

ONLINE CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT: The Many Faces of Christ Today

The question Jesus asked his disciples still resonates today: "Who do you say that I am?"

Expand your spiritual horizons. Challenge your assumptions. Enrich your faith.

As always, the class is donation-based (including 0), so head over to ⁠ManyFacesOfChrist.com⁠ for more details and to sign up!

_____________________

⁠Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. ⁠

This podcast is a ⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠ production. Follow ⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠, ⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠, & ⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 80,000 other people by joining our⁠ Substack - Process This!⁠ Get instant access to over 45 classes at ⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠

⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠, send ⁠feedback/questions⁠ or become a ⁠member of the HBC Community⁠.

⁠Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025⁠

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Jason Storm: Myth of Disenchantment

Mon, 28 Apr 2025 13:18:00 -0000

In this episode, Dr. Jason Storm returns to explore the relationship between science, religion, and meaning in the modern world. Starting with Storm's work on The Myth of Disenchantment, they discuss how the conventional narrative of modernity leading to widespread secularization and loss of magical/spiritual thinking is largely inaccurate. Storm explains how this narrative emerged in the 19th century while spiritualism and occult movements were actually flourishing. They examine the fragmentation of belief systems, the historical transformation of faith and epistemology, and how various "meaning crises" arise in contemporary society. The conversation touches on capitalism's relationship with environmental degradation, our connection to nature as a source of meaning, and the limitations of postmodernism. Storm advocates for a metamodern approach that encourages epistemic humility, community engagement, and brave spaces for meaningful dialogue to address complex social problems. You can read more about it in Metamodernism: The Future of Theory and check out his previous visit to the podcast, where we discuss it here.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Jason Ananda Josephson Storm is chair and professor of religion and chair of science and technology studies at Williams College. He is a scholar and author whose work focuses on the intersection of religion, science, and meaning in modern society. He has written several influential books including The Myth of Disenchantment, which challenges conventional narratives about secularization and modernity, and Metamodernism and the Future of Theory, which proposes new frameworks for moving beyond postmodern skepticism. Storm teaches courses on philosophy and meaning, including a popular class on "The Meaning of Life," where he introduces students to diverse philosophical and religious traditions. His research examines how individuals navigate belief systems in a fragmented cultural landscape, the relationship between institutional authority and personal meaning-making, and constructive approaches to addressing contemporary social crises. Storm advocates for epistemic humility, community engagement, and creating "brave spaces" for meaningful dialogue across differences.

THEOLOGY BEER CAMP | Oct 16-18, 2025 | St. Paul, MN

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

ONLINE CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT: The Many Faces of Christ Today

The question Jesus asked his disciples still resonates today: "Who do you say that I am?"

Expand your spiritual horizons. Challenge your assumptions. Enrich your faith.

As always, the class is donation-based (including 0), so head over to ManyFacesOfChrist.com for more details and to sign up!

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

This podcast is a Homebrewed Christianity production. Follow the Homebrewed Christianity, Theology Nerd Throwdown, & The Rise of Bonhoeffer podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 80,000 other people by joining our Substack - Process This! Get instant access to over 45 classes at www.TheologyClass.com

Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Ruben Rosario Rodriguez: Barth, Moltmann, and Reformed Christology

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 15:29:00 -0000

In this session, Dr. Ruben Rosario Rodriguez provides an overview of Reformed Christology, focusing on the theological contributions of two key 20th century Reformed theologians: Karl Barth and Jürgen Moltmann. He begins by introducing the Reformed tradition's historical roots in 16th century Calvinism and its emphasis on social responsibility. It then examines Barth's Christocentric theology, which emphasizes God's transcendence and self-revelation in Christ as the only source of knowledge about God. Barth rejected liberal Protestantism's subjective approach and insisted on Christ as the center of all theology. He then transitions to Moltmann, whose theology developed in the shadow of the Holocaust. Moltmann rejected the doctrine of divine impassibility, arguing that God suffers with humanity, particularly through Christ on the cross. His Trinitarian theology emphasizes God as a community of equals and has political implications, including the church's responsibility to critique society and work toward justice. Both theologians maintain that Christ's suffering reveals God's solidarity with the oppressed and offers hope for transformation.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Join the class & watch Ruben's lecture-> The Many Faces of Christ Today!

Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

ONLINE CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT: The Many Faces of Christ Today

The question Jesus asked his disciples still resonates today: "Who do you say that I am?"

Expand your spiritual horizons. Challenge your assumptions. Enrich your faith.

As always, the class is donation-based (including 0), so head over to ManyFacesOfChrist.com for more details and to sign up!

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

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

Theology Beer Camp & the Quest for the Holy Stein

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 09:00:00 -0000

Sarah Heath, and Kristen Tideman joined me to unveil the exciting details for Theology Beer Camp 2025 in this lively promotional episode filled with laughter, nostalgia, and anticipation. The hosts reminisce about past camps while revealing this year's Monty Python-inspired theme, "Quest for the Holy Stein," coming to St. Paul, Minnesota this October. With an impressive lineup of theologians, free-flowing beer, and a community-focused approach, this episode captures the unique blend of intellectual engagement and genuine fun that makes Theology Beer Camp a must-attend event for theology nerds and craft beer enthusiasts alike.

You can WATCH this conversation on YouTube

Key Announcements for Theology Beer Camp 2025:

Dates and Location: October 16-18, 2025 in St. Paul, Minnesota
Theme: "Theology Beer Camp and the Quest for the Holy Stein"
Early Bird Tickets: Available until May 15th at theologybeercamp2025.com
Impressive Speaker Lineup: Including John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Reggie Williams, Adam Clark, Jeff Pugh, Casper ter Kulie from Harry Potter and the Sacred Text podcast, Juan and Stacy Floyd-Thomas, and Philip Clayton
Multiple Podcast Participants: Bible for Normal People, Rethinking Faith, Theology on the Rocks, The New Evangelicals, People's Theology, and more
Included with Registration: Free beer and non-alcoholic beverages all weekend, breakfast & lunch on Friday and Saturday, snacks and coffee, access to all sessions and activities
Special Events: Bottle share, karaoke, cosplay opportunities, regional and affinity group meetups
Community Connections: Active Facebook group and Discord server for attendees to connect
Virtual Option: Available for those who can't attend in person

Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

ONLINE CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT: The Many Faces of Christ Today

The question Jesus asked his disciples still resonates today: "Who do you say that I am?"

Expand your spiritual horizons. Challenge your assumptions. Enrich your faith.

As always, the class is donation-based (including 0), so head over to ManyFacesOfChrist.com for more details and to sign up!

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

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

Eric Swalwell: Faith, Politics, and Public Service

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 11:57:00 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by Congressman Eric Swalwell. We discuss his background, faith, and political journey to Congress. Swalwell shares how he first came to Campbell University (a small Christian school in North Carolina) on a soccer scholarship, where he was the goalkeeper on the soccer team. Though politics wasn't initially on his radar, an injury led him to explore student government, mock trial, and Model UN activities. After interning for a member of Congress, he transferred to the University of Maryland to pursue public service. Throughout the discussion, Swalwell reflects on being a Democrat of faith, noting that many Democrats tend to keep their faith private because they see how religion can be "weaponized" in politics. He expresses a desire for more collaborative cooperation across faith lines rather than using religion as "a means to power." The conversation also touches on polarizing issues like gun control, with Swalwell advocating for an assault weapons ban while preserving Americans' rights to own firearms for protection, sport, and hunting. The interview wrapped up when he had to head off to vote.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

ONLINE CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT: The Many Faces of Christ Today

The question Jesus asked his disciples still resonates today: "Who do you say that I am?"

Expand your spiritual horizons. Challenge your assumptions. Enrich your faith.

As always, the class is donation-based (including 0), so head over to ManyFacesOfChrist.com for more details and to sign up!

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

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

Christian Smith: Why Religion Went Obsolete

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 15:59:00 -0000

In this episode, Sociologist Christian Smith discusses his new book Why Religion Went Obsolete. Smith explains that while traditional religion has been declining in America for decades, this decline hasn't resulted in greater secularism but rather a shift toward what he calls "re-enchantment culture." He argues that religion hasn't simply declined but has become obsolete - still functional but superseded by alternatives that better match contemporary sensibilities. Smith identifies numerous causal factors behind this obsolescence, including technological changes, neoliberal capitalism, transformed family structures, and the internet. He emphasizes how religious institutions often contributed to their own obsolescence through scandals and political entanglements. Our conversation explores how these changes have created a "millennial zeitgeist" that fundamentally mismatches with traditional religious structures, making religion feel outdated for younger generations who are raised with different cultural assumptions and technological environments.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Christian Smith is a renowned sociologist specializing in the study of religion in contemporary society. He currently teaches at the University of Notre Dame, where he conducts extensive research on religious trends, particularly among young Americans. Smith is the author of multiple influential books exploring faith, culture, and generational shifts, including his latest work Why Religion Went Obsolete. He previously developed the concept of "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism" to describe the dominant religious worldview of American teenagers. Smith's research often combines quantitative data analysis with qualitative interviews to understand the complex factors shaping religious participation and belief. His work examines how broad cultural and economic transformations affect religious institutions and practices, with particular attention to how different generations experience and express spirituality. Smith approaches religious change through a sociological lens that emphasizes cultural contexts rather than focusing solely on individual belief or institutional membership.

Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

ONLINE CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT: The Many Faces of Christ Today

The question Jesus asked his disciples still resonates today: "Who do you say that I am?"

Expand your spiritual horizons. Challenge your assumptions. Enrich your faith.

As always, the class is donation-based (including 0), so head over to ManyFacesOfChrist.com for more details and to sign up!

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Standing With God in Gethsemane's Darkness: Bonhoeffer's Call to a Faith of Solidarity in Suffering

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 15:52:00 -0000

This is an audio version of an essay on my substack, Process This. In it, I unpack Dietrich Bonhoeffer's theological reflection on Jesus' experience in the Garden of Gethsemane, which he sees as a central metaphor for authentic Christian faith. I struggle with Bonhoeffer's conviction that true Christianity isn't found in religious performance or institutional power but in standing with God in suffering. Following Bonhoeffer's interpretation of Jesus's question, "Could you not stay awake with me one hour?" I explore how he sees Jesus calling believers to practice solidarity with those who suffer rather than seeking religious escape or comfort. According to Bonhoeffer, authentic faith emerges through presence in places of abandonment and vulnerability, where God is revealed not as a problem-solver but as one who enters fully into human suffering.

I hope you enjoy it and consider supporting my work by joining 80k+ other people on Process This. If you want to read or watch the essay, you will find it here on SubStack.

Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

ONLINE CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT: The Many Faces of Christ Today

The question Jesus asked his disciples still resonates today: "Who do you say that I am?"

Expand your spiritual horizons. Challenge your assumptions. Enrich your faith.

As always, the class is donation-based (including 0), so head over to ManyFacesOfChrist.com for more details and to sign up!

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

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

Norman Wirzba: Theologies of Hope in a Time of Crisis

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:00:00 -0000

For this deeply philosophical conversation, I am joined by Norman Wirzba as we discuss his new book Love's Braided Dance and explore the concept of hope in our modern crisis-filled world. Wirzba explains that many young people view hope with suspicion, often because modern culture promotes shallow optimism over genuine hope. He argues that true hope isn't passive waiting but active participation in loving engagement with others and the world. Wirzba contrasts our modern society's obsession with control, acceleration, and technological solutions with the need for deeper resonance, meaningful connections, and the willingness to embrace friction in relationships. He emphasizes that hope emerges through community and solidarity rather than individual heroism, and requires practices of forgiveness, listening, and Sabbath rest to counteract our culture's demands for constant productivity and consumption.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Norman Wirzba is a distinguished professor at Duke University who specializes in theology, philosophy, and environmental ethics. His interdisciplinary work explores the intersections of faith, ecology, and community life, with particular emphasis on how religious traditions can inform sustainable ways of living. Wirzba is known for his thoughtful examination of prayer, hope, and humanity's relationship with the natural world. He has authored numerous books, including Agrarian Spirit and Love's Braided Dance, which examines hope in times of crisis. His scholarship frequently challenges modern assumptions about progress, consumption, and individualism while offering alternative visions rooted in attentiveness, community, and care for creation.

Previous Episodes with Dr. Wirzba

Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

ONLINE CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT: The Many Faces of Christ Today

The question Jesus asked his disciples still resonates today: "Who do you say that I am?"

Expand your spiritual horizons. Challenge your assumptions. Enrich your faith.

As always, the class is donation-based (including 0), so head over to ManyFacesOfChrist.com for more details and to sign up!

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

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

John Dominic Crossan: Paul, Christ, & the Mystery of Execution & Resurrection

Sat, 12 Apr 2025 21:16:00 -0000

In this session, biblical scholar John Dominic Crossan explores his proposal to reconstruct Easter, focusing on Paul's understanding of "the mystery of God." Crossan argues that this mystery refers to how God allowed Jesus, as Messiah, to be executed by Roman civilization to reveal its inherent injustice, while simultaneously vindicating Jesus through resurrection to reveal the justice of creation. He proposes that historically, the earliest interpretations of Jesus's exaltation were likely focused on individual ascension rather than resurrection, and that it was Paul who transformed this understanding into universal resurrection as an in-time process rather than merely an end-time event. Crossan contrasts Western Christianity's individual resurrection imagery with Eastern Christianity's universal resurrection imagery, arguing that the Eastern tradition is more faithful to Paul's original vision. He concludes by suggesting that Paul's cosmic justice concept serves as a metaphor for humanity's evolutionary challenge of sustainability, and proposes that both theists and atheists should focus on cosmic evolution rather than debating God's existence.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

To access all 5 of Crossan's lectures, submit questions, and join future live streams, head here to join the class.

John Dominic Crossan, professor emeritus at DePaul University, is widely regarded as the foremost historical Jesus scholar of our time.

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

Join Dom Crossan at ...Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

ONLINE CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT: The Many Faces of Christ Today

The question Jesus asked his disciples still resonates today: "Who do you say that I am?"

Expand your spiritual horizons. Challenge your assumptions. Enrich your faith.

As always, the class is donation-based (including 0), so head over to ManyFacesOfChrist.com for more details and to sign up!

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

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

Mark Vernon: Spiritual Intelligence & the Evolution of Religion

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 09:00:00 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by Mark Vernon to discuss the relationship between spirituality, science, and meaning in the modern world. Mark explores how our conception of religion has narrowed to focus primarily on doctrines and morals rather than experiential dimensions, which is a relatively recent development in human history. Vernon describes how human spiritual intelligence evolved not merely as a survival mechanism but as a form of "niche exploration" that allowed humans to discover immaterial realities. He contrasts the dominant enlightenment epistemology of mastery and control with spiritual traditions that emphasize receptivity and participation. Throughout the conversation, Vernon weaves together insights from his background in physics, theology, philosophy, and psychotherapy to argue that reconnecting with our inner lives and recovering a sense of wonder might be essential for addressing our current meaning crisis.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Mark Vernon is a psychodynamic psychotherapist, philosopher, and author who previously served as an Anglican priest. With a background spanning physics, theology, and ancient Greek philosophy, Vernon has dedicated his career to exploring the intersection of spirituality, science, and human meaning. He hosts regular dialogues with scientist Rupert Sheldrake, writes extensively on philosophical and spiritual topics, and maintains an active presence through various media platforms including YouTube and Substack. Vernon's diverse intellectual journey reflects his ongoing exploration of how head and heart can connect to address fundamental questions of human existence. You can check out his books here.

Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

ONLINE CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT: The Many Faces of Christ Today

The question Jesus asked his disciples still resonates today: "Who do you say that I am?"

Expand your spiritual horizons. Challenge your assumptions. Enrich your faith.

As always, the class is donation-based (including 0), so head over to ManyFacesOfChrist.com for more details and to sign up!

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

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

John Dominic Crossan: Paul, Josephus, & the Challenge of Nonviolent Resistance

Sun, 06 Apr 2025 16:05:00 -0000

In this session, biblical scholar John Dominic Crossan examines the fundamental conflict between two competing visions in the ancient world: divine deliverance and human resistance. He contrasts the positions of two self-identified Pharisees - Paul and Josephus - revealing how Josephus portrayed Rome's imperial power as divinely ordained while Paul offered a radical alternative vision. Most provocatively, Crossan uncovers evidence of organized nonviolent resistance movements in first-century Judaism that predated Jesus and Paul, suggesting these movements connected Pharisaic beliefs about the resurrection with nonviolent opposition to empire. This historical context illuminates Jesus' command to "love your enemies" as a form of nonviolent resistance, challenging us to consider whether humanity must embrace Paul's radical vision of justice over empire to become a sustainable species. Through archaeological and textual evidence, Crossan demonstrates how these competing worldviews physically manifested in the ancient world, ultimately asking whether Paul's alternative vision remains our best hope against escalating violence.

To access all 5 of Crossan's lectures, submit questions, and join future live streams, head here to join the class.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

John Dominic Crossan, professor emeritus at DePaul University, is widely regarded as the foremost historical Jesus scholar of our time. He is the author of several bestselling books, including The Historical Jesus, How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian, God and Empire, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, The Greatest Prayer, The Last Week, and The Power of Parable. He lives in Minneola, Florida.

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

Join Dom Crossan at ...Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

ONLINE CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT: The Many Faces of Christ Today

The question Jesus asked his disciples still resonates today: "Who do you say that I am?"

Expand your spiritual horizons. Challenge your assumptions. Enrich your faith.

As always, the class is donation-based (including 0), so head over to ManyFacesOfChrist.com for more details and to sign up!

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

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

Kevin Hart: Phenomenology & the Crisis of Attention

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 10:00:00 -0000

In this thought-provoking episode, I am joined by theologian and philosopher Kevin Hart to discuss the nature of contemplation in both religious and secular contexts. Hart traces the historical origins of contemplation from ancient Rome and Greece through Christian traditions, distinguishing it from meditation and contrasting it with our modern culture of fascination. He draws on phenomenology, particularly Husserl's work, to explain how contemplation offers a way to move beyond the limiting "natural attitude" to experience reality more fully. Hart discusses how poetry, particularly that of Gerard Manley Hopkins, exemplifies contemplative engagement with the world, and explores how Jesus' parables invite a shift from worldly preoccupations to an intimate relationship with God. Throughout the conversation, Hart warns about the dangers of our technology-driven "culture of fascination" that traps our attention and leads to emptiness, while offering practical guidance on contemplative reading through practices like Lectio Divina that might help modern people recover a more enriching way of engaging with texts, the world, and the divine.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Dr. Kevin Hart is Jo Rae Wright University Distinguished Professor in the Divinity School. He is a philosopher, phenomenologist, and theologian. His academic work spans the intersection of philosophy, literature, and theology, with particular emphasis on religious experience, contemplation, and phenomenology. Hart is known for his significant contributions to understanding both religious and secular forms of contemplation, drawing on thinkers like Edmund Husserl while engaging deeply with Christian contemplative traditions.

If you are new to Dr. Hart’s work, check out Contemplation: The Movements of the Soul, Lands of Likeness: For a Poetics of Contemplation, and Poetry and Revelation: For a Phenomenology of Religious Poetry.

Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

ONLINE CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT: The Many Faces of Christ Today

The question Jesus asked his disciples still resonates today: "Who do you say that I am?"

Expand your spiritual horizons. Challenge your assumptions. Enrich your faith.

As always, the class is donation-based (including 0), so head over to ManyFacesOfChrist.com for more details and to sign up!

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

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Matthew Novenson: Paul and Judaism at the End of History

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 09:00:00 -0000

In this episode, Dr. Matthew Novenson returns to the podcast after his move from the University of Edinburgh to Princeton Theological Seminary. We discuss his new book "Paul and Judaism at the End of History," which develops a radical reframing of how we understand the Apostle Paul: not as someone who rejected Judaism for Christianity, but as a Jewish thinker who believed that history had already ended with the resurrection of Jesus. We unpack into Paul's unique eschatological vision, his understanding of the resurrection, and how modern theological traditions often misread Paul by projecting their own frameworks onto his writings.

Themes Discussed

Paul's Jewish Context: The conversation highlights how Paul remained deeply Jewish throughout his life, challenging the common notion that he rejected Judaism for Christianity.
The End of History: Novenson argues that Paul genuinely believed history had ended with Christ's resurrection, making his theology fundamentally eschatological rather than focused on atonement.
Resurrection as Present Reality: For Paul, the resurrection wasn't a distant future event but something already beginning through the Spirit's work in baptized believers.
Justification Reframed: The discussion reexamines Paul's concept of justification not as merely a way of "getting right with God" but as participation in the new creation.
Keeping Paul Weird: Novenson emphasizes the importance of understanding Paul in his historical context rather than forcing him to fit modern theological frameworks.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Dr. Matthew Novenson is a distinguished New Testament scholar now teaching at Princeton Theological Seminary. His scholarship focuses on Paul's letters, early Judaism, and early Christianity. His latest book, "Paul and Judaism at the End of History," offers a fresh perspective on understanding Paul's theological vision and his relationship to Judaism. Novenson is known for his nuanced approach to historical interpretation that resists simplified readings of Paul through later Christian theological frameworks.

Previous Visits to the Podcast

His books:

Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

ONLINE CLASS ANNOUNCEMENT: The Many Faces of Christ Today

The question Jesus asked his disciples still resonates today: "Who do you say that I am?"

Expand your spiritual horizons. Challenge your assumptions. Enrich your faith.

As always, the class is donation-based (including 0), so head over to ManyFacesOfChrist.com for more details and to sign up!

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

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

John Dominic Crossan: Paul, Rome, & the Violent Normalcy of Civilization

Sat, 29 Mar 2025 17:24:00 -0000

In this session, biblical scholar Dominic Crossan examines the fundamental conflict between two visions of peace in the ancient world. He contrasts Augustus' Res Gestae (carved imperial boasts of achievements) with Paul's letters, revealing how Rome established "peace through victory" while Paul offered an alternative vision based on justice and non-violence. Crossan traces this tension back to Genesis, where human civilization begins with Cain's fratricide and escalates through generations of violence, contrasting sharply with the divine vision of creation centered on Sabbath justice. Through archaeological evidence from Galatian sites where Paul traveled, Crossan demonstrates how these competing worldviews physically manifested in the landscape, ultimately challenging us to consider whether humanity's inherent tendency toward escalating violence makes us a sustainable species or whether we must embrace Paul's alternative vision of peace through justice.

To access all 5 of Crossan's lectures, submit questions, and join future live streams, head here to join the class.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

Join Dom Crossan at ...Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

A Five-Week Online Lenten Class w/ John Dominic Crossan

Join us for a transformative 5-week Lenten journey on "Paul the Pharisee: Faith and Politics in a Divided World."This course examines the Apostle Paul as a Pharisee deeply engaged with the turbulent political and religious landscape of his time. For details and to sign-up for any donation, including 0, head over here.

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Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

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The Allure of the Screen and the Erosion of the Soul: Smartphones, Fascination, and the Call to Contemplation

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 10:00:00 -0000

This is an audio version of an essay on my substack, Process This. In it, I explore the tension between contemplation and fascination in the digital age, particularly regarding smartphone use. Inspired by my son's school essay on phone-free schools, I took up a Lenten social media fast. Learning how deeply our digital habits have affected our capacity for genuine connection has been revelatory. Inspired by recent conversations with philosophers Kevin Hart and Norman Wirzba, I develop a distinction between contemplation and fascination. Through their attention-fragmenting design, smartphones ultimately create hollow connections that diminish our ability to be present with others and ourselves. Rather than advocating for complete technological rejection, I think about intentionally cultivating contemplative practices as a counterbalance to digital habituation, suggesting that creating space for more profound attention may be essential to human freedom in our increasingly digitized world.

I hope you enjoy it and consider supporting my work by joining 80k+ other people on Process This. If you want to read or watch the essay, you will find it here on SubStack.

Related Resources

Norman Wirzba

Love's Braided Dance: Hope in a Time of Crisis (Book)
This Sacred Life: Humanity's Place in a Wounded World (Book)
“Attention and Responsibility: The Work of Prayer” in The Phenomenology of Prayer (Article)
Farm to Table Theology (HBC Podcast)
The Way of Love (HBC Podcast)

Kevin Hart

Hartmut Rosa

Being at Home in the World (Podcast)
Resonance In An Accelerated Age (Podcast)
Related books by Rosa:The Uncontrollability of the World , Resonance: A Sociology of Our Relationship to the World, and his newest book, Democracy Needs Religion.

Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

A Five-Week Online Lenten Class w/ John Dominic Crossan

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

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

Ulises Mejias: Data Colonialism

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 12:26:00 -0000

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Ulises Mejias, Professor of Communication Studies and Director of the Institute for Global Engagement at the State University of New York. WE explore the concept of data colonialism, examining how modern technology companies extract and exploit personal data in ways that parallel historical colonialism. The conversation delves into how these practices impact education, immigration policy, and what resistance might look like in our digital age.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Here are the two editorials Ulises and I discuss

Ulises Mejias is Professor of Communication Studies and Director of the Institute for Global Engagement at the State University of New York. Originally from Mexico City, his scholarship examines the relationship between technology, power, and colonialism. He is co-author with Nick Couldry of The Cost of Connection: How Data Colonizes Human Life and Appropriates It for Capitalism and Data Grab: The New Frontier of Digital Colonialism. His work focuses on decolonizing approaches to technology and data, particularly exploring how the extraction of personal data represents a new form of colonialism.

This Episode is Sponsored By Scared Tension: Embracing Dissonance and Dialogue in the Old Testament

As people of faith, the words of the Bible are sacred. But sometimes, if we’re being honest, the Bible —especially the Old Testament — is more confusing than clear. The contradictions and complexities in the texts leave us shaking our head with more questions than answers.

In Sacred Tension: Embracing Dissonance and Dialogue in the Old Testament, popular biblical scholar Bill Brown suggests that the diversity in the Bible is in fact one of its greatest strengths, pointing us toward “more” Bible, not less. He invites us to read the Old Testament as a wide-ranging dialogue that is in conversation both with itself and with us, fostering further discussion and mutual discernment. With passion and expert insight, Brown takes you on an enlivening journey through the Bible, exploring its dissonance and complexity anew. Let the conversations begin! Get 20% off Sacred Tension with promo code HBCST at store.upperroom.org

Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

A Five-Week Online Lenten Class w/ John Dominic Crossan

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

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John Dominic Crossan: Paul & the Fictional History of Luke-Acts

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 17:11:00 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by renowned biblical scholar John Dominic Crossan for an exploration of the relationship between Paul and Luke in early Christian texts. Crossan provocatively challenges traditional understandings by arguing that Luke-Acts presents a deliberately modified version of Paul's mission to make Christianity more palatable to Roman authorities. Through detailed textual analysis, Crossan reveals how Luke downplays Paul's apostleship, reimagines his conversion, and strategically portrays Jews as hostile while depicting Romans as receptive. The discussion weaves through complex topics, including the Jerusalem Council, Paul's missionary strategy targeting "God worshipers," and the broader political implications of religious accommodation to the empire. With his characteristic blend of historical insight and contemporary relevance, Crossan ultimately suggests these ancient dynamics remain instructive today, as the merging of religion and politics continues to threaten not just democracy but "our soul." Perfect for listeners interested in biblical criticism, early Christianity, and the intersection of faith and power.

To access all 5 of Crossan's lectures, submit questions, and join future live streams, head here to join the class.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

Join Dom Crossan at ...Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

A Five-Week Online Lenten Class w/ John Dominic Crossan

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

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

Matthew Thiessen: the Jewish Paul

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 09:00:00 -0000

In this episode, Tripp hosts New Testament scholar Matthew Thiessen to discuss his book on The Jewish Paul and explore a fresh understanding of Paul's letters within their proper Jewish context.

Conversation Highlights:

Paul's Jewish Identity: Matthew explains how we should understand Paul not as someone who left Judaism for Christianity, but as a Jew who maintained his Jewish identity while believing Jesus was the Messiah.
The Law and Gentiles: The conversation explores the complex debates in early Christianity about how the Jewish law applied to Gentile believers, with Paul arguing that while the law remained important for Jews, certain aspects (like circumcision) were not required for Gentiles.
Paul's Pharisaic Background: Matthew discusses how Paul's identity as a Pharisee shapes his understanding of the resurrection and how Jesus being raised from the dead modified but didn't abandon his pharisaic worldview.
Resurrection Theology: The discussion examines how Paul's understanding of Jesus's resurrection as the "first fruits" reflects his Jewish eschatological hope, even while grappling with the surprising gap between Christ's resurrection and the general resurrection.
Rethinking Christian Tradition: Tripp and Matthew discuss how recovering Paul's Jewish context challenges many modern Christian theological assumptions and opens up new possibilities for understanding his message.
Reading Paul in His Context: The conversation explores how modern readers often misunderstand Paul by projecting post-Enlightenment concepts onto his writings rather than understanding his ancient cosmology and worldview.
Check out Thiessen's previous visit to the podcast: Jesus & the Forces of Death

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Matthew Thiessen is a professor at McMaster University specializing in early Judaism, Christian origins, and the relationship between early Christianity and Judaism. His work focuses on the rise of Christianity, particularly as it relates to early Judaism and the questions related to ethnicity and identity construction.

Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

A Five-Week Online Lenten Class w/ John Dominic Crossan

Through the lens of his letters and historical context, we will explore Paul’s understanding of Jesus’ Life-Vision, his interpretation of the Execution-and-Resurrection, and their implications for nonviolence and faithful resistance against empire. Each week, we will delve into a specific aspect of Paul’s theology and legacy, reflecting on its relevance for our own age of autocracy and political turmoil. . For details and to sign-up for any donation, including 0, head over here.

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

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Kurt Gray: Decoding Outrage

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 09:59:00 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Kurt Gray, a psychologist specializing in the nature of outrage and its impact on culture. Our conversation centers around his new book Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground. We explore the psychological foundations of our polarized culture. Dr. Gray, currently transitioning from UNC Chapel Hill to Ohio State, shares insights from his research on how perceptions of harm drive moral judgments across the political spectrum.

The conversation delves into how humans evolved more as prey than predators, explaining our heightened sensitivity to threats and tendency toward outrage in modern contexts. Dr. Gray challenges popular theories about moral foundations, arguing that both liberals and conservatives care about similar values but perceive vulnerability differently across four domains: the environment, marginalized groups, authority figures, and religious symbols.

We unpack practical approaches to navigating political and moral divides, from the importance of face-to-face conversations to understanding the psychological mechanisms behind moral certainty. They explore how religious communities might address polarization, the challenges of engaging with opposing viewpoints in the social media age, and the limitations of using facts alone to bridge moral chasms. This episode offers valuable insights for anyone seeking to understand and transcend the outrage that dominates our public discourse.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Dr. Kurt Gray is a Professor in Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he directs the Deepest Beliefs Lab and the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding. He received a PhD in Social Psychology from Harvard University. With over 120 published scientific papers, he explores the psychology of morality, politics, religion and AI. Gray is the recipient of numerous early-career and best paper awards, and his findings has been featured in New York Times, the Economist, Scientific American, Wired, and Hidden Brain. Gray is the co-author of the book The Mind Club: Who Thinks, What Feels and Why it Matters. He was almost a geophysicist, but a night trapped in the Canadian wilderness convinced him otherwise.

Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

A Five-Week Online Lenten Class w/ John Dominic Crossan

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

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

John Dominic Crossan: Paul & Thecla

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 09:00:00 -0000

In the inaugural live stream of the class Paul the Pharisee: Faith and Politics in a Divided World, John Dominic Crossan joins me to dig into the radical historical Paul. Crosson argues for the importance of understanding Paul within the context of the historical Jesus, despite Paul's often radical and misunderstood teachings. We explore topics like Paul's controversial stance on gender and slavery, backed by textual analysis, and the influence of his letters within early Christian communities. The session also discusses the story of Thecla as an archetype of Paul's radical vision and how these narratives have been reshaped to fit different sociopolitical contexts. Questions from participants help flesh out the complexities around Paul's portrayal in the New Testament and subsequent interpretations.

To access all 5 of Crossan's lectures, submit questions, and join future live streams, head here to join the class.

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

Join Dom Crossan at ...Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

A Five-Week Online Lenten Class w/ John Dominic Crossan

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Ryan Burge: Distrust & Denominations

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 13:35:00 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by political scientist Ryan Burge for an engaging conversation about his fascinating data on religious decline and the rise of the 'Nones' and non-denominational Christianity. We discuss the implications of denominational decline, growing distrust in institutional religion, and the explosive growth of non-denominational churches. This episode features in-depth analysis, intriguing graphs, lively discussions, and insights from prominent social philosophers.

*** If you want access to the entire 2-hour conversation and invites to join us live in the future, all you have to do is become a member of either (or both) of our SubStacks — Graphs on Religion & Process This. ***

Ryan P. Burge is an assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University. Authorof numerous journal articles, he is the co-founder of and a frequent contributor to Religion in Public, a forum for scholars of religion and politics to make their work accessible to a general audience. Burge is a pastor in the American Baptist Church.

Previous Visits from Ryan Burge

Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

A Five-Week Online Lenten Class w/ John Dominic Crossan

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

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

Lance Grande: The Evolution of Religions: A History of Related Traditions

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 12:37:28 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by evolutionary biologist and curatorial scientist Dr. Lance Grande. Lance shares insights from his extensive career examining the dynamics and changes in evolution, culminating in his exhaustive 600-page book, The Evolution of Religion: A History of Related Traditions. The discussion delves into the application of modern evolutionary theory to the study of organized religion, the impact of religion on human culture, and the challenges and future of religion in an interconnected world. Given the unique and expansive thesis of the book, I was thrilled when Lance agreed to walk us through it with slides at the beginning of our recording session. Don't miss the video version on YouTube to see all of Lance's slides.

Lance Grande is the Negaunee Distinguished Service Curator Emeritus of the Field Museum of Natural and Cultural History in Chicago. He specializes in evolutionary systematics, paleontology, and biology and is deeply interested in the interdisciplinary applications of the scientific method and philosophy. His many books include Curators: Behind the Scenes of Natural History Museums (2017) and The Lost World of Fossil Lake: Snapshots from Deep Time (2013).

Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

A Five-Week Online Lenten Class w/ John Dominic Crossan

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

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For Frodo! - Tolkien Camp Time

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 11:00:00 -0000

Join us for a special episode recorded live at Theology Beer Camp, as we head to Middle Earth with our resident Tolkien Head, Nick Polk and renowned Tolkien scholar Craig Boyd. Boyd opens the session with a deep look at the life of Gandalf and the nature of virtue in Tolkien's world, followed by a compelling conversation on how these themes apply to our lives. The conversation is rich with insights on Gandalf's wisdom, his compassionate leadership, and the deep connections between Tolkien’s characters and biblical figures like Moses. They discuss the amplification of one’s inherent abilities through symbols like Gandalf's ring and explore the deeply intertwined themes of home, adventure, and the ultimate good. The session concludes with emotional reflections and a heartfelt toast celebrating the power of friendship and hope. Get ready to be inspired and perhaps consider joining Theology Beer Camp in St. Paul, Minnesota from October 16-18. Enjoy the journey!

Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

A Five-Week Online Lenten Class w/ John Dominic Crossan

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

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

Gerardo Marti: Sociology & the Crisis of Meaning

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 11:00:00 -0000

In this episode, we welcome back the sociologist of religion, Gerardo Marti, to explore modern culture's dynamic and complex spiritual crisis. Inspired by a vivid dream where Gerardo, Tripp, and a host of famous dead sociologists spent a week on the beach discussing religion, secularization, and the meaning crisis. The conversation delves into the multifaceted influences shaping our religious and spiritual landscapes. Topics include the historical evolutions of religious movements, the role of modernity in creating meaning crises, the impact of disenchantment and exclusive humanism, and the intersections of masculinity and identity in contemporary times. Whether discussing the procedural intricacies of revivalism, the transformative power of community found in choirs, or the overwhelming drive for control in modern structures, Tripp and Gerardo have fun nerding out. This engaging discussion doesn't shy away from the difficult questions and offers insightful reflections on how we navigate meaning in an ever-changing world.

You can WATCH this conversation on YouTube

Dr. Gerardo Marti is a professor of Sociology at Davidson in North Carolina. His research centers around race, ethnicity, religion, identity, inequality, and social change. Through his research, he works to uncover the dynamics of contemporary issues like diversity, religious innovation, and political power.

Gerardo's Previous Visits to the Podcast

Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025

3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends.

A Five-Week Online Lenten Class w/ John Dominic Crossan

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

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

Manifesting America: MAGA & the New Civil Religion

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 11:00:00 -0000

This is an audio version of an essay on my substack, Process This. The essay explores the evolving spiritual landscape of America, noting the decline of traditional religious institutions and the rise of new forms of meaning-making. Here, I examine how Donald Trump and the MAGA movement reflect a unique manifestation of a new civil religion, combining aspects of self-creation, positive thinking, and atavism. Historical context traces the roots of self-creation from Martin Luther's reforms through the Enlightenment and the rise of consumer capitalism. I highlight how Trump's persona and the MAGA movement resonate with American cultural consciousness, focusing on self-promotion, community, and opposition. It also explores the psychological and sociopolitical implications of this movement, the erosion of community, and the yearning for a mythological past, providing insights into the appeal and dangers of this modern spiritual-political fusion.

I hope you enjoy it and consider supporting my work by joining 80k+ other people on Process This. If you want to read or watch the essay, you will find it here on SubStack.

Resources:

(Book) Self-Made: Creating Our Identities from Da Vinci to the Kardashians, Tara Isabella Burton

(Book) The Expulsion of the Other: Society, Perception and Communication Today, Byung-Chul Han

(Lecture) Self-Creation, Tara Isabella Burton

A Five-Week Online Lenten Class w/ John Dominic Crossan

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Join our class - TRUTH IN TOUGH TIMES: Global Voices of Liberation

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Ask JC Anything with John Dominic Crossan

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 17:27:00 -0000

Legendary New Testament scholar John Dominic Crossan joined me in answering a bunch of different questions from the Homebrewed Community, and it was some serious nerdy fun! The conversation covers Dom's Irish Catholic heritage, his views on the historical Jesus, the impact of Roman imperialism on Jesus' ministry, the concept of collaborative eschatology, and a response to mythicist arguments regarding the historicity of Jesus. Additionally, Crossan provides insights into creating a historically accurate Jesus film, the role of archaeological discoveries in understanding the New Testament, and his reflections on the Jesus seminar. The episode wraps up with exciting future plans, including Crossan's participation in Theology Beer Camp, where he will explore the intersection of Paul's vision of the cosmos and modern scientific understanding. Don't miss this enlightening session filled with rich historical context and profound theological reflections.

You can WATCH this conversation on YouTube

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

A Five-Week Online Lenten Class w/ John Dominic Crossan

_____________________

Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN.

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Philip Goff: Finding Faith and Cosmic Purpose

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 10:00:00 -0000

In this episode, philosopher Philip Goff returns to the podcast to discuss a variety of stimulating topics, including the meaning of life as heretical Christianity, the concept of panpsychism, and how these ideas often spark debates and opinions on all sides. The conversation delves into the fine-tuning of the universe, the problem of evil, the evolution of spiritual beliefs, and the burgeoning interest in making religion more accessible and comprehensible to liberals. Throughout the episode, they explore deep philosophical questions, the role of religious fictionalism, the significance of consciousness and free will in understanding cosmic purpose, and the nuances of maintaining faith in uncertain times. Filled with unique insights and intellectual rigor, this episode offers an enriching exploration of spirituality, philosophy, and how they interconnect in daily life.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Philip Goff is a philosophy professor at Durham University, UK. His most recent book is Why? The Purpose of the Universe. For an introduction to panpsychism, check out Galileo's Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness. Philip recently moved to SubStack so check it out here.

Check out Goff's previous visit to the podcast: From Panpsychism to Religious Fictionalism

A Five-Week Online Lenten Class w/ John Dominic Crossan

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Join our class - TRUTH IN TOUGH TIMES: Global Voices of Liberation

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Aaron Simmons: The Paradox of Democracy & What Comes Next

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:01:02 -0000

In this episode, philosopher Aaron Simmons returns for an intriguing discussion on the complexities of sustaining democracy. The conversation spans various philosophical insights from thinkers such as Robert Talese, Chantal Mouffe, and Simon Critchley. We explore tensions between political equality and justice, the paradox of democracy, and the necessity of engaging agonistically with adversaries. Aaron also shares his experiences teaching Radical Political Theory, addressing the intricacies of class tensions, bad faith discourse, and the compelling ethical demands that challenge contemporary democratic practices.

You can WATCH this conversation on YouTube

Dr. Simmons is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Furman University. You can follow his Substack ‘Philosophy in the Wild.‘

Previous Episodes with Aaron

A Five-Week Online Lenten Class w/ John Dominic Crossan

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Ruben Rosario Rodriguez: Theology, Liberation, & The Reformed Tradition

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 17:08:06 -0000

In the episode, Ruben Rosario Rodriguez joins the podcast to discuss his unique blend of the reformed tradition and liberation theology, from his personal backstory rooted in the history of American colonialism in Puerto Rico to his deep dive into the theological influence of luminaries like Calvin and Tillich, Ruben shares how his vocation as a theologian was shaped. He addresses critical issues like the role of liberation theology in socio-political contexts, systemic racism, and the modern political landscape's impact on faith communities. This compelling discussion also delves into practical wisdom, the importance of community in theological work, and the pressing issues facing the American church today.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Dr.Ruben Rosario Rodriguez is the Clarence Louis and Helen Steber Professor of Theological Studies at Saint Louis University. His books include Calvin for the World: The Enduring Relevance of His Political, Social, and Economic Theology, Theological Fragments, Dogmatics after Babel: Beyond the Theologies of Word and Culture, and the edited volume T&T Clark Handbook of Political Theology. An ordained minister of the Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

A Five-Week Online Lenten Class w/ John Dominic Crossan

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Join our class - TRUTH IN TOUGH TIMES: Global Voices of Liberation

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The New Colonialism: Power, Data, and the Transformation of Human Experience

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:49:00 -0000

This is an audio version of an essay on my substack, Process This. The essay explores how digital platforms have transformed human experience into a new form of colonialism. It discusses the historical evolution of the internet from a decentralized space to one controlled by tech giants, and highlights the data extraction, surveillance, and algorithmic governance that dominate modern digital spaces. By drawing parallels to historical colonialism, the essay outlines the systematic ways in which platforms explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate alternative ways of being social. It also examines the rise of a new digital aristocracy in Silicon Valley and the erosion of personal autonomy. Finally, it explores emerging forms of resistance and reimagination, emphasizing the need for digital wisdom, community-owned platforms, and new forms of digital literacy to reclaim human autonomy and genuine connection.

I hope you enjoy it and consider supporting my work by joining 80k+ other people on Process This. You can read the entire essay HERE.

Related Resources

PODCAST -The Tech Takeover: Reimagining Connection in a Digital World on TNT where Tripp gets Bo's input on this essay
BOOK - Data Grab: The New Colonialism of Big Tech and How to Fight Back by Ulises A. Mejias & Nick Couldry
BOOK - The Space of the World: Can Human Solidarity Survive Social Media and What If It Can't? By Nick Couldry
LECTURE - AI and the Tragedy of the Commons: a decolonial perspective with Ulises A. Mejias
LECTURE - The Corporatization of Social Space by Nick Couldry

A Five-Week Online Lenten Class w/ John Dominic Crossan

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Jeremy Fackenthal: History & the Messianic in Walter Benjamin

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 13:59:14 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by philosopher, filmmaker, and longtime friend Dr. Jeremy Fackenthal as we dive into the intricate philosophy of Walter Benjamin. We explore memory, history, suffering, and the weak messianic power that empowers us to redeem the past through remembrance. We also touch on the implications of Benjamin's thought for understanding the revolutionary potential in our present moment. Tune in for a nerdy, stimulating conversation that bridges theology and philosophy, grounded in historical materialism and some fun memories from our PhD days.

You can WATCH this conversation on YouTube.

Jeremy Fackenthal is a philosopher, non-profit director, and filmmaker living in San Diego, CA. He holds a PhD in Philosophy of Religion and Theology from Claremont Graduate University. He was previously director for Toward Ecological Civilization. He has shot and edited a number of films, including Spitting Fire, a short documentary produced in conjunction with ARC and a grant through Yale Divinity School. Jeremy researches and writes in the areas of process thought, theopoetics, and critical theory. He co-edited Theopoetic Folds: Philosophizing Multifariousness and Whitehead and Continental Philosophy in the Twenty-First Century: Dislocations and is currently beginning a documentary film on the relevance of Walter Benjamin for the 21st century.

A Five-Week Online Lenten Class w/ John Dominic Crossan

Lexington Theological Seminary is the sponsor for this Episode.

Lexington Theological Seminary is a pioneer in online theological education. Both the Doctoral and Masters programs are designed with the flexibility and contextual focus needed for the working student. You can learn more by heading here.

Here are a few episodes with a couple of their Profs

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Matthew Segall: the Meaning Crisis in Process

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 13:51:00 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Matthew Segall to explore the 'meaning crisis' in Western culture. The conversation covers historical forces and cultural transformations, responses to the crisis, the return of religious interest, and the insights of the process-relational framework. We touch on issues such as the role of the market, individualism, disenchantment, and the importance of a compelling cosmology. Along the way, they discuss the transformative potential of Christ's story, pluralism, and the need for a renewed cultural life. This episode promises a thoughtful and nerdy discussion that blends philosophical depth with practical implications for our shared future.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Dr. Segall is a transdisciplinary researcher and teacher who applies process philosophy to various natural and social sciences, including consciousness. He is also an Assistant Professor in the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, CA.

Make sure you check out SubStack Footnotes to Plato, his YouTube channel and recent book.

Previous Podcasts with Matt

A Five-Week Online Lenten Class w/ John Dominic Crossan

This episode is sponsored by the Upper Room’s Disciplines: A Book of Daily Devotions

As this new year unfolds with all its challenges and opportunities, are you longing for daily spiritual renewal with God? A daily practice to ground yourselves in God’s presence and nurture a resilient spirit for the work ahead?

Each year, The Upper Room publishes its popular lectionary-based devotional called Disciplines: A Book of Daily Devotions. Written by 53 diverse thought-leaders, The Upper Room Disciplines provides daily scripture, meditations, and prayers following the Revised Common Lectionary to help you pause and connect more deeply with God. Disciplines also includes a Guide to Daily Prayer and a Small Group Leader's Guide.

Experience the spiritual renewal you’ve been looking for this year with The Upper Room Disciplines … and join thousands of others “praying the lectionary” and meeting God anew each day.

Use promo code HBCD25 to get 20% off this popular resource now. Visit store.upperroom.org/disciplines to take advantage of this offer!

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Ryan Burge: Trust, Religion and a functioning democracy

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 13:08:00 -0000

In this episode, Dr. Ryan Burge returns with some new graphs about religion and entertaining asides. We end up exploring a multitude of topics, from interpreting statistical data on religious trust and the rise of non-denominationalism, to delving into the complexities of the meaning crisis. This episode is filled with personal anecdotes, philosophical musings, and offbeat discussions on cigars, beer sacks, and the perils of government interventions. All while providing valuable insights into the changing landscape of American religion and politics.

Previous Visits from Ryan Burge

This episode is sponsored by Union Presbyterian Seminary

A calling is about who you are. Where you’re going in life. You may be in college. You may be halfway through a career. But you know, deep inside your heart, you want something different. To prepare for the future, you want to invest your time and energy to expand your knowledge. With people who listen to you…yet challenge you. People from different countries and backgrounds. A place with globally recognized connections. There is a place for you at Union Presbyterian Seminary. You’ll find your own path—with online, hybrid, or residential platforms. You’ll find generous financial aid. With thousands of graduates all over the world, you’ll build lifelong networks…a community that supports you and equips you. Be a leader of gospel-inspired transformative change in pursuit of a more just and compassionate world. It’s your call. Respond with UPSem. To learn more, visit upsem.edu or email admissions@upsem.edu

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Victoria Barnett: Dietrich Bonhoeffer & Our Times

Thu, 30 Jan 2025 11:00:00 -0000

How does one read the signs of the times? What does it mean to resist? How do we engage faithfully in the struggle? Dietrich Bonhoeffer has achieved iconic status as one who epitomizes what it means to struggle and resist tyranny and fascism and how one acts in faithful witness as a religious and political commitment. Bonhoeffer‘s witness and example is more relevant than ever. In this episode, I am joined by the preeminent historian of the Holocaust and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dr. Victoria Barnett. Jeffrey Pugh and I got to talk to her multiple times throughout our work for the Rise of Bonhoeffer, and our last conversation was so rich that I couldn't help but share it here. Our discussion focuses on a crucial essay penned by Bonhoeffer in 1942; "After Ten Years" is a succinct and sober reflection and remains one of the best descriptions ever written about what happened to the German people under National Socialism. We also let Vicki demythologize some popular ahistorical attributions around Bonhoeffer's life.

Victoria J. Barnett served from 2004-2014 as one of the general editors of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, the English translation series of Bonhoeffer’s complete works. She has lectured and written extensively about the Holocaust, particularly about the role of the German churches. In 2004 she began directing the Programs on Ethics, Religion, and the Holocaust at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum until her retirement. Her published works include Bystanders: Conscience and Complicity during the Holocaust (1999) and For the Soul of the People: Protestant Protest against Hitler (1992). This conversation centers around her translation and significant introduction and historical analysis of Bonhoeffer's "After Ten Years": Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Our Times.

Check out the Bonhoeffer Audi-Documentary series - the Rise of Bonhoeffer podcast here.

Garrett Theological Seminary sponsored this episode. Seminary education isn’t just for pastors. Social awareness of the world’s most pressing problems, robust ethical analysis, empathic biblical wisdom, and courageous leadership are skills you can use across a wide range of vocations. Whether you feel called to care and counseling, public service, prophetic arts, or non-profit management, there’s a degree program at Garrett Seminary that’s right for you. Our global faculty and diverse student body nurture class discussions that reflect the contextual realities in the communities you’ll serve, and our commitment to hands-on learning means you’ll have plenty of opportunities to put that knowledge to use. Located in the heart of Northwestern’s campus, just a short train ride from Chicago, let our city be your training ground. Garrett also offers fully online and hybrid programs. So wherever and whoever you are, apply to begin your fulfilling new career today. Learn more here.

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Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our class - TRUTH IN TOUGH TIMES: Global Voices of Liberation

Spend a week with Tripp & Andrew Root in Bonhoeffer’s House in Berlin this June as part of the Rise of Bonhoeffer Travel Learning Experience. INFO & DETAILS HERE

Get access to over 45 of our online classes at TheologyClass.com

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The Ground of Being & the Becoming of God or Tillich & Process

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 18:51:37 -0000

This episode gives you a taste of what happens on the Theology Nerd stage at Theology Beer Camp. These super-nerdy breakout sessions are based on suggestions from the Homebrewed Community, and this session was designed to explore the connections and contrasts between Ground of Being theology and Process theology. I was joined by Benjamin Chicka, John Thatamanil, Thomas Jay Oord, and Taylor Thomas.

If you want to get info, updates, and access to pre-sale tickets for Theology Beer Camp 2025, you can sign up here.

Dr. Taylor Thomas is a philosophy instructor at Boston College, a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Mind and Culture, & host of the Tillich Today podcast.

Dr. Thatamanil is Professor of Theology & World Religions at Union Theological Seminary in NYC.

Previous Episodes with John

Dr. Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. He is an award-winning author, and he has written or edited more than twenty-five books. Oord directs a doctoral program at Northwind Theological Seminary and the Center for Open and Relational Theology.

Previous episodes with Tom

Dr. Benjamin J. Chicka is Lecturer in Philosophy and Religious Studies at Curry College in Milton, MA. You can hear him on the podcast - Theology & Video Games.

This episode is sponsored by the Upper Room’s Disciplines: A Book of Daily Devotions

Experience the spiritual renewal you’ve been looking for this year with The Upper Room Disciplines … and join thousands of others “praying the lectionary” and meeting God anew each day.

Use promo code HBCD25 to get 20% off this popular resource now. Visit store.upperroom.org/disciplines to take advantage of this offer!

_____________________

Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our class - TRUTH IN TOUGH TIMES: Global Voices of Liberation

Spend a week with Tripp & Andrew Root in Bonhoeffer’s House in Berlin this June as part of the Rise of Bonhoeffer Travel Learning Experience. INFO & DETAILS HERE

Get access to over 45 of our online classes at 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

Celebrating the Life & Thought of John Cobb

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 17:05:22 -0000

We just lost John Cobb months before his 100th birthday. In this episode, Philip Clayton joins me for a conversation to celebrate his life and thought. My relationship with John started as the author of a book that changed my life (God & the World). Then, I got to take a summer school class with him in Claremont before Divinity School. When I moved to LA for my PhD he invited me and my family to lunch. Over the years in SoCal we had many meals and conversations together. We have recorded over 30 hours of conversation and taught two classes together. Beyond being a creative, brilliant, and ground-breaking scholar, John was a deeply passionate and compassionate disciple of Jesus. When friends ask about his picture with me, I say "That's John freaking Cobb, and he's my Gandalf." The last time we got to hang he introduced me as his friend (and said this in front of a bunch of people).

I recently edited a book of John Cobb's best theological writing from across his career, including some excellent introductory chapters for people new to Process theology. Check it out.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Dr. John B. Cobb, Jr. taught theology at the Claremont School of Theology from 1958 to 1990. In 2014 he became the first theologian elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences for his interdisciplinary work in ecology, economics, and biology.

Previous Episodes with John Cobb

Lexington Theological Seminary is the sponsor for this Episode.

Here are a few episodes with a couple of their Profs

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Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our class - TRUTH IN TOUGH TIMES: Global Voices of Liberation

Spend a week with Tripp & Andrew Root in Bonhoeffer’s House in Berlin this June as part of the Rise of Bonhoeffer Travel Learning Experience. INFO & DETAILS HERE

Get access to over 45 of our online classes at 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

Joerg Rieger: Why Religion Matters Now

Sat, 18 Jan 2025 18:31:00 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by theologian and ethicist Dr. Joerg Rieger. In the conversation, we explore critiques of religion in the public square, its global influence on right-wing populism, and its decline as an institution amidst growing discontent with modern life. Joerg argues that while religion remains significant, the type of religion is crucial. We delve into how conceptions of God shape communities—whether toward solidarity and justice for the Other or demands for sacrifice. Enjoy this conversation on the future of faith and its implications for society.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Dr. Joerg Rieger is Distinguished Professor of Theology and the Cal Turner Chancellor’s Chair of Wesleyan Studies at Vanderbilt University and founding director of the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice. For three decades, he has worked to bring together theology and the struggles for justice and liberation that mark our age. Several of his 24 authored and edited books address the topics of this course, including No Rising Tide: Theology, Economics, and the Future; Unified We Are a Force: How Faith and Labor Can Overcome America’s Inequalities (with Rosemarie Henkel-Rieger); and Faith, Class, and Labor: Intersectional Approaches in a Global Context (with Jin Young Choi). www.joergrieger.com

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - Truth in Tough Times: Global Voices of Liberation

I am thrilled to announce our upcoming class with Joerg Rieger and a host of liberation theologians from across the globe. Our goal is to create an experience where participants will get a clear and compelling account of contemporary liberation theology and meet the most critical voices of our generation. As always, then lass is donation-based, including 0. Get info and join up at www.TruthInToughTimes.com

Previous Episodes w/ Joerg

This episode is sponsored by Union Presbyterian Seminary

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Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our class - TRUTH IN TOUGH TIMES: Global Voices of Liberation

Spend a week with Tripp & Andrew Root in Bonhoeffer’s House in Berlin this June as part of the Rise of Bonhoeffer Travel Learning Experience. INFO & DETAILS HERE

Get access to over 45 of our online classes at 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

Whitehead’s Universe: a Guide to Thinking Process

Sat, 11 Jan 2025 21:29:33 -0000

My friend and philosopher, Dr. Andrew Davis, is back on the podcast to bring us a stellar introduction to Alfred North Whitehead's Process philosophy. “Process philosophy” is wider than the work of Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947), but the depth and dynamism of his “philosophy of organism” have made him the defining figure of the modern process tradition. His beloved wife Evelyn once used the metaphor of a prism to describe his thinking: “It must be seen not from one side alone but from all sides, then from underneath and overhead. So seen, as one moves around it, the prism is full of changing lights and colors. To have seen it from one side only is to not have seen it.” In this conversation, Dr. Davis walks us through 5 different sides, lights, and colors belonging to Whitehead’s prismatic universe from the microscopic to the macroscopic, and in direct relation to human experience as an expression of the cosmos.

If this conversation is intriguing and you want a guided tour of Whitehead's philosophy, go join up for the class Whitehead's Universe. I am so excited about Andrew's project and having a new compelling introduction to process philosophy for the people.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Andrew M. Davis is an American process philosopher, theologian, and scholar of the cosmos. He is the academic and research director for the Center for Process Studies where he researches, writes, teaches, and organizes conferences on various aspects of process-relational thought (Whitehead and Beyond). An advocate of metaphysics and meaning in a hospitable universe, he approaches philosophy as the endeavor to systematically think through what reality must be like because we are a part of it. He is the author, editor, and co-editor of nearly a dozen books including Mind, Value, and Cosmos: On the Relational Nature of Ultimacy, Process Cosmology: New Integrations in Science and Philosophy, and Metaphysics of Exo-Life: Toward a Constructive Whiteheadian Cosmotheology. This course is based upon drafts of his next book which is comprehensive, yet conversational, introduction to Whitehead’s universe.

Andrew’s Previous visits to the podcast

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - Truth in Tough Times: Global Voices of Liberation

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Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our class - TRUTH IN TOUGH TIMES: Global Voices of Liberation

Spend a week with Tripp & Andrew Root in Bonhoeffer’s House in Berlin this June as part of the Rise of Bonhoeffer Travel Learning Experience. INFO & DETAILS HERE

Get access to over 45 of our online classes at 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

A Tripp-y Tutorial: The Romance of Learning & Tripp’s Elevator Pitch for Philosophy

Sun, 05 Jan 2025 17:28:09 -0000

In this episode, I team up with our producer, Josh Gilbert, for an experimental format inspired by our podcast planning sessions, where Josh often brings up intriguing questions he’s gathered while editing. Together, we explore how our initial infatuation with ideas can grow into a deeper understanding and mastery and how our personal biases inevitably shape our philosophical inquiries.

We discuss the significance of philosophy in making sense of existence, agency, and how we apply ideas in everyday life. We talk about the value of curiosity and the ongoing journey of learning across the humanities, emphasizing the need to engage with philosophical texts critically and passionately. Josh pressed me on the distinction between plausibility and intensity of faith commitments, the existential register’s importance in understanding religious identity, and how modern empiricism and cultural narratives influence individual agency.

Throughout the conversation, we weave in insights from thinkers like Alfred North Whitehead, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Søren Kierkegaard, Paul Tillich, Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, J.R.R. Tolkien, Martin Heidegger, Philip Goff, and Charles Taylor. Together, we explore how these voices create a community of inquiry that invigorates our understanding of life and existence, showing how philosophy can shape what we think and how we live.

To get the entire conversation, all podcast episodes ad-free, and support our work, consider joining the Process This on SubStack or get access to our entire catalog of classes & all the rest by joining up at Theology Class.

UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - Truth in Tough Times: Global Voices of Liberation

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Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

Spend a week with Tripp & Andrew Root in Bonhoeffer’s House in Berlin this June as part of the Rise of Bonhoeffer Travel Learning Experience. INFO & DETAILS HERE

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

Grace Ji-Sun Kim: When God Became White

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 12:00:00 -0000

In this episode, Grace Ji-Sun Kim discusses her provocative new book, When God Became White. We delve into challenging topics like the implications of a colonialist legacy on the church, the intersections of race, gender, and religion, and how historical missions have shaped perceptions. We also discuss the representation of Jesus in church life, syncretism in Christianity, and the experiences of Korean immigrants.

Grace Ji-Sun Kim is a professor of theology at Earlham School of Religion and host of the Madang podcast.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube.

Previous Episodes with Grace & Susan

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Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

Spend a week with Tripp & Andrew Root in Bonhoeffer’s House in Berlin this June as part of the Rise of Bonhoeffer Travel Learning Experience. INFO & DETAILS HERE

Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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David Congdon: Demythologizing Advent

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 21:52:02 -0000

In this episode, Dr. David Congdon joins me to discuss Rudolf Bultmann and his Advent preaching. He is infamous for his “demythologizing” approach to scripture, which seeks to uncover the true meaning behind the biblical narratives. Bultmann’s Advent sermons strip away sentimentalism, presenting the Incarnation as a call to authentic existence. We’ll consider how his approach can help us understand Christmas as more than a story, but as a profound encounter with God’s call in our own lives.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

David Congdon is an author, speaker, and scholar working in the area of theology and culture. Originally from Portland, Oregon, he completed a B.A. in English at Wheaton College, acquired an M.Div. and Ph.D. in theology from Princeton Theological Seminary, and have since worked in the publishing industry as an academic acquisitions editor.

Previous Podcast Episodes with David

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This DECEMBER, we will be exploring the 'Theologians of Crisis' in our online Advent class - Breaking into the Broken World. Join us to learn about Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Rudolph Bultmann as we explore their thoughts and timely reflections in their Advent/Christmas sermons.

Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

Spend a week with Tripp & Andrew Root in Bonhoeffer’s House in Berlin this June as part of the Rise of Bonhoeffer Travel Learning Experience. INFO & DETAILS HERE

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

John Thatamanil: Tillich and the Advent of New Being

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 11:00:00 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. John Thatamanil to discuss how Paul Tillich’s theology understands God’s relationship to history and incarnation. We discuss his Christian existentialism, the contrast between Chronos and Karios time, and his vision of the divine. Covering topics from Tillich's understanding of religious socialism to the complexities of conditioned and unconditioned existence, our dialogue offers a rich introductory exploration of Tillich's thought. We also engage the contemporary implications of Tillich's theology, making connections to modern societal issues and the lived reality of faith in challenging times.

You can WATCH this conversation on YouTube

This DECEMBER, we are exploring the 'Theologians of Crisis' in our online Advent class - Breaking into the Broken World. Join us to learn about Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Rudolph Bultmann as we explore their thoughts and timely reflections in their Advent/Christmas sermons.

Dr. Thatamanil is Professor of Theology & World Religions at Union Theological Seminary in NYC.

Previous Podcasts with John

Check out these books by John

_____________________

Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

Spend a week with Tripp & Andrew Root in Bonhoeffer’s House in Berlin this June as part of the Rise of Bonhoeffer Travel Learning Experience. INFO & DETAILS HERE

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

Reggie Williams: Is this a Bonhoeffer Moment?

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 14:38:00 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by my partner in The Rise of Bonhoeffer, Dr. Jeffrey Pugh, for a profound conversation with theologian, ethicist, and Bonhoeffer scholar Dr. Reggie Williams. The discussion revolves around Dietrich Bonhoeffer's provocative ethical challenge, particularly drawing from his experience in Harlem. Reggie helps us explore his critique of religion, its relevance to contemporary American issues, and how his theology can inform our response to modern ethical challenges. The conversation also touches on the influence of the Black church tradition, global liberation theology, and practical ways to engage with current sociopolitical issues, including the situation in Palestine.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube.

Reggie Williams has just begun screening his new documentary, “The Cloud of Witnesses: Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Harlem 1930/31.” It is a powerful film that focuses on Bonhoeffer’s time in NYC, the witness of the Harlem Renaissance, and the prophetic gospel of Abyssinian Baptist Church. There is no better guide to this vital terrain than Reggie!

Reggie Williams is associate professor of Black theology at St. Louis University and author of Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus: Harlem Renaissance Theology and an Ethic of Resistance. You can check out his recent essay on the Bonhoeffer film here.

Here’s Reggie’s previous visits to the podcast:

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Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

Spend a week with Tripp & Andrew Root in Bonhoeffer’s House in Berlin this June as part of the Rise of Bonhoeffer Travel Learning Experience. INFO & DETAILS HERE

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

Andrew Root: Incarnation as Resistance

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 14:59:00 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Andrew Root to delve into the Advent sermons of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, discussing the context and impact of his work. We unpack Bonhoeffer's experiences in Barcelona, Cuba, Berlin, and London, touching on his interaction with his time's ideological and theological crises. The conversation also includes insights into Bonhoeffer’s relationships, his formative years, and the implications of his theological perspectives. Bonhoeffer’s emphasis on waiting, his critiques of ideology, and his reflections on community and personhood are given attention.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

_____________________

Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

Spend a week with Tripp & Andrew Root in Bonhoeffer’s House in Berlin this June as part of the Rise of Bonhoeffer Travel Learning Experience. INFO & DETAILS HERE

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

Travis McMaken: Karl Barth & The Incarnation

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 11:00:00 -0000

In this episode, Travis McMacken joins the fun as we explore the life and theology of Karl Barth, the original crisis theologian. In this insightful conversation, we dive into Barth's theological perspective, his reaction to World War I, and his thoughts on the incarnation and revelation. The discussion covers how Barth's theology evolved, his views on the role of the church in times of crisis, and the contemporary relevance of his ideas.

WATCH the conversation on YouTube

W. Travis McMaken, PhD, is the Butler Bible Endowed Professor of Religion and Associate Dean of Arts and Humanities at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO. He is a Ruling Elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

McMaken’s writing engages primarily with 20th century theology (esp. Protestant theology, with specialization in Karl Barth, Helmut Gollwitzer, and T. F. Torrance) while working constructively on the subjects of sacramentology, ecclesiology, and political theology.

Previous Episodes with Travis include:

_____________________

Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

Spend a week with Tripp & Andrew Root in Bonhoeffer’s House in Berlin this June as part of the Rise of Bonhoeffer Travel Learning Experience. INFO & DETAILS HERE

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

Theopoetics: What We Talk About When We Talk About God

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 14:04:00 -0000

What do we talk about when we talk about God? There are so many problems with the inherited concept, language, and vision of God, that ‘god’ might just need a time out. You would be surprised how familiar theologians are with ‘god’ problems! One cluster of constructive responses to the predicament of divine discourse is theopoetics. If you ever wondered what would happen if 600 people got to nerd out in person with a bunch of craft beverages and sat down to hear three outstanding theologians tackle this problem, then you were likely at Theology Beer Camp. There, I was joined by Catherine Keller, Kristy Whaley, and Ilia Delio to wrestle with the language we use about ‘god’ and the theopoetic turn in theology.

If you want to get info, updates, and access to pre-sale tickets for Theology Beer Camp 2025, you can sign up here.

Kristy Whaley is faculty at St. Petersburg College, where she teaches both religion and humanities. Her interdisciplinary interests are primarily centered on Christian theology and literature, but often also stray into pop culture, mainly about Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lost. Her most recent book, Wounded Images, is a work in theopoetics. She is also a podcaster and you can put her in your earbuds by checking out Theology on the Rocks.

Catherine Keller is George T. Cobb Professor of Constructive Theology in The Graduate Division of Religion of Drew University. If you are new to Catherine Keller and Process Theology this is the book to start with – On the Mystery: Discerning Divinity In Process.

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Join our class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

Spend a week with Tripp & Andrew Root in Bonhoeffer’s House in Berlin this June as part of the Rise of Bonhoeffer Travel Learning Experience. INFO & DETAILS HERE

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Simon Critchley: Mysticism & Humanity

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 10:00:00 -0000

In this episode, I got to talk with Simon Critchley about his new book Mysticism. We delve into Critchley's journey towards exploring mysticism, his reflections on modernity, and his discussions on key figures like William James, Julian of Norwich, and Meister Eckhart. We also discuss the importance of reading and understanding mystical texts, the role of prayer, and how modernity has impacted our perception of faith and spirituality. His engagement with mysticism beyond the confessional boundaries in which it so often emerges makes the topic and the book a timely reflection for our contemporary spiritual crisis.

Simon Critchley has written over twenty books, including studies of Greek tragedy, David Bowie, football, suicide, Shakespeare, how philosophers die, and a novella. He is the Hans Jonas Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York and a Director of the Onassis Foundation. As co-editor of The Stone at the New York Times, Critchley showed that philosophy plays a vital role in the public realm.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

_____________________

Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

Spend a week with Tripp & Andrew Root in Bonhoeffer’s House in Berlin this June as part of the Rise of Bonhoeffer Travel Learning Experience. INFO & DETAILS HERE

Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Eleanor McLaughlin: Bonhoeffer's Unconscious Christianity: Engaging with a World Come of Age

Thu, 28 Nov 2024 12:00:00 -0000

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Eleanor McLaughlin, author of Unconscious Christianity and Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Late Theology. We discuss Bonhoeffer's influence on modern theology, the concept of unconscious Christianity, Bonhoeffer's changing views, and the relevance of his work today. Eleanor shares her journey into Bonhoeffer studies, the challenges of interpreting his work, and her insights into his lesser-known fiction and poetry. The conversation also touches on topics like the theology of the cross, religionless Christianity, and Bonhoeffer's ethical commitments in facing the challenges of his time.

Spend a week with Tripp & Andrew Root in Bonhoeffer’s House in Berlin this June as part of the Rise of Bonhoeffer Travel Learning Experience. INFO & DETAILS HERE

Join me this DECEMBER for our open online class exploring the 'Theologians of Crisis' - Breaking into the Broken World. Join us to learn about Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Rudolph Bultmann as we explore their thoughts and timely reflections in their Advent/Christmas sermons.

Want to learn more about Bonhoeffer? Join our open online companion class, The Rise of Bonhoeffer, and get access to full interviews from the Bonhoeffer scholars, participate in deep-dive sessions with Tripp and Jeff, unpack curated readings from Bonhoeffer, send in your questions, and join the online community of fellow Bonhoeffer learners. The class is donation-based, including 0. You can get more info here.

Dr. McLaughlin is Tutor in Theology at Ripon College Cuddesdon, with a focus on doctrine and ethics. She holds theology degrees from the University of Oxford (BA and DPhil) and the University of Geneva (Maîtrise en Théologie). Her research interests include the life and thought of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, theological anthropology and disability theology. She contributed to BBC Radio 4's programme 'In Our Time' on Bonhoeffer in 2018, and is a trustee of the charity Project Bonhoeffer.

Ellie's publications include Unconscious Christianity in Bonhoeffer’s Late Theology: Encounters with the Unknown Christ. Foreword by Rowan Williams (Lexington Books/Fortress Academic, 2020), and ‘Disability, Technology, and Human Flourishing,’ in Human Flourishing in a Technological World: A Theological Vision, edited by Jens Zimmermann and Michael Burdett (Oxford University Press, forthcoming 2021).

Previously, Dr. McLaughlin worked at Cuddesdon from Sarum College, where she ran the postgraduate programmes in Theology, Imagination and Culture. She co-ordinated the MTh at the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford, and was Lecturer in Theology and Ethics at Regent's Park College. Ellie lives in Oxford with her husband Luke and her cat Bertie. She enjoys good food with friends, reading and travelling.

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

_____________________

Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

Go with me to Berlin to spend a week in Bonhoeffer's House!

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Andrew Root: Life Together in Turmoil & Bonhoeffer's Experiment in Community

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 10:05:00 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Andrew Root. We discuss Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his time in the experimental underground seminary at Finkenwalde. This community became a site for him to enact his broader theological and ethical intuitions in community. We unpack the significance of Bonhoeffer's relational theology, the establishment of illegal seminaries, Bonhoeffer's radical commitment to living out the gospel in dire times, and his enduring legacy. The conversation also touches on Bonhoeffer’s formation of deep friendships, notably with Eberhard Bethge, and the practical implications of his ideas for contemporary theological education and church life.

Spend a week with Tripp & Andrew Root in Bonhoeffer’s House in Berlin this June as part of the Rise of Bonhoeffer Travel Learning Experience. INFO & DETAILS HERE

Dr. Root is joining me this DECEMBER for our open online class exploring the 'Theologians of Crisis' - Breaking into the Broken World. Join us to learn about Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Rudolph Bultmann as we explore their thoughts and timely reflections in their Advent/Christmas sermons.

WATCH the conversation here on YouTube

Andrew Root is the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary, USA. He writes and researches in areas of theology, ministry, culture, and younger generations. Some of his most recent books are The Congregation in a Secular Age (Baker, 2021), The End of Youth Ministry? (Baker, 2020), The Pastor in a Secular Age: Ministry to People Who No Longer Need God (Baker, 2019), Faith Formation in a Secular Age (Baker, 2017), and Exploding Stars, Dead Dinosaurs, and Zombies: Youth Ministry in the Age of Science (Fortress Press, 2018). Andy has worked in congregations, parachurch ministries, and social service programs. He lives in St. Paul with his wife Kara, two children, Owen and Maisy, and their dog. When not reading, writing, or teaching, Andy spends far too much time watching TV and movies.

Previous Visits with Andy Root

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Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

Go with me to Berlin to spend a week in Bonhoeffer's House!

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Joshua Mauldin: Barth, Bonhoeffer, and Crisis of Modernity

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 14:39:00 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by theologian, ethicist, and Associate Director of the Center of Theological Inquiry at Princeton, Dr. Joshua Mauldin. We delve into Joshua's recent work examining Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, not just as theologians but as critics of modernity. The conversation covers how these figures reflected on the crises of democracy during their time, the rise of Nazism, and World War II, while drawing parallels to today's societal challenges. We also explore the nuances of political and ethical thought in a modern context, stressing the importance of tolerance and critical reflective engagement. This is an insightful episode for theology nerds and those interested in modern political and ethical thought.

Dr. Mauldin is the author of Barth, Bonhoeffer, and Modern Politics, also available in audio at a significantly cheaper price. For more audio fun with Johsua, check out the Theology Matters podcast from the Center of Theological Inquiry.

You can WATCH this conversation on YouTube here

_____________________

Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

Go with me to Berlin to spend a week in Bonhoeffer's House!

Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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The Interlocking Crises of Religion & Democracy: Garry Dorrien, Diana Butler Bass, & Robert C. Jones

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0000

In this episode, we bring you a deep and reflective conversation from Theology Beer Camp focusing on the interlocking crises of democracy and religion in America. The panel took place on the Theology Nerd stage and was moderated by previous podcast guest, Aaron Stauffer from Wendland-Cook Program in Religion & Justice at Vanderbilt University and features esteemed scholars Robert C. Jones, Diana Butler Bass, and Gary Dorrien. They explore various dimensions of liberal democracy, social democracy, and the historical and present impacts of religion and race on American politics. The discussion delves into personal histories, the influence of the black social gospel, and practical steps for communities and churches to combat current socio-political challenges, particularly emphasizing community organizing and educational initiatives.

If you want to get info, updates, and access to pre-sale tickets for Theology Beer Camp 2025 you can signup here.

For information on Wendland-Cook's Solidarity Circles, a program to build virtual peer-networks for faith leaders, organizers, clergy, and members of the community to build grassroots solidarity, head over here.

Previous Podcast Conversations

Theology for Action with Aaron Stauffer
Theological Ethics & Liberal Protestantism with Gary Dorrien
James Cone and the Emergence of Black Theology with Garry Dorrien
Truth & Kindness in the Public Square with Diana Butler Bass (a bunch more are linked there)

Aaron Stauffer is the Director of Online Learning and Associate Director of the Wendland-Cook Program at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. He earned his PhD in social ethics at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York and has organized with the Industrial Areas Foundation in San Antonio, Texas and Religions for Peace. His work has appeared in Tikkun, Sojourners, The Other Journal, Political Theology, and CrossCurrents, as well as other scholarly and popular publications.

Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D., is an award-winning author, popular speaker, inspiring preacher, and one of America’s most trusted commentators on religion and contemporary spirituality.

Gary Dorrien is Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary and Professor of Religion at Columbia University. He is also the author of Anglican Identities: Logos Idealism, Imperial Whiteness, Commonweal Ecumenism, Social Ethics in the Making: Interpreting an American Tradition, American Democratic Socialism and In a Post-Hegelian Spirit: Philosophical Theology as Idealistic Discontent. You won’t want to miss his upcoming theological memoir Over from Union Road My Christian-Left-Intellectual Life.

Robert P. Jones. Is the president and founder of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and the author of three books best-selling books, The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future , White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity, The End of White Christian America .

_____________________

Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

Go with me to Berlin to spend a week in Bonhoeffer's House!

Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Todd Komarnicki: Director of the Bonhoeffer Film

Thu, 14 Nov 2024 11:00:00 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by writer and director Todd Komarnicki to discuss his upcoming movie, Bonhoeffer. Komarnicki discusses the grueling yet rewarding process of adapting the complicated and meaningful life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer to the big screen. We delve into Todd's relationship with Bonhoeffer and how Dietrich's story, faith, and historical context create unique cinematic challenges when telling his story in film. In the conversation, Todd addresses the controversy surrounding the film and the legacy of Bonhoeffer, rejecting Metaxas' influence and insisting that Bonhoeffer's witness serves as a challenge to Christian nationalism then and now. Komarnicki shares his thoughts on the importance of integrity, his creative process, and the deeply personal connections that bring the film to life. I was proud I managed to get through the entire conversation without asking about the four main food groups at the North Pole:)

WATCH the conversation here on YouTube

Todd Komarnicki is a prolific writer and producer of film and television as well as an acclaimed novelist. He is the writer and director of the new film Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin. Komarnicki's screenplays include Sully directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks, which opened at #1 in the box office to rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. He was also the producer of one of the most EPIC Christmas films, Elf starring Will Ferrell!

The film opens nationwide on November 22nd, and you can find tickets in your area here.

For those interested in the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, I would love for you to check out our audio documentary on Bonhoeffer and his resistance to Nazi Germany. Over 8 episodes, it walks through Bonhoeffer's life and legacy with the wisdom of Bonhoeffer scholars across the globe. I created it with Dr. Jeffrey Pugh to introduce the historical Bonhoeffer to a broad audience, hoping to address some of the myths and misuses of his legacy rampant in popular culture. Suppose you want to go deeper into Bonhoeffer's theology. In that case, you can join the documentary's companion class, The Rise of Bonhoeffer, to get access to extended interviews with renowned Bonhoeffer scholars, regular livestream QnA sessions, selected readings from Bonhoeffer, and an online community of fellow Bonhoeffer learners. The class is donation-based, including 0, so join the online community and learn at your own pace.

Want to read some Bonhoeffer? We are giving away The Complete Works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (16 vols)!! You can enter the giveaway and score extra entries by sharing it with friends.

Want to learn about Bonhoeffer in Bonhoeffer's own house? Spend a week with me & Dr. Andrew Root in Bonhoeffer's House in Berlin this June as part of the Rise of Bonhoeffer Travel Learning Experience. INFO & DETAILS HERE

_____________________

Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our upcoming class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

Go with me to Berlin to spend a week in Bonhoeffer's House!

Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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A Philosopher & Ethicist Process This Election

Fri, 08 Nov 2024 20:19:00 -0000

Philosopher Dr. Aaron Simmons & ethicist Dr. Kevin Carnahan join me for a powerful and enlightening conversation. These two friends and scholars attempt to process the recent election results through the lens of philosophy, theology, and ethics. Addressing complex societal anxieties, they helped me delve into themes of burnout, cross-tribal dialogue, the reality of human suffering, and the necessity of compassion. Despite the challenging topics, the conversation maintains a hopeful tone, encouraging listeners to lead with empathy and resilience during turbulent times.

You can WATCH this conversation on YouTube here.

Dr. Simmons is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Furman University. You can follow his Substack 'Philosophy in the Wild.'

Dr. Carnahan is Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Central Methodist University, former editor of the Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics, and president of The Niebuhr Society. You can follow him on Tic-Tok.

Previous Related Episodes with Kevin and Aaron

_____________________

Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our upcoming class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

Go with me to Berlin to spend a week in Bonhoeffer's House!

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David Congdon: Who Is a True Christian?: Contesting Religious Identity in American Culture

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 17:44:35 -0000

In this thought-provoking episode, I am joined by Dr. David Congdon to discuss his new book tackling the complex question of what defines a true Christian. The conversation delves into the historical and theological nuances of defining Christianity through various lenses such as doctrine, culture, and politics. Congdon critiques modern and orthodox notions of Christianity while proposing a new framework he calls 'polydoxy', informed by intellectual autonomy and religious self-determination. The discussion also explores how traditional ideas about orthodoxy and heterodoxy might evolve in a contemporary context, offering a fresh perspective on the ever-relevant debate about religious identity and authority.

WATCH the conversation here on YouTube

In this episode, we discuss his new book Who Is a True Christian?: Contesting Religious Identity in American Culture. It is an intellectual history of the modern quest to define the “essence of Christianity,” a quest that both liberals and conservative traditionalists have participated in—the former wittingly and reflectively, and the latter often unwittingly and unreflectively. The book examines three versions of the conservative quest for the essence that have profoundly shaped contemporary American Christianity: the doctrinal quest for “historic Christianity,” the cultural quest for the Christian worldview, and the political quest for a global, persecuted, cisheteronormative identity. Having traced these developments historically, he argues that the root of the problem is the concept of orthodoxy itself, and suggests the transgressive concept of polydoxy as a constructive way forward for Christianity in a pluralistic society.

Previous Podcast Episodes with David

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Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our upcoming class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

Go with me to Berlin to spend a week in Bonhoeffer's House!

Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Paul Capetz: Protestantism’s Radical Insight from Luther to Bultmann

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 12:54:00 -0000

In this episode, Tripp sits down with returning guest Paul Capetz, a historical theologian and Methodist minister, to discuss his new compelling book on the Reformation's relationship to scripture. They delve into the evolution and the different trajectories of scriptural interpretation from Martin Luther and John Calvin, through modern theologians like Karl Barth and Rudolf Bultmann. Capetz shares personal anecdotes about his journey in the church and discusses the critical need for Protestantism to reorient itself around the gospel, while making space for modern questions and criticisms. This conversation navigates through historical theology, scripture's authority, and the vital challenge of reclaiming an authentically Protestant understanding of faith in today's context.

WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Previous Episodes w/ Paul Capetz

01:19 Discussing the New Book

03:26 Personal Journey and Early Influences

06:40 Challenges with Biblical Interpretation

19:44 Luther vs. Calvin on Scripture

29:21 Modern Protestantism and Its Contradictions

37:29 Historical Critical Methods and Modernity

39:05 Liberal Protestantism and the Reformation Heritage

40:18 Barth and Bultmann: Diverging Paths

47:24 Existential Interpretation and Demythologizing

51:27 Modernity, Faith, and the Existential Question

58:44 Challenges of Contemporary Christianity

01:04:38 The Future of Liberal Protestantism

01:15:47 Concluding Thoughts and Reflections

_____________________

Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our upcoming class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

Go with me to Berlin to spend a week in Bonhoeffer's House!

Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Gustavo Gutiérrez Remembered

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 13:55:24 -0000

So many of us have been challenged and shaped by the witness and work of Gustavo Gutiérrez, the Father of Liberation Theology. Few theologians have shaped theology in the 20th century and beyond as much as Gutiérrez, so I asked my friend Dr. Joerg Rieger to join me in reflecting on his life. Joerg is not just a fellow scholar of liberation but was blessed to work and interact with Gustavo personally. In our conversation, we introduce some of his most important theological contributions and let Joerg share some stories to give us a window into his powerful personality.

Learn more about Solidarity Circles here.

You can WATCH the video on YouTube

Joerg Rieger is Distinguished Professor of Theology and the Cal Turner Chancellor’s Chair of Wesleyan Studies. He is also the founding director of the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice. For more than two decades, he has worked to bring together theology and the struggles for justice and liberation that mark our age. His work addresses the relation of theology and public life, reflecting on the misuse of power in religion, politics, and economics. His main interest is in developments and movements that bring about change and in the positive contributions of religion and theology. His constructive work in theology draws on a wide range of historical and contemporary traditions, with a concern for manifestations of the divine in the pressures of everyday life.

Previous Podcasts with Joerg

_____________________

Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our upcoming class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

Go with me to Berlin to spend a week in Bonhoeffer's House!

Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Kester Brewin: Artificial Intelligence Wrap Up

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 13:39:33 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by Kester Brewin, my partner, for the first Process This series on Artificial Intelligence. Here we wrap-up our series of interviews as we delve into the multifaceted impact of artificial intelligence on theology, ethics, law, and society. Reflecting on our conversations with interdisciplinary experts, we focus on the philosophical and ethical implications of AI, from Taylor Swift's stance on AI misuse to the potential dangers of deep fake technology on social media platforms. Topics include AI's challenges to human individuality, freedom, and personhood, illustrated by references to TikTok, historical events, and Weber's theory of disenchantment. The episode explores the balancing act between technological advancements and ethical considerations, highlighting both optimistic and pessimistic views on AI's role in problem-solving and its societal impact. Through examples from Tolkien, transhumanism, and educational practices, the discussion underscores the need for responsible regulation and the importance of community in navigating modern capitalism's whirlpool, ultimately pondering the true cost of technological progress on human dignity and autonomy.

Kester joined me, and the members of the Process This community as we recorded it live. If you want to hear the entire conversation, be invited to join future Process This live streams, and get an ad-free version of all the Homebrewed Christianity podcast episodes, then come join the community for as little as $6.70 per month.

Kester Brewin is an author, speaker, 25-year veteran of the classroom, and now Head of Communications at the Institute for the Future of Work, a research charity exploring how AI impacts the UK labour market. His most recent book, God-Like: a 500-year History of AI, is not only a powerful telling of humanity’s ongoing relationship with technology and a reflection on the current questions surrounding AI, but it is also a powerful and compelling work of radical theology.

Previous Episodes with Kester

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Join our upcoming class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

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Logan Isaac: Finding Community for Veterans

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 13:17:34 -0000

On this episode, I am joined by Logan Isaac, a veteran, theologian, and ethicist, to discuss the intricate relationship between the church and veterans. This conversation delves into the trauma and moral harm veterans bring into faith communities, the stereotypes faced by soldiers, and the responsibility of the church in addressing these issues. Logan shares his personal journey from artilleryman to conscientious objector, offering deep insights into the ethical complexities, the role of humility, and the importance of creating inclusive spaces for veterans. Explore the narrative of spiritual and political empowerment, the impact of stereotypes, and the historical context of veterans' involvement in social movements. Don't miss this enriching dialogue, which also highlights some upcoming opportunities to connect at Theology Beer Camp aimed at fostering support and understanding for veterans and their families.

Logan Issac served six years in the Army as a forward observer assigned to the 82nd Airborne and 25th Infantry (Light) divisions. After a deployment to Iraq, he sought to lay down my weapons as a noncombatant but was discharged instead. Then he earned degrees in theology at Duke University (MTS, 2013) and the University of St Andrews (M.Litt, 2015). He is an author and editor with over 20 publications, including Reborn on the Fourth of July, awarded a Publishers Weekly Starred Review, and “Ponder Christian Soldiers,” named the Best Article Series of 2016 by the Evangelical Press Association.

_____________________

Join my Substack - Process This!

Join our upcoming class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

Come to THEOLOGY BEER CAMP.

Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Nazi Idolatry & the German Church Struggle

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 15:45:12 -0000

This episode of The Rise of Bonhoeffer explores Dietrich Bonhoeffer's experiences after returning to Germany. Transformed by his time in New York City, he visits the theologian who first awakened the conscience of the German church to the rising totalitarian idolatry - Karl Barth. The episode tracks his burgeoning role in the German church struggle from his initial involvement in the ecumenical movement, his time as a youth minister to the working class of Berlin, and his entrance into the academic classroom. After Hitler is sworn in as Chancellor and the rapid Nazification of Germany begins, Bonhoeffer comes to see the deep discipleship needed to resist the spreading German Christian Faith Movement. As Germany falls deeper into chaos, Bonhoeffer navigates the shifting political landscape, establishing international connections that later prove crucial during his resistance against the Nazi regime.

Follow the Rise of Bonhoeffer podcast here.

Spend a week with Tripp & Andrew Root in Bonhoeffer's House in Berlin this June as part of the Rise of Bonhoeffer Travel Learning Experience. INFO & DETAILS HERE

Featured Scholars in the Episode include:

Victoria J. Barnett served from 2004-2014 as one of the general editors of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, the English translation series of Bonhoeffer's complete works. She has lectured and written extensively about the Holocaust, particularly about the role of the German churches. In 2004 she began directing the Programs on Ethics, Religion, and the Holocaust at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum until her retirement.

Andrew Root is Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is the author of more than twenty books, including Bonhoeffer as Youth Worker: A Theological Vision for Discipleship and Life Together, Faith Formation in a Secular Age, The Pastor in a Secular Age, The Congregation in a Secular Age, Churches and the Crisis of Decline, The Church after Innovation, and The End of Youth Ministry? He is a frequent speaker and hosts the popular and influential When Church Stops Working podcast.

W. Travis McMaken, PhD, is the Butler Bible Endowed Professor of Religion and Associate Dean of Arts and Humanities at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO. He is a Ruling Elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). McMaken’s writing engages primarily with 20th century theology (esp. Protestant theology, with specialization in Karl Barth, Helmut Gollwitzer, and T. F. Torrance) while working constructively on the subjects of sacramentology, ecclesiology, and political theology. Check out his recently edited book Karl Barth: Spiritual Writings.

This podcast is a Homebrewed Christianity production. Follow the Homebrewed Christianity and Theology Nerd Throwdown podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 70,000 other people by joining our Substack - Process This! Get instant access to over 45 classes at www.TheologyClass.com

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Rachel Adams: AI in Relationship to Humanity

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 16:07:16 -0000

I am thrilled about this episode in the ongoing Process This series on Artificial Intelligence. In this episode, my series co-host and author of God-Like: A 500-Year History of Artificial Intelligence in Myths, Machines, Monsters, Kester Brewin, is joined by Rachel Adams, the founder and CEO of the Global Center on AI Governance. They discuss her work in AI governance, particularly concerning Africa and the global south. Adams explains the need for AI policies that consider justice, sustainability, and cultural relevance, and highlights AI's unique challenges and opportunities on the African continent. She discusses the African Union's continental strategy on AI, disparities in technological advancement, and the risks AI poses to global inequality. The conversation also touches on the ethical considerations and potential geopolitical impacts of AI, as well as Adams' upcoming book titled 'The New Empire of AI: The Future of Global Inequality.

Watch the conversation on YouTube

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Bonhoeffer in America: the Call Beyond Nationalism

Sat, 05 Oct 2024 20:02:22 -0000

In this episode of The Rise of Bonhoeffer, we journey with Dietrich to New York City for a year as a Postdoctoral post at Union Theological Seminary. This school year in New York radically changed him, but the spark that lit his theological imagination was outside the classroom. When he arrived in NYC, he brought an overtly intellectual faith he had used to justify a nationalist and militaristic faith. Through his encounter with the Harlem Renaissance, Abyssinian Baptist Church, and a road trip through the South, along with power friendships with people like Frank Fisher and Jean Lasserre, his vision of just what a disciple was called to be was transformed. This German who came contemplating the possibility of killing for blood and soil came to see himself anew as a disciple of Jesus. Jesus called his followers to bear a cross and not build one, to love their enemies and not kill them, and to practice solidarity with the suffering and exploited and not race, creed, or nation. Bonhoeffer came to discover that Jesus can always be found in the face of the Other. Without his time in New York and these transformative experiences, we would never have the Bonhoeffer so many admire.

Follow the Rise of Bonhoeffer podcast here.

Featured Scholars in the Episode include:

Reggie L. Williams is an Associate Professor of Theological Studies at St. Louis University. He is the author of “Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus: Harlem Renaissance Theology and an Ethic of Resistance,” which was selected as a Choice Outstanding Title in 2015 in the field of religion. The book focuses on Bonhoeffer’s exposure to Harlem Renaissance intellectuals and worship at Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist during his time at Union Seminary in New York from 1930 to 1931.

Lori Brandt Hale, trained in philosophical theology and philosophy of religion, specializes in the life and legacy of German theologian and Nazi resister Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and currently serves as the president of the International Bonhoeffer Society – English Language. She is the co-editor of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theology, and Political Resistance. She is also the co-author of Bonhoeffer for Armchair Theologians.

Stephen Haynes is the Albert Bruce Curry Professor of Religious Studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee and Theologian-in-Residence at Idlewild Presbyterian Church. He is a Dietrich Bonhoeffer scholar and author or editor of over 14 books including The Bonhoeffer Phenomenon, The Bonhoeffer Legacy, and The Battle for Bonhoeffer: Debating Discipleship in the Age of Trump. In this book, Haynes examines “populist” readings of Bonhoeffer, including court evangelical Eric Metaxas’s book Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy.

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Hartmut Rosa: Being at Home in the World

Sat, 28 Sep 2024 10:00:00 -0000

I am thrilled to share my conversation with the renowned sociologist Hartmut Rosa. It was a unique and thought-provoking dialogue delving into the intricacies of modernity, control, and resonance. Rosa touches on various elements, from the role of resonance in a fulfilling life to the necessity of a common good in society, providing an insightful exploration into contemporary socio-political and spiritual issues.

This conversation took place at Princeton Theological Seminary as part of The Church, The Pastor, And Resonance In An Accelerated Age event. The team at The Center for Barth Studies did a fantastic job hosting the event, I am grateful for all the energy they put into it.

Hartmut Rosa is professor of sociology at the Institute of Sociology at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena and director of the Max Weber Center for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies at the University of Erfurt, Germany. He has worked with the New School for Social Research in New York and the universities of Augsburg, Duisburg-Essen and Manheim, among others. Often considered a leading representative of the new critical theory, his research interests include the sociology of time and identity formation. Notable among his publications are Social Acceleration, The Uncontrollability of the World , Resonance: A Sociology of Our Relationship to the World, and his newest book, Democracy Needs Religion.

If you want to get an introduction to Rosa’s main concepts and how they inspired the gathering at Princeton, you can listen to Andrew Root talk to me here. If you are interested in a deep dive into the work of Hartmut Rosa and Charles Taylor, then check out my class with Dr. Root - Religion & the Spiritual Crisis.

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Ilia Delio: Thinking Theologically about AI with Teilhard de Chardin

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 12:35:00 -0000

In this episode, Ilia Delio returns to discuss Teilhard de Chardin's philosophy and its relevance to current technological advancements, specifically artificial intelligence. We explore Teilhard's integration of science, religion, and evolution, highlighting his concept of 'withinness' and 'withoutness' and his vision of a future marked by greater complexity and consciousness. The discussion delves into Teilhard's anticipation of technology's role in human evolution, the need for a cosmic perspective in understanding AI, and the potential for technology to enhance human love and compassion. The conversation also touches on Teilhard's notion of the 'noosphere,' the mystical elements of human existence, and the imperative to envision and co-create a future that fosters planetary unity and the greater good.

Ilia currently holds the Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology at Villanova University and is the author of twenty books, including Care for Creation (coauthored with Keith Warner and Pamela Woods) which won two Catholic Press Book Awards in 2009, first place for social concerns and second place in spirituality. Her book The Emergent Christ won a third-place Catholic Press Book Award in 2011 for the area of Science and Religion. Her recent books include The Unbearable Wholeness of Being: God, Evolution and the Power of Love (Orbis, 2013), which received the 2014 Silver Nautilus Book Award and a third-place Catholic Press Association Award for Faith and Science. Ilia holds two honorary doctorates, one from St. Francis University in 2015 and one from Sacred Heart University in 2020.

WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Previous Episodes with Ilia Delio

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Searching for Bonhoeffer: The Journey from Myth to Man

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 12:25:17 -0000

Join Dr. Jeffrey Pugh & Dr. Tripp Fuller as they delve into the complex life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The story flashes forward to a powerful juxtaposition: on February 1, 1933, two days after Hitler became Chancellor, both men addressed Germany. Hitler promised to restore national pride, while Bonhoeffer warned against creating an idol out of a leader. How did Bonhoeffer come to see the Nazi threat while so many others didn't? This episode begins the story by turning to his early life, his burgeoning critiques of National Socialism, and how his family, education, and travels deeply influenced his evolving theology. Discover how Bonhoeffer's early liberal theological perspectives, grappling with German nationalism, eventually led him to challenge authoritarianism and develop a profound ethical and theological stance against the Nazi regime.

Follow the Rise of Bonhoeffer podcast here.

Featured Scholars in the Episode include:

Andrew Root is Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is the author of more than twenty books, including Bonhoeffer as Youth Worker: A Theological Vision for Discipleship and Life Together, Faith Formation in a Secular Age, The Pastor in a Secular Age, The Congregation in a Secular Age, Churches and the Crisis of Decline, The Church after Innovation, and The End of Youth Ministry? He is a frequent speaker and hosts the popular and influential When Church Stops Working podcast.

Robert Vosloo is professor in Systematic theology at the Faculty of Theology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa, and a senior researcher at the Beyers Naudé Center for Public Theology at the same institution. His most recent book is entitled Reforming Memory: Essays on South African Church and Theological History.

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Brent Waters: Return to Humanity & Ethical AI

Fri, 13 Sep 2024 12:00:00 -0000

Dr. Brent Waters returns to the podcast to examine the profound ethical questions arising from technological advancements and their intersection with theology. The conversation explores humanity's complex relationship with artificial intelligence and the ethical ramifications of medical technology, birth control, and genetic engineering. They delve into the significance of embodiment, the potential erosion of community, and the impact of COVID-19 on social trust and healthcare. By examining ultimate ethical questions and leveraging theological frameworks, the discussion offers insights into navigating the ethical landscape of a rapidly evolving technological world.

Brent Waters is the Emeritus Jerre and Mary Joy Professor of Christian Social Ethics, and Emeritus Director of the Jerre L. and Mary Joy Stead Center for Ethics and Values at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. He is the author of The Family in Christian Social and Political Thought, From Human to Posthuman: Christian Theology and Technology in a Postmodern World, Reproductive Technology: Towards a Theology of Procreative Stewardship, Dying and Death: A Resource for Christian Reflection, and Pastoral Genetics: Theology and Care at the Beginning of Life (with co-author Ronald Cole-Turner), and editor of God and the Embryo: Religious Voices on Stem Cells and Cloning (with co-editor Ronald Cole-Turner). SEE BOOKS HERE.

You can WATCH this conversation on YouTube

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Will the Real Bonhoeffer Please Stand Up?

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 16:51:00 -0000

In this episode, Tripp is joined by Dr. Jeffrey Pugh to introduce an eight-part audio documentary series on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, exploring his life, theology, and the rise of Nazi Germany. They discuss their personal journeys with Bonhoeffer, the complexity of his thought, and the historical context of his resistance to Hitler. They also highlight the accompanying class at www.RiseOfBonhoeffer.com, featuring interviews with Bonhoeffer scholars, live streams, and in-depth discussions to provide a nuanced picture of Bonhoeffer beyond the idealized hero. Engage with this comprehensive exploration of faith, resistance, and history, and understand the ongoing relevance of Bonhoeffer's legacy.

You can WATCH this conversation on YouTube

Join our upcoming class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

JOIN ME at PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY for an EVENT + LIVE PODCAST

The Church, The Pastor, And Resonance In An Accelerated Age

Theological Conversations With Hartmut Rosa

September 23–24, 2024 · Hybrid Conference · Stuart Hall, Princeton Theological Seminary

In a partnership between Luther Seminary and the Aberdeen Centre for Protestant Theology at the University of Aberdeen, the Center for Barth Studies at Princeton Theological Seminary would like to invite you to a conference honoring the work of eminent philosopher Hartmut Rosa in the fall of 2024 at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey. Over the course of three days, noted theologians and scholars will engage Rosa’s work on the topics of acceleration and resonance in the modern world. A range of leading scholars in the fields of practical and systematic theology will speak at the conference such as Andrew Root, Mirsolav Volf, and Philip Ziegler. The format will be a hybrid event so that participants can attend either in-person or virtually, which will allow for greater international attendance and participation.

The Princeton Theological Seminary LIVE PODCAST will take place in Mackay dining hall @8pm on Monday, September 23rd.

Previous Episodes with Dr. Pugh

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Samuel Davidson: Deep Ecology Meets Deep Ecclesiology

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 16:47:00 -0000

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Samuel Davidson to explore an ecological vision for the church through the integration of deep ecology and deep ecclesiology. The discussion highlights Davidson's work on constructing an ecological theology that aligns Christian orthodoxy with modern environmental insights, aiming to evolve a theological understanding of the church in light of ecological interconnectedness. The conversation covers practical steps for congregations to engage in ecological renewal, including sustainable gardening practices such as planting native grasses to support local ecosystems. Additionally, Davidson introduces a seminar series on eco-theology, featuring readings, lectures, and discussions designed to foster community and communicate ecological responsibility.

WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Samuel Davidson (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary) is the Postdoctoral Fellow for Digital Learning and Continuing Education at PTS. He is a systematic and constructive theologian whose eclectic interests come together especially through theological engagements with ecology and psychology. He has taught master’s level courses at PTS as well as Truett Seminary at Baylor University, and he is passionate about training church leaders to think deeply and critically about the content of faith and the vocation of the church. He currently lives in Waco, TX with his wife and two small children, and is attempting to turn their small city lot into an experiment in urban agriculture and regenerative land use.

This episode is sponsored by Princeton Theology Seminary’s Online & Digital Learning Platform

JOIN THE CLASS - Christ, Creation, and the Church: Explorations in Ecotheology: Humanity’s Relationship to Other-than-Human Creatures

CLASS DESCRIPTION: Dive into ecotheology with this seminar that bridges Christology, creation, and ecclesiology through the lens of today’s ecological crises. Explore how human nature and the Christian understanding of God’s incarnation intersect with contemporary science and the church’s mission. Engage with leading ecotheological thinkers and reflect on the church’s role in a world facing ecological challenges. Readings will be drawn from prominent voices in contemporary ecotheology, and attention will be given to the relationship between ecological science and Christian orthodoxy. For More Info Head Over Here.

JOIN ME at PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY for an EVENT + LIVE PODCAST

The Church, The Pastor, And Resonance In An Accelerated Age

Theological Conversations With Hartmut Rosa

September 23–24, 2024 · Hybrid Conference · Stuart Hall, Princeton Theological Seminary

The Princeton Theological Seminary LIVE PODCAST will take place in Mackay dining hall @8pm on Monday, September 23rd.

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Join our upcoming class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought.

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Rolf Jacobson & Tony Jones: Wild Places with Israel's God

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 13:31:06 -0000

In this live recording, Tripp, Tony, and Rolf discuss Tony's book 'God of Wild Places' and its themes of encountering the sacred in nature and embracing risk and failure. They explore the significance of place in the Hebrew scriptures and the role of meat in religious rituals. The conversation touches on the importance of wilderness experiences and the connection between spirituality and mortality. They also discuss the dietary laws in early Christianity and the tension between organized religion and the wild, messy aspects of spirituality.

Highlights:

00:00 Intro to Tony's Backyard

04:43 Exploring 'God of Wild Places' and Themes of Encounter

10:31 The Significance of Place in the Hebrew Scriptures

19:50 Embracing Risk and the Role of Meat in Religious Rituals

29:30 The Dietary Laws and the Identity of Early Christianity

35:56 The Spiritual Practice of Hunting and Butchering Animals

41:44 Wilderness Experiences and the Connection to the Divine

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Sir Christopher Pissarides: AI & Change in the Labour Market

Thu, 29 Aug 2024 12:23:12 -0000

I am thrilled about this episode in the ongoing Process This series on Artificial Intelligence. In this episode, my series co-host and author of God-Like: A 500-Year History of Artificial Intelligence in Myths, Machines, Monsters, Kester Brewin, is joined by Nobel Prize-winning economist Professor Sir Christopher Pissarides. Reflecting on his career and insights, Pissarides discusses the historical and future impacts of technological changes on labor markets. He offers an optimistic yet cautious view on AI, emphasizing the importance of communication, strategic regulation, and the complementary use of AI to enhance human work. The conversation also explores the role of stakeholder economies, the need for better communication of economic impacts, and strategies for mitigating potential disruptions caused by AI. Pissarides concludes with thoughts on the necessity of collaboration among government, employers, and technologists to navigate the future of work effectively.

WATCH the conversation on YouTube

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Andrew Root on Hartmut Rosa: Resonance In An Accelerated Age

Mon, 26 Aug 2024 15:34:07 -0000

Andrew Root returns to the podcast for a fascinating conversation about the work of German sociologist Hartmut Rosa. We explore Rosa's insights on the acceleration of modern life and how it shapes our world, creating challenges and opportunities for faith leaders. The discussion investigates Rosa's concept of "resonance," a vital counterpoint to the relentless pace of modernity, offering a deeper understanding of how faith can foster meaningful connections in an increasingly fast-paced society. If you enjoy this conversation, you should join us with Hartmut Rosa, in-person or online, for the upcoming event, The Church, The Pastor, And Resonance In An Accelerated Age. It will surely be an essential gathering for anyone interested in the intersection of modernity, sociology, and spirituality.

The event will take place at Princeton Theological Seminary and include a host of spectacular theologians in conversation with Hartmut Rosa, including previous podcast guests John Swinton, Miroslav Volf, and Gerardo Marti. On Monday night, there will also be a live podcast! If you can’t join in person, you can grab a digital ticket for just $7.50! This includes both access to the event live and the recorded archive :)

WATCH the conversation on YouTube

The Church, The Pastor, And Resonance In An Accelerated Age

Theological Conversations With Hartmut Rosa

September 23–24, 2024 · Hybrid Conference · Stuart Hall, Princeton Theological Seminary

In a partnership between Luther Seminary and the Aberdeen Centre for Protestant Theology at the University of Aberdeen, the Center for Barth Studies at Princeton Theological Seminary would like to invite you to a conference honoring the work of eminent philosopher Harmut Rosa in the fall of 2024 at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey. Over the course of three days, noted theologians and scholars will engage Rosa's work on the topics of acceleration and resonance in the modern world. A range of leading scholars in the fields of practical and systematic theology will speak at the conference such as Andrew Root, Mirsolav Volf, and Philip Ziegler. The format will be a hybrid event so that participants can attend either in-person or virtually, which will allow for greater international attendance and participation.

If you want to read Rosa for the first time, check out The Uncontrolability of the World. If you are interested in his recent book that looks specifically at religion, go to Democracy Needs Religion.

Andrew Root is the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary, USA. He writes and researches in areas of theology, ministry, culture, and younger generations. Some of his most recent books are The Congregation in a Secular Age (Baker, 2021), The End of Youth Ministry? (Baker, 2020), The Pastor in a Secular Age: Ministry to People Who No Longer Need God (Baker, 2019), Faith Formation in a Secular Age (Baker, 2017), and Exploding Stars, Dead Dinosaurs, and Zombies: Youth Ministry in the Age of Science (Fortress Press, 2018). Andy has worked in congregations, parachurch ministries, and social service programs. He lives in St. Paul with his wife Kara, two children, Owen and Maisy, and their dog. When not reading, writing, or teaching, Andy spends far too much time watching TV and movies.

Previous Visits with Andy Root

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Diana Butler Bass: Truth & Kindness in the Public Square

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 20:20:55 -0000

In this episode of Ruining Dinner, Diana and Tripp discuss the rising influence of Christian nationalism, highlighting an interview with Pastor Joel Webbon, who advocates for a return to patriarchy and speaks against democracy. The conversation then expands to the cultural antagonism present in America and the importance of truth, kindness, and listening in political discourse. The conversation then reflects on the role of democracy in managing differences and the theological and ethical implications of truth and kindness in fostering a more inclusive and understanding society.

Come hang out with us at Theology Beer Camp, Oct. 17-19 in Denver. Use the code HOBBITCOTTAGE for a 50-buck discount :)

If you want to join our regular online hangouts, go to Diana's substack community, the Cottage, or the Homebrewed Community.

Previous Episodes with Diana & Tripp

This Episode is Sponsored by Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

This episode is sponsored by Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. The assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump underscores the ever-present threat of political violence in the United States. In such a time as this, the Christian work of peacemaking in our communities is essential.

So, what are we to do? The ways of the world are violence, retribution, dehumanization, political and religious extremism, and living in echo chambers. Instead, we can choose to love radically and work courageously for authentic and positive peace.

Join us in person or online Sept. 22-24 at the Henderson Leadership Conference Faithful Resistance: Choosing Christ Over Empire, led by Dr. Diana Butler Bass and the Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade, for timely, inspiring lectures and workshops full of strategies for ministry and laypeople amid political and theological divisions.

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A Journey of Faith and Integrity: Tom Oord's Heresy Trial

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 18:29:36 -0000

On July 25th, Tom Oord faced a heresy trial in the Church of the Nazarene for his practice and advocacy of full LGBTQ+ inclusion in the church's life. Listen in to hear an insightful episode as Tom Oord talks about his challenges with the Church of the Nazarene and his advocacy for LGBTQ+ inclusion. Oord shares his spiritual journey, professional sacrifices, and the personal impact of his stance on queer affirmation.

WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Some Previous Tripp & Tom Pods

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Robert Wright: Evolution, Empathy, and the Future of Humanity

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 12:13:00 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by one of my favorite scholars in the public square, Robert Wright, the editor of the Nonzero Newsletter. This is a captivating discussion about artificial intelligence, consciousness, and the future of humanity. We explore Wright's extensive work, including 'Nonzero,' 'The Evolution of God,' and 'Why Buddhism is True,' while delving into the intersections of science, religion, and philosophy. Discover the implications of AI for humanity, the critical role of international cooperation in technology governance, and the moral and spiritual dimensions needed to navigate rapid technological changes. The conversation also addresses the complexities of sentience, cognitive empathy, and the evolutionary drives in AI, with insights from philosophers like Teilhard de Chardin and Alfred North Whitehead.

Robert Wright is president of The Nonzero Foundation. He is the author, most recently, of Why Buddhism Is True. His previous book, The Evolution of God (2009), was a New York Times bestseller and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His other books include The Moral Animal, Nonzero, and Three Scientists and Their Gods. He has written for Time, Slate, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The New Republic, The New York Times Magazine, Foreign Policy, and the op-ed pages of The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Financial Times. In 2009 Foreign Policy magazine named him as one of the top 100 global thinkers. He has taught courses in philosophy and religion at Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania. He is Visiting Professor of Science and Religion at Union Theological Seminary in New York, and is editor-in-chief of the websites Bloggingheads.tv and MeaningofLife.tv.

WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Previous Episodes with Robert Wright

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Sing Sing: Humanity Beyond Bars

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 04:04:00 -0000

I am so excited to share this conversation with two of the people behind the film entitled Sing, Sing. If you have seen it, you know how powerful the movie is, and if you haven’t — GO SEE IT! You will not be disappointed. (Check the trailer.)

The film is based on a true story, weaving through the lives of incarcerated men involved in a theater group. The narrative is enriched by the presence of some of the actual characters and a creative team who spent time teaching their own acting classes in prison. The film weaves themes of humanity, hope, transformation, and friendship into a narrative that challenges cultural labels associated with incarceration. The movie left a lasting impact, underscoring the power of community and the dignity inherent in every individual.

My friend and filmmaker Sarey Conception was also moved by the film and joined me to talk with the director, Greg Kwedar, and actor, Sean San Jose, for the podcast. She was moved by their intention and dedication to storytelling, which resonated deeply with her as a fellow filmmaker. It's a daunting task to create a film, especially within the complex landscape of the business side of cinema. Yet, Greg and Sean describe a unique approach to filmmaking, fostering a culture of light and storytelling in which the process of making the film matches the heart of its story.

"Sing Sing" is more than a film; it's a testament to the power of community, equality, and the human spirit. By challenging traditional narratives and fostering a genuinely supportive environment, the filmmakers have created something truly special. We both loved the film and our conversation with Sean and Greg. We hope you'll take the time to experience "Sing Sing" and appreciate the depth it brings to the discussion about art, justice, and humanity.

WATCH the conversation on YouTube.

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Gary Dorrien: Theological Ethics & Liberal Protestantism

Mon, 12 Aug 2024 15:27:00 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by Gary Dorrien, the Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary, to discuss his autobiography, notable contributions to social ethics, and the liberal theological tradition. The conversation addresses the evolution of liberal Protestantism, the intellectual and cultural challenges it faces, and the lasting impact of theologians like Schleiermacher, Bonhoeffer, and Niebuhr. Key themes include the intersection of theology and politics, the tension between tradition and modern criticism, and the importance of grounding theology within the church.

If you enjoy this conversation, come hang out with Dr. Dorrien at Theology Beer Camp in Denver this October!

Gary Dorrien is Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary and Professor of Religion at Columbia University. He is also the author of Anglican Identities: Logos Idealism, Imperial Whiteness, Commonweal Ecumenism, Social Ethics in the Making: Interpreting an American Tradition, American Democratic Socialism and In a Post-Hegelian Spirit: Philosophical Theology as Idealistic Discontent. You won’t want to miss his upcoming theological memoir Over from Union Road My Christian-Left-Intellectual Life.

WATCH the conversation here on YouTube

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Aaron Stauffer: Theology for Action

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 13:42:00 -0000

In this episode, we are joined by social ethicist Dr. Aaron Stauffer to guide us through the intersection of theology and community organizing. Aaron, a coordinator for the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion & Justice and author of Listening to the Spirit, explores the intertwining of theology, activism, and justice. Discover how faith has historically inspired activism and can energize current movements. The dialogue delves into sacred values, community organizing, and the transformation of religious and political landscapes. Topics include bipartisan politics, military spending, foreign policy, and the role of unions like the UAW. Reflect on the impact of historical social movements, the military-industrial complex, and theological perspectives on democracy and class solidarity. Learn about upcoming events like Theology Beer Camp and the concept of Solidarity Circles to build supportive networks of change-makers. This episode is a compelling blend of faith, practical efforts for social change, and community values.

Aaron Stauffer is the Director of Online Learning and Associate Director of the Wendland-Cook Program at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. He earned his PhD in social ethics at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York and has organized with the Industrial Areas Foundation in San Antonio, Texas and Religions for Peace. His work has appeared in Tikkun, Sojourners, The Other Journal, Political Theology, and CrossCurrents, as well as other scholarly and popular publications.

About Solidarity Circles

Building Solidarity by Deep Transformation

Faith leaders, clergy, & organizers today feel more isolated than ever. We are over-resourced and under-connected. We need spaces and networks to organize together.

Solidarity Circles are built to meet this need. These are virtual peer-networks for faith leaders, organizers, clergy, and members of the community who realize that the solidarity economy is essential for the flourishing of life and our faith communities. Solidarity circles are one way the Wendland-Cook Program is seeking to revitalize and build the church and Christian theology in positive ways. We believe that this work is deeply connected to the mission and vocation of Christian churches. Broadly understood, the cooperative and solidarity economy are ways of addressing longstanding economic inequalities within our society, including white supremacy and gender and sex inequities.

We're so excited about the work we can do together. INFO HERE

Watch the conversation on YouTube

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Ryan Burge: What it's like to close a Church

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 12:00:00 -0000

Dr. Ryan Burge is back to unpack closing the church he pastors and put it in the changing context of institutional religion in America. This is a candid discussion on the personal and societal impacts of church closures in America, illustrated by Ryan's own experience of closing his long-term church. The conversation explores theological diversity, the digital evolution of faith awareness, and the shifting landscape of religiosity in America. With anecdotes about conference speaking, humorous takes on 90s Christian rock, and reflections on pop culture influences like South Park, this episode is both thought-provoking and entertaining. Perfect for anyone grappling with similar challenges or curious about the state of American Christianity.

WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Previous Visits from Ryan Burge

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Rolf Jacobson: Creation & Sin

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 14:13:00 -0000

The Bible is anything but clear when it comes to God. Within the text, God is not a consistent and defined character, and after thousands of years of debate and interpretation, God is no less a mystery today. In this episode, one of my favorite Biblical scholars, Dr. Rolf Jacobson joins me to discuss the character of God in the first 11 chapters of Genesis and how the stories of Creation and the crisis of sin give a narrative account of the human predicament before a loving God.

If you enjoy the conversation, go grab the entire series now and join our upcoming live Q&A sessions where we walk through the entire Biblical story, asking the question of God. PS, it is donation-based, including 0, :)

WATCH THE CONVERSATION HERE ON YOUTUBE

Dr. Rolf A. Jacobson is the Professor of Old Testament and the Alvin N. Rogness Chair of Scripture, Theology, and Ministry at Luther Seminary.

Known for his humor and faithful biblical interpretation, Jacobson is an in-demand preacher and teacher. With Craig Koester, he developed and supports the Narrative Lectionary. He enjoys collaborating with other teachers and pastors. His collaborative projects include The Book of Psalms (NICOT; with Beth Tanner and Nancy deClaissé-Walford), Invitation to the Psalms (with Karl Jacobson), Crazy Talk: A Not-So-Stuffy Dictionary of Theological Terms (with five fellow Luther Seminary graduates), and Crazy Book: A Not-So-Stuffy Dictionary of Biblical Terms(with Hans Wiersma and Karl Jacobson). He is also the author of The Homebrewed Christianity Guide to the Old Testament: Israel’s In-Your-Face, Holy God. His scholarly interests include the Psalms, prophets, biblical theology, biblical narrative, and preaching the Old Testament.

His voice can be heard on two weekly preaching podcasts, “Sermon Brainwave” and “The Narrative Lectionary,” as well as singing the high lonesome with a Lutheran bluegrass band, “The Fleshpots of Egypt.”

A childhood cancer survivor, he is a double, above-the-knee amputee who generally wears a bicycle and a smile. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with his beloved wife Amy, their children Ingrid and Gunnar, and a cat who thinks he is a dog. He is a loyal friend, a lifelong sufferer of Minnesota sports, and a committed board-game geek

The God of the Bible (an Open Online Class)

Are you ready to unravel the enigmas of the divine? Or perhaps, just revel in the glorious complexity that is the God of the Bible? Join Dr. Rolf Jacobson and Dr. Tripp Fuller for an online class that's sarcastically (or is it?) titled, "The God of the Bible: An Absolutely Clear and Final Guide to Ultimate Mystery." Because if there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that the nature, character, and vision of the God of the Bible are anything but simple!

This class will take you on an unforgettable journey through the Biblical narrative, from Creation to Consummation. Our mission? To present the nature, character, and vision of the God of the Bible. Our method? Overcoming the hesitations of (post)modern, critical scholarship to highlight the aesthetic power of the divine as revealed in scripture.

ASYNCHRONOUS CLASS: You can participate fully without being present at any specific time. Replays are available on the Class Resource Page.

Previous Episodes with Dr. Jacobson

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John Caputo: Angels, Ghosts, & AI

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 17:32:00 -0000

I am thrilled about this episode in the ongoing Process This series on Artificial Intelligence. In this episode, my series co-host and author of God-Like: A 500-Year History of Artificial Intelligence in Myths, Machines, Monsters, Kester Brewin, is joined by philosopher John Caputo. The conversation occurred at the intersection of artificial intelligence, technology, and theology. They explore the mystical and philosophical implications of AI, reflecting on humanity's relationship with technology and the future of AI in reshaping our understanding of existence. They also touch on key figures such as Heidegger and Derrida, addressing both the potential and peril of technological advancements. Whether you're a theology nerd or a curious mind, this interdisciplinary dialogue promises an enlightening exploration into AI and the human future.

John David Caputo (born October 26, 1940) is an American philosopher who is the Thomas J. Watson Professor of Religion Emeritus at Syracuse University and the David R. Cook Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Villanova University. Caputo is a major figure associated with postmodern Christianity and continental philosophy of religion, as well as the founder of the theological movement known as weak theology. Much of Caputo’s work focuses on hermeneutics, phenomenology, deconstruction and theology.

Watch the conversation on YouTube here.

Previous Episodes with Jack

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Anne Foerst: Embodied AI & the Challenge of Personhood

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 14:17:00 -0000

In this edition of the Process This: Artificial Intelligence series we are joined by AI pioneer, computer scientist, and theologian Dr. Anne Foerst. Anne offers a deep dive into the fascinating intersection of AI and theology, urging us to consider the profound ethical, social, and theological questions as we march into an increasingly AI-driven future. As a member of MIT’s earliest explorations of embodied AI, she brings a unique perspective to a conversation increasingly shaped by the emergence of large language models of AI.

Dr. Anne Foerst is a Professor and chair of Computer Science at St. Bonaventure University. She teaches Computers and Society, Cybersecurity Ethics, and other interdisciplinary courses. She is also the director of the individualized major program at SBU. Her research focuses on the theological implications of Artificial Intelligence and the personhood of robots. Previously, she has worked as a research scientist at the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and was also affiliated with the Center for the Studies of Values in Public Life of Harvard Divinity School. While in the artificial intelligence lab at MIT, she served as theological advisor for the Cog and Kismet projects, two attempts to develop embodied, autonomous social robots that resemble human infants in their ability to learn and develop more mature intelligence levels.

Check out her book God in the Machine: What Robots teach us about God and Humanity.

Watch the conversation here on YouTube

In the conversation, we discuss...

Defining Artificial Intelligence
Anthropomorphism and AI
Personhood and Ethical Challenges
AI in Religious Contexts
Social Robots and Human Development
Ethical Implications of AI
AI and Human Evolution
The Role of Community and Ethics

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Michael Morelli: Jacques Ellul & the Technological Society

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 15:26:00 -0000

On this episode, I am joined by a leading Jacques Ellul scholar, Dr. Michael Morreli, as we unpack his reflections on technology, idolatry, modernity, and Christian Anarchism. If you enjoy the conversation, check out his book Theology, Ethics, and Technology in the Work of Jacques Ellul and Paul Virilio.

Michael Morelli is Assistant Professor of Theology & Ethics and Program Manager, Life-Long Learning at Northwest Seminary & College (a founding member of ACTS Seminaries, and affiliate of Trinity Western University). He holds a PhD in Theological Ethics from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, is the author of Theology, Ethics, and Technology in the Work of Jacques Ellul and Paul Virilio: A Nascent Theological Tradition (2021), and editor of Desert, Wilderness, Wasteland, and Word: A New Essay by Jacques Ellul and Five Critical Engagements (2023). He publishes and presents on a variety of topics within the fields of theology, morality, culture, politics, and technology. He has also worked in local church ministry and continues to serve the church in a lay capacity.

Follow Michael’s work on Twitter: @mchlmorelli

00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Dr. Morelli
04:31 Michael Morelli's Academic Journey
14:03 Jacques Ellul's Background and Influences
19:25 Understanding Technique and Its Implications
32:28 The Idol of Technology and Its Consequences
37:09 Power Dynamics and Non-Power in Modernity
46:54 The Dark Side of Innovation
47:12 War and Technology: A Chilling Connection
48:04 Propaganda and Political Power
51:29 The Seduction of Technology
54:39 The Role of Idols in Modern Society
57:42 The Ethics of War and Political Decisions
01:00:38 The Future of Technology and Society
01:14:16 Christian Anarchism and Local Governance
01:22:47 Hope and Despair in Modern Times
01:36:26 Upcoming Projects and Final Thoughts

WATCH THE CONVERSATION HERE

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Tim Clement-Jones: Living with the Algorithm - Servant or Master?

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 21:02:00 -0000

I am thrilled about this episode in the ongoing Process This series on Artificial Intelligence. In this episode, my series co-host and author of God-Like: A 500-Year History of Artificial Intelligence in Myths, Machines, Monsters, Kester Brewin, is joined by Lord Tim Clement-Jones. He is one of the leading voices in the UK House of Lords on AI regulation and online safety. He served as the Chair of the House of Lords Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence and co-founded the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Artificial Intelligence. He is the Liberal Democrat House of Lords spokesperson for Science, Innovation and Technology and is a founding member of the OECD Parliamentary Group on AI and a former Consultant to the Council of Europe’s Adhoc Committee on AI ("CAHAI").

He brings great wisdom, passion, and wit to the debates he’s participated in. His book Living with the Algorithm – Servant or Master? – is a very clear-sighted explanation of why and how AI should be regulated, and what progress is being made.

Get Tim's book here.

WATCH THE CONVERSATION HERE

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Special Announcement on the Future of Homebrewed Christianity

Thu, 04 Jul 2024 12:46:00 -0000

After 16 years of online theological exploration, Homebrewed Christianity is leveling up. I am joined by David, the HBC tech-guru David, to let you in on a few new projects we just launched and let you know a bit about what's on the horizon.

Watch the conversation on YouTube here.

Class and Bring the Ivory Tower to Your Screen! After almost 2 years of work behind the scenes, I am thrilled to announce the launch of Theology Class! Almost 10 years ago, we started doing online classes & the supporting members of the HBC community (Elders & Bishops) had access to them after they wrapped up. With 45 classes it got extremely difficult to organize them and make them easily accessible to the community. To remedy this, we dreamed up the Theology Class platform. It will make it easy for the community to see all the classes we’ve done and access them when and where they want, giving you the power to learn at your own pace and convenience. It is hard to describe how much work we put into this, but for those of you who have been supporters of HBC or joined any of the classes, thank you for making this possible!

* Get access to seminary-level classes. * Learn from top scholars. * Dive deep into what interests you. * Go at your own pace.

Process This Substack How does Process This work? Process This: The central Process This feed will feature posts, often including video and audio, of my own curated intellectual journey, touching on different intellectual interests of mine. They will tend to hover around the intersection of religion, philosophy, science, and culture since that's where my research, writing, and teaching end up.

Podcasts: There are also channels for two different podcasts. Homebrewed Christianity is the podcast I started in 2008 and features interviews with scholars across the disciplines. The goal is to bring the wisdom out of the ivory tower so more people can reflect, wrestle, and work through their questions of faith with deeper resources. The Theology Nerd Throwdown is a show I do with one of my best friends, Rev. Bo Sanders, and in it, we have fun nerdy conversations about something God-ish.
Process This Guides: As things get going, an important intention for Process This will be developing resource guides on the more engaging topics. Think of these as digital bibliographies that curate books, articles, interviews, videos, and framing questions to help the interested reader understand the conversation in the academy. A perk of having such a nerdy community will be bringing together what I have found with what y'all bring.
Process This Themes: I have conversations with scholars in different disciplines with various research interests, so we will intentionally help you connect the dots by having a series on specific themes. Each series will have a unique community member episode at the beginning and end, with opportunities to engage and contribute. At the end of a series, we hope those on the journey have a more integrated exploration than individual episodes alone can provide. Join our first conversation on Artificial Intelligence!

You can watch our film The Road to Edmond over here on YouTube

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Brian Zahnd: Evangelizing Christians Smitten with a Cruciform Poetics

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 15:08:00 -0000

Brian Zahnd returns to the podcast to discuss his fresh book The Wood Between Worlds. In the conversation, we discuss his kaleidoscopic theopoetics of the cross, the glorious metaphor of the One Ring in The Lord of the Rings, Trump’s ability to channel the speech of Mordor, and his mission to evangelize Christians smitten with empire religion. After you hear this, you will want to grab your ticket to Theology Beer Camp so you can hang out with BZ in the flesh!

Renowned for his intellectually stimulating sermons and his deep-rooted respect for the church's rich history, Brian Zahnd provides a platform for pastors to interact with leading theologians and is a sought-after conference speaker. His literary contributions, including When Everything’s on Fire, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God, A Farewell to Mars, and Beauty Will Save the World.

Check out his new book The Wood Between Worlds

If you haven’t heard Andy Serkis read The Lord of the Rings, do yourself a favor and be transformed by peak narration.

WATCH THE CONVERSATION HERE

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Noreen Herzfeld: Artificial Intelligence, God, & the Limits of Perfection

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 16:17:00 -0000

In this episode of Homebrewed Christianity's Process This series on Artificial Intelligence, Tripp is joined by Noreen Herzfeld, a professor of science and religion, about the intersections of AI, ethics, and theology. They discuss the relational aspects of human existence often overlooked by technology, the theological perspectives on embodiment and relationship in the context of AGI, and the ethical challenges AI poses in caregiving and military decisions. Additionally, the episode highlights the significant environmental costs of AI technologies, with startling statistics about server farm energy consumption, and examines the Vatican's stance on ecological issues and AI's sustainability. Religious wisdom is emphasized as crucial in navigating the ethical and ecological questions posed by AI.

Watch the conversation HERE.

Noreen L. Herzfeld is Reuter Professor of Science and Religion at St. John's University and senior research associate with ZRS Koper. A theologian and computer scientist, she is the author of several books, including The Artifice of Intelligence: Divine and Human Relationship in a Robotic Age and In Our Image: Artificial Intelligence and the Human Spirit.

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Process This: Artificial Intelligence & the Human Future w/ Kester Brewin

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 17:48:00 -0000

Step into the interactive world of the inaugural 'Process This' series, a journey into the realm of Artificial Intelligence and the human future. Kester Brewin returns to the podcast to set up a series of interviews with scholars across the disciplines, all helping us wrestle with the reality of AI and how it is reshaping humanity and our future. This episode dives into the technological, ethical, spiritual, political, and economic questions surrounding AI. Unearth the historical evolution of societal views on slavery, the implications of AI on the workforce, and the significant role of films, literature, and myths in shaping our perception of technology and social issues. Engage in lively discussions with renowned scholars and experts and contribute to the conversation through shared resources and suggestions for future topics.

To listen to the series of interviews and participate, engage, and get extra content along with a growing collection of related resources, head over to our new substack - Process This!

You can WATCH the conversation here.

Previous Episodes with Kester

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Celebrating the Life, Legacy, and Thought of Jürgen Moltmann w/ Philip Clayton

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 16:42:00 -0000

Philip Clayton was my PhD advisor and remains a mentor and friend. We scheduled a live stream session where we planned to explore contemporary options for the doctrine of God by developing a typology of live options, but when we learned of Moltmann’s passing, it seemed fitting to pivot our plan and reflect on the life, thought, and impact of Moltmann for Christian Theology

You can hear Jurgen Moltmann's visit to the podcast here.

As a scholar, Philip Clayton (Ingraham Professor, Claremont School of Theology) works at the intersection of science, philosophy, and theology. As an activist (president of EcoCiv.org, President of IPDC), he works to convene, facilitate, and catalyze multi-sectoral initiatives toward ecological civilization. As a disciple of Jesus, he finds himself energized by the Spirit in the Quaker community.

You can watch the conversation here.

Previous Podcast Convos w/ Philip Clayton

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Andrew Root: Secular Mysticism & Identity Politics

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 13:56:00 -0000

Practical Theologian and friend of the pod, Andrew Root, is back on the podcast to discuss the most contentious parts of his newest book Church in an Age of Secular Mysticisms. Our conversation delves deep into some tenuous topics: secular mysticisms, identity politics, spiritual memoirs, the politics of recognition, Rousseau's anthropology, post-COVID parties in Paris, the modern moral order, JK Rowlings, tribal politics, and the intersections of practical theology with contemporary social and cultural philosophy. So, buckle your safety belts because this will be a provocative journey.

Join us for the online Bonhoeffer Salon! You can sign up here.

You can also join us ONLINE or at Princeton Theological Seminary for The Church, The Pastor, And Resonance In An Accelerated Age Theological Conversations With Hartmut Rosa.

Get the Book here.

Andrew Root is the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary, USA. He writes and researches in areas of theology, ministry, culture, and younger generations. Some of his most recent books are The Congregation in a Secular Age (Baker, 2021), The End of Youth Ministry? (Baker, 2020), The Pastor in a Secular Age: Ministry to People Who No Longer Need God (Baker, 2019), Faith Formation in a Secular Age (Baker, 2017), and Exploding Stars, Dead Dinosaurs, and Zombies: Youth Ministry in the Age of Science (Fortress Press, 2018). Andy has worked in congregations, parachurch ministries, and social service programs. He lives in St. Paul with his wife Kara, two children, Owen and Maisy, and their dog. When not reading, writing, or teaching, Andy spends far too much time watching TV and movies.

Watch the video of the conversation here.

Previous Visits with Andy Root

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Faith in the Public Square with Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 15:10:00 -0000

Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood, authors of Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism, joined me for a live-streamed conversation where we discussed the book and a bunch of listener questions inspired by their recent lectures linked below.

Lecture One: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism Lecture Two: How Mainline Protestants Still Perpetuate Christian Nationalism

In the face of a rising threat to both church and democracy, "Baptizing America" provides an urgent examination and an enlightening critique exposing the dangerous undercurrents of Christian Nationalism. How can Mainline Protestants spot such practices in their own activities? A crucial call to reckon with influences before it's too late.

Brian Kaylor is a Baptist pastor with a Ph.D in Political Communication. He serves as President & Editor-in-Chief of Word&Way, a Christian publication founded in 1896. Beau Underwood is senior minister at Allisonville Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Indianapolis, Indiana, and a Senior Editor with Word&Way. He is also pursuing a doctorate in Public Affairs. Adriene Thorne is the senior pastor of The Riverside Church in New York City.

You can watch the conversation here

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Benjamin Chicka: Theology & Video Games

Tue, 28 May 2024 18:01:00 -0000

In this episode, Tripp is joined by Dr. Benjamin Chikca. They delve into the intriguing intersection of theology, ethics, and video games, spotlighting Chicka's book, 'Playing as Others: Theology and Ethical Responsibility in Video Games.' The discussion spans topics such as the impact of cultural and ethical narratives within indie video games, the relevance of figures like Paul Tillich and Emmanuel Levinas, and the evolving representation of diversity in gaming. In the conversation, we discuss:

Exploring the Intersection of Theology, Ethics, and Video Games
The Genesis of his book,"Playing as Others"
The Real-Life Impacts of Video Game Culture
Gamergate and its Aftermath
Embracing Culture Through Video Games
Humanizing the Other Through Video Games
Papers, Please - An Ethical Playground
The Neuroscience of Gaming and Ethical Transformation
The Power of Immersive Storytelling
Cultural Anxiety Manifested in Video Games
Real-Life Impacts and Community Building

Benjamin J. Chicka is Lecturer in Philosophy and Religious Studies at Curry College in Milton, MA. He is a philosophical theologian whose work connects classical American pragmatism, process theology, and ground-of-being theology. Such bridge-building between supposedly incompatible positions reflects his conviction that intrareligious pluralism is as important as interreligious pluralism for the future of theology.

You can WATCH this episode HERE.

You can find his BOOK HERE.

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Diana Butler Bass & Tim Whitaker: Faith in a Toxic Public Square

Sat, 25 May 2024 15:50:00 -0000

Tripp & Diana were pumped to have Tim Whitaker from The New Evangelicals join us for this edition of Ruining Dinner and our upcoming open online class - Faith and Politics for the Rest of Us. Our contemporary public square is increasingly chaotic, toxic, and repulsive. Yet, our challenges as a people, nation, and species are growing. The rise of Christian Nationalism repulses a growing number of Christians who have a hard time thinking and speaking from a more vibrant theological vision. We are bringing together several alternative theo-political visions to introduce a multiplicity of vibrant, yet neglected traditions in public theology. With the help of some of the most powerful voices in the academy, participants will be introduced to these traditions and get to put them into action as we wrestle with our present moment, discovering the potential for an alternative public Christian witness. In a time where the public square is increasingly tribal and algorithmically addicted to outrage, over-simplification, and performative politics, a tour of these rich yet neglected theological traditions can inspire and fund a more vibrant Christian voice in the public square as we seek to embody the love of neighbor to which we are called. This class is donation based (including 0), so join the fun and tell your friends:) www.FaithAndPolitics.net

Come hang out with us at Theology Beer Camp, Oct. 17-19 in Denver. Yse the code HOBBITCOTTAGE for a discount :)

If you want to join our regular online hangs, head over to Diana's substack community, the Cottage, or the Homebrewed Community.

WATCH the video of the conversation

Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D., is an award-winning author, popular speaker, inspiring preacher, and one of America’s most trusted commentators on religion and contemporary spirituality.

Previous Episodes with Diana & Tripp

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Ilia Delio: the Not-Yet-God

Tue, 21 May 2024 14:07:00 -0000

In this exhilarating discussion with Ilia Delio, we are taken on a profound journey through the intersection of theology, science, and the future of humanity in the shadow of burgeoning technological advancements. Delio, known for her insightful work on integrating science and religion, shares invigorating ideas from her latest book, "The Not Yet God," delving into how our traditional understanding of divinity must evolve in the face of our rapidly changing world.

In this conversation, we cover...

The Not Yet God: Reimagining Divinity in an Evolving Universe
Technology as the New Cosmology
The Challenge of the Global Super Organism
The Trinity and the Future of Humanity
Embrace the New, Preserve the Core
A Call to Action for the Digital Age

WATCH the VIDEO episode here

Check out her new book The Not-Yet-God here.

Ilia Delio, OSF, PhD is a Franciscan Sister of Washington, DC, and American theologian specializing in science and religion, with interests in evolution, physics, and neuroscience and the import of these for theology.

Ilia’s previous visit to the podcast:

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Tad Delay: the Future of Denial

Wed, 15 May 2024 02:05:00 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by philosopher Tad Delay to discuss his new book, The Future of Denial: The Ideologies of Climate Change. We dive into the critical need for humanity to confront and adapt to the climate crisis. The discussion explores the intricate connections between psychoanalysis, religion, and climate denial across the ideological spectrum. It critiques the inadequacy of current mitigation efforts and emphasizes the urgency of adopting adaptation strategies. The narrative delves into the role of renewable energy, novel legal and grassroots activism, and the importance of preparing for climate migrants, while also considering the socio-economic and psychological impacts of climate-induced migrations.

You can get the book from the publisher Verso discount link 25% off or use promo code DENIAL at checkout.

Check out Tad Delay's podcast, which explores the book on Apple or Spotify.

In this conversation, we discuss...

Psychoanalysis Meets Climate Crisis
The Complex Web of Climate Denial
The Political Economy of Climate Action
Liberalism, Capitalism, and Climate Denial
Personal Actions and Political Realities
Living with Climate Change: Personal and Community Impacts
Exploring Material Incentives and Social Narratives
The Seduction of Technological Fixes for Climate Change
Mitigation vs. Adaptation: Strategies to Combat Climate Change
The Limits of Tree Planting and Carbon Capture Technologies
Addressing Climate Migration and Ethical Challenges
The Role of Humanities and Community in Climate Action
Envisioning Futures: Doom, Adaptation, and Opportunity

Check out Tad's previous visit to the podcast: God Is Unconscious: Psychoanalysis & Theology

Tad DeLay, PhD is a philosopher, religion scholar, and interdisciplinary critical theorist. His books include Against: What Does the White Evangelical Want?, The Cynic & the Fool, and God Is Unconscious. He is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy in Baltimore.

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Brian McLaren: Faith After Doom

Fri, 10 May 2024 15:20:15 -0000

Brian McLaren joins me in this episode to discuss his new book Life After Doom. In it, we wrestle with redefining faith, civilization, and ecological consciousness. We delve into theological reflections, reinterpreting religious practices to align with Jesus's teachings, advocating for a paradigm shift in societal structures, and emphasizing the urgent need for sustainable living. Moreover, we discuss creating inclusive spaces for spiritual growth and action.

Here's Brian's new book, Life After Doom: Wisdom & Courage for a World Falling Apart

In the conversation, we discuss Kim Stanley Robinson's provocative book Ministry for the Future.

WATCH THE PODCAST HERE

Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English

teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for “a new kind of Christianity” – just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good. He is a faculty member of The Living School and podcaster with Learning How to See, which are part of the Center for Action and Contemplation. He is also an Auburn Senior Fellow and works closely with the Wild Goose Festival, the Fair Food Program, Vote Common Good, and Progressive Christianity. His recent projects include an illustrated children’s book (for all ages) called Cory and the Seventh Story and The Galapagos Islands: A Spiritual Journey, and Faith After Doubt. His newest book is Do I Stay Christian? and we are going to read it together.

Previous Episodes with Brian

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Brian McLaren: Life After Doom

Thu, 09 May 2024 01:50:00 -0000

Brian McLaren joins me in this episode to discuss his new book Life After Doom. In it, we wrestle with redefining faith, civilization, and ecological consciousness. We delve into theological reflections, reinterpreting religious practices to align with Jesus's teachings, advocating for a paradigm shift in societal structures, and emphasizing the urgent need for sustainable living. Moreover, we discuss creating inclusive spaces for spiritual growth and action.

Here's Brian's new book, Life After Doom: Wisdom & Courage for a World Falling Apart

In the conversation, we discuss Kim Stanley Robinson's provocative book Ministry for the Future.

WATCH THE PODCAST HERE

Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for “a new kind of Christianity” – just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good. He is a faculty member of The Living School and podcaster with Learning How to See, which are part of the Center for Action and Contemplation. He is also an Auburn Senior Fellow and works closely with the Wild Goose Festival, the Fair Food Program, Vote Common Good, and Progressive Christianity. His recent projects include an illustrated children’s book (for all ages) called Cory and the Seventh Story and The Galapagos Islands: A Spiritual Journey, and Faith After Doubt. His newest book is Do I Stay Christian? and we are going to read it together.

Previous Episodes with Brian

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Grace Ji-Sun Kim & Susan Shaw: Surviving God

Tue, 07 May 2024 14:11:00 -0000

Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Susan Shaw are back on the podcast to discuss their newest co-authored book Surviving God: A New Vision of God through the Eyes of Sexual Abuse Survivors. In the conversation, they discuss how traditional ways of thinking about God are highly problematic, contribute to the problems of sexual abuse, and are not reflective of the God of love and justice at the heart of the gospel. We also find out about their next partnership.

Susan M. Shaw is professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Oregon State University. Grace Ji-Sun Kim is a professor of theology at Earlham School of Religion and host of the Madang podcast.

WATCH THE CONVERSATION HERE

The Book: Surviving God: A New Vision of God through the Eyes of Sexual Abuse Survivors

Previous Episodes with Grace & Susan

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Corey Walker & Bill Leonard: Losing Sleep Before God

Wed, 01 May 2024 02:58:00 -0000

I recently returned to my old hometown, Winston-Salem, NC, for a live podcast at Lot63 in Old Salem. There, I was joined by two of my old Profs at Wake Forest University Divinity School, Dr. Bill Leonard and Dr. Craig Atwood, the brand new Dean of the Divinity School, Dr. Corey Walker, and music from a fellow alum Kyle Caudle.

In this half of the live show, I talk with my former Church History Professor, Bill Leonard, and the new Dean of Wake Forest University Divinity School, Corey Walker. It was one epic live show and a powerful and provocative conversation!

Corey D. B. Walker is Dean of the School of Divinity at Wake Forest University. As a scholar, he's committed to a broad vision of human flourishing. His research, teaching, and public scholarship span the areas of African American philosophy, critical theory, ethics, and religion and American public life. An accomplished scholar and academic leader, Dean Walker has held faculty and academic leadership appointments at Brown University, University of Virginia, Virginia Union University, and Winston-Salem State University and visiting professorships at Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Union Presbyterian Seminary, and the University of Richmond. Dean Walker is the 2023-2024 Phi Beta Kappa Frank M. Updike Scholar. He is author and editor of several books and has published over sixty articles, essays, and book chapters in a wide variety of scholarly journals and publications. A much sought after speaker, Dean Walker engages congregations and communities across the nation and has appeared on a variety of media programs in the United States and abroad.

Bill Leonard is the Founding Dean and Professor of Divinity Emeritus at Wake Divinity. Leonard’s research focuses on Church History with particular attention to American religion, Baptist studies, and Appalachian religion. He is the author or editor of some 25 books including Christianity in Appalachia (1999); Baptist Ways: A History (2003); The Challenge of Being Baptist (2010); Can I Get a Witness?: Essays, Sermons and Reflections (2013); and A Sense of the Heart: Christian Religious Experience in the U.S., (2014). In March 2015 he delivered the William James Lecture on Religious Experience at Harvard Divinity School and in February 2017 he gave the William Self Lectures on Preaching at McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University. His newest book, The Homebrewed Christianity Guide to Church History: Flaming Heretics and Heavy Drinkers, was published by Fortress Press in July 2017. Leonard is on the board of the Journal of Disability and Religion, The Baptist Quarterly (England), the Day1 Preaching Network, the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, and the Governing Board of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Leonard writes a twice-monthly column for Baptist News Global, is an ordained Baptist minister, and a member of First Baptist Church, Highland Avenue (American Baptist Churches, USA) in Winston-Salem.

If you live in Winston-Salem, you can join us LIVE at Lot 63 for a zesty podcast recording. Info here.

If you're considering a future in theological education, Wake Forest University's Divinity School is a top choice. My family and I are proud alumni, and we all cherish the education and experiences we gained there. With the dynamic leadership of Corey Walker as the new Dean, the future of the school is bright!

If you live in Winston-Salem, you can join us LIVE at Lot 63 for a zesty podcast recording. Info here.

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Craig Atwood: Getting Ziggy with Zinzendorf

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 19:51:00 -0000

In this half of the live show, I talk with my former historical theology Professor, Craig Atwood. Not only did I take historical theology with him, but he facilitated one of the most fun and intense independent studies on the thought of Friedrich Schleiermacher. Dr. Craig Atwood is the premier Moravian historical theologian. He is best known for his books Community of the Cross: Moravian Piety in Colonial Bethlehem, which won two major awards, and Theology of the Czech Brethren from Hus to Comenius. He is also the author of over 50 academic articles, chapters in books, encyclopedia articles, book reviews, and church publications.

If you live in Winston-Salem, you can join us LIVE at Lot 63 for a zesty podcast recording. Info here.

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Persuade: a Process Vision of Preaching & Liturgy

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 16:26:00 -0000

A few weeks ago, I partnered with the Center for Open and Relational Theology & St. Andrew UMC to put on the first preaching conference for Open and Relational Preachers! It was TONS of fun and I got to meet some amazing clergy.

In the first segment, I am joined by Dr. Casey Sigmon & Dr. Nichole Torbitzky to give a process theological reflection of the liturgical shape of worship. Then Jeff Wells, Tom Oord, and Vikki Randall join Nicole and I to discuss their new book Preaching the Uncontrolling Love of God.

For decades, millions of Christians have been leaving church behind. Among those who have stayed, not only individuals, but entire congregations are rejecting traditions that fail to address the challenges of our contemporary world. They yearn, instead, for a profound relationship with the ever-present God who is loving, inclusive, persuasive, and uncontrolling. This rich and diverse collection of sermons, essays, and worship elements explores how to preach, teach, and practice Open, Relational, and Process theological perspectives in local faith communities. It is a powerful resource for pastors, ministers of worship arts, lay church leaders, professors of preaching, worship, and practical theology, and anyone seeking a deep understanding of God that aligns with the Bible, science, and inclusive love and justice for all life on Earth.

Here's the book: Preaching the Uncontrolling Love of God

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Daniel Kirk: Making the Vision of the New Testament Moral

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 15:13:00 -0000

The most influential academic text arguing against the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ divine image bearers into the life of the Church is Richard Hays' "The Moral Vision of the New Testament." He has changed his mind and has a new bookdeveloping a theological framework for the full inclusion of LGBTQ people in Christian communities.

In this live stream, Daniel Kirk joined me to explore his former professor's evolution on the issue, why it's about time for Richard (and lots of other faith leaders) to say so publicly, and how to think ethically with scripture. Those familiar with Daniel's previous visits to the podcast will know that he has argued publicly for full inclusion based on the logic of scripture for years, even to the point of being denied tenure in evangelical spaces that demand silence. When this new book was announced, I wanted to have him back on to unpack things and hopefully lure more straight allies to find their voice.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

Daniel Kirk (Ph.D., Duke University) is an award-winning New Testament scholar whose work takes place at the intersection of history, biblical interpretation, and real life. He is currently broadening his intellectual and vocational horizons by studying to be a Physician Assistant. Look for upcoming work to have a robust dose of science and politics mixed into the biblical conversations.

Previous Episodes w. Dr. Kirk

Lexington Theological Seminary is the sponsor for this Episode.

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Barry Taylor: Theology Beyond Religion

Sun, 21 Apr 2024 15:43:00 -0000

Barry Taylor and Tripp Fuller discuss the changing religious and spiritual space and how it shows up in culture. They reflect on the shift in the Western conversation in the last 25 years. Barry raises a growing awareness in how the concept of religion people thought they were updating, reorienting, and morphing, wasn’t ultimately finding traction in the historic religious institutions.

WATCH THE EPISODE HERE

Barry Taylor's work is focused on the intersections between religion, theology and culture, with a particular emphasis on the impact and interplay of contemporary digital life on religion and belief (particularly Western Christianity). He is particularly interested in religion where it is least obvious and in cultural clinamens- the behavior and phenomena that escape our categorizing and thus provide opportunity for re-framing how we think and approach life. Barry works with GCAS as the Chair of the Theology department. Check out his books: Sex, God, and Rock 'n' Roll: Catastrophes, Epiphanies, and Sacred Anarchies & Entertainment Theology: New-Edge Spirituality in a Digital Democracy

Previous Episodes w/ Barry

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Kristian Smith: Deconstruction in the Black Church

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 15:14:00 -0000

Kristian Smith is joining Tripp to unpack the intersection of cigars, spirituality, and community. Kristian is a pastor, stylist, theologian, spiritual director, host of the Holy Smokes podcast, and minister of an online faith community. https://www.holysmokesmovement.com

https://www.kristianasmith.com

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

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Kester Brewin: Artificial Intelligence & the Future of Religion

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 03:09:00 -0000

We have all been talking about AI of late and I have been on a bit of a reading deep dive about it. I am thrilled to have my friend Kester Brewin back on the podcast to talk about Artificial Intelligence & the future of religion. His new book, God-like: A 500-Year History of Artificial Intelligence in Myths, Machines, Monsters is out and 100% zesty. It is way too good for y'all not to check it out. It is not only a powerful telling of humanity's ongoing relationship with technology and a reflection on the current questions surrounding AI, but it is also the most compelling radical theological text I have read. It demonstrates the symbolic starvation of a marketized public square, the wisdom of what has been harbored in religious reflection, and the need for the return of theology beyond religion. It is also practical theology at its best. It ends with a compelling call to community without an addiction to nostalgia or an allergy to the sacred. I would say more, but you can listen to our conversation.

Previous Episodes with Kester

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Tony Jones: the Dazzing Darkness & Wild Places

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 15:49:00 -0000

I have been friends with Tony Jones for a long time. For over 12 years, he has been working on his memoir, and it was worth the wait. The God of Wild Places: Rediscovering the Divine in the Untamed Outdoors is now out in the world and we got to sit down in his living to record this conversation about it. Longtime listeners will be familiar with Tony since he has been on the podcast over 30 times in the last 16 years, but this visit is different. You will hear a vulnerable conversation between two friends, including challenging stories, laughter, and reflection on faith in life's darkest moments.

If you aren't following our new podcast, Emerged: an Oral History of the Emerging Church Movement, you won't want to miss the latest episode. In it, we are joined by Nadia Boltz-Weber, Brian McLaren, and Doug Pagitt as we dig into all the backlash the emerging church movement generated. We laughed quite a bit while creating it :)

Tony Jones is the author of The God of Wild Places and contributing writer to several outdoors periodicals. He’s written a dozen books, including Did God Kill Jesus? and The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life, hosts the Reverend Hunter Podcast, and teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary and The Loft Literary Center. He writes a weekly newsletter on Substack.

Previous Episodes with Tony Jones

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Faith without Certainty & God After Deconstruction

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 14:39:00 -0000

In this live session, Tom Oord and Tripp Fuller will joined by Josh Patterson of the (re)Thinking Faith podcast to discuss the nature of faith after certainty and the role of scripture for a faith in transition.

WATCH the video of this episode here.

You can access all 10 videos now by joining the class at www.GodAfterDeconstruction.com

God After Deconstruction: Check out our upcoming class, book, and in-person events
Theology Beer Camp: head over here to get info on 2024 camp
Check out the ORTcon 24 event this coming summer
Check out ORTline 24 – an amazing online event with TONS of open and relational theologians

Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. He is an award-winning author, and he has written or edited more than twenty-five books. Oord directs a doctoral program at Northwind Theological Seminary and the Center for Open and Relational Theology. He won the Outstanding Faculty Award twelve times as a full-time professor and now speaks at institutions across the globe. Oord is known for his contributions to research on love, open and relational theology, science and religion, and freedom and relationships for transformation.

Some Previous Tripp & Tom Pods

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James McGrath: Theology and Science Fiction

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 17:13:00 -0000

James McGrath is back, and we have some serious fun geeking out about theology and Science Fiction!!

What is the difference between a god and a powerful alien? Can an android have a soul, or be considered a person with rights? Can we imagine biblical stories being retold in the distant future on planets far from Earth? Whether your interest is in Christianity in the future, or the Jedi in the present--and whether your interest in the Jedi is focused on real-world adherents or the fictional religion depicted on the silver screen--this book will help you explore the intersection between theology and science fiction across a range of authors and stories, topics and questions.

James F. McGrath is Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature. His PhD from the University of Durham became the basis for his first book, John’s Apologetic Christology, published by Cambridge University Press in the SNTS Monograph Series. He has also written a “prequel” about the broader context of monotheism and Christology in ancient Judaism and Christianity, The Only True God: Early Christian Monotheism in Its Jewish Context, published by University of Illinois Press. More recently, he has published What Jesus Learned from Women, which explores the topic of the historical figure of Jesus and the influence the women mentioned in the Gospels had on him.

In addition to his work on the New Testament and early Christianity, Dr. McGrath also researches the Mandaeans (the last surviving Gnostic group from the ancient world) and their literature. The two-volume critical edition, translation, and commentary on the Mandaean Book of John (which he produced together with Charles Haberl of Rutgers University) represents the first such academic edition of the complete work in English based on all known manuscripts. Another area of specialty is the intersection of religion and science fiction. On that subject, he is the author of Theology and Science Fiction and The Battle of Ranskoor av Kolos (Black Archive #52), editor of Religion and Science Fiction and co-editor of Time and Relative Dimensions in Faith: Religion and Doctor Who. He blogs at Religion Prof.

Previous Episodes w/ James

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What's the deal with Deconstruction?

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 13:10:00 -0000

I am excited to share this conversation with Thomas Jay Oord. In it, we discuss what we've learned from surveying thousands of people in faith transition - the reasons, the process, and the possibilities after faith deconstruction.

WATCH the video of the conversation here.

JOIN our next class, GOD AFTER DECONSTRUCTION with Thomas Jay Oord

Are you navigating the challenging landscape of faith deconstruction, seeking a path that affirms your deepest intuitions and values?

Join theologians Dr. Thomas Jay Oord and Dr. Tripp Fuller for a transformative online class, "God After Deconstruction." This six-week journey is designed to embrace the uncertainty, explore profound topics, and offer a constructive, hope-filled vision of God grounded in open and relational theology. In this course, we aim to foster a thoughtful and inclusive space where participants can explore a variety of topics crucial to the journey of reconstructing their spiritual beliefs.

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Diana Butler Bass & John Dominic Crossan: The Resurrection of Jesus

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 15:16:00 -0000

This week, we are joined by Diana Butler Bass as we discuss the historical Jesus, the resurrected Christ, and a host of questions from members of the online class.

To join the class, head over to www.CrossanClass.com

WATCH the video of the conversation here.

JOIN our next class, GOD AFTER DECONSTRUCTION with Thomas Jay Oord

Come to THEOLOGY BEER CAMP.

Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community. Previous Episodes with Diana & Tripp

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

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What is happing at Theology Beer Camp 2024?

Sun, 24 Mar 2024 13:58:00 -0000

I’m excited to announce that tickets for Theology Beer Camp are now on sale! This year, we’ll be hanging out October 17th to 19th in Denver, Colorado. Grab your calendar and save the dates to join 20+ scholars, 20+ God-Pods, and over 500 people like yourself.

As always, this year promises to be filled with enlightening discussions, delicious brews, and the opportunity to connect with like-minded theology enthusiasts. This year's confirmed keynote speakers include Ilia Delio, Brian McClaren, John Thatamanil, and Diana Butler Bass!! We will be announcing more speakers, podcasters, musicians, and more over the next few months, including several exciting additions to the camp expereince.

To learn more about the event, our lineup of speakers, and what's in store for you at Theology Beer Camp, check out the event website at theologybeer.camp. We will keep updating the site as we reveal more details and contributors.

I love Theology Beer Camp and spend all year planning and thinking about how to level up the fun each year. My favorite part is getting to meet so many of you in person. Take advantage of this certified zesty opportunity to dive deep into theological nerdom while enjoying tasty beverages and building lifelong connections with other great nerds!

Presale tickets end soon! Get your tickets today.

WATCH the video of this episode here.

JOIN our next class, GOD AFTER DECONSTRUCTION with Thomas Jay Oord

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Robert N. McCauley: Religion is Natural & the Cognitive Science of Religion

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 13:41:00 -0000

People often ask me, "Tripp, in 17 years of podcasting, what's your favorite interview?" I can never answer the question because there are so many different kinds of interviews. I love episodes with my scholarly friends who repeatedly return to the podcast, but for this nerd, I am thrilled to introduce listeners to scholars who rocked my world. In this episode, I talk with a legend in science and religion, Dr. Robert McCauley. He is a pioneer in the cognitive science of religion, and his work has greatly impacted the academic community. It was an honor to unpack so many themes in his work and I can't wait for y'all to hear it!

Robert N. McCauley is William Rand Kenan Jr. University Professor of Philosophy at Emory University and the founding Director of Emory's Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture. He is the author of Why Religion Is Natural and Science Is Not and Philosophical Foundations of the Cognitive Science of Religion. He is also the co-author, with E. Thomas Lawson, of Rethinking Religion and Bringing Ritual to Mind. With George Graham, he co-authored Hearing Voices and Other Matters of the Mind: What Mental Abnormalities Can Teach Us About Religions. He has been elected president of both the Society for Philosophy and Psychology and the International Association for the Cognitive Science of Religion, and he will serve as a Gifford Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen in 2021.

Are you new to the cognitive science of religion? If so, you won't want to miss Bob's regular columns at Psychology Today.

In this conversation, we discuss...

the origin of the cognitive science of religion
implicit cognition and its role in studying religion
the anthropological story of religion's birth
why religion is natural, and science is not
how literacy reshapes human cognition and the shape of religion
the changing role of science in the study of religion
the power of explanatory pluralism
what light on religious practice and experience is gained through the application of an evolutionary lens
the different evolutionary theories of religion and how they interact with the developmental psychology
how CSR can be a tool for understanding culture

Here's the video of Bob's Gifford Lecture with the slides he mentioned in the conversation.

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Jennifer Garcia Bashaw & John Dominic Crossan: Critical Scholarship for a Faithful Disciple

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 14:57:00 -0000

This week, we are joined by Dr. Jennifer Garcia Bashaw as we discuss how historical Jesus scholarship can challenge and shape Christian practice, along with a host of questions from members of the online class.

To join the class, head over to www.CrossanClass.com

WATCH the video of the conversation here.

JOIN our next class, GOD AFTER DECONSTRUCTION with Thomas Jay Oord

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Jennifer Garcia Bashaw (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is Associate Professor of New Testament and Christian Ministry at Campbell University in North Carolina. She is an ordained Baptist minister and has a passion for teaching the Bible and training pastors. Jennifer is a Nerd-in-Residence for the Bible for Normal People and is the author ofScapegoats: The Bible through the Eyes of Victims & The Gospel of John for Normal People.

Jennifer's Previous Visit to the Podcast

the Gospel through the Eyes of the Victim

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

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Brian McLaren & John Dominic Crossan: The Message of Jesus & the Judgement of Civilization

Sat, 09 Mar 2024 18:15:00 -0000

This week, Brian McLaren and John Dominic Crossan join us as we discuss Jesus's civilizational significance, hear his teachings in their historical context, examine the habit of interpreting Jesus against his intentions, and answer a host of questions from members of the online class.

To join the class, head over to www.CrossanClass.com

Watch the conversation on Video here.

Previous Episodes with Brian

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

JOIN our next class, GOD AFTER DECONSTRUCTION with Thomas Jay Oord

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Ryan Burge: The Future of Christian Education & Ministry in Charts

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 03:01:00 -0000

Ryan P. Burge is an assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University. Author of numerous journal articles, he is the co-founder of and a frequent contributor to Religion in Public, a forum for scholars of religion and politics to make their work accessible to a general audience. Burge is a pastor in the American Baptist Church.

Follow Ryan's Substack Graphs About Religionhttps://www.graphsaboutreligion.com.

WATCH the video and see the graphs right here on YouTube

Previous Visits from Ryan Burge

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Brian Zahnd & John Dominic Crossan: God, Violence, Empire, & Salvation

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 05:16:00 -0000

In this episode, we are joined by Rev. Brian Zahnd & John Dominic Crossan. Brian kicks things off by sharing how Dom's work on the historical Jesus and his conflict with Rome challenges us today. We end up tackling a host of questions from members of the online class and end with a conversation on the resurrection.

To join the class, head over to www.CrossanClass.com

Brian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. Known for his theologically informed preaching and his embrace of the deep and long history of the church, Zahnd provides a forum for pastors to engage with leading theologians and is a frequent conference speaker. He is the author of several books, including When Everything's on Fire, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God, A Farewell to Mars, and Beauty Will Save the World.

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

JOIN the HISTORICAL JESUS class with Dom Crossan

JOIN our next class, GOD AFTER DECONSTRUCTION with Thomas Jay Oord

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John Caputo: What to Believe?

Mon, 26 Feb 2024 16:43:00 -0000

John Caputo is back on the podcast! If you are new to Homebrewed Christianity, you may not be familiar with Jack. Still, he is a longtime friend of the pod, a top-tier postmodern philosopher who radically returned to his theological roots. In his new book What to Believe? , he gives a beautiful introduction to his articulation of radical theology inspired by a Tillichian departure.

If you no longer “believe in God,” the Supreme Being of classical theology, or you never did in the first place, is there anything you still ought to believe, anything you should cherish unconditionally, no matter what? In this lively and accessible book, addressed to believers, “recovering” believers, disbelievers, nonbelievers, and “nones” alike―to anyone in search of what they really do believe―the acclaimed philosopher and theologian John D. Caputo seeks out what there is to believe, with or without religion.

John David Caputo (born October 26, 1940) is an American philosopher who is the Thomas J. Watson Professor of Religion Emeritus at Syracuse University and the David R. Cook Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Villanova University. Caputo is a major figure associated with postmodern Christianity and continental philosophy of religion, as well as the founder of the theological movement known as weak theology. Much of Caputo's work focuses on hermeneutics, phenomenology, deconstruction and theology.

Previous Episodes with Jack

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Catherine Keller & John Thatamanil: Deconstructing Divinity & Embracing Diversity

Mon, 26 Feb 2024 15:59:00 -0000

Enjoy this panel discussion on "Deconstructing Divinity & Embracing Diversity" featuring Catherine Keller and John Thatamanil with Tripp Fuller at the "God After Deconstruction" live event at Drew University in February 2024.

ONLINE CLASS: Register now for the "God After Deconstruction" online class with Tripp Fuller and Thomas Jay Oord now available at http://www.GodAfterDeconstruction.com.

LIVE EVENT: Don't miss the next "God After Deconstruction" live event on April 12-13, 2024 at St. Andrew UMC in Highlands Ranch, CO, with the Persuade preaching conference being held April 11-12, 2024 at the same venue. Register now at http://www.GodAfterDeconstruction.com.

Watch the video here.

Dr. Thatamanil is Professor of Theology & World Religions at Union Theological Seminary in NYC. Previous Podcast visits from John

Catherine Keller is George T. Cobb Professor of Constructive Theology in The Graduate Division of Religion of Drew University. If you are new to Catherine Keller and Process Theology this is the book to start with – On the Mystery: Discerning Divinity In Process.

Previous Podcast visits from Catherine

JOIN the HISTORICAL JESUS class with Dom Crossan

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Freya Mathews: For Love of Matter & the Dao of Civilization

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 15:58:00 -0000

In this thought-provoking conversation with Freya Mathews, we delved into the depths of panpsychism, nature, and eco-philosophy. Freya illuminated the interconnectedness of these ideas, emphasizing how our current ecological crisis demands a profound reevaluation of the very assumptions that gave rise to modernity.

Panpsychism, the view that consciousness is a fundamental aspect of the universe, became a central theme. Freya articulated how recognizing the sentience within all things challenges the human-centric perspective that has led to environmental exploitation. She passionately argued that a shift towards an eco-philosophy rooted in panpsychism can help us cultivate a more respectful and reciprocal relationship with the natural world.

As we explored these concepts, it became clear that responding to our ecological challenges requires more than just surface-level solutions. Freya urged us to rethink our place in the world, to question the Cartesian dualism that separates mind from matter, and to embrace a holistic understanding of existence.

In this enlightening conversation, Freya Matthews inspired a call to action—to not only address the symptoms of our environmental crisis but to fundamentally transform our worldview, recognizing the intrinsic value and agency of all life forms on this planet.

Freya Mathews is Emeritus Professor of Environmental Philosophy at Latrobe University. Her books include The Ecological Self (1991, 2021), Ecology and Democracy (editor) (1996), For Love of Matter: a Contemporary Panpsychism(2003), Journey to the Source of the Merri (2003), Reinhabiting Reality: towards a Recovery of Culture(2005), Ardea: a philosophical novella (2016), Without Animals Life is not Worth Living (2016) and The Dao of Civilization: a Letter to China (2023). She is the author of over a hundred essays, chapters and articles in the area of ecological philosophy. Her current special interests are in ecological civilization; indigenous (Australian and Chinese) perspectives on “regenerativity” and how these perspectives may be adapted to the context of contemporary global society; panpsychism and the critique of the metaphysics of modernity; and conservation ethics. In addition to her research activities she helps to care for a private conservation reserve in northern Victoria. She is a fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.

JOIN the HISTORICAL JESUS class with Dom Crossan

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John Dominic Crossan: Why the Biblical Paul is Awesome

Thu, 08 Feb 2024 17:44:00 -0000

Are you ready for some theological fun? Watch one of the greatest living Biblical scholars tell 450 day-drinking progressive Christians how cool the Biblical Paul was.

This is a live podcast with John Dominic Crossan from Theology Beer Camp. It was a ton of fun and will give you a taste of what goes down at camp. If you want to hang with us this year in Denver, head over here and get your info. If you want some more time with Dom Crossan, then join our upcoming class on the Historical Jesus.

John Dominic Crossan is an Irish-American biblical scholar with two-year post-doctoral diplomas in exegesis from Rome’s Pontifical Biblical Institute and in archeology from Jerusalem’s École Biblique. He has been a mendicant friar and a catholic priest, a Co-Chair of the Jesus Seminar, and a President of the Society of Biblical Literature. His focus, whether scholarly or popular, in books, videos, or lectures, is on the historical Jesus as the norm and criterion for the entire Christian Bible. His reconstructed Jesus incarnates nonviolent resistance to the Romanization of his Jewish homeland and future hope of a transformed world and transfigured earth. Crossan’s method is to situate biblical texts within the reconstructed matrix of their own genre and purpose, their own time and place, and to hear them accurately for then before accepting or rejecting them for now.

Dom's lecture from Theology Beer Camp, The Vision & Execution of Jesus
The video version of our conversation

JOIN the HISTORICAL JESUS class with Dom Crossan

Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community. Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

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Kevin Carnahan: Moral Clarity & the Uneasy Conscience

Sun, 04 Feb 2024 18:05:00 -0000

Over the last few years, I have returned more often than I could have imagined to the work of Reinhold Niebuhr and his vision of Christian Realism. Between the rise of Trump, growing disappointment in Biden, and inaction on the most pressing issues... to name a few... my inherent optimism in the democratic experiment has waned. So, I decided to have Dr. Kevin Carnahan on the podcast to unpack Christian Realism and how this particular theological lens could help me wrestle with my growing disease.

Kevin Carnahan is Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Central Methodist University in Fayette, MO. He recently stepped down after five years of service as co-editor of the Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics, is the former president of The Niebuhr Society, and author of multiple books and articles on religion, ethics, and politics. He lives in Columbia, MO with his wife and two daughters.

For more fast, nerdy fun hot takes from Kevin, check out his TikTok:)

Kevin's recommendations for those wanting to get into Niebuhr are Langdon Gilkey's On Niebuhr and Reinhold Niebuhr and Christian Realism by Robin Lovin.

You can also check out these two previous episodes with Scott Paeth on Niebuhr: On Reinhold & Richard Niebuhr and Why Go Niebuhr?

JOIN the HISTORICAL JESUS class with Dom Crossan

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2024: The Sequel w/ Diana Butler Bass

Thu, 25 Jan 2024 15:36:28 -0000

What happens when a progressive Christian historian and theologian talk about everything you aren’t supposed to discuss at dinner? Let’s find out:)

If you want to join our regular online hangs, head over to Diana’s substack community, the Cottage, or the Homebrewed Community.

Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D., is an award-winning author, popular speaker, inspiring preacher, and one of Americaâ€™s most trusted commentators on religion and contemporary spirituality.

Lenten Online Class w/ John Dominic Crossan

Previous Episodes with Diana & Tripp

Lexington Theological Seminary is the sponsor for this Episode.

Here are a few episodes with a couple of their Profs

Upcoming HBC Projects

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Scott MacDougall: Faith Seeking Wisdom

Sat, 20 Jan 2024 21:44:58 -0000

I am thrilled to have Dr. Scott MacDougall back on the podcast. He recently published The Shape of Anglican Theology Faith Seeking Wisdom, which explores the distinctiveness of Anglican theology. The book describes its boundaries and names its particular characteristics, finally concluding that Anglican theology is a wisdom theology that seeks to build the capacity for faithful Christian discernment in belief and practice. You will hear a brilliant theologian reflecting on his tradition and the deep joy of his faith. Talking with Scott is always a pleasure, and I hope you enjoy it.

Scott MacDougall was born and raised in Central New York. He attended college in the greater New York City area, receiving his B.A. from Hofstra University. Following a career in the not-for-profit sector, he undertook the formal study of theology. MacDougall received his M.A. in theology from the General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church in 2007 and his Ph.D. in systematic theology from Fordham University in 2014. At the American Academy of Religion, he co-chairs the Anglican Studies Seminar and serves on the steering committee of the Ecclesiological Investigations Unit. MacDougall has served as Co-Editor in Chief of the? Anglican Theological Review and was the inaugural Theologian to the House of Deputies of the Episcopal Church.

Previous Episodes with Scott

More Than Communion
The Infinite Mystery & Diverse Doxology of God w/ Elizabeth Johnson
Christian Feminist Theology with Elizabeth Johnson, Monica Coleman, and Cindy Rigby

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The Christology Ladder with Diana Butler Bass & Philip Clayton

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 16:39:06 -0000

Philip Clayton and Diana Butler Bass joined me for a livestream exploration of different Christologies. This was part of our recent class, The Cosmic Christ, but after so many class members wanted to share it, I decided to go ahead and post it on the podcast.

If you enjoy the conversation, you can grab the rest of the class by heading over here.

Previous Podcast Convos w/ Philip Clayton

Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D., is an award-winning author, popular speaker, inspiring preacher, and one of Americaâ€™s most trusted commentators on religion and contemporary spirituality.

Previous Episodes with Diana & Tripp

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Heading into 2024!

Sun, 31 Dec 2023 18:29:35 -0000

EMERGED PODCAST

God After Deconstruction: @Drew Feb 9-10 @Denver April 11-13

ORTcon July 8-12:

Ring Lake Ranch July 14-20

ORTline Feb. 22-24

Theology Beer Camp 2024

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Doug Pagitt: the Emerging Church & the End of Solomon’s Porch

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 15:49:51 -0000

A long-time friend of the podcast, Doug Pagitt, returns to the podcast! He’s been a regular guest since episode 2… 15 years ago. In this episode, Tony Jones joins me as Doug reflects on the end of the church he planted Solomon’s Porch and the ongoing legacy of the Emerging Church Movement.

Doug Pagitt is an American author, pastor, social activist and executive director of Vote Common Good. A leading voice for progressive Christianity, Doug makes frequent national media and speaking appearances. A proud, concerned and hopeful American, Doug Pagitt is a social activist. He is Co-founder and Executive Director of Vote Common Good, a national political non-profit dedicated to inspiring, energizing, and mobilizing people of faith to engage in civic life.

Pulling from his experience as an author, pastor and business owner, Doug consults for and trains churches, denominations, politicians, businesses and non-profits throughout the United States on issues of culture, leadership, social systems, Christianity and Progressive Evangelicalism.

Doug has authored 10 books on spirituality, Christianity and leadership, including:Â FlippedÂ (Random House 2015),Â The Inventive Age SeriesÂ (SparkHouse 2012), and A Christianity Worth BelievingÂ (Jossey-Bass 2008). His latest book, Outdoing Jesus: Seven Ways to Live Out the Promise of Greater Than (Eerdmans 2019), is a hopeful and provocative commentary on biblical good news exemplified through present-day ordinary people making extraordinary contributions.

In 2000, Doug was founding pastor ofÂ Solomonâ€™s Porch, a Holistic Missional Christian Community in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He also founded and remains active with the Greater Things Foundation, a charitable non-profit for empowering and fostering more beautiful, inclusive, and life-giving communities.

Some of the previous episodes with Doug

Flipped LIVE show
Doug wants the church to get inventive
Discussing the Debate… in 2012
Christianity Worth Believing w/ Tim Ponder
Rollin’ Gospel Revival w/ Doug & Tony in character
EPISODE TWO… Doug and Tim Conder talk to a church historian PART ONE & PART TWO

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James McGrath: The A to Z of the New Testament

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 16:53:33 -0000

One of the ongoing tensions for Biblical scholars is the gap between the shared knowledge within the academy and the need for more awareness among the larger public. Most ministers are aware of the tension this creates in the congregation, but the public square is no better. A friend and New Testament scholar, Dr. James McGrath, is back on the podcast to discuss his new book to tackle this problem. You will not want to miss The A to Z of the New Testament: Things Experts Know That Everyone Else Should Too!

James F. McGrath is Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature. His PhD from the University of Durham became the basis for his first book, Johnâ€™s Apologetic Christology, published by Cambridge University Press in the SNTS Monograph Series. He has also written a â€œprequelâ€ about the broader context of monotheism and Christology in ancient Judaism and Christianity,Â The Only True God: Early Christian Monotheism in Its Jewish Context, published by University of Illinois Press. More recently, he has published What Jesus Learned from Women, which explores the topic of the historical figure of Jesus and the influence the women mentioned in the Gospels had on him.

In addition to his work on the New Testament and early Christianity, Dr. McGrath also researches the Mandaeans (the last surviving Gnostic group from the ancient world) and their literature. The two-volume critical edition, translation, and commentary on the Mandaean Book of John (which he produced together with Charles Haberl of Rutgers University) represents the first such academic edition of the complete work in English based on all known manuscripts. Another area of specialty is the intersection of religion and science fiction. On that subject, he is the author of Theology and Science FictionÂ and The Battle of Ranskoor av Kolos (Black Archive #52), editor of Religion and Science Fiction andÂ co-editor of Time and Relative Dimensions in Faith: Religion and Doctor Who. He blogs at Religion Prof.

Previous Episodes w/ James

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Thomas Jay Oord: Big God Questions

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 02:53:37 -0000

Thomas Jay Oord is back on the podcast! This episode has two different parts. The first is a live QnA from ORTcon23. The wide-ranging God questions came from the event attendees and were inspired by some fantastic conversations throughout the gathering. In the last bit, Tom and I discuss all the nerdy fun that went down at the Open & Relational stage at Theology Beer Camp.

God After Deconstruction: Check out our upcoming class, book, and in-person events
Theology Beer Camp: head over here to get info on 2024 camp
Check out the ORTcon 24 event this coming summer
Check out ORTline 24 – an amazing online event with TONS of open and relational theologians

Some Previous Tripp & Tom Pods

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Hanna Reichel: Queering Barth & the Possibility of Theology

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 17:19:48 -0000

I am thrilled to have Dr. Hanna Reichel on the podcast for the first time! Our conversation centers around their newest book After Method.

Hanna Reichel is Associate Professor of Reformed Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. Reichel is an internationally recognized Barth scholar and constructive theologian.

After Method assumes the impossibility of doing theology right–and moves beyond it. Organized as a conversation in two voices—with systematic-theological commitments represented by Karl Barth and constructive-theological commitments represented by Marcella Althaus-Reid—this book calls the redemptive potential of any methodological program into question. Indeed, the search for a full and complete theological account of reality has only further fragmented theological discourse. Thus, Hanna Reichel argues that method cannot “save” us—but that does not mean that we cannot do better. After Method harnesses the best insights systematic and constructive theologies have to offer in their mutual critique and gestures toward a “better” theology.

Utilizing architectural metaphor, Reichel pulls from systematic and constructive approaches to develop an understanding of theological work as conceptual design, responsibly ordering and structuring given materials for a purpose. This necessitates a more realistic adaptation to reality for theology, expanding its standards to encompass the experiences and perceptions of people and speaking the truth available to it. The honesty, humility, and solidarity generated through the failure of method liberates theology to a more playful and tentative cruising of different approaches and redirects its attention to “misfits” and outsiders. Equally demanding and self-relativizing, the resultant ethos is better able to do justice to the reality of the world and the reality of God than doctrinal orthodoxy or methodological orthopraxy.

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Have Yourself a Lord of the Rings Christmas Movie Marathon

Sat, 02 Dec 2023 22:59:45 -0000

I hope that no matter where you are in life, you have been able to enjoy the holiday season by eating good food, spending time with friends and family, or at least getting some rest. If the holidays donâ€™t tend to provide comfort, then you can escape and take shelter in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy with Nick Polk from Tolkien Pop!Â as well as Tolkien Scholar Dr. Craig Boyd!

As we enter the eye of the storm that is the holiday season, we will kick off our run of Christmas movies with The Lord of the Rings (the extended editions, of course). Because, in fact, The Lord of the Rings are Christmas movies. The Fellowship is led by a supernatural man with a white beard, the company departs from Rivendell to begin their quest on December 25th (Christmas Day), and there are plenty of Elves to go around! To solidify the argument even further, Tolkien wrote his children Letters from Father Christmas (Santa Claus) every year during the Christmas season in their adolescence. In these letters, Tolkien told of Santa and his elves fighting off a goblin army. We even see glimpses of Tolkienâ€™s invented Elvish language script in the letters. The legendarium was partly developed in and through a Christmas fantasy world sandbox.

We talk about all these things and more as a sort of â€œpregameâ€ into our Christmas Movie Marathon and will come back with another â€œpostgameâ€ livestream with Dr. Craig Boyd and some other special guests that you wonâ€™t wanna miss. So, with all that said, letâ€™s go on a Middle-earth Christmas adventure!

Craig A. Boyd is Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Saint Louis University. Among the books he has published areÂ The Virtues: A Very Short Introduction, with Kevin Timpe (Oxford University, 2021),Â Virtues and Their Vices, co-edited with Kevin Timpe (Oxford University Press, 2014), andÂ A Shared Morality: A Narrative Defense of Natural Law EthicsÂ (Brazos Press, 2007). His scholarly articles have appeared in such venues asÂ The Heythrop Journal,Â Christian Scholarâ€™s Review,Â Christianity & Literature,Â New Blackfriars, andÂ American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly.

Nick Polk (Tolkien Pop!) is the production editor for Mallorn, the academic journal of The Tolkien Society. His most recent research includes his essay entitled â€œMiddle-earth in South Park: The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers as Parody.â€ Other than Tolkien, his other loves include his wife Kelly, coffee, and punk. Nothing sounds better than starting the day reading a Tolkien book with a cup of coffee and ending it in a moshpit with loved ones.

One Stream to Rule them ALL: Prepping for a LOTR Christmas Movie Marathon https://t.co/xCDvZ3ZIHv

â€” Theology Nerd (@HomebrewedXnty) November 30, 2023

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Philip Clayton & Thomas Jay Oord: Christ, Christmas, & the Incarnation

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 17:38:08 -0000

This is a fun conversation with Thomas Jay Oord & Philip Clayton. We have a good time digging into some of the biggest theological questions surrounding Christmas and the Incarnation. Enjoy & then join our upcoming online class, The Cosmic Christ.

Previous Podcast Convos w/ Philip Clayton

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Ryan Duns: Thinking within the Catholic Tradition

Thu, 16 Nov 2023 16:39:31 -0000

Throughout the Theology for Normal People series, we have featured interviews with theologians from different parts of the church. In this episode, Dr. Ryan Duns, a Jesuit priest and theologian at Marquette University, returns to the podcast to share how he thinks in and with the Catholic tradition. It was a beautiful and enlightening conversation that blends his narrative, exploration of the Catholic tradition, and wisdom he’s gained, introducing it to students in the classroom. I had so much fun we went on a Tolkien excursion at the end, which is a sign I’m having fun.

Ryan G. Duns, SJ, (twitter) is a Jesuit priest and an assistant professor of theology at Marquette University. His locates his work the intersection of philosophy and systematic theology and is interested in regarding theology as practice or a way of life. He has published on Karl Rahner, Jean-Luc Marion, Renae Girard, and his most recent work has involved a sustained engagement with William Desmondâ€™s metaphysics. His monograph Spiritual Exercises for a Secular Age: Desmond and the Quest for God argues that, when read as a form of spiritual exercise (Pierre Hadot), Desmondâ€™s philosophy can re-awaken a sense of the Transcendent.

You can check out our previous conversation here: Spiritual Exercises for a Secular Age.

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Ryan Burge: The Sky is Falling & the Charts are Popping!

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 13:57:20 -0000

Ryan Burge is back and he has a bunch of charts to get us chatting! To stay up to date with Ryan’s regular release of graphs about religion, follow his substack here, IG here, and formerly twitter here.

Previous Visits from Ryan Burge

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Bethany Sollereder: Does Theology Make Progress?

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 18:56:18 -0000

My friend, Dr. Bethany Sollereder, is Lecturer in Science and Religion at the University of Edinburgh. She received her PhD in Theology from the University of Exeter and an MCS in interdisciplinary studies from Regent College, Vancouver. She specializes in theology concerning evolution and the problem of suffering. Her current work is about the theological possibilities and human vocation in the light of irreversible changes in ecological degradation.

She is also interested in the intersection between psychology and faith, particularly how different approaches to theology can affect people’s experience of suffering. This interest led to the publication of “Why is There Suffering? Pick your own theological adventure” (Zondervan 2021), the first pick-your-own-ending theology book. Dr Sollereder is working in a broader research program in what she has called “Compassionate Theodicy.”

Here's two of Bethany's Books to checkout

Check out Bethany's previous visits to the podcast

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Adam Clark: Thinking Liberation

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 15:18:29 -0000

I am thrilled to have my friend Dr. Adam Clark back on the podcast. This conversation captures so many of his most potent observations about the task of thinking theologically in the key of liberation. Enjoy

Dr. Adam Clark is Associate Professor of Theology at Xavier University. He is committed to the idea that theological education in the twenty-first century must function as a counter-story. One that equips us to read against the grain of the dominant culture and inspires one to live into the Ignatian dictum of going forth to set the world on fire. To this end, Dr. Clark is intentional about pedagogical practices that raise critical consciousness by going beneath surface meanings, unmasking conventional wisdoms and reimagining the good. He currently serves as co-chair of Black Theology Group at the American Academy of Religion, actively publishes in the area of black theology and black religion and participates in social justice groups at Xavier and in the Cincinnati area. He earned his PhD at Union Theological Seminary in New York where he was mentored by James Cone.

Previous Episodes w/ Adam:

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The Courage to Be 15 w/ Elgin Fuller & Aaron Simmons

Sun, 29 Oct 2023 19:11:50 -0000

When I started the podcast over 15 years ago, Elgin was an infant, and today he is here hosting the podcast! Elgin decided to join the upcoming class, Live Before You Die, and has been collecting a stack of questions as he read through Paul Tillich’s The Courage to Be. Yesterday, we were tailgating at the Wake Forest vs Florida State football game with Arron Simmons and his family. What does a podcaster do when their teenager has a bunch of questions about existentialism, and you are tailgating with an existentialist philosopher? You hand them mics!

Dr. Aaron Simmons is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Furman University.

Here’s Aaaron’s website with tons of resources & his newsletter
His previous visits to the podcast include Camping with Kierkegaard, Faith After Deconstruction, ”Do I Have a Soul? & other cultural preferences in bold,” ”Off-Road Religion & Pandemic Philosophizing,” ”Smells Like Teenage Phenomenology” & “Whose Christianity, Which Postmodernism?”, Philosophy & the Experience of God
Youtube Channel, “Philosophy for Where We Find Ourselves”:
TedX Speaker: “The Failure of Success”
check out Aaron’s books here

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The Story of the Emerging Church Movement

Mon, 16 Oct 2023 16:14:50 -0000

I was in Minneapolis speaking at the Festival of Homiletics and ended up at a bottle release party at Surly Brewing with my friend Tony Jones. There, we shared stories from our time in the Emerging Church Movement, what we learned, all the friends we made, and where we’ve all ended up. We decided then to do a class exploring the movement and process our learning with a bunch of its participants. From there, the idea took off, and we decided it would be best to turn it into a podcast series and invite people to contribute to a more significant oral history. In this episode, you will hear about the project, what we’ve been doing, and how you can be a part of it.

EMERGED:A Crowdfunded Podcast to Preserve an Oral History of the Emerging Church Movement – For a decade at the beginning of the 21st century, a small group of pastors, missionaries, and theologians set out to change the church. They were mostly GenXers, mostly men, mostly white, mostly evangelical. They planted churches and wrote books and ran conferences. They were quoted in the New York Times and Time Magazine, and they landed on the cover of Christianity Today and the Christian Century. And then, almost as quickly as it appeared, the emerging church movement disappeared. In this multi-part series launching January 2024, Tony Jones and Tripp Fuller will journey through the electrifying, tumultuous, ever-evolving years of the ECM through interviews, stories, and opinions from some of the movementâ€™s pivotal figures.

WE’LL TACKLE QUESTIONS LIKE:

What were the precursors to the ECM?
What catalyzed the movement?
How cohesive was it, really?
When and why did interest switch from the evangelical church to the mainline?
Did it become too political?
Did the movement ultimately fail, or did it infiltrate and change the church?

GET ACCESS: http://www.emergedpodcast.com

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John Thatamanil: God – the Ground, the Between, the Personal

Fri, 13 Oct 2023 15:12:22 -0000

Everyone doesn’t have to be a theology nerd, but if you want to know what it sounds like when we have fun, this conversation with John Thatamanil is exhibit A. Over the years, John and I have had multiple conversations on and off the podcast, and everyone is a complete joy. I am always wholly hyped when it is over and have a stack of ideas brewing in my head for weeks. This episode is no exception! Not only do we go deep into an adequate ontology for the breadth of religious experience, explore some Tillichian connections with Whitehead, and transformative explorations across religious pluralism, but we get personal about how the activity of thinking theologically is an intimate form of engagement with God. Relistening to this episode made me excited about my next conversation with John.

Dr. Thatamanil is Professor of Theology & World Religions at Union Theological Seminary in NYC.

Check out these books by John

Previous Podcast visits from John

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Paul Capetz: Recovering Protestantism’s Original Insight

Wed, 11 Oct 2023 11:27:50 -0000

How do liberal Protestant Christian theologians think? Few people are as capable as our guest, Dr. Paul Capetz, at articulating the heart of liberal Protestantism. Paul has been a friend for a long time. We first met at Claremont School of Theology when he was on sabbatical and we quickly realized how much we enjoy getting nerdy together. In this episode, we discuss his new book, Recovering Protestantism’s Original Insight and how liberal Protestantism inherited Luther’s critical theology.

In the conversation, we discuss…

how to engage historical criticism of the Bible as a modern Christian
the role and function of tradition for theologizing
the contrast between Calvin and Luther when it comes to Biblical authority
can the Bible help us think about ethics today?
the need to free the Bible from an ancient worldview
the existentialist impact of Gospel proclamation
the priority of education within liberal Protestantism
how to be honest in wrestling with and discerning our history
America’s anti-intellectualism and its deep desire to repress its history
Paul tells the story of the Presbyterian church wrestling with same-sex marriage
the relationship between liberal and liberation theologies

Paul E. Capetz is professor of historical theology emeritus at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and is currently minister at Christ Church by the Sea in Newport Beach, California. He is the author of God: A Brief History and co-editor of James Gustafson’s Moral Discernment in the Christian Life.

Previous Episodes w/ Paul Capetz

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Jawanza Eric Clark: Reclaiming Stolen Earth

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 11:05:54 -0000

Have you ever read a book that you loved because it was uncomfortable? One that extended questions you’ve raised and challenged the answers you were attracted to? Maybe a book that, when you got done, you knew you needed to reread it? That happened when I finished Dr. Clark’s Reclaiming Stolen Earth: An Africana Ecotheology. So, I imagine you can guess how excited I was when he agreed to join the podcast!

Jawanza Eric Clark is professor of global Christianity at Manhattan College, NY. He holds a BA from Morehouse College, an MDiv from Yale Divinity School, and a ThM and PhD from Emory University. He is editor of Albert Cleage Jr. and the Black Madonna and Child, and author of Indigenous Black Theology: Towards an African-Centered Theology of the African-American Religious Experience. He is currently co-chair of the Black Theology unit of the American Academy of Religion.

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Kelly Brown Douglas: Resurrection Hope & A Future Where Black Lives Matter

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 15:39:26 -0000

Kelly Brown Douglas won the 2023 Grawemeyer Award in Religion for her newest book, Resurrection Hope, and she is here on the podcast to talk about it!

The Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas is Interim President of the Episcopal Divinity School and Canon Theologian at Washington National Cathedral. From 2017 to 2023, she was Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary and Professor of Theology. She is considered a leader in the field of womanist theology, racial reconciliation, and sexuality and the black church. Her Orbis books include The Black Christ, Whats Faith Got to Do with It? and Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God

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An Existential Road Trip with Dan Koch

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 14:37:37 -0000

Dan Koch is one of my favorite people. He reached out to connect in person when he was thinking of starting a podcast, and since then, he has not only produced several quality podcasts, but I have grown to love having him in my life. Like all good elder millennials, nothing says, “dude, I love being your friend,” like a quality mixtape. In this episode, we make a playlist centered on our existential dread

If you liked this, check out his music podcast – Pretty Good Vibrations analyzes and celebrates pop and rock music and its crucial role throughout our lives. Dan hosts the You Have Permission podcast and has seven years of podcasting experience, including previous shows Depolarize! (politics/psychology) and Reconstruct (theology). He holds a Master’s of Counseling Psychology and has completed doctoral coursework at Northwest University in Kirkland, WA. His research focuses on spiritual abuse, and his “Development of the Spiritual Harm and Abuse Scale” was published in 2022 by the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. In his clinical therapy practice, Dan specializes in working with religious issues, including religious trauma, and utilizes a cognitive-existential modality. He is skilled in making academic research accessible to a broad audience, keeping things interesting while responsibly maintaining the right amount of nuance.

You can check out my previous convos with Dan here

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Philip Clayton: How to Think Theologically

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 14:33:52 -0000

It is impossible to tell my own story without sharing about Philip Clayton. Not only have I read all of his books, many multiple times, but his guidance in graduate school and continued friendship have been a deep blessing. On top of that, Philip is a brilliant theologian. In this unique conversation, you will hear how a deep personal faith in Christ animates this philosophical theologian and leading scholar of Religion & Science. This is just the first episode in a series exploring how to think theologically. To get the entire series, hear Philip answer the 8 big God questions, and join thousands of others in conversation, join the class Theology for Normal People.

Previous Podcast Convos w/ Philip Clayton

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Reggie Williams: Bonhoeffer & the Critique of Religion

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 15:40:45 -0000

I am THRILLED to have Reggie Williams back on the podcast! This is a powerful conversation exploring Bonhoeffer and his critique of religion. Dr. Williams is the Associate Professor of Christian Ethics at McCormick Theological Seminary and author of Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus: Harlem Renaissance Theology and an Ethic of Resistance.

This was one of the live stream sessions from the online class Bonhoeffer and the Future of Faith. To access Dr. Williams and all the other contributor’s excellent lectures head over here. These live streams were inspired by the contributor’s address, their reading selection from Bonhoeffer, and class member questions.

Here’s Reggie’s previous visits to the podcast:

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Dabbling in Heresy!

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 14:06:06 -0000

Nothing says friendship like permission to dabble in heresies together. In this episode, a group of friends who happen to be scholars of philosophy, psychology, science, and religion try to make each other uncomfortable by sharing a heresy. This podcast format was inspired by Kevin Kelly, who got Tim Ferris to try it on his show. We all had some fun. Let us know what you think about the format and how we might change it up in the future.

Dr. Myron Penner is a professor of philosophy at Trinity Western University and director of the Anabaptist-Mennonite Centre for Faith and Learning. On top of being a stellar scholar, he is a dear friend and the coolest Mennonite Canadian philosopher on planet earth.

Dr. Sarah Lane Ritchie received her B.A. in Philosophy & Religion from Spring Arbor University, an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, and an M.Sc. in Science & Religion from the University of Edinburgh. She obtained her Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh in Science & Religion with a thesis on divine action and the human mind, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of St. Andrews. She has published a book with Cambridge University Press and numerous articles in academic journals, and continues research in the field of science and religion.

Dan Koch is one of my favorite people. He reached out to connect in person when he was thinking of starting a podcast, and since then, he has not only produced several quality podcasts, but I have grown to love having him in my life. Pretty Good Vibrations analyzes and celebrates pop and rock music and its crucial role throughout our lives. Podcast veteran and host Dan Koch (You Have Permission Podcast) has been a professional musician for most of the last 20 years: songwriter for the emo-pop band Sherwood, then as a commercial composer since 2012. Multiple episode styles include bracket-style tournaments, chronological walk-throughs, and deep dives into genres, artists, and eras. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Sarey Martin Concepción is a writer, podcast producer, and filmmaker with roots in L.A. and Portland, OR. She has an MA in Theology and the Arts from Fuller Theological Seminary and works as communications director for Blueprint 1543, which cultivates integration between theology and the psychological sciences. Currently, she’s working on a feminist, sci-fi short film (winemakermovie.com). Before pursuing independent fiction and nonfiction projects, she worked for 10 years as part of Rob Zombie’s production and management team. More at secretartproject.com. Sarah, Dan, Sarey & Myron’s Previous Podcast Visits

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Aaron Simmons: Camping with Kierkegaard

Sat, 16 Sep 2023 14:23:18 -0000

Dr. Aaron Simmons is here to discuss his new book, “Camping with Kierkegaard: Faithfulness as a Way of Life.” It’s a banger! Ohhh and listen close to the episode to learn how to score a sweet incentive when you grab the book

Dr. Aaron Simmons is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Furman University.

Heres Aaarons website with tons of resources & his newsletter
His previous visits to the podcast include, “Faith After Deconstruction,” Do I Have a Soul? & other cultural preferences in bold,Off-Road Religion & Pandemic Philosophizing,Smells Like Teenage Phenomenologyâ€ & Whose Christianity, Which Postmodernism?, Philosophy & the Experience of God
Youtube Channel, Philosophy for Where We Find Ourselves
TedX Speaker: The Failure of Success
check out Aarons books here

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Merlin Sheldrake: Entangled Life

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 14:56:10 -0000

In this episode, I am joined by chief mycelium enthusiast and advocate, Merlin Sheldrake. We recorded in person at the Center for Process Studies’ 50th Anniversary event in Claremont, CA. Come dive beneath the forest floor as we venture into the intricate and mesmerizing realm of fungi. Dr. Merlin Sheldrake, renowned biologist and author of the critically acclaimed book “Entangled Life,” pulls back the curtain on the hidden networks that underpin our ecosystems, nourish our trees, and have the potential to reshape our understanding of the world around us. Not only that, but we unpack the ways his research has inspired a larger process-relational vision.

Merlin Sheldrake is a biologist, writer, and speaker with a background in plant sciences, microbiology, ecology, and the history and philosophy of science. He received a Ph.D. in tropical ecology from Cambridge University for his work on underground fungal networks in tropical forests in Panama, where he was a predoctoral research fellow of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. He is a research associate of the Vrije University Amsterdam, works with the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), and sits on the advisory board of the Fungi Foundation.

Merlin's research ranges from fungal biology, to the history of Amazonian ethnobotany, to the relationship between sound and form in resonant systems. A keen brewer and fermenter, he is fascinated by the relationships that arise between humans and more-than-human organisms. He is a musician and performs on the piano and accordion.

In the conversation, we discuss…

- Merlins intellectual origin story
- How did studying the history of science reveal unexamined metaphysical prejudice within the sciences
- How nothing but scientific explanations and blinds us to a deep account of experience
- Why the bifurcation of nature isnt helpful for science or the humanities
- The many invisible lives of plants, fungi, & soil
- The moment Merlin found the need for a process style metaphysic
- Panpsychism!
- How growing up a Sheldrake shaped his religious and spiritual outlook
- Why Godsplainers are the worst;)
- Dont kill the questions!
- Spiritual experiments in truth

You may remember when Merlin’s Dad, Rubert Sheldrake, was on the podcast. You can listen to it here: From the Science Delusion to Psychedelic Religion.

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Willemien Otten: Medieval Wisdom for Contemporary Theology

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 16:05:51 -0000

Dr. Willemien Otten is the Dorothy Grant Maclear Professor of Theology and the History of Christianity at the University of Chicago Divinity School.

In this conversation we discuss:

How Dr Otten became a medievalist
What is missed by skipping church history between Augustine, Aquinas, to Luther
What Augustine gets right about sex and bodies
How it took to the 12th century before Priests were really celibate
The role of scripture in Medieval culture
The origin of the doctrine of Creation out of Nothing
How the revival of Bonaventure and the Franciscan tradition is generating a more lively account of nature
How theology changes when the doctrine of nature is more than the canvas of salvation history
Why Dr. Otten finds the Barthian rejection of natural theology unconvincing
The role of nature for theological reflection in a secular age
The problem of Protestantism doctrine of stewardship
How to talk about books you havent read and become a strategic non-reader
Returning to Schleiermacher without Barthian blinders
The unique gift of the American philosophical tradition and its religious naturalism
Why more theologians need to read Emerson
Whats the role of the received tradition for contemporary constructive theology?

Willemien Otten studies the history of Christianity and Christian thought with a focus on the medieval and the early Christian intellectual tradition, especially in the West, and an emphasis on the continuity of Platonic themes. She analyzes (early) medieval thought and theology as an amalgam of biblical, classical, and patristic influences which, woven together, constitute their own intellectual matrix. Within this matrix the place and role of nature and humanity interest her most. She has worked on the Carolingian thinker Johannes Scottus Eriugena, on twelfth-century humanistic thinkers including Peter Abelard and, most recently, has ventured into the thought of R.W. Emerson and William James.

Her co-edited volume Religion and Memory (Fordham, 2013; with Burcht Pranger and Babette Hellemans) addresses how best to conceive the pastness of religion. Her co-edited volume Eriugena and Creation (Turnhout: Brepols, 2014; with Michael I. Allen), brings together selected papers on medieval nature. Besides her medieval work Otten maintains an active interest in Tertullian, Augustine, and the broader patristic tradition. With Editor-in Chief Karla Pollmann, she edited the three-volume Oxford Guide to the Historical Reception of Augustine (Oxford, 2013) and with Susan Schreiner she co-edited Augustine Our Contemporary. Examining the Self in Past and Present (Notre Dame, 2018).

Reflecting her interest in natural theology beyond the medieval period, Ottens latest study Thinking Nature and the Nature of Thinking: From Eriugena to Emerson (Stanford, 2020) approaches ideas of nature and human selfhood across a wide array of thinkers, from Augustine to William James and from Maximus the Confessor to Schleiermacher. Deconstructing the notion of pantheism in the Western religious tradition, Otten draws attention to a more elusive idea of nature in which nature is an ally and co-worker of the divine

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Daniel Kirk: on ROMANS + Biblical Authority, Jesus’ Adoption, and Post-Penal Atonement

Sun, 27 Aug 2023 17:47:49 -0000

The good doctor Daniel Kirk joined me for some live QnA as we spread the word about our upcoming OPEN ONLINE CLASS – Romans: A Guide to the Most Misused, Problematic, & Prooftexted Letter in the Bible.

Venture into the depth and richness of Paul’s letter to the Romans in this dynamic five-session online course. Guided by the acclaimed biblical scholar Dr. J. R. Daniel Kirk, participants will be introduced to the central themes, historical background, and transformative messages of this pivotal New Testament text. Having published two books on Romans, Kirk will bring clarity and fresh perspectives to one of the most foundational Christian writings. Embark on this transformative journey to navigate the profound truths of Paul’s magnum opus. Whether you’re a seasoned theologian, a faith seeker, or simply someone intrigued by the origins of Christian thought, this course promises insightful revelations and a deeper connection to the heart of Romans. You can get more info and sign-up here. As always, this gathering is donation-based, including 0. You don’t have to join live to get all the content. Everyone who signs up will receive the recordings of each session.

Previous Episodes w. Dr. Kirk

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Bruce Benson & Aaron Simmons: Faith After Deconstruction

Thu, 17 Aug 2023 15:23:52 -0000

I am THRILLED to have two remarkable philosophers join me to unpack philosophical deconstruction and how it can help reframe the ongoing process of deconstruction. Bruce Benson and Aaron Simmons are both accomplished postmodern philosophers, with a bunch of books on my bookshelf. This episode was even better than my high expectations! After you listen, I hope you feel the lure to come hang out with all three of us at Theology Beer Camp this October.

Dr. Bruce Benson teaches Philosophy of Religions and Continental Philosophy at the University of Nottingham, as well as being Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the University of Vienna, as part of the project ‘Revenge of the Sacred: Phenomenology and the Ends of Christianity in Europe.’ Prior to that, Bruce was Senior Research Fellow at the University of St Andrews. Over the years, he has taught and engaged in research at Loyola Marymount University, Wheaton College, the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and Union Theological Seminary (NYC). He also serves as the Executive Director of the Society for Continental Philosophy and Theology, Philosophy of Religion editor for Syndicate Journal, editorial board member for Faith and Philosophy and the Journal of Continental Philosophy and Theology, and co-editor for the Eerdmans series ‘Prophetic Christianity’.

Check out Bruce’s books here.

Dr. Aaron Simmons is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Furman University.

Here’s Aaaron’s website with tons of resources & his newsletter
His previous visits to the podcast include, Do I Have a Soul? & other cultural preferences in bold,Off-Road Religion & Pandemic Philosophizing, Smells Like Teenage Phenomenology & Whose Christianity, Which Postmodernism?, Philosophy & the Experience of God
Youtube Channel, Philosophy for Where We Find Ourselves
TedX Speaker: The Failure of Success
check out Aaron’s books here

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Ilia Delio & Bruce Epperly: Bonaventure & the Cosmos in Process

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 15:25:40 -0000

What a fun conversation! Ilia Delio and Bruce Epperly joined me for an in-person conversation at ORTCON23. Since Ilia wrote a book on Bonaventure and Bruce is in the middle of writing one, it was the perfect time to get to know the 13th Century philosopher, theologian, and Saint.

Ilias previous visit to the podcast:

Bruce Epperly has served as a congregational pastor and university chaplain, university and seminary professor and administrator, and is a prolific author and lectionary commentator. With over forty years joining pulpit and classroom, Bruce recently retired from congregational ministry after serving eight years as Senior Pastor of South Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Centerville, MA . He has relocated from Cape Cod to the Washington DC suburbs to be closer to his family. He continues to teach as Adjunct Faculty at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington DC. Ordained in the United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), he is the author of more than sixty books in theology, spirituality, healing and wholeness, scripture, and clergy wellbeing, including

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Force Ghosts, a ‘Biblical’ Jesus, & Pre-Human Religion w/ Pete Enns & Tripp Fuller

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 15:07:07 -0000

A Bible scholar and a theologian answer a bunch of really important questions while having some fun.

Pete Enns joined me live on the HBC YouTube channel (that you should follow) to tackle some fun nerdy questions.

If this experience isn't painful and you think it would be fun to hangout with us, then join us in person at Theology Beer Camp October 19-21!

Peter Enns (Ph.D., Harvard University) is Abram S. Clemens professor of biblical studies at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. He has written numerous books, including The Bible Tells Me So, The Sin of Certainty, and How the Bible Actually Works.

Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community. Previous Podcasts with Pete Enns

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A Special #TheologyBeerCamp Update

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 19:53:20 -0000

Earlier this week I spent three days in Springfiled, MO preparing and planning Theology Beer Camp. I was joined by Tim Whitaker from the New Evangelicals, as we visited a number of the breweries and food trucks bringing the goods to camp and spent some time with the amazing team at The Venues, our hosting congregation. Â Right before we headed back home, Tim and Bren (our local coordinator) recorded this short episode where we share more details about the event, what to expect, and a few suprising new details!

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Matthew Thiessen: Jesus & the Forces of Death

Sun, 23 Jul 2023 18:39:44 -0000

Dr. Matthew Thiessen is associate professor of religious studies at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He is the author of Contesting Conversion: Genealogy, Circumcision, and Identity in Ancient Judaism and Christianity (awarded the Manfred Lautenschlaeger Award for Theological Promise), Paul and the Gentile Problem, and Jesus and the Forces of Death. Soon he will release a new book, A Jewish Paul: The Messiah’s Herald to the Gentiles.

Matt wants you to troll him on twitter

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Lori Brandt Hale: Bonhoeffer & Christian Nationalism

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 02:19:19 -0000

How does the work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer help us think ethically about Christian Nationalism? What is the task for a public theologian given the rise of fascist religion? In this conversation, my co-host Dr. Jeff Pugh and I are joined by Dr. Lori Brandt Hale to discuss her work on Bonhoeffer and its application to the political moment.

This was one of the live stream sessions from the online class Bonhoeffer and the Future of Faith. To access Dr. Hale and all the other contributors amazing lectures head over here. These live streams were inspired by the contributors address, their reading selection from Bonhoeffer, and class member questions.

Lori Brandt Hale is professor and chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, MN.

She is the Vice President of the International Bonhoeffer Society English Language Section and a Westar Institute Scholar.

Brandt Hale is co-editor of and contributor to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theology, and Political Resistance (June 2020), the second volume in a new series on faith and political theology by Lexington Books. Her chapter in this book, a constructive read of Bonhoeffers work, is titled, The Interfaith Imperative: How Bonhoeffer Compels Interfaith Action. She is also the co-author of Bonhoeffer for Armchair Theologians (Westminster John Knox, 2009). She has written numerous articles and book chapters on Bonhoeffers political resistance, understanding of vocation, and relevance in contemporary times – including the now perennial question, Is this a Bonhoeffer moment?

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Dianne Rayson: Bonhoeffer & Theology for the Anthropocene

Wed, 05 Jul 2023 19:25:51 -0000

How does the work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer help us think ethically about the climate crisis? What is the shape of theology in the Anthropocene? In this conversation my co-host Dr. Jeff Pugh and I are joined by Dr. Dianne Rayson to discuss her work on Bonhoeffer and ecology.

This was one of the live stream sessions from the online class Bonhoeffer and the Future of Faith. To access Dr. Rayson’s and all the other contributor’s amazing lectures head over here. These live streams were inspired by the contributor’s lecture, thier reading selection from Bonhoeffer, and class member questions.

Di Rayson is Senior Lecturer in Theology and Ethics at Pacific Theological College in Suva, Fiji and is an ecotheologian and Bonhoeffer scholar, having published widely. Her first book was Bonhoeffer and Climate Change: Theology and Ethics for the Anthropocene.

Di is co-convenor of the upcoming XIV International Bonhoeffer Congress in Sydney, Australia in January 2024.

Prior to becoming a theologian she had an extensive career in public health and social policy in Australia and the Pacific. Di is an Anglican lay preacher, singer and cellist. When in Australia she lives on a small farm between the mountains and the sea.

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The Spirituality & Politics of Karl Barth: Travis McMaken & Ash Cocksworth

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 18:45:55 -0000

I am thrilled to have my friend and Barthian Travis McMaken back on the podcast. This time we are joined by his co-editor for the Karl Barth volume in the Classics of Western Spirituality volume, Ash Cocksworth. I really enjoyed this volume of one of my favorite series, and I hope this conversation communicates what a stellar job they did putting it together. The selections were excellent, their introductory comments are clarifying, and this conversation is fun and lively for all your theology nerds. PLUS we let you know that Travis will return to Theology Beer Camp this year!

About the book…

For Karl Barth, all dogmatic work is spiritual. Thus, like Aquinas and other renowned theologians, Barth did not write an independent spiritual theology, but integrated spirituality into his dogmatic work. Nevertheless, specific texts within Barth’s corpus are dedicated to spiritual matters and they form the basis of the material in this volume. The selections draw widely from Barth’s commentary on Romans, Church Dogmatics, sermons, lectures, speeches, seminars, and his own prayer life. They illumine for researchers, students, and the general reader the distinctiveness of Barth’s theology of Christian spirituality and the important contribution he makes to the wider traditions of Christian spirituality. To augment the primary sources, this volume also contains an introductory essay that comments on the selection of texts, sets Barth in his historical context, charts the development of his thought, and indicates the significance of spirituality to his theology (including drawing out the distinctively christological shape of his spiritual theology).

Ashley Cocksworth is Senior Lecturer in Theology and Practice at the University of Roehampton. He studied theology at the University of Edinburgh and then undertook doctoral work at the University of Cambridge. Previously he was Assistant Professor in Theology and Ministry in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University (2017-18) and Tutor in Systematic Theology at the Queen’s Foundation, Birmingham (2012-17).

Previous Episodes with Travis include:

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Adam Clark: From Contemplation to Liberation

Tue, 20 Jun 2023 16:46:07 -0000

Adam Clark is back on the podcast! Adam is not only a dear friend, a brilliant theologian who taught two previous HBC classes on Black Theology and the legacy of James Cone, but Adam is the first theologian we are announcing for Theology Beer Camp 2023!! In this episode, we will hear Adam reflect on his recent pilgrimage to Ghana, the origin of Black Theology, the relationship of contemplation and liberation, and the struggle of those trying to stay Christian when the church testifies against it.

Dr. Adam Clark is Associate Professor of Theology at Xavier University. He is committed to the idea that theological education in the twenty-first century must function as a counter-story. One that equips us to read against the grain of the dominant culture and inspires one to live into the Ignatian dictum of going forth â€œto set the world on fire. To this end, Dr. Clark is intentional about pedagogical practices that raise critical consciousness by going beneath surface meanings, unmasking conventional wisdoms and reimagining the good. He currently serves as co-chair of Black Theology Group at the American Academy of Religion, actively publishes in the area of black theology and black religion and participates in social justice groups at Xavier and in the Cincinnati area. He earned his PhD at Union Theological Seminary in New York where he was mentored by James Cone.

Previous Episodes w/ Adam:

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Leah Robinson: Oppression in the Name of God

Fri, 16 Jun 2023 06:23:28 -0000

This podcast was recorded LIVE at Petty Thieves Brewing Co in Charlotte, North Carolina. We were celebrating the release of Leah Robinson’s new book Bad Theology: Oppression in the Name of God. Obviously Leah would need to be there, but we were also joined by nerdy friends of the podcast, Sarah Lane Ritchie and Ben Boswell.

Dr. Leah Robinson is Associate Professor of Religion at Pfieffer University. You should also check out her brand new podcast and Theology on the Rocks and follow her on twitter.

Here’s my endorsement for this awesome new book:

“What do the leaders of the KKK, Jonestown, apartheid South Africa, & the Massachusetts Bay Colony have in common? A Christian theology they lived out. It may be ugly, repulsive, and vile, but it was theology nonetheless. In this timely and poignant new book, Leah Robinson refuses to set aside these oppressive visions of God as theological exceptions. They must be addressed! As a practical theologian, she reminds us that all theology, the good and the bad, the oppressive and the salvific, is a human work and has consequences. By expanding the narrow boundaries of practical theology as a field, she pioneers new ground and demonstrates how stimulating this new vision can be.”

Check out Leah’s previous visits to the podcast

Sarah’s Previous Podcast Visits

Check out Ben’s previous visit to the podcast here Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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The Indictment Edition of Ruining Dinner w/ Diana Butler Bass

Sat, 10 Jun 2023 03:44:12 -0000

What happens when a progressive Christian historian and theologian talk about all the things you aren’t supposed to discuss at dinner? When Diana and I get together each month we call it ‘Ruining Dinner. ‘

What happens when right before your scheduled live stream Donald Trump is indicted on seven counts related to the documents case with violations of the Espionage Act? Well this episode is the answer.

Diana and I love doing these each month with our community members. If you want to join our regular online hangs head over to Diana’s substack community the Cottage or the Hombrewed Community.

Previous Episodes with Diana & Tripp

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Greg Cootsona: Science and Religions in America

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 13:53:19 -0000

The dominant Religion & Science conversation in America is deeply shaped by American Christianity. In his new book Dr. Cootsona invites us beyond a Christian-centric perspective. What he reveals is a much more lively conversation that is enhanced by a deep religious pluralism. I was pumped to talk to him about it!

Greg Cootsona is a speaker and writer in science and faith, emerging adults, C. S. Lewis, and Christian life and thought. He teaches in religion, humanities, philosophy, and sociology at California State University, Chico and co-directs Science for the Church. Here’s the book.

Here’s Greg’s personal webpage: https://www.gregcootsona.com.
Greg’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/GregCootsona
Here’s the landing page on Science for Church’s website, which also has a way to sign up for the excellent weekly newsletter.
Here’s the IG account: https://www.instagram.com/scienceforthechurch/

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Kevin Kelly: Wisdom I Wish I’d Known Earlier

Tue, 30 May 2023 15:03:30 -0000

When one of your heroes writes a book to share the wisdom they have collected in life and you have a podcast… this episode happens.

Kevin Kelly is Senior Maverick at Wired magazine. He co-founded Wired in 1993, and served as its Executive Editor for its first seven years. His newest book is Excellent Advice for Living, a book of 450 modern proverbs for good living. He is co-chair of The Long Now Foundation, a membership organization that champions long-term thinking and acting as a good ancestor to future generations. And he is founder of the popular Cool Tools website, which has been reviewing tools daily for 20 years. From 1984-1990 Kelly was publisher and editor of the Whole Earth Review, a subscriber-supported journal of unorthodox conceptual news. He co-founded the ongoing Hackersâ€™ Conference, and was involved with the launch of the WELL, a pioneering online service started in 1985. Other books by Kelly include 1) The Inevitable, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, 2) Out of Control, his 1994 classic book on decentralized emergent systems, 3) The Silver Cord, a graphic novel about robots and angels, 4) What Technology Wants, a robust theory of technology, and 5) Vanishing Asia, his 50-year project to photograph the disappearing cultures of Asia. Â He is best known for his radical optimism about the future.

You can check out Kevin Kelly’s first visit to the podcast here: The Sherpa of the Technium and Future Czar of Technology Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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John Dominic Crossan: Christian Resurrection & Human Evolution

Tue, 23 May 2023 15:25:49 -0000

John Dominic Crossan returns to the podcast to discuss the connection between human evolution and Christian resurrection. It was a blast! In the conversation, we mention some Doms books, including The First Paul: Reclaiming the Radical Visionary Behind the Churchs Conservative Icon,God and Empire: Jesus Against Rome, Then and Now and How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian: Is God Violent? An Exploration from Genesis to Revelation.

John Dominic Crossan is an Irish-American biblical scholar with two-year post-doctoral diplomas in exegesis from Romes Pontifical Biblical Institute and in archeology from Jerusalems Biblique. He has been a mendicant friar and a catholic priest, a Co-Chair of the Jesus Seminar, and a President of the Society of Biblical Literature. His focus, whether scholarly or popular, in books, videos, or lectures, is on the historical Jesus as the norm and criterion for the entire Christian Bible. His reconstructed Jesus incarnates nonviolent resistance to the Romanization of his Jewish homeland and future hope of a transformed world and transfigured earth. Crossans method is to situate biblical texts within the reconstructed matrix of their own genre and purpose, their own time and place, and to hear them accurately for then before accepting or rejecting them for now.

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

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Ryan Burge: Graphs about Religion & Politics w/ Spicy Banter

Wed, 10 May 2023 13:57:34 -0000

Ryan is back with some fresh graphs and data for us to unpack. It was a bunch of fun, and the takes got spicer throughout. Since he’s got a new edition of The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going coming out, we decided it would be fun to have a teach-in and spend three hours digging into the most up-to-date research. With his precise and accessible descriptions, backed up by a multitude of charts and graphs, you’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of the nones and their impact on American society. Plus, we will have a bunch of fun. Info and Join up HERE.

Previous Visits from Ryan Burge

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Hugh Howey: Silo & the Wisdom in Post-Apocalyptic Fiction

Sun, 30 Apr 2023 16:01:07 -0000

This is one special episode! I had the privilege of talking to Hugh Howey, the author behind the new post-apocalyptic showÂ SiloÂ on Apple TV+. It was one wonderful conversation about a fantastic new series. I can’t exaggerate how much I enjoyed Silo. The first two episodes are now available for your streaming pleasure.

Who is Hugh Howey?

Hugh Howey is a literary explorer, venturing into the uncharted territories of science fiction and dystopian fiction with the same curiosity and fearlessness as a space-faring adventurer. When he’s not busy crafting intricate and gripping tales of survival and rebellion, you can find him sipping on a cup of coffee and dreaming up new worlds to conquer.

Hugh is theÂ New York TimesÂ bestselling author of WOOL, SAND, BEACON 23, MACHINE LEARNING, and HALF WAY HOME. The SILO drama series, based on Hugh Howey’s trilogy, premiered on Apple TV+ in May 2023. A series based on BEACON 23 will release in 2023 on AMC. Hugh is attached as Executive Producer on both of these projects, and co-created AMC’S upcoming EVERGREEN with Matt Mikalatos. His works have been translated into dozens of languages and have been published in over 40 countries.

What is Silo on Apple TV about?

Get ready to be transported to a post-apocalyptic world where the air is toxic, the ground is barren, and society is confined to a massive underground silo. Join a band of rebels as they fight against the oppressive ruling class and uncover the dark secrets that threaten to destroy everything they hold dear. With stunning visuals and heart-pumping action, “Silo” is a thrilling ride you won’t want to miss. So buckle up, put on your gas mask, and get ready to journey deep into the unknown.

Live in Minneapolis? Going to the Festival of Homiletics? Come to the FREE live podcast! Upcoming Online Teach-in –Â The Nones:Â Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going

Join Dr. Ryan Burge, a leading expert in American religion, for an online teach-in exploring the fascinating world of “The Nones” â€“ the increasingly significant group of Americans who claim no religious affiliation.

In this interactive session, Dr. Burge will take you on a journey through his newly updated book, “The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going.” With his precise and accessible descriptions, backed up by a multitude of charts and graphs, you’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of the nones and their impact on American society.

Discover how the nones have grown from just 5 percent in 1972 to a staggering 23.7 percent in 2018, making them as numerous as both evangelical Protestants and Roman Catholics. Get an inside look into the different subgroups of nones, such as atheists and agnostics, and learn about the factors that lead an individual to return to religion.

Whether you’re a student, scholar, or just someone who wants to know more about America’s changing religious landscape, this online teach-in is for you. With an ever-growing collection of statistical and demographic information, this learning opportunity is more compelling than ever.

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Andrew Root: the Church after Innovation

Sun, 30 Apr 2023 15:46:51 -0000

Andrew Root is the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary, USA. He writes and researches in areas of theology, ministry, culture, and younger generations. Some of his most recent books are The Congregation in a Secular Age (Baker, 2021),The End of Youth Ministry? (Baker, 2020), The Pastor in a Secular Age: Ministry to People Who No Longer Need God (Baker, 2019), Faith Formation in a Secular Age (Baker, 2017), and Exploding Stars, Dead Dinosaurs, and Zombies: Youth Ministry in the Age of Science (Fortress Press, 2018). Andy has worked in congregations, parachurch ministries, and social service programs. He lives in St. Paul with his wife Kara, two children, Owen and Maisy, and their dog. When not reading, writing, or teaching, Andy spends far too much time watching TV and movies.

Previous Visits with Andy Root

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Michael DeJonge: the Complicated Bonhoeffer

Sun, 30 Apr 2023 15:45:48 -0000

Michael DeJonge is Professor and Chair of the Religious Studies department, where he teaches about the history of Christian thought, theories and methods in religious studies, and religion in modern society. He holds the endowed Chair named in memory of James F. Strange, who was a respected colleague and beloved teacher in the department for forty years. He’s been teaching at USF since earning a Ph.D. in Religion from Emory University in 2009. He has been a Fulbright Scholar, a Fellow of the Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies, a Volkswagen/Mellon Fellow at the Leibniz-Institute for European History in Mainz, Germany, and Visiting Dietrich Bonhoeffer Professor of Theology and Ethics at Union Theological Seminary in New York.

DeJone’s Books

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God, Jesus, & Whatever: Pete Enns & Tripp answer questions

Fri, 28 Apr 2023 14:24:17 -0000

A Bible scholar and a theologian answer a bunch of really important questions while having some fun.

Pete Enns joined me live on the HBC YouTube channel (that you should follow) to tackle some fun nerdy questions.

If this experience isn’t painful and you think it would be fun to hangout with us, then join us in person at Adult Vacation Bible School this summer June 30 – July 2.

Peter Enns (Ph.D., Harvard University) is Abram S. Clemens professor of biblical studies at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania.Â He has written numerous books, includingÂ The Bible Tells Me So,Â The Sin of Certainty, andÂ How the Bible Actually Works.

Upcoming Online Class: Bonhoeffer & the Future of Faith

Why does a theologian like Dietrich Bonhoeffer still excite our theological imagination? What is it about his work in a different era that still engages some of the most cutting edge theological work done today? Join us for the new Homebrewed Christianity class, â€œBonhoeffer and the Future of Faithâ€ as we listen to and learn from internationally known scholars working in areas such as climate change, prison reform, racial tensions, pastoral care, and Christian Nationalism. These scholars, generations removed from Bonhoefferâ€™s day, find inspiration in him for the continuing task of theology to interpret and respond to global challenges in our day. Together this class will think about Bonhoefferâ€™s enduring question to the church of his day, â€œWhat is Christianity for us today?â€ How we are responding in our time to this question will determine the shape of faith for our day and beyond.

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John Dominic Crossan: The Cross & the Crisis of Civilization

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 18:01:24 -0000

John Dominic Crossan returns to the podcast to discuss the presence of empire throughout scripture and how recognizing the divine struggle against its oppression can reframe our understanding of Easter then and today. In the conversation, we mention some Domâ€™s books, including The First Paul: Reclaiming the Radical Visionary Behind the Churchâ€™s Conservative Icon,Â God and Empire: Jesus Against Rome, Then and NowÂ and How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian: Is God Violent? An Exploration from Genesis to Revelation.

John Dominic Crossan is an Irish-American biblical scholar with two-year post-doctoral diplomas in exegesis from Romeâ€™s Pontifical Biblical Institute and in archeology from Jerusalemâ€™s Ã‰cole Biblique. He has been a mendicant friar and a catholic priest, a Co-Chair of the Jesus Seminar, and a President of the Society of Biblical Literature. His focus, whether scholarly or popular, in books, videos, or lectures, is on the historical Jesus as the norm and criterion for the entire Christian Bible. His reconstructed Jesus incarnates nonviolent resistance to the Romanization of his Jewish homeland and future hope of a transformed world and transfigured earth. Crossanâ€™s method is to situate biblical texts within the reconstructed matrix of their own genre and purpose, their own time and place, and to hear them accurately for then before accepting or rejecting them for now.

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

Upcoming Online Class: Bonhoeffer & the Future of Faith

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Marjorie Suchocki: Whispered Hope

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 14:53:41 -0000

Marjorie Suchocki is one of my favorite theologians. I absolutely love each of her books and have recommended them over and over. We got to connect in person for this conversation while in Claremont celebrating the 50th Anniversary for the Center for Process Studies. Our conversation touches a bunch of different topics including the doctrine of God, religious pluralism, prayer, eschatology, the incarnation, the Psalms, and preaching. As you will hear, I beyond excited and ended up giving multiple testimonies of my affection and felt like that one Chris Farley skit

Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki is professor emerita at Claremont School of Theology, where she held the Ingraham Chair in Theology and also served six years of her tenure as academic dean.

Here’s her new book,Â 21 Psalms for the 21st Century.Â When I read it I dropped this endorsement on my social media:Â Â Marjorie Suchocki is one of the most beautiful theologians. When she writes as a philosophical theologian it is brilliant & compelling. When she invites curious Christians into a deeper theological journey sheâ€™s alluring & encouraging. When she reflects on actions like prayer or preaching, she gives you the practice back as a treasure with a deeper significance.

In this book she makes the Pslams simultaneously a reservoir of ancient wisdom and timely honest invitations into the heart of the divine.

If you read this book you will thank me. If you don’t I’ll buy your copy and gift it without judgement.

If you are new to Suchocki or Process Theology this brief PDF intro is a good place to start.

Upcoming Online Class: Bonhoeffer & the Future of Faith

Why does a theologian like Dietrich Bonhoeffer still excite our theological imagination? What is it about his work in a different era that still engages some of the most cutting-edge theological work done today? Join us for the new Homebrewed Christianity class, â€œBonhoeffer and the Future of Faithâ€ as we listen to and learn from internationally known scholars working in areas such as climate change, prison reform, racial tensions, pastoral care, and Christian Nationalism. These scholars, generations removed from Bonhoefferâ€™s day, find inspiration in him for the continuing task of theology to interpret and respond to global challenges in our day. Together this class will think about Bonhoefferâ€™s enduring question to the church of his day, â€œWhat is Christianity for us today?â€ How we are responding in our time to this question will determine the shape of faith for our day and beyond.

Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Thomas Jay Oord: the Death of Omnipotence!

Sat, 22 Apr 2023 19:37:31 -0000

It’s a book release party for Thomas Jay Oord’s new book! We were joined by two other philosophers will join us – Donna Bowman & Donald Viney. In this ground-breaking book, best-selling and award-winning author Thomas Jay Oord explains why omnipotence should be rejected. But Oord offers a replacement: amipotence, the power of uncontrolling love. If we think love shapes and guides God’s power, we make better sense of life. And better sense of the Bible. Amipotence explains why God doesn’t prevent genuine evil and overcomes other obstacles to belief. An amipotent Spirit empowers all that is loving, true, beautiful, and good. No book makes a bolder but more needed argument for why God is not all-powerful. Those who care about love, scripture, and logic find what they’ve been looking for. Upcoming Online Class: Bonhoeffer & the Future of Faith

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Jeffrey Pugh: 5 Reasons we need Bonhoeffer now!

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 16:48:30 -0000

Dr. Pugh is joining Tripp for a conversation about the timely work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. We will pull out 5 different reasons the return to Bonhoeffer is needed from his essay “Ten Years After,â€ in which Bonhoeffer wrote to the conspirators and resisters to Nazi rule in 1943. In this one short piece, ample grounds for reflecting on a society in which black bodies are under attack, bodies of all people face the specter of death and disease, and we are slipping into a global oligarchy where the wealthy will determine for us how we live our lives.

This is not the end of the conversation, but an invitation to join us and 5 other Bonhoeffer scholars as we dig into his texts and address our moment’s most pressing questions. You can join this donation-based class (including 0) by heading to www.riseofbonhoeffer.com

Previous Episodes with Dr. Pugh

Upcoming Online Class: Bonhoeffer & the Future of Faith

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Rolf Jacobson: Five Offensive Things… you learn in Seminary

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 13:30:08 -0000

Luther’s online learning platform

Rolf Jacobson is back on the podcast, and we have some serious fun. In our conversation, we discuss several things seminarians learn that could be triggering to the church they grew up in. I also drop a few exciting announcements in the intro like Rolf and I will tag-team a keynote together at the Festival of Homiletics in Minneapolis this May. Plus, there will be a live Homebrewed Christianity podcast on Tuesday, March 16th, in Minneapolis, open to everyone. In the fall semester, I will start a stint as Visiting Professor of Theology at Luther Seminary, where nearly all MA and MDiv students get a full-tuition scholarship.

Dr. Rolf A. Jacobson is the Professor of Old Testament and the Alvin N. Rogness Chair of Scripture, Theology, and Ministry at Luther Seminary.

Known for his humor and faithful biblical interpretation, Jacobson is an in-demand preacher and teacher.Â With Craig Koester, he developed and supports the Narrative Lectionary.Â He enjoys collaborating with other teachers and pastors.Â His collaborative projects include The Book of Psalms (NICOT; with Beth Tanner and Nancy deClaissÃ©-Walford), Invitation to the Psalms (with Karl Jacobson), Crazy Talk: A Not-So-Stuffy Dictionary of Theological Terms (with five fellow Luther Seminary graduates), and Crazy Book: A Not-So-Stuffy Dictionary of Biblical Terms(with Hans Wiersma and Karl Jacobon). He is also the author of The Homebrewed Christianity Guide to the Old Testament: Israelâ€™s In-Your-Face, Holy God. His scholarly interests include the Psalms, prophets, biblical theology, biblical narrative, and preaching the Old Testament.

His voice can be heard on two weekly preaching podcasts, â€œSermon Brainwaveâ€ and â€œThe Narrative Lectionary,â€ as well as singing the high lonesome with a Lutheran bluegrass band, â€œThe Fleshpots of Egypt.â€

A childhood cancer survivor, he is a double, above-the-knee amputee who generally wears a bicycle and a smile.Â He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with his beloved wife Amy, their children Ingrid and Gunnar, and a cat who thinks he is a dog. He is a loyal friend, a lifelong sufferer of Minnesota sports, and a committed board-game geek.

Previous Episodes with Rolf

Upcoming Online Class: Bonhoeffer & the Future of Faith

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John Dominic Crossan: The Coming Kingdom & the Risen Christ

Sat, 08 Apr 2023 14:46:42 -0000

John Dominic Crossan returns to the podcast to discuss how the death of John the Baptist reshaped Jesus’ own vision and how the death and resurrection of Jesus changed Paul’s eschatological hope. In the conversation, we mention some Domâ€™s books, including The First Paul: Reclaiming the Radical Visionary Behind the Church’s Conservative Icon,Â The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus’s Final Days in JerusalemÂ and Resurrecting Easter.

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

Upcoming Online Class: Bonhoeffer & the Future of Faith

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Ilia Delio: Catching a Cosmic Faith

Wed, 05 Apr 2023 14:03:29 -0000

Ilia Delio, OSF, PhD is a Franciscan Sister of Washington, DC and American theologian specializing in the area of science and religion, with interests in evolution, physics and neuroscience and the import of these for theology.

Ilia currently holds the Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology at Villanova University, and is the author of twenty books including Care for Creation (coauthored with Keith Warner and Pamela Woods) which won two Catholic Press Book Awards in 2009, first place for social concerns and second place in spirituality. Her book The Emergent Christ won a third place Catholic Press Book Award in 2011 for the area of Science and Religion. Her recent books include The Unbearable Wholeness of Being: God, Evolution and the Power of Love (Orbis, 2013), which received the 2014 Silver Nautilus Book Award and a third place Catholic Press Association Award for Faith and Science. Ilia holds two honorary doctorates, one from St. Francis University in 2015, and one from Sacred Heart University in 2020.

You can check out Ilia’s previous visit to the podcast here: the Entangled God of My HeartÂ

Upcoming Online Class: Bonhoeffer & the Future of Faith

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John Dominic Crossan: The Parables of Jesus & the Parable of God

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 15:23:09 -0000

John Dominic Crossan returns to the podcast to discuss how Jesus the parable teller became the parable of God. You will hear him describe the nature of parables and their role in the kingdom ministry of Jesus. This parabolic framework helps him unpack the nature of the four Gospels and how they function to make space for God today. In the conversation, we mention some Domâ€™s books, including The Power of Parable: How Fiction by Jesus Became Fiction about JesusÂ The Dark Interval: Towards a Theology of Story,Â and Resurrecting Easter. John Dominic Crossan is an Irish-American biblical scholar with two-year post-doctoral diplomas in exegesis from Romeâ€™s Pontifical Biblical Institute and in archeology from Jerusalemâ€™s Ã‰cole Biblique. He has been a mendicant friar and a catholic priest, a Co-Chair of the Jesus Seminar, and a President of the Society of Biblical Literature. His focus, whether scholarly or popular, in books, videos, or lectures, is on the historical Jesus as the norm and criterion for the entire Christian Bible. His reconstructed Jesus incarnates nonviolent resistance to the Romanization of his Jewish homeland and future hope of a transformed world and transfigured earth. Crossanâ€™s method is to situate biblical texts within the reconstructed matrix of their own genre and purpose, their own time and place, and to hear them accurately for then before accepting or rejecting them for now.

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

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Jeffrey D. Sachs: Ethics in Action

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 17:04:13 -0000

Jeffrey D. Sachs is a world-renowned economics professor, bestselling author, innovative educator, and global leader in sustainable development. I am thrilled to welcome him to the podcast as we discuss ethics, economics, ecology, and our global future. In a new edited volume, Ethics in Action for Sustainable Development, Sachs brings together leaders from different religious and moral traditions from across the globe to wrestle with our collective task expressed in the UN’s sustainable development goals. This ground-breaking text served to inspire our conversation!

Sachs is widely recognized for bold and effective strategies to address complex challenges, including the escape from extreme poverty, the global battle against human-induced climate change, international debt and financial crises, national economic reforms, and the control of pandemic and epidemic diseases.

Sachs serves as the Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, where he holds the rank of University Professor, the university’s highest academic rank. Sachs was Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University from 2002 to 2016. He is President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Co-Chair of the Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition, academician of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences at the Vatican, Commissioner of the UN Broadband Commission for Development, Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah Honorary Distinguished Professor at Sunway University, and SDG Advocate for UN Secretary General António Guterres. From 2001-18, Sachs served as Special Advisor to UN Secretaries-General Kofi Annan (2001-7), Ban Ki-moon (2008-16), and António Guterres (2017-18).

Sachs has authored and edited numerous books, including three New York Times bestsellers: The End of Poverty (2005), Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet (2008), and The Price of Civilization (2011). Other books include To Move the World: JFK’s Quest for Peace (2013), The Age of Sustainable Development (2015), Building the New American Economy: Smart, Fair & Sustainable (2017), A New Foreign Policy: Beyond American Exceptionalism (2018), The Ages of Globalization: Geography, Technology, and Institutions (2020), and most recently, Ethics in Action for Sustainable Development (2022).

Sachs is the 2022 recipient of the Tang Prize in Sustainable Development and was the co-recipient of the 2015 Blue Planet Prize, the leading global prize for environmental leadership. He was twice named among Time magazine’s 100 most influential world leaders. Sachs has received 41 honorary doctorates, and his recent awards include the 2022 Tang Prize in Sustainable Development, the Legion of Honor by decree of the President of the Republic of France, and the Order of the Cross from the President of Estonia.

Prior to joining Columbia, Sachs spent over twenty years as a professor at Harvard University, most recently as the Galen L. Stone Professor of International Trade. A native of Detroit, Michigan, Sachs received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees at Harvard.

Lexington Theological Seminary is the sponsor for this Episode.

Here are a few episodes with a couple of their Profs

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Homebrewed Christianity’s 15th Birthday Party w/ the BoDaddy & Tony Jones

Fri, 10 Mar 2023 17:26:56 -0000

the BoDaddy Returns + I battle Tony Jones inÂ au contraire mon frÃ¨re + Longtime listeners & friends in the chat = EPIC 15th Birthday Party for Homebrewed Christianity.

I am so extremely grateful for the community around the podcast and the wonderful people who have become friends over the last 15 years. You can keep up with the fresh stuff Bo Sanders is doing here and follow Tony Jones’ work here.

The last 15 minutes of this episode are very important to me. There I give a toast to my original co-host Chad Crawford and then give a tipsy sermonic reflection on friendship. It wasn’t planned, but it does capture my love for

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John Dominic Crossan: How to think about Jesus like a Historian

Wed, 08 Mar 2023 20:34:39 -0000

John Dominic Crossan returns to the podcast to discuss how a historian thinks about Jesus. You will hear him outline the basic framework he operates from before tackling several different topics and questions sent in by members of the Easter Stories group. In the conversation, we mention some Dom’s books including The Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, and Resurrecting Easter.

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

This Episode is Sponsored By Christian Theologial Seminary

Are you discerning a call to ministry or leadership? Christian Theological Seminary understands you canâ€™t put your life on pause to complete your Master of Divinity degree. Thanks to new remote learning technology and their redesigned MDiv, you no longer have to. Their redesigned MDiv program now offers remote learning options for completing classes without eliminating the traditional in-person classroom experience. With consistent course offerings and individualized degree mapping, students can complete the required credit hours at their own pace with minimal on-site intensive days, creating an equitable experience from anywhere. Theyâ€™re bringing CTS to you and opening access to excellent preparation for ministry and ordination. Learn more at www.CTS.edu

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Diana Butler Bass: American Saints in a Cynical Age

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 16:00:04 -0000

This is the first session with me and Diana’s Lenten classÂ Empty Altars: American Saints in a Cynical Age. We hope you enjoy it and consider joining the group.

If you enjoy this, check out the upcoming lent group with Diana and me â€“ Empty Altars:American Saints in a Cynical Age.

We live in iconoclastic times. All around us, saintsÂ and heroes are being knocked off or taken down from public altars. It seems that nearly everyone we once admired or held in esteem has failed us. Weâ€™ve stripped the altars of both state and church. Americaâ€™s spiritual landscape is now marked by empty altars everywhere.

Taking down statues is nothing new, especially in Christian history. Cynicism and anger at failed institutions and flawed heroes is nothing new. But human beings rarely leave altars empty very long â€” thereâ€™s almost a pressing need to re-sanctifyÂ the geographies we inhabit. People always put statues back up.

But of who? And to commemorate what? How do we move ahead with new saints and a less troublesome iconography? What â€œsaintsâ€ can inspire us to address the hurts of our hearts, the brokenness of our communities, and the pressing issues of our times?

Shouldnâ€™t we just give up on the whole idea of saints anyway? Why bother?

Join Diana and Tripp this Lentas they explore â€œsainthoodâ€ for an American â€” and global â€” future. Weâ€™ll share stories that need to be told of â€œsaintsâ€ you know and those you need to know in a quirky learning journey through American religious history.

This episode is Sponsored by the Cornerstone Fund.

You can earn 3.75% interest on a new 18-month term investment in faith-based and socially responsible investments. Check outÂ the United Church of Christ’sÂ Cornerstone FundÂ to invest in and build Community across the country.Â VisitÂ www.cornerstonefund.orgÂ or call 888-UCC-FUND to learn more. TheirÂ staff is available to assist you on your investment journey.

Previous Episodes with Diana & Tripp

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John Dominic Crossan: the Last Week of Jesus’ Life

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 17:19:52 -0000

What do we know about the last week of Jesus’ life? Why was Jesus executed?

In this visual lecture, renowned Historical Jesus scholar John Dominic Crossan will walk us through a historical reconstruction of Jesus’ last week, ending in his crucifixion. Attending to the historical matrix of Jesus helps provide a rich context for exploring the challenge and meaning the execution of Jesus could have for us today.

You can access the online visual lecture series “Easter Stories” and join the five live QnA sessions by going to www.EasterWithCrossan.com

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

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Diana Butler Bass: Ruining Dinner… and Date Nights

Wed, 22 Feb 2023 19:54:07 -0000

I got to join Diana Butler Bass at the Southern Lights festival over MLK weekend where we recorded this live edition of Ruining Dinner. To be a part of future zoom sessions of the series and get access to past gatherings, join Diana’s newsletter community, the Cottage &/or the Homebrewed Community.

If you enjoy this, check out the upcoming lent group with Diana and me – Empty Altars: American Saints in a Cynical Age.

We live in iconoclastic times. All around us, saints and heroes are being knocked off or taken down from public altars. It seems that nearly everyone we once admired or held in esteem has failed us. We’ve stripped the altars of both state and church. America’s spiritual landscape is now marked by empty altars everywhere.

Taking down statues is nothing new, especially in Christian history. Cynicism and anger at failed institutions and flawed heroes is nothing new. But human beings rarely leave altars empty very long — there’s almost a pressing need to re-sanctify the geographies we inhabit. People always put statues back up.

But of who? And to commemorate what? How do we move ahead with new saints and a less troublesome iconography? What “saints” can inspire us to address the hurts of our hearts, the brokenness of our communities, and the pressing issues of our times?

Shouldn’t we just give up on the whole idea of saints anyway? Why bother?

Join Diana and Tripp this Lent as they explore “sainthood” for an American — and global — future. We’ll share stories that need to be told of “saints” you know and those you need to know in a quirky learning journey through American religious history.

Previous Episodes with Diana & Tripp

Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Philip Clayton: On the Meaning of Life

Wed, 15 Feb 2023 17:51:42 -0000

Philip Clayton returns to the podcast! We recorded this LIVE at the 50th Anniversary conference for the Center for Process Studies. What better time than to figure out the meaning of life…. Â As a scholar, Philip Clayton (Ingraham Professor, Claremont School of Theology) works at the intersection points of science, philosophy, and theology. As an activist (president of EcoCiv.org, President of IPDC), he works to convene, facilitate, and catalyze multi-sectoral initiatives toward ecological civilization.

When Phil and I got done, Sarah Heath was joined by Thomas Jay Oord and Mason Mennenga for a timely exploration of love advice from a process-relational perspective. This is what nerds do late at night on Valentine’s Day:)

the new John Cobb book I edited for his 98th Birthday

John Cobb is a Christian Theologian. Yet, he is just as likely to be known to economists, scientists, philosophers, environmentalists, educators, and activists. Some could say he left behind his task as a Christian theologian venturing across so many fields, but as this collection of Cobbâ€™s theological writing will demonstrate, it is precisely his passion for the one Jesus called Abba that animated his powerful and prophetic intellectual and movement invest in so many of the most pressing and challenging centers of intellectual inquiry. Yes, Cobb is a Christian theologian, but more than that, a model of just what kind of theologian is needed in our age and beyond. This selection of essays was compiled from John B. Cobb, Jr.’s writings over the decades to celebrate his 98th birthday.

The Process Party Teach-In

If you have wanted to learn about Process theology and philosophy, but wondered where to begin, check out this one-day teach-in I helped put together. It brings together some amazing speakers for a hybrid event. You will be guided into the Process vision by some of the best communicators during this one-day teach-in. Â This event is donation based (including 0), so join the nerdy fun and tell your friends!

Previous Podcast Convos w/ Philip

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Love & the Power of God LIVE in Napa

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 15:06:11 -0000

This episode was recorded live in Napa, CA at the ‘Love and the Power of God‘ conference. It was a complete blast! You will hear from a bunch of regulars on the podcast, as well as a few first timers.

If you have wanted to learn about Process theology and philosophy, but wondered where to begin, then check out this one-day teach-in I helped put together. It brings together some amazing speakers for a hybrid event. You will be guided into the Process vision by some of the best communicators during this one-day teach-in. You can join online or in person and watch the sessions live or on your schedule. This event is donation based (including 0), so join the nerdy fun and tell your friends!

Get some info and sign-up HERE for the Process Party.

To join the 50th Anniversary Celebration and Conference for the Center for Process Studies head over HERE

This episode is Sponsored by the Cornerstone Fund.

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Pete Enns & Tony Jones Love Baseball

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 18:33:31 -0000

This is a special episode with two friends. Pete and Tony had a spectacular conversation at Theology Beer Camp where Pete shared a bit about his BRAND NEW BOOK – Curve Ball: WHen Your Faith Takes Turns You Never Saw Coming – and baseball. Since Tony’s podcast, The Reverend Hunter, is not about theology and baseball, I decided to release it here and remind you about Pete’s new book. Before they get going, Tony joins me for a full-throated HBC intro… like 15 minute style:) Enjoy.

Tony Jones is the author of Did God Kill Jesus? (HarperOne, 2015) and contributing writer to several outdoors periodicals. He’s written a dozen books, including The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier and The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life, developed the iPhone app, hosts the Reverend Hunter Podcast, and teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary. Tony is a sought-after speaker and consultant in the areas of emerging church, postmodernism, and Christian spirituality, writing, and the outdoors. He served as a consultant on the television show, The Path, and he owns an event planning company, Crucible Creative. He holds an A.B. from Dartmouth College, an M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary.

Previous Episodes with Pete Enns

Previous Episodes with Tony Jones

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Bill Leonard & Diana Butler Bass: Welcome to the Post-Christian Century

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 14:42:08 -0000

In this episode, two of my favorite Church Historians join the podcast for a tricky but needed conversation on the changing shape of American religion. It is so much fun!

If you enjoy this, check out the upcoming lent group with Diana and me – Empty Altars: American Saints in a Cynical Age.

We live in iconoclastic times. All around us, saintsÂ and heroes are being knocked off or taken down from public altars. It seems that nearly everyone we once admired or held in esteem has failed us. We’ve stripped the altars of both state and church. America’s spiritual landscape is now marked by empty altars everywhere.

Taking down statues is nothing new, especially in Christian history. Cynicism and anger at failed institutions and flawed heroes is nothing new. But human beings rarely leave altars empty very long — there’s almost a pressing need to re-sanctifyÂ the geographies we inhabit. People always put statues back up.

Shouldn’t we just give up on the whole idea of saints anyway? Why bother?

Dr. Bill Leonard is Founding Dean and Professor of Divinity Emeritus at Wake Forest Universityâ€™s School of Divinity. Leonardâ€™s research focuses on Church History with particular attention to American religion, Baptist studies, and Appalachian religion. He is the author or editor of some 25 books including Christianity in Appalachia (1999); Baptist Ways: A History (2003); The Challenge of Being Baptist (2010); Can I Get a Witness?: Essays, Sermons and Reflections (2013); and Â A Sense of the Heart: Christian Religious Experience in the U.S., (2014). In March 2015 he delivered the William James Lecture on Religious Experience at Harvard Divinity School and in February 2017 he gave the William Self Lectures on Preaching at McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University. His newest book, The Homebrewed Christianity Guide to Church History: Flaming Heretics and Heavy Drinkers, was Â published by Fortress Press in July 2017. Leonard is on the board of the Journal of Disability and Religion, The Baptist Quarterly (England), the Day1 Preaching Network, the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, and the Governing Board of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. His sabbatical research focuses on a new book, tentatively entitled: â€œSecurity or Idolatry?: A History of Religion and Firearms in the U.S.â€ Â Leonard writes a twice-monthly column for Baptist News Global, is an ordained Baptist minister, and a member of First Baptist Church, Highland Avenue (American Baptist Churches, USA) in Winston-Salem.

Check out these books by Dr. Leonard:

Previous Podcasts w/ Dr. Leonard

Previous Episodes with Diana & Tripp

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Pete Enns & the God-Pod Party

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 15:34:42 -0000

THIS PARTY WAS FOR PETE’S NEW BOOK. CHECK IT OUT HERE. The God-Pod Partners Include:

Sarah Heath from the REVcovery Podcast
Josh Patterson from the (Re)thinking Faith Podcast
Sarey Martin ConcepciÃ³n from the Secret Art Project Podcast
Mason Mennega from a People’s Theology Podcast

Experiencing God: an Open Online Class

Kick off the new year with a nerdy good time. The next Homebrewed class will be a robust exploration of how the tools of science, philosophy, and theology help us discern meaning from divine encounters. Weâ€™ll discuss God-experiences as mediated through faith communities, the mind, nature, the Bible, psychedelics, and more. And weâ€™ll do all this with an eye towards the future, exploring the possibilities for how a lived-theology could express itself in the world. Check it out here.

Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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The Living & Liberating Mystery #ExperiencingGod

Sun, 29 Jan 2023 15:13:43 -0000

Experiencing God: an Open Online Class

This Episode is Sponsored By Christian Theologial Seminary

Sarey Martin ConcepciÃ³n is a writer, podcast producer, and filmmaker with roots in L.A. and Portland, OR. She has an MA in Theology and the Arts from Fuller Theological Seminary and works as communications director for Blueprint 1543, which cultivates integration between theology and the psychological sciences. Currently, sheâ€™s in preproduction on a feminist, sci-fi short film (winemakermovie.com). Before pursuing independent fiction and nonfiction projects, she worked for 10 years as part of Rob Zombieâ€™s production and management team. More at secretartproject.com.

Dr. Adam Clark is Associate Professor of Theology at Xavier University. He is committed to the idea that theological education in the twenty first century must function as a counter-story. One that equips us to read against the grain of the dominant culture and inspires one to live into the Ignatian dictum of going forth â€œto set the world on fire.â€ To this end, Dr. Clark is intentional about pedagogical practices that raise critical consciousness by going beneath surface meanings, unmasking conventional wisdoms and reimagining the good. He currently serves as co-chair of Black Theology Group at the American Academy of Religion, actively publishes in the area of black theology and black religion and participates in social justice groups at Xavier and in the Cincinnati area. He earned his PhD at Union Theological Seminary in New York where he was mentored by James Cone.

Previous Episodes w/Â Adam:

Cancel Culture, Rogan, Whoopi, Chappelle, & the NFL

Gary Dorrien & Adam Clark: James Cone and the Emergence of Black Theology

Serene Jones & Adam Clark: Theology Matters and the Legacy of James Cone

The Crisis of American Religion & Democracy: 1/6 a year later

Christmas, BLM, Abortion, & the War on White Evangelicalism

Jan 6th Theological Debrief: Adam Clark and Jeffrey Pugh

Adam Clark: What is Black Theology?

From Lebron James to the Black Panther: Black Theology QnA w/ Adam Clark

Adam Clark: James Cone was right

Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. He is an award-winning author, and he has written or edited more than twenty-five books. Oord directs a doctoral programat Northwind Theological Seminary and the Center for Open and Relational Theology. He won the Outstanding Faculty Award twelve times as a full-time professor and now speaks at institutions across the globe. Oord is known for his contributions to research on love, open and relational theology, science and religion, and freedom and relationships for transformation.

Some Previous Tripp & Tom Pods

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Science and Spiritual Experience #Experiencing God

Sat, 28 Jan 2023 16:24:54 -0000

Experiencing God: an Open Online Class

Dr. Myron Penner is a professor of philosophy at Trinity Western University and director of theÂ Anabaptist-Mennonite Centre for Faith and Learning. On top of being a stellar scholar, he is a dear friend and the coolest Mennonite Canadian philosopher on planet earth

Dan Koch is one of my favorite people. He reached out to connect in person when heÂ was thinking of starting a podcast, and since then, he has not only produced several quality podcasts, but I have grown to love having him in my life.Â Pretty Good Vibrations analyzes and celebrates pop and rock music and its crucial role throughout our lives. Podcast veteran and host Dan Koch (You Have Permission Podcast) has been a professional musician for most of the last 20 years: songwriter for the emo-pop band Sherwood, then as a commercial composer since 2012. Multiple episode styles include bracket-style tournaments, chronological walk-throughs, and deep dives into genres, artists, and eras.Â Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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John Dominic Crossan: Jesus, Paul, & Bible Questions

Sun, 22 Jan 2023 15:32:22 -0000

Legendary Bible Scholar, John Dominic Crossan, is back on the podcast! In this episode, we tackle some listener questions and let everyone know about an upcoming class – Easter Stories.

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

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Bad Theology… Good God!

Thu, 19 Jan 2023 10:54:25 -0000

Dr. Leah Robinson is Associate Professor of Religion at Pfieffer University.Â You should also follow her on twitter. Her previous visits to the podcast includeÂ Bad Theology & Jager Bomb Fountains and When a Practical Theologian talks about God.

Rev. Sarah Heath is a Methodist minister who left the ministry behind. She hosts several podcasts, including REVcovery. Her previous visits to the podcast include The Theology Beer Camp Debrief and The Gift of Being a Minister.

Experiencing God: an Open Online Class

Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Aaron Simmons: Philosophy & the Experience of God

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 05:41:12 -0000

This is the kick-off live stream for our newest online class – Experiencing God Discerning the Divine in Human Experience. Check it out and join the fun!

Dr. Aaron Simmons is anÂ Associate Professor of Philosophy at Furman University.

His previous visits to the podcast includeâ€¦”Do I Have a Soul? & other cultural preferences in bold,” â€Off-Road Religion & Pandemic Philosophizing,â€ â€Smells Like Teenage Phenomenologyâ€ & â€œWhose Christianity, Which Postmodernism?â€
Youtube Channel, â€œPhilosophy for Where We Find Ourselvesâ€:
TedX Speaker: â€œThe Failure of Successâ€

Tim Whitaker runs the New Evangelicals and all its outputs. He was also â€œlet goâ€ as a drummer for asking too many questions. The gateway to their stuff is on IG ?

Sarey Martin ConcepciÃ³n is a writer, podcast producer, and filmmaker with roots in L.A. and Portland, OR. She has an MA in Theology and the Arts from Fuller Theological Seminary and works as communications director for Blueprint 1543, which cultivates integration between theology and the psychological sciences. Currently, sheâ€™s in preproduction on a feminist, sci-fi short film (winemakermovie.com). Prior to pursuing independent fiction and nonfiction projects, she worked for 10 years as part of Rob Zombieâ€™s production and management team. More at secretartproject.com.

Experiencing God: an Open Online Class

Hereâ€™s the trailer for Experiencing God (the online class) Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Ryan Burge: a Year in Religion (w/ graphs)

Thu, 05 Jan 2023 19:59:20 -0000

Dr. Ryan Burge is back on the podcast with his most popular charts of data on religion. The graphs we discuss are the 5 most popular he shared over the last year on his nerdy twitter.

Previous Visits from Ryan Burge

Here are the 5 most popular Chart Tweets we discussed

In 1991, 87% of people aged 18-35 years old were Christians. 8% of them identified as religiously unaffiliated.

By 1998, 73% of young people were Christians (a 14 point drop) and 21% of young people identified as nones (a 13 pt. increase).

America lost its religion in 1990s. pic.twitter.com/oPL2UYzswY

â€” Ryan Burge ? (@ryanburge) April 4, 2022

The drop in fertility over the last decade is primarily among Democrats.

Peak parenting in 2010: 65% of Republicans in their late 30s were parents. 62% of Democrat

Peak parenting in 2020: 60% of Republicans in their late 30s were parents. 50% of Democrat pic.twitter.com/m3HmjaT1Up

â€” Ryan Burge ? (@ryanburge) November 28, 2022

Do people become more conservative as they age? This data tells a nuanced story.

For those born between 1930 and 1949, they did move rightward between 2008 and 2021.

1950-1964 saw no change at all.

Those born in 1965 or later have moved to the left between 2008 and 2021. pic.twitter.com/WqpGXy3T43

â€” Ryan Burge ? (@ryanburge) April 20, 2022

In 1988, 6% of white Democrats took an atheist or agnostic position about God. It was 3% of nonwhite Democrats.

In 2021, 32% of white Democrats were atheist/agnostic. It was 8% of nonwhite Democrats.

There’s never really been a racial God Gap for Republicans.

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Toasting Tolkien on his 131st Birthday #TolkienBirthdayToast

Tue, 03 Jan 2023 17:20:55 -0000

Today J.R.R. Tolkien turns 131! My buddy and pro-Tolkien nerd Nick Polk joined me to share a toast to Tolkien and reflect on a passage we selected as we enter a new year. After the toast, you will hear our special Tolkien Heads session from Theology Beer Camp, which was a bunch of fun.

Nick Polk is the production editor for Mallorn, the academic journal of The Tolkien Society. His most recent research includes his essay entitled â€œMiddle-earth in South Park: The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers as Parody.â€ Other than Tolkien, his other loves include his wife Kelly, coffee, and punk. Nothing sounds better than starting the day reading a Tolkien book with a cup of coffee and ending it in a moshpit with loved ones.

Experiencing God: an Open Online Class

Hereâ€™s the trailer for Experiencing God (the online class) Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Matthew Segall: Processing the Political

Mon, 02 Jan 2023 15:38:24 -0000

Matthew Segall returns to the podcast! This was recorded in person in Napa, Ca where he gave a talk on Process-Relational Politic al Theology. You can see his blog post about the talk here.

Dr. Segall is aÂ transdisciplinary researcher and teacher applying process philosophy across various natural and social sciences, including the study of consciousness. Â He is also the Â Assistant Professor in theÂ Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness Program at California Institute of Integral StudiesÂ in San Francisco, CA.

Make sure you check out his YouTube channel and the new book. You can listen to our last podcast conversation – Cosmology, Consciousness, and Whiteheadâ€™s God.

Experiencing God: an Open Online Class

Hereâ€™s the trailer for Experiencing God (the online class) Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Myron Penner: Sex, God, & Gender

Thu, 29 Dec 2022 14:59:21 -0000

Myron Penner is back on the podcast! We discuss his current research project on sex, gender, and anthropology. In the second half of the episode Myron starts asking me questions and things get personal

Experiencing God: an Open Online Class

Hereâ€™s the trailer for Experiencing God (the online class) Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

Previous Podcast Episodes w/ Myron

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Diana Butler Bass: Ruining Christmas Dinner

Thu, 22 Dec 2022 16:41:07 -0000

Diana is back for some Holiday fun! We gathered a bunch of questions where anything was on the table. This is what happened when we randomly answered member-submitted questions. To be a part of future zoom sessions and get access to past gatherings, Â joinÂ Dianaâ€™s newsletter community,Â the Cottage &/or the Homebrewed Community.

Want to attend a Ruining Dinner session in person? (we hope so)

Well, you could always match up our calendars and bring us to your living room, or you could come to the Southern Lights conference over MLK weekend. This event has both in-person and live-streaming options.

Experiencing God: an Open Online Class

Hereâ€™s the trailer for Experiencing God (the online class) Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

Previous Episodes with Diana & Tripp Ruining Election Night Dinner The Over-Rated Genie God Bad Blood, Civil War, and other Soothing Topics Shall the Fundies (Keep) Winning?, Abortion, and Black Holes Theology and Spirituality in a Time of Rupture White Evangelical Theopolitics, John Shelby Spong, & Jesus 20 Years of Religious Decline Jesus After Religion and Beyond Fear Ruining Dinner with Diana Butler Bass and Robyn Henderson-Espinoza Evangelical Decline, the Supreme Court, and the Horizon of Possibility Debating, Praying, and Living with Tyrants Religion, Politics, & the Elephant in the Room

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Daniel Kirk: How Paul Preaches Christmas

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 16:58:03 -0000

Long-time friend of the podcast and New Testament super nerd – the Good Doctor Daniel Kirk – is back on the podcast for some Christmas fun! This conversation was the first in-person live stream from the new Homebrewed Christianity headquarters. It was zesty.

Be sure to check out his newest book, Romans for Normal People: A Guide to the Most Misused, Problematic and Prooftexted Letter in the Bible. It is a nerdy banger of a book.

Here’s the trailer for Experiencing God (the online class) Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Marion Grau: Salvation, Liberation, and Transformation

Mon, 12 Dec 2022 14:54:44 -0000

There is a list of scholars I reach out to every 18 months hoping they will come on the podcast. For 12 years, Marion Grau has been on the list, but no more! I can’t exaggerate how much nerdy fun I had hanging with Marion in Norway, and we recorded some of that fun for you.

Podcasting after a stroll through the rain in Norway

Marion Grau is Professor of Systematic Theology, Ecumenism and Missiology at MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion, and Society in Oslo, Norway. Before coming to Oslo, she taught at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA from 2001-2015. Her teaching interests are in constructive theology and critical intersectional theories. Her current research projects include a constructive theology of energy transitions and climate change. In addition to various chapters and articles, she is the author of the monographs Pilgrimage, Landscape, and Identity: Reconstructing Sacred Geographies in Norway (Oxford University Press, 2021), Refiguring Theological Hermeneutics: Hermes, Trickster, Fool (Palgrave MacMillan, 2014), Rethinking Mission in the Postcolony: Salvation, Society, and Subversion (T&T Clark/Continuum, 2011), and Of Divine Economy: Refinancing Redemption (T&T Clark/Continuum, 2004).

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Eric Vanden Eykel: Our Ongoing Fascination with the Magi

Wed, 07 Dec 2022 19:02:43 -0000

The Magi get 12 verses in the Gospel of Matthew, but that was all we needed to remain fascinated with them across history. In his new bookÂ The Magi,Â Dr. Eric Vanden Eykel starts with the Biblical story and follows the Magi all the way to Biff (if you know, you know).

Eric Vanden Eykel is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and the ForrestÂ S. Williams Teaching Chair in the Humanities at Ferrum College in Virginia.Â He received his Ph.D. in Judaism and Christianity from Antiquity from Marquette University in Milwaukee, and he also holds masters degrees from Marquette and the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta. Dr. Vanden Eykel’sÂ primaryÂ area of research is early Christian apocryphal literature, with a special focus on texts and traditions about the infancies and childhoods of Jesus and Mary, his mother. He is the author ofÂ â€œBut Their Faces Were All Looking Up: Author and Reader in the Protevangelium of James,â€Â published by T&T Clark, co-editor ofÂ Sex, Violence, and Early Christian Texts, published by Lexington Books, and author ofÂ The Magi: Who They Were, How They’ve Been Remembered, and Why They Still Fascinate,Â published by Fortress Press.

Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Dan Koch: Only Friends Share Mixtapes

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 20:12:02 -0000

Dan Koch is one of my favorite people. He reached out to connect in person when he was thinking of starting a podcast, and since then, he has not only produced several quality podcasts, but I have grown to love having him in my life. Like all good elder millennials, nothing says, “dude, I love being your friend,” like a quality mixtape. In this episode, we share our mixtape playlists to a stack of song categories collected from Twitter.

Pretty Good Vibrations analyzes and celebrates pop and rock music and its crucial role throughout our lives. Podcast veteran and host Dan Koch (You Have Permission Podcast) has been a professional musician for most of the last 20 years: songwriter for the emo-pop band Sherwood, then as a commercial composer since 2012. Multiple episode styles include bracket-style tournaments, chronological walk-throughs, and deep dives into genres, artists, and eras. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Delvyn Case: Jesus in Pop Music

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 19:06:37 -0000

I am pumped to have Dr. Delvyn Case on the podcast! What happens when a professional composer and theology nerd chronicles all the appearances of Jesus in Pop music? Well, you end up with a really cool project exploring the spiritual questions of our secular age. In this conversation we discuss his project and then dig into some secular Advent / Christmas tunes.

Dr. Case isÂ a composer, conductor, scholar, performer, concert producer, and educator based in Boston and on faculty in the music department at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts.

What is the Jesus in Pop Music Project? From â€œJesus, Take the Wheelâ€ to â€œJesus Walksâ€, Jesus has appeared in hundreds of songs by (secular) pop musicians over the past 50 years.Â Whether written by believers or atheists, all of these songs seek to answer the oldest questions in Christianity: who was Jesus, what was his message, and why is he important? Though not intended for Christians, these songs provide us with unique opportunities to explore our faith in ways that are contemporary, relevant, and spiritually valuable. The website includes an introduction to this fascinating phenomenon, Spotify playlists for each collection of songs, a searchable database of all 500+ songs, an online form that allows you to submit additions to this list, andÂ links to more informationÂ about the project. The Secular Advent / Christmas Playlist Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Greg Farrand: Second Breath & the Advent Journey

Fri, 25 Nov 2022 14:59:16 -0000

Greg Farrand, Executive Director for Second Breath, is joining the podcast for a special episode exploring the spiritual journey of Advent. Homebrewed has done over 20+ online classes and one of the consistent requests from a portion of the participants is for some more devotional option. Since the classes include people from many different and no religious tradition, that always seemed a difficult request to meet. This time, with the Christmas Stories class we are going to try an optional more spiritual pathway.

For those interested in a contemplative pathway over Advent, we are partnering with Second Breath, to provide guided meditations and spiritual conversations. Having done 20+ online classes like this, that focus on the intellectual side of things, I am excited to have such a respected partner, gifted in equipping others to go beyond an intellectual comprehension of God, faith, and love to actually experiencing them with mind, heart, and body. You will want to check out the Second Breath app, on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. It includes hundreds of spiritual practices and reflections and will feature an Advent series of encounters for the class.

The best part of this partnership is it will not impact any of the time with Dom, but for those who have been requesting this kind of element, we can try it out.

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John Dominic Crossan: Saving the Biblical Christmas Stories

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 20:57:23 -0000

It is almost time for our next online class and John Dominic Crossan is here to lure to join Christmas Stories

John Dominic Crossan is an Irish-American biblical scholar with two-year post-doctoral diplomas in exegesis from Romeâ€™s Pontifical Biblical Institute and in archeology from Jerusalemâ€™s Ã‰cole Biblique. He has been a mendicant friar and a catholic priest, a Co-Chair of the Jesus Seminar, and a President of the Society of Biblical Literature. His focus, whether scholarly or popular, whether in books, videos, or lectures, is on the historical Jesus as the norm and criterion for the entire Christian Bible. His reconstructed Jesus incarnates nonviolent resistance to the Romanization of his Jewish homeland and future hope of a transformed world and transfigured earth. Crossanâ€™s method is to situate biblical texts within the reconstructed matrix of their own genre and purpose, their own time and place, and to hear them accurately for then before accepting or rejecting them for now.

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

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John Thatamanil: What we do when we do theology

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 13:43:21 -0000

John Thatamanil returns to the podcast and it is one zesty conversation!! We were both in Napa, California for the Power & the God of Love conference. The event was wonderful and getting to record in person with one of my favorite theologians was a real treat.

Dr. Thatamanil is Professor of Theology & World Religions at Union Theological Seminary in NYC.

Check out these books by John

Previous Podcast visits from John

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Diana Butler Bass: Ruining Election Night Dinner

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 17:09:28 -0000

Diana Bass is back on the podcast for a session of our ongoing series â€œRuining Dinner.â€ We talk about religion and politics with a bunch of zest.Â Normally these conversations are for our community members, but we decided to share this one far and wide.Â To be a part of future zoom sessions and get access to past gatherings, Â joinÂ Dianaâ€™s newsletter community,Â the Cottage &/or the Homebrewed Community.

Previous Episodes with Diana & Tripp The Over-Rated Genie God Bad Blood, Civil War, and other Soothing Topics Shall the Fundies (Keep) Winning?, Abortion, and Black Holes Theology and Spirituality in a Time of Rupture White Evangelical Theopolitics, John Shelby Spong, & Jesus 20 Years of Religious Decline Jesus After Religion and Beyond Fear Ruining Dinner with Diana Butler Bass and Robyn Henderson-Espinoza Evangelical Decline, the Supreme Court, and the Horizon of Possibility Debating, Praying, and Living with Tyrants Religion, Politics, & the Elephant in the Room Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Dominic Crossan: the most important discovery for understanding Jesus

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 09:00:10 -0000

Thrilled to announce our upcoming Advent class with John Dominic Crossan. If you want to dig into the Biblical Christmas narratives with one of the most respected New Testament scholars alive, then signup. It will feature 4 visual lectures, live QnA, a discussion of his book â€˜the First Christmas: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus’s Birth,â€™ & an online community of interested learners. PLUS, the class is donation based (including 0), so join the fun & get ready to nerd out with your Bibles out.

John Dominic Crossan is an Irish-American biblical scholar with two-year post-doctoral diplomas in exegesis from Romeâ€™s Pontifical Biblical Institute and in archeology from Jerusalemâ€™s Ã‰cole Biblique. He has been a mendicant friar and a catholic priest, a Co-Chair of the Jesus Seminar, and a President of the Society of Biblical Literature. His focus, whether scholarly or popular, whether in books, videos, or lectures, is on the historical Jesus as the norm and criterion for the entire Christian Bible. His reconstructed Jesus incarnates nonviolent resistance to the Romanization of his Jewish homeland and the Herodian commercialization of his Galilean lake as present program and future hope of a transformed world and transfigured earth. Crossanâ€™s method is to situate biblical texts within the reconstructed matrix of their own genre and purpose, their own time and place, and to hear them accurately for then before accepting or rejecting them for now.

Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp

Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Ryan Burge: Evangelical Jews, Educated Church-Goers, & other bits of dizzying data

Sat, 29 Oct 2022 09:55:42 -0000

A couple of months ago, Ryan joined to discuss recent data on religion in America. It was a very popular episode, and members of the Homebrewed Community requested more charts! Here it is.

Previous Vists from Ryan Burge

The Charts We Discuss…(follow Ryan on twitter for more charts)

Religious attendance among African-Americans.

Never/Seldom attend in 2008 vs 2021, by age: 18-35: 35% -> 46% (+11) 36-44: 31% -> 45% (+14) 45-54: 23% -> 43% (+20) 55-64: 25% -> 48% (+23) 65+: 24% -> 40% (+16) pic.twitter.com/jffEBD5cM2

â€” Ryan Burge ? (@ryanburge) October 26, 2022

This is empirically, undeniably false.

This is 14 years of the Cooperative Election Study. Total sample size is 547,456.

In no year are those with a college degree more likely to be religiously unaffiliated than those who stopped at a high school diploma. https://t.co/WPze6UCTjd pic.twitter.com/jI8tmSvGsd

â€” Ryan Burge ? (@ryanburge) October 24, 2022

60% of Republican Protestants self-identify as evangelical/born-again. It’s 44% of Democrats.

19% of Republican Jews ID as evangelical. 6% of Democrats.

39% vs 15% for Muslims. 25% vs 8% for Buddhists. 37% vs 11% for Hindus. pic.twitter.com/2SNOL4nVJw

â€” Ryan Burge ? (@ryanburge) October 22, 2022

The more white people attend religious services, the more likely they are to identify as politically conservative.

The same is true for Black people.

And Hispanic people.

And Asian people.

It’s hard to find a situation where greater attendance doesn’t lead to conservatism pic.twitter.com/VO6IuBE4Gy

â€” Ryan Burge ? (@ryanburge) October 7, 2022

These are the 20 largest seminaries in the United States based on headcount.

One is a mainline seminary: Duke, which is affiliated with the United Methodists.

20,172 students represented here. 97% of them being trained in evangelical seminaries. pic.twitter.com/7qLfc8vdKY

â€” Ryan Burge ? (@ryanburge) October 24, 2022

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Brian McLaren: Should I Stay Christian if I don’t Believe?

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 17:20:26 -0000

This is the final live stream QnA from theÂ Do I Stay Christian? online class.Â It was a complete blast to hang with Brian and a couple thousand readers

To join Brian, Tripp, and a bunch of their friends at Southern Lights: an Adventure in Progressive ChristianityÂ this January head over here. If you decide to come in person message me so I can send info for the podcast hang.

Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for â€œa new kind of Christianityâ€ â€“ just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good. He is a faculty member ofÂ Â The Living SchoolÂ and podcaster withÂ Learning How to See, which are part of theÂ Center for Action and Contemplation.Â He is also anÂ Auburn Senior FellowÂ and works closely with theÂ Wild Goose Festival,Â theÂ Fair Food Program,Â Vote Common Good, andÂ Progressive Christianity. His recent projects include an illustrated childrenâ€™s book (for all ages) calledÂ Cory and the Seventh StoryÂ andÂ The Galapagos Islands: A Spiritual Journey,Â and Faith After Doubt. His newest book isÂ Do I Stay Christian?Â and we are going to read it together.

Previous Episodes with Brian

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Mariana Rios Maldonado: Ethics & Otherness in Tolkien’s Middle-earth

Sun, 23 Oct 2022 17:51:36 -0000

Join the Tolkien Heads class

Mariana Rios Maldonado completed her undergraduate studies in Literature and Spanish Linguistics at the Autonomous University of Zacatecas, Mexico, and her master’s degree in Comparative Literature at the Peter Szondi Institute in Berlin’s Freie Universität. Her research focuses on the influence of Germanic mythology and culture in contemporary literature, Germanophonic fantastic literature between the 18thand 20th centuries, as well as J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary production. Mariana is currently a PhD candidate in Comparative Literature at the School of Modern Languages and Cultures of the University of Glasgow with the research project ?“Ethics, Femininity and the Encounter with the Other in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth Narratives”, funded by the Mexican National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT) as well as Mexico’s National Foundation for Fine Arts and Literature (Fundación INBA). She is the Equality and Diversity Officer for the University of Glasgow?’s Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic.

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Theology Beer Camp Debrief

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 21:09:50 -0000

WOW! Theology Beer Camp was amazing! I had to debrief it with some friends so I invited Nick Polk (Tolkien Heads), Kevin Garcia (Tiny Revolution), Sarah Heath (REVcovery), and Sam Perez (FUNctional Adults /Skip Sandwich Deluxe)Â to join the conversation.

Want to be the first to find out details for Theology Beer Camp 2023? Just sign up here and I will let you know.

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Jennifer Garcia Bashaw: the Gospel through the Eyes of the Victim

Fri, 07 Oct 2022 14:12:26 -0000

Next week is Theology Beer Camp, and almost all of the speakers have been on the podcast multiple times except my friend and New Testament scholar Jennifer Bashaw. Well, let’s fix that! In this convo, we discuss her new bookÂ Scapegoats: The Gospel through the Eyes of Victims and her plans for karaoke Thursday night. Enjoy:)

Jennifer Garcia Bashaw is assistant professor of New Testament and Christian ministry at Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina. She is an ordained minister and has served a variety of Baptist churches and ministries across the country.

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Leah Robinson: When a Practical Theologian talks about God

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 20:55:26 -0000

I am excited to have Leah back on the podcast and coming to Theology Beer Camp. If you missed her first visit, then go check it out. It was one of the most popular this past year. The episode was Bad Theology & Jager Bomb Fountains.

Dr. Leah Robinson is Associate Professor of Religion at Pfieffer University.Â You should also follow her on twitter.

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Brian McLaren & Thomas Jay Oord: a God Worthy of Love

Mon, 03 Oct 2022 15:40:45 -0000

What a treat! I was joined by both Tom Oord and Brian McLaren for this wonderful live stream.

FYI, SacraSage Press recently published a 200+ page book with chapter samples from Tom’s best-selling books. Anyone who joins his newsletter will get a complimentary ecopy.

“Power and the God of Love” is an in-person conference in Napa, California featuringÂ open, relational, and process people (includingÂ Tripp). The conference is November 4-5, 2022, and here’s a link with info.

Some Previous Tripp & Tom Pods

Previous Episodes with Brian

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Process This: the Power of Love & the Experience of God w/ Tom Oord & Andrew Davis

Sat, 01 Oct 2022 03:19:56 -0000

Some pretty cool listeners sent a bunch of Process Theology questions & I got two #ProcessParty friends and scholars to hop on and answer them.

Both Tom Oord and Andrew Davis will be at Theology Beer Camp and an upcoming event in Napa, CA – Power & the God of Love.

Check out Andrew’s previous visit to the podcast here – Mind, Value, and the Cosmos.

This Episode is Sponsored By:

You can learn more about the Â Pacific School of Religion,Â its online and on-campus programs, and set up a time to talk to an admission team member here .

My interview with PSR President, David VÃ¡squez-Levy, can be found over here.

Some Previous Tripp & Tom Pods

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Chandrika Phea & Brian McLaren: the Gift of Curiosity

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 14:19:28 -0000

Brian McLaren is joining me on four Sunday evenings for some live QnA. This is our third QnA! You can join the online class, future sessions, submit questions, and access the video guide to the book by heading over here. PSâ€¦ there is a three short video guide to the book you can use with a group ?

This week we are joined by Chandrika Phea, author ofÂ Lord, I don’t want to Die a Christian.Â

Chandrika D. Phea, an ordained reverend, is an outdoor enthusiast, a triathlete, a Wellness Coordinator by profession, and a partner with W. Brand Publishing for the release of her debut book, “Lord, I Don’t Want to Die a Christian.” In 2005, she graduated from Beacon University with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Biblical Studies and then went on to complete a two-year teaching and missions assignment in China that ultimately revolutionized her life. For fun, Chandrika initiates local events (e.g. Bikes and Breakfast, Melanin Miles & More), providing her community’s Black women with trustworthy outdoor experiences.

Previous Episodes with Brian

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Grace Ji-Sun Kim: Godly QnA

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 19:12:31 -0000

Grace Ji-Sun Kim is back on the podcast to help me tackle some listener questions. We had a lot of fun as a theological tag team, and if you want to hang out with us, you can come to Theology Beer Camp! When registering for the event, drop the code MADANG for $50 off.

Check out my visit to Graceâ€™s podcast â€“Hereâ€™s the audio & hereâ€™sÂ Madang on YouTube?

Grace Ji-Sun Kim is Professor of Theology at Earlham School of Religion. She received her M.Div. from Knox College and her Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. She is the author or editor of 19 books most recently, Keeping Hope Alive; Intersectional Theology co-written with Susan Shaw and Embracing the Other. Kim is a Series Editor for Palgrave Macmillan Series, â€œAsian Christianity in the Diasporaâ€. Eerdmans included her in their list of Five Great Women Scholars, and the Englewood Review of Books named her in their list of Ten Important Women Theologians You Should Be Reading

Previous Episodes with Grace

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Diana Butler Bass: the Over-Rated Genie God

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 16:29:10 -0000

Diana Bass is back on the podcast for a session of our ongoing series â€œRuining Dinner.â€ We talk about religion and politics with a bunch of zest. Normally these conversations are for our community members, but we decided to share this one far and wide to invite you to come hang with us at Theology Beer Camp. Join us and a bunch of other â€œGod Podsâ€ at Theology Beer Camp this October 13-15. You can get $50 bucks off by using our code RUININGDINNER. More than coming to Camp, I wanted to lure you to join Dianaâ€™s Cottage community. If you join up she will give you a super secret discount for a $100 off camp! Head over here to become a supporting member of the cottage, and she will hook you up. Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

Previous Episodes with Diana & Tripp Bad Blood, Civil War, and other Soothing Topics Shall the Fundies (Keep) Winning?, Abortion, and Black Holes Theology and Spirituality in a Time of Rupture White Evangelical Theopolitics, John Shelby Spong, & Jesus 20 Years of Religious Decline Jesus After Religion and Beyond Fear Ruining Dinner with Diana Butler Bass and Robyn Henderson-Espinoza Evangelical Decline, the Supreme Court, and the Horizon of Possibility Debating, Praying, and Living with Tyrants Religion, Politics, & the Elephant in the Room

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Brian McLaren: Saying Yes to Christianity

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 14:07:37 -0000

Brian McLaren is joining me on four Sunday evenings for some live QnA. This is our second QnA! You can join the online class, future sessions, submit questions, and access the video guide to the book by heading over here. PS… there is a three short video guide to the book you can use with a group

Previous Episodes with Brian

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Joerg Rieger + Catherine Keller: Theology in the Capitalocene

Fri, 16 Sep 2022 21:29:52 -0000

Joerg Rieger has a brand new book and Catherine Keller joins the podcast for the celebration! You will want to check out Joerg’s new bookÂ Theology in the Capitalocene.Â In the episode I asked questions that bring themes from the book into conversation with Keller’s own work. While I may be bias, I am confident a theology nerd is going really get into this one!

Catherine Keller is George T. Cobb Professor of Constructive Theology in The Graduate Division of Religion of Drew University.Â If you are new to Catherine Keller and Process Theology this is the book to start with â€“ On the Mystery: Discerning Divinity In Process.

Joerg RiegerÂ isÂ Distinguished Professor of Theology and the Cal Turner Chancellorâ€™s Chair of Wesleyan Studies.Â He is also the founding director of the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice.Â For more than two decades, he has worked to bring together theology and the struggles for justice and liberation that mark our age. His work addresses the relation of theology and public life, reflecting on the misuse of power in religion, politics, and economics. His main interest is in developments and movements that bring about change and in the positive contributions of religion and theology. His constructive work in theology draws on a wide range of historical and contemporary traditions, with a concern for manifestations of the divine in the pressures of everyday life.

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Ryan Burge: 5 Religion Graphs w/ a side of Hot Takes

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 12:48:10 -0000

Back by popular request is Dr. Ryan Burge! When he was last here, we discussed some myths about Religion and Politics. Â Today he returns to the podcast and brings 5 graphs of religion data and we proceed to explore them and generate hot takes about them.

To see the graphs themselves, you can watch the video below or go check them out on his super graph heavy twitter.

Here’s how wild public opinion is —

Among people who want a total ban on abortion (which is about 20% of the population):

67% of them would support a proposal to make college debt free!

77% favor paid maternity leave! pic.twitter.com/zGJe1iGCgy

â€” Ryan Burge ? (@ryanburge) August 26, 2022

How much does religion impact fertility? A lot.

About 75% of 40-year-old Mormons have kids.

It’s 40% of atheists or agnostics.

A majority of atheist/agnostics never have children. pic.twitter.com/imliUawHx5

â€” Ryan Burge ? (@ryanburge) August 24, 2022

Politically liberal Christians engage in less religious activity than politically conservative ones.

This is percent praying weekly. Among just Protestants and Catholics.

~82% of Conservatives pray weekly or more.

It’s ~70% of Liberals. pic.twitter.com/wrkmRLIiUd

â€” Ryan Burge ? (@ryanburge) August 22, 2022

Here’s how I know.

In 2021, the GSS asked people to self ID as atheist or agnostic.

Guess what? 35% who say that they don’t believe in God don’t ID as atheist.

And for those who express an agnostic belief only 37% identify as agnostic!

Belief ? belonging! pic.twitter.com/hyFsW7gIOa

â€” Ryan Burge ? (@ryanburge) August 8, 2022

Young women are more likely to be nones than young men in 2021.

That wasn’t the case in 2008.

In 2008, men born in 1980 were just as likely to be nones as those born in 1990.

Now, men born in 2000 are a bit *less* likely to be nones than those born in 1990. https://t.co/3NOMqZH4cx pic.twitter.com/rMMOvqH0ZU

â€” Ryan Burge ? (@ryanburge) July 22, 2022

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Brian McLaren: Questioning Christianity

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 18:21:56 -0000

Brian McLaren is joining me on four Sunday evenings for some live QnA. This is the first week! You can join the online class, future sessions, submit questions, and access the video guide to the book by heading over here.

Previous Episodes with Brian

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Aaron Simmons: Do I Have a Soul? & other cultural preferences in bold.

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 09:42:35 -0000

Dr. Aaron Simmons is anÂ Associate Professor of Philosophy at Furman University. He returns to the podcast for some seriously nerdy fun. We tackled a number of questions from Homebrewed Community members. Our questions include…

Polly â€”Â How do I stop feeling angry and sick when I think about the god I believed in for 35 years?

Bryan (min 32)â€”Â Do I have a soul? Growing up in southern Baptist church I was convinced that my soul was the truest thing about me, but now I wonder if what God really wants of involves my physical body on this physical world we are situated in.

Tyler (min 101)â€”Â What is the use of the church if everything it was founded on is myth? I just can’t see any reason to pick up my Bible or to congregate if there’s no absolute truth to the writings. Nothing matters. Nothing is real. Life feels completely purposeless.

Becky (min 116) â€”Â How do people interpret the Bible in so many different ways that are so far apart?

Nathan (min 125) â€” What is the purpose of concepts like â€œgood, true, beautiful, justiceâ€ if they are always changing and never agreed upon? How are they more than a person or cultureâ€™s preferences in bold?

His previous visits to the podcast includeâ€¦”Off-Road Religion & Pandemic Philosophizing,” â€Smells Like Teenage Phenomenologyâ€ & â€œWhose Christianity, Which Postmodernism?â€
Youtube Channel, â€œPhilosophy for Where We Find Ourselvesâ€:
TedX Speaker: â€œThe Failure of Successâ€

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Kevin Max & the Rings of Power #TolkienHeads

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 15:49:05 -0000

The Rings of PowerÂ is not out and about in the world! After seeing the first two episodes, I have been able to exhale, knowing the show isn’t going to be the nightmare many of us Tolkien Heads feared. It was surprisingly good. In this live-streamed episode, Nick Polk and I were joined by singer, poet, and connoisseur of fantasies, Kevin Max.

Kevin is a four-time Grammy-winning vocalist, whose work began in DC Talk and has since explored a host of different genres from spoken-word, electronica, and rock. On his previous visit to the podcast, we discussed his most recent rock band – the Sad Astronauts. Great album! Don’t forget to check out his current Kickstarter. Each supporter gets a digital download of his collection of fantasy songs, includingÂ The Greatest AdventureÂ from the Hobbit.

Want to access the most zest lectures from the Tolkien Heads class? Head over here and join up.

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Religious Trauma, Bracketing Belief, & the Best Reason to Believe in God

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 14:10:12 -0000

What happens when three of my best friends come on the podcast to answer your questions? This. My friends and friends of the pod, Sarah, Myron, and Dan are here for the nerdy fun. Recently, I have been reading collecting listener questions and then asking myself, ‘what nerdy friend should answer this first?’ In this episode we tackle three questions, each selected so a specific guest could answer the question first. It did not disappoint.

If you want to hang with me, Dan from You Have Permission pod, Sarah and Myron, then come on out the Theology Beer Camp. Drop Dan’s code YHP in for $50 off your ticket.

Here’s Myron’s previous visit to the podcast – Navigating Philosophy & Religion

Sarah’s Previous Podcast Visits

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Camp Games & a Little Theology

Tue, 30 Aug 2022 19:34:38 -0000

Tony Jones is back for some friend time and a little theology. In this conversation we discuss…

Why Theology Beer Camp is gonna be awesome / drop that code REVHUNT for $50 off
Mainline Protestant Bible Drills & Participation Trophies
Tony and I discuss our potential new Old Man opinion
How to develop a hunting liturgy – the episode with Murphy Robinson Tony mentions
Books we have been rereading — Dune, God in Creation, and Children of Darkness, Children of Light
We are also readingÂ How Gods Become Real and short stories from Ted Chiang
the struggle of Dad Friending
Tony wants to play farkle at Camp and then all sorts of youth game discussion takes place
Tripp discusses helping Trey Pearson do his first keg stand at Progressive Youth Ministry

This episode is sponsored by PROGRESSIVE YOUTH MINISTRY.Â You can join me and a bunch of progressive youth ministers in Atlanta this coming February.

Tony Jones is the author of Did God Kill Jesus? and contributing writer to several outdoors periodicals. Heâ€™s written a dozen books, including The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier and The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life, developed the iPhone app, hosts the Reverend Hunter Podcast, and teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary.

Tony is a sought after speaker and consultant in the areas of emerging church, postmodernism, and Christian spirituality, writing, and the outdoors. He served as a consultant on the television show, The Path, and he owns an event planning company, Crucible Creative.

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Joerg Rieger: Divine Justice & our Ultimate Concern

Mon, 22 Aug 2022 13:15:55 -0000

Joerg Rieger is back on the podcast for some fun theology QnA. In our conversation, we cover…

an invitation to Solidarity CirclesÂ from theÂ Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice at Vanderbilt Divinity School.
the most cancelable theological idea
what concept/word should we recover?
the nature of solidarity
what did you learn from the pandemic?
is there a theology of institutions?
should we burn it all down?
the problem with Resident Aliens
ecclesiology
liberals’ sin problem
why Anslem is (possibly) awesome
book recommendations
why you should come to Theology Beer Camp!

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Previous Podcasts with Joerg & Tripp

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Diana Butler Bass: Bad Blood, Civil War, and other Soothing Topics

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 18:54:41 -0000

Diana Bass is back on the podcast for a session of our ongoing series “Ruining Dinner.” We talk about religion and politics with a bunch of zest. Normally these conversations are for our community members, but we decided to share this one far and wide to invite you to come hang with us at Theology Beer Camp. Join us and a bunch of other “God Pods” at Theology Beer Camp this October 13-15. You can get $50 bucks off by using our code RUININGDINNER. More than coming to Camp, I wanted to lure you to join Diana’s Cottage community. If you join up she will give you a super secret discount for a $100 off camp! Head over here to become a supporting member of the cottage, and she will hook you up. Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

Previous Episodes with Diana & Tripp Shall the Fundies (Keep) Winning?, Abortion, and Black Holes Theology and Spirituality in a Time of Rupture White Evangelical Theopolitics, John Shelby Spong, & Jesus 20 Years of Religious Decline Jesus After Religion and Beyond Fear Ruining Dinner with Diana Butler Bass and Robyn Henderson-Espinoza Evangelical Decline, the Supreme Court, and the Horizon of Possibility Debating, Praying, and Living with Tyrants Religion, Politics, & the Elephant in the Room

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John Garth: Exploring Tolkien’s Life and Legendarium

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 14:09:06 -0000

John Garth is the most epic living scholar of JRR Tolkien. He dropped an amazing lecture for the Tolkien Heads class we are currently running, and yesterday he joined our live stream for some nerdy fun. It was too much fun not to share. Plus some of you may not have joined the class to get those ohh so zesty lectures.

Writer, editor and researcher John Garth is well known for his ongoing work on J.R.R. Tolkienâ€™s life and creativity and was awarded the Tolkien Societyâ€™s Outstanding Contribution Award in 2017.

His first book,Â Tolkien and the Great WarÂ (2003), won the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award, for which his second,Â Tolkien at Exeter College, was a nominee. His latest publication isÂ Â The Worlds of JRR Tolkien: The Places that Inspired Middle-earthÂ (Princeton University Press; Frances Lincoln). A further book, examining Tolkienâ€™s creative life as a response to the crises of his times, was begun while a Fellow of the Black Mountain Institute, Nevada, and is still in progress.

Other publications include chapters in the Â Blackwell Companion to J.R.R. Tolkien; in Catherine McIlwaineâ€™s Bodleian Library exhibition bookÂ Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth; and in a forthcoming volume in memory of Christopher Tolkien.

Garth has spoken on Tolkien to specialist and general audiences in the US and across Europe, as well as on television and other news media. He has taught courses on Tolkien, and sometimes C.S. Lewis too, for Oxford University, the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, and Signum University.

After reading English at St Anneâ€™s College, Oxford, Garth worked for the London Evening Standard for many years. Besides his work on Tolkien, he writes and edits more generally, both in print and online.

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Philip Clayton: on the Mindfulness of Nature

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 16:53:57 -0000

Philip Clayton returns to the podcast! This conversation was inspired by an online academic conference I put together as part of theÂ God & the Book of NatureÂ project at the University of Edinburgh titled the Mindfulness of Nature. You can find videos of all the papers from the gathering here.

As a scholar, Philip Clayton (Ingraham Professor, Claremont School of Theology) works at the intersection points of science, philosophy, and theology. As an activist (president of EcoCiv.org, President of IPDC), he works to convene, facilitate, and catalyze multi-sectoral initiatives toward ecological civilization.

In the conversation, we discuss…

how the conversation around mind and consciousness is changing
the dramatically changing character of science engaged theology
can confessional theologians fully engage the sciences?
how panpsychism became a live option in philosophy and science
Tripp gets uncomfortable when Phil makes him pick between his position and John Cobb’s
is there mental causal power?
Tripp ends up venting about philosophical theologians who complain without understanding Whitehead
the correct answer is pneumaterialism
are there guardrails for theological thinking?
how does a process theologian end their emails? “keep it zesty”

Previous Podcast Convos w/ Phil

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Ben Boswell: Confronting Whiteness

Thu, 11 Aug 2022 08:28:05 -0000

I am thrilled to have Rev. Dr. Ben Bosell on the podcast and honored to be a part of his book launch for Confronting Whiteness. Our conversation was recorded live at Common Market Southend in Charlotte, North Carolina, and it was a blast.

Ben and I became friends in undergrad at Campbell University and by the end of the podcast you will hear some fun stories. Before storytime, we explore his own wrestling with the concept and legacy of whiteness and his doctoral research seeking to address it in predominantly white congregations.

You can find Confronting Whiteness to purchase here and access all the online resources, videos, and such here. As a friend, I am super proud of Ben’s work and hope those of you looking for resources in your own context connect with Ben. He also recently released a collection of timely sermons, For the Facing of this Hour: Preaching that Resists White Christian Nationalism.

Benjamin Boswell is the Senior Minister of Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former Army Officer with degrees from Campbell University (B.A.), Duke Divinity School (M.Div.), and Saint Paul School of Theology (D.Min). He is a preacher, pastor, civil rights leader and public speaker who facilitates anti-racist spiritual formation courses for people racialized as White and for White dominant organizations. In 2021, Dr. Boswell was awarded the prestigious Martin Luther King Jr. Medallion, which is the city of Charlotte’s highest honor given to a person who promotes racial equality, social justice, and community service. He is the author of “For the Facing of this Hour: Preaching that Resists White Christian Nationalism,” and “Confronting Whiteness: A Spiritual Journey of Reflection, Conversation, and Transformation.”

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Tolken Heads: a Nerdy Journey into Middle-earth

Sun, 07 Aug 2022 09:40:41 -0000

This is a preview stream for our upcoming online class – Tolkien Heads. The class is for those who want to go deeper into Middle-earth, but don’t know where to start. In this class you’ll be accompanied by fellow Tolkien heads and guided by Tolkien experts like John Garth and Flemming Rutledge to help you “keep your feet” on your journey down the Tolkien Road. Everything from Tolkien’s life, creation of Middle-earth, and faith will be covered, so you can increase your nerd street cred and follow the unending trail of Tolkien goodness. Plus, who doesn’t want to nerd out during the new show Rings of Power! It’s an open online class that is donation based (including 0), so if you want to nerd out come on! http://tolkienheadpod.com

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Everyday Mysticism & the Wisdom of Brother Lawrence

Fri, 05 Aug 2022 14:37:19 -0000

In this special episode, I am joined by Carmen Butcher and Mike Morrell to have a convo about everyday mysticism. They are the hosts for The Mystics Summit and just finished interviewing more than 30 scholars, teachers, and contemporary mystics — including Heiwa No Bushi, Mirabai Starr, Banafsheh Sayyad, Father Greg Boyle, Alexander John Shaia, Taya Mâ, Kabir Helminski, Rabbi Rami Shapiro, Dr. Robyn Henderson-Espinoza, Hillary Raining, Matthew Fox , Micky ScottBey Jones, Sophie Strand, Juliet Rania, Jay Michaelson, Gareth Higgins, Therese Taylor-Stinson, Tada Hozumi, Simona Chitescu Weik, Rebekah Berndt, Carl McColman, and many others…including me:) I was excited to hear what their takeaways were after having such a wide collection of powerful conversations. This didn’t disappoint! While Mike and I are long-time friends, I was blown away getting to meet Carmen and hear about her recent work translating Brother Lawrence. If you enjoy this episode half as much as I did, then you will definitely want to sign up for The Mystics Summit. The Summit airs on August 15-19. Catching the live dialogues is FREE, but you need to RSVP here.

Carmen Acevedo Butcher, PhD, is an internationally acclaimed speaker, author, educator, poet, and translator of spiritual texts. Her dynamic work around the evolution of language and the necessity of just and inclusive language has garnered interest from various media, including the BBC and NPR’s Morning Edition. From a young age, she was drawn to Brother Lawrence’s “practicing the presence” prayer, and with degrees in medieval studies and a linguistics background, Carmen brings history to life and makes its wisdom widely accessible and useful for healing, growth, and peace. She is the award-winning translator of classics such as Practice of the Presence by Brother Lawrence… The Cloud of Unknowing, an anonymous work of Christian mysticism… Hildegard of Bingen: A Spiritual Reader… and A Little Daily Wisdom: Christian Women Mystics. Her teaching reinvigorates the timeless insights of the humble French friar Brother Lawrence, The Cloud’s engaging contemplative teacher Anonymous, the creative genius Hildegard, and the deeply loving Julian of Norwich, among others. A Carnegie Foundation Professor of the Year and Fulbright Senior Lecturer, Carmen currently teaches at the University of California, Berkeley in the College Writing Programs.

Mike Morrell is the collaborating author, with Father Richard Rohr, on The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation, as well as the founder of Wisdom Camp, and a founding organizer of the Wild Goose Festival. Mike curates contemplative and community experiences via relational skills, taking joy in holding space for the extraordinary transformation that can take place at the intersection of anticipation, imagination, and radical acceptance.

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Thomas Jay Oord: Process Theology QnA

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 14:58:13 -0000

We just finished theÂ Christianity in ProcessÂ class with John Cobb and had a bunch of lingering questions. So I called in my friend and super nerd, Tom Oord, for a little Process Theology QnA. These questions were all submitted by class members, but they ended up inspiring a conversation worth sharing. Plus, Tom and I have been doing a series of “Big God Questions” on the podcast and rarely get past 3 or 4 questions. In this convo we double our normal effort

Some Previous Tripp & Tom Pods

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Audio Player

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The CCM Fantasy Draft

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 18:10:48 -0000

This is aÂ Fantasy Draft!! Â Joining me for all the fun are three friends with plenty of CCM wisdom for the fantasy battle. After you listen to the episode head down below and vote for the winner. Whoever wins the battle will be selecting a song for the four of us to rock during the karaoke session at Theology Beer Camp.

Trey Pearson is back on the podcast. He has a zesty new album, “Somebody You Knew,” ready for your listening ears. You can check out all his info here.

Mason Mennenga is an aspiring theologian, podcaster, YouTuber, and the Internetâ€™s youth pastor. The best and worst way to connect with him is his twitter.

Tim Whitaker runs the New Evangelicals and all its outputs. He was also “let go” as a drummer for asking too many questions. The gateway to their stuff is on IG

58 CCM Fantasy Draft: Trey Pearson & the Podcast 3-Way The CCM Fantasy Draft There are 4 teams, each with 7 players for the 7 positions. Unlike your fantasy football team, the positions are selections from CCM. Each team will have 1 'player' for each of these 'positions.'

Dominating the "Under the Sheets" game - where you add the phrase "under the sheets" to a song name
Thank God for Hand Motions
CCM Hottie
Most Theologically Problematic Lyric
Most "Cringe-Free" CCM Album
Youth Group Angst Bomb
Future Deconstructor All-Star

Thanks for your answer!

Trey Mason Tim Tripp Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Jon Gill: Aesthetic Religion

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 15:26:33 -0000

Jon Ivan Gill is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Gustavus Adolphus College (St Peter, Mn.) And Cross-Community Coordinator at the Center for Process Studies (Salem, Or. and Claremont, Ca.). He is an avid scholar of Whiteheadian process thought, metaphysics, cultural studies, aesthetics, existentialist philosophy, and constructive & secular theology. His creative tangent ranges from underground hip-hop culture to cryptic lyrics he pens in rap, poetry, journal refereeing, book reviews, and academic essays, critiques, and books.

In the conversation we discuss…

Jon’s origin story as a scholar
the “key change” of going Process
responding to the predicament of omnipotence
shout out to Suchocki’s God Christ Church: A Practical Guide to Process TheologyÂ
the elements and origin of Hip-Hop
wrestling with the legacy of supremacy culture in religion
shout out to Coleman’s Making a Way Out of No Way: A Womanist TheologyÂ
check out Jon’s new book, Toward Afrodiasporic and Afrofuturist Philosophies of Religion
reshaping the nature of religious engagement
Tripp gives an example where his love of the Lakers gets intense
how does a Process vision remix liberation

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Joseph Bracken: Theology in an Event-Filled World

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 01:49:18 -0000

What a treat! Joseph A. Bracken, SJ, is back on the podcast! He is an emeritus professor of theology at Xavier University and one of my favorite philosophical theologians. I even wrote a chapter about him in my last book.

In the conversation we discuss…

how he found the work of Whitehead in his journey as a Jesuit scholar
the problems with Whitehead according to Bracken… Societies and the need for a stronger communitarian picture of life
What is the problem of the One & Many and the process approach
how does Bracken envision a Trinitarian God-World relationship
Bracken’s reflection on Pope Francis and how it resonates with a Process-Relational framework
the changing relationship between religion and science over church history
the predicament of scientism
how to think ethically about our planetary crisis
Tripp discusses the 3 things he would add to the Christian canon
the need for a new worldview beyond the conflict of religion and science
Bracken’s the Church as Dynamic Life-System
how Bracken uses the Trinity to think through a for of deep religious pluralism
Bracken’s new book – Reciprocal Causality in an Event-Filled World
a Process vision of the Cosmic Christ
Bracken’s Spirit Christology and field theory
the problem of evil and suffering
what Bracken has learned about the relationship between faith and doubt
Tripp tells Joe how much he loves him.
an amazing intro to God by Bracken – God: Three Who Are One

Previous Conversations with Bracken

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The Mighty Thor & the God Butcher Revival

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 15:23:44 -0000

Occasionally this theology nerd comes out as the other kind of nerd, a comic book nerd. My absolute favorite comic book run is Jason Arron’s time on Thor and it is at the center of the next MCU film, Thor: Love and Thunder. In this episode, HBC’s Guru of Geekdom, Rev. Will Rose, is here with a Thor specialist. – Ryan Does’ of Across the Bifrost: the Mighty Thor Podcast and we have a blast digging into Thor.

Links

Ryan Does’ podcast Across the Bifrost: the Mighty Thor Podcast
Ryan’s interview with Jason Arron
Tripp & Will’s interview with Jason Arron
Love and Thunder movie trailer

In the conversation, we discuss…

What makes a God worthy?
Inverting the role of power in comic book narrative
Curse you Virgin Media!!
“Resting Zoom Face”
Gorr the God Butcher — assassinating the unworthy gods
When it comes to crap deities you gotta Gorr it
the Road to Edmond – Tripp’s movie
Tripp preaches Gorr & Psalm 82
Jane Foster as Thor is EPIC
What is the nature of self-sacrificial love?
Confronting Cancer with Jane
Who is worthy to wield the hammer when the Norse dude has failed?
The use of Jason Aaron & Thor in the classroom
Kenosis & Jane
A cooperative deity is more zesty

Selfie from the Hobbit Hole with Ryan & Will

New to comics? The best move is to find a local comic book store. You can check out Jason’s stuff digitally through Amazon. If you are smart you will use the free 60 day trial of ComiXology or try out Marvel Unlimited and turn your iPad or computer into Jason Aaron gateway. For Jason’s independent releases you can go to his store. Here’s a guide to reading Jason’s Thor run.

WILL ROSE is a Lutheran pastor at the Holy Trinity in Chapel Hill and guru of all things pop culture.

RYAN DOES is the voice behind the Across the Bifrost podcast. You can follow the pod here on IG.

THIS PODCAST IS SPONSORED BY JOHN MABRY – check out his new album I Want to Be Changed. Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Jacob Erickson: The Becoming of a Lutheran Queer Eco-Process Theologian from North Dakota

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 21:09:52 -0000

BOOM! Jake Erickson is back on the podcast. This one is a complete blast. In our conversation we discuss…

– The origin story of a Lutheran queer eco-process theologian from North Dakota – an exploration of religion & violence – exploring sexuality, queerness and desire – god is queer – after an orgasm tell God youâ€™re welcome – how purity culture destroys community – divine eroticism – Biblical authority in a Process style – feeling the trauma when you canâ€™t fix the violence – moral agency w/out a redemption story – one of the big lies that shapes us, is that we are alone. It is in our relationality and community we find the power for creative transformation – post-Covid theology – thinking American from the outside – dead people Jake loves to think with – shout out to Marjorie Suchockiâ€™s prayer book

Jacob J. Erickson isÂ Assistant Professor of Theological EthicsÂ at Trinity College Dublin. He previously taught Religion and Environmental Studies at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, USA.

Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community. Previous Visits from Jake

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Donna Bowman: Flowing with the Living God

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 12:43:46 -0000

I have so much fun talking nerdy with Donna Bowman. I’m so pumped to have her back on the podcast and a part of the Christianity in ProcessÂ series. Â Donna Bowman is professor of interdisciplinary studies in the Norbert O. Schedler Honors College at the University of Central Arkansas.

In this conversation we discussed

how Donna started as a Southern Baptist and found Process thought
the nature of an open future
Tripp complains about John Calvin being very very unBiblical and sub-Christian
Donna gives a shout-out to her homeboy Karl Barth
Should we fear the mystery of God?
the problem with Christian Triumphalism
what is happening in worship?
what is a religious tradition and how does it live?
Tripp gives a process reading of the song “Every Move I Make”
the nature of ordinary lived theology
Donna shares about getting into Blaseball… an online baseball + horror game
Tripp gets excited about the upcoming Thor film
how Donna moved beyond an impersonal, Ground of Being style, deity

Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community. Previous Podcast visits from Donna Bowman

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Ruining Dinner: Democracy & Denominations on Life Support

Sun, 19 Jun 2022 15:01:49 -0000

In this special session of Ruining Dinner, Diana Bass and I are joined by our friend Brian McLaren. Normally we do monthly live hangs with our supporters called Ruining Dinner. Each time we get together, we discuss whatever is happening in the public square at the intersection of religion and politics. This episode is a little taste of what happens and is available to you thanks to our sponsor, The Wild Goose Festival!!! To be a part of future zoom sessions and get access to the entire session, join Diana’s newsletter community, the Cottage &/or the Homebrewed Community.

Want a discount to join the fun at the Wild Goose Festival? Use the code HOMEBREWED2022

Come read Brian’s new book Do I Stay Christian? with Brian!

Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community. Previous Episodes with Diana & Tripp Theology and Spirituality in a Time of Rupture White Evangelical Theopolitics, John Shelby Spong, & Jesus 20 Years of Religious Decline Jesus After Religion and Beyond Fear Ruining Dinner with Diana Butler Bass and Robyn Henderson-Espinoza Evangelical Decline, the Supreme Court, and the Horizon of Possibility Debating, Praying, and Living with Tyrants Religion, Politics, & the Elephant in the Room

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Andrew Schwartz: Panentheism, Pluralism, and Ecological Civilization

Mon, 13 Jun 2022 17:18:07 -0000

Dr. Andrew Schwartz is a scholar, organizer, and social entrepreneur. He is Executive Director of the Center for Process Studies and Assistant Professor of Process Studies & Comparative Theology with Claremont School of Theology at Willamette University, as well as Co-Founder and Vice President of the Institute for Ecological Civilization. He is Affiliated Faculty with the Center for Sustainability and Environmental Justice at Willamette University. His current work includes comparative religious philosophy, as well as the role of big ideas in bringing about systems change for the long-term wellbeing of people and the planet. In our conversation we discuss…

how Andrew found Process thought
Andrew brings up Carmen’s the Champion…this is what it looks like in action
process style philosophy of religion
process style panentheism (we discuss it more here)
religious pluralism in process & the relations between wisdom traditions (we discuss it more here)
why process theism is more biblical than classical theism
Cobbâ€™s contribution to interreligious dialogue – deep pluralism & mutual transformation
Â Andrewâ€™s initial thoughts on becoming a parent
Current research projects at the Center for Process Studies
The creepy troll & hidden rooms

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Catherine Keller: Theology in Process

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 10:20:36 -0000

I am so pumped to have Catherine Keller back on the podcast and helping to kick-off our new HBC class – Christianity in ProcessÂ (which starts this week). This conversation is peak zest!

In this conversation we discuss

How Catherine Keller found Process theology via John Cobb’s Christ in a Pluralistic Age
the problem of evil and suffering
the Omnipotent deity inspiring atheism
the lure of Whitehead’s vision for Keller
at the intersection of process feminism & panentheism
why Creation Out of Nothing isn’t Biblical – shout out to TheÂ Face of the Deep: a Theology of Becoming
Keller shares about the process of teaching Process Theology
what is theopoetics?
the presence and purpose of God in the midst of suffering
what is role of mystery for the theologian?
Catherine’s love of Nicholas of Cusa – shout out to Cloud of the Impossible: Negative Theology and Planetary Entanglement
reflecting on the participatory language of the New Testament
We learn about Catherine’s fascination with the Apocalypse – shout out to Facing Apocalypse: Climate, Democracy and Other Last Chances: Climate, Democracy, and Other Last Chances
Prophecy is NOT Prediction – it is a dream reading!

Catherine Keller is George T. Cobb Professor of Constructive Theology in The Graduate Division of Religion of Drew University.

If you are new to Catherine Keller and Process Theology this is the book to start with – On the Mystery: Discerning Divinity In Process.

Previous Podcasts with Catherine Keller

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Tim Whitaker: the Process Party & the New Evangelicals (pt 2)

Mon, 06 Jun 2022 10:46:21 -0000

This is a podcast crossover! Tim Whitaker, from the New Evangelicals, had me on his podcast to talk Process Theology for evangelicals. We had a bunch of fun, went a couple of hours, and decided to put the second half of the convo here. To hear the first half, head over to his podcast and enjoy.

Don’t forget to join the intro to Process Theology class kicking off this week – Christianity in Process.

Want to have some fun with me, Tim, and a bunch of other God-Pods? Come to Theology Beer Camp this October.

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Thomas Jay Oord: Authority, Atonement, Abortion, and a Big Hug

Thu, 02 Jun 2022 16:51:20 -0000

I love getting to talk with Tom Oord. In this episode, we finally got to hang out in person! We were both in Norway for the European Society for the Study of Science and Theology, and it became the occasion for a long-overdue hug. During the conference, we snuck off to my room to record a podcast where we discussed…

Why John Cobb is awesome (and you should join the Christianity in Process class)
the relationship between Process Theology and Open & Relational Theology
Biblical Authority
Atonement theories
Abortion
Evangelism

Some Previous Tripp & Tom Pods

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Thomas Hermans-Webster: the Eucharist for Planetary Dining

Mon, 30 May 2022 14:45:01 -0000

Pumped to have my friend and fellow Process theologian, Thomas Hermans-Webster, on the podcast! He is Assistant Professor of United Methodist Church Studies at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkely, CA. We had a bunch of fun discussing a host of things including…

How Thomas from Alabama became a Process theologian
the Perkins style of Process theology & influence of Charles Hartshorne
Liberation as Good News
who is Norman Pittenger? You can check out his books here.
shout out to previous guest and Process ecclesiologist Timothy Murphy: Social Justice, Conflict, and Process Ecclesiology with
what’s a process theology understanding of the Eucharist?
“the Eucharist is the characteristic act of the Church” – Pittenger’s Eucharistic provocation
A Process Theology of the Eucharist for Planetary Dining
Tom’s ecological awakening in college & the role of Sister Hazel
thinking theologically about the UMC break-up
the kinship angle when thinking about the church

This Episode is Sponsored by the Pacific School of Religion

You can learn more about the Pacific School of Religion, its online and on-campus programs, and set up a time to talk to an admission team member here.

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Brian McLaren: Do I Stay Christian?

Wed, 25 May 2022 08:37:33 -0000

When I friend drops a new book it is a good day to have a podcast!

Today Brian McLaren puts his newest book out into the world. Do I Stay Christian? is completely wonderful. I was thrilled to get to stream with him about yesterday and here it is for your listening pleasure.

In the opening you hear about an upcoming reading group. You can head over HERE and get the details. The coolest part is a 3 session video guide you (or a group) can use and then a month of weekly streams.

Previous Episodes with Brian

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The Altars Where We Worship

Fri, 20 May 2022 10:21:01 -0000

Are you ready for some super nerdy fun? One of my favorite podcast episodes was the first time I had these three guests on. A number of members from the Homebrewed Community asked for a follow-up conversation and it did not disappoint! Juan, Stacey, and Mark are all back. Ohh if you missed the previous episode check it out here: Altarization and the Religious Significance of Pop Culture

Juan M. Floyd-Thomas is Associate Professor of African American Religious History at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. He is the author of Liberating Black Church History: Making It Plain, among other works.

Stacey M. Floyd-Thomas is Associate Professor of Ethics and Society at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. She is the author or coeditor of numerous books, including Beyond the Pale: Reading Ethics from the Margins and Beyond the Pale: Reading Theology from the Margins, both published by Westminster John Knox Press.

Mark G. Toulouse recently retired after being Principal and Professor of the History of Christianity at Emmanuel College of Victoria University in the University of Toronto. He has written and edited numerous books, including God in Public: Four Ways American Christianity and Public Life Relate, published by Westminster John Knox Press.

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Pete Enns: Adaptive Christianity & the God of the Bible

Wed, 18 May 2022 04:55:06 -0000

It’s time for a nerdy cross-over podcast episode. Tripp is joined by Pete Enns of The Bible for Normal People,Â and they have a bunch of fun trying to lure you to take a one-question survey that just happens to be God-Ordained. We also discuss Pete’s recent blog post on adaptive Christianity, the God of the Bible, and other nerdy nuggets. If that wasn’t enough, Pete and Tripp discuss some of the exciting things going down at Theology Beer Camp.

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EuroTripp’n Tony

Mon, 16 May 2022 03:05:53 -0000

Tripp and Tony connect after their spring family outings and share stories before Tony gives some quality guidance for the Fuller Family’s upcoming trip Rome. Things we discuss…

Plans for Theology Beer Camp & how to dominate the God-Box
go HERE and signup for an invite to Beer Camp tickets
Tony shares about his time with his daughter in Turkey
Tripp discusses his family trip to Paris and Belgium
Tripp shares about his Truman Show nightmare
Tony gives a very thorough guide to visiting Rome. I am now double pumped about it!
Download Tony’s Rome Recommendations HERE
You check out Tony’s writing retreat to Rome here.

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Diana Bass: Shall the Fundies (Keep) Winning?, Abortion, and Black Holes

Sat, 14 May 2022 09:32:56 -0000

I love hanging out with Diana Butler Bass. She doesn’t hate hanging out with me, so we decided to do monthly live hangs with our supporters called Ruining Dinner. Each time we get together, we discuss whatever is happening in the public square at the intersection of religion and politics. This episode is a little taste of what happens on the live zoom. To be a part of future zoom sessions and get access to the entire session, join Diana’s newsletter community, the Cottage &/or the Homebrewed Community.

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Leah Robinson: Bad Theology & Jager Bomb Fountains

Thu, 12 May 2022 13:28:33 -0000

All theology is NOT good. There is real deal Bad Theology and it kills. Practical theologian and one of my new favorite podcast guests, Leah Robinson is here for a nerdy party.Â Dr. Leah Robinson is Associate Professor of Religion at Pfieffer University.Â You should also follow her on twitter.

In this conversation we discuss…

how to be a Southerner living in Edinburgh
Leah resists being “all up on Barth’s butt”
what is Practical Theology & how Leah got into it
our shared interest in Peter Berger’s image of aÂ Sacred Canopy
how theology changes once you realize it is (in part) a social construct
how to decipher if a theology is practically good or bad
the task of processing one’s own religious history
dealing with Southern Baptist baggage and staying Christian
Tripp manages to bring up LOTR & why he loves this specific audio version… you are welcome.
processing purity culture & kissing ‘kissing dating good bye’ good bye
Leah doesn’t recognize a DC Talk reference but said she was a Skillet person. She does like Norma Jean & Cool Hand Luke.
Tripp explains evangelical youth group “gold bonding” to Leah and how to make a Red Neck Martini
Leah gives advice to bringing whiskey to AAR by repurposing a wine bra.

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Ryan Burge: Myths about Religion and Politics

Fri, 06 May 2022 13:00:20 -0000

I heard Dr. Ryan Burge on the Crackers & Grape Juice podcast, started following him on twitter, and knew I wanted to have him on HBC. We had a very fun time! After listening, you will want to check out his new book 20 Myths about Religion and Politics in America.

Ryan P. Burge is an assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University. Author of numerous journal articles, he is the cofounder of and a frequent contributor to Religion in Public, a forum for scholars of religion and politics to make their work accessible to a general audience. Burge is a pastor in the American Baptist Church.

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William Greenway: Reasonable Faith for a Post-Secular Age

Mon, 02 May 2022 06:31:32 -0000

Dr. William Greenway returns to the podcast to talk about his most recent book, Reasonable Faith for a Post-Secular Age: Open Christian Spirituality and Ethics. Bill is Professor of Philosophical Theology at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. I absolutely loved the book and had a complete blast in this conversation. If you missed it you will want to go back and check out his first visit to the podcast on The Challenge of Evil.

About the book… Our global community desperately needs an overt awakening to an age of reason and faith. Reasonable Faith for a Post-Secular Age meets this need by interpreting faith not in terms of belief in propositions but in terms of living surrender to having been seized by agape for every Face, including one’s own. Virtually all faith traditions, from Buddhism to Humanism to Wiccan, are rooted in agape and therefore share considerable spiritual and ethical common ground (a truth long veiled). In contrast to ethically feckless secular rationality—over which a devastating, global social Darwinism currently runs roughshod—faith qua living surrender to agape grounds moral realism, awakens us to love for all creatures, and inspires struggles for justice. Inspired by the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas and Christian spirituality, Greenway engages, on the one hand, intellectuals like Stanley Hauerwas, Richard Rorty, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Jeffery Stout, Charles Taylor, and Bernard Williams, and, on the other, contemporary debates over consciousness, free will, evil, and metaethics. He details the character of secular rationality’s devastating scission from moral reality and clarifies the promise of understanding faith and spirituality in terms of agape.

Books from Dr. Greenway

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John Cobb: Why Stay Christian?

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 12:11:17 -0000

Why Stay Christian? A growing number of people are asking this question. My friend Brian McLaren has a new book coming out exploring it. Today we get to hear John Cobb’s response. At 97 years old, John has a lot of wisdom to share.

This episode is an invitation to an upcoming online class,Â Christianity in Process,Â where you will get an introduction to Process theology with John Cobb. The class is donation-based, including 0, so head on over and join the fun.

We are also giving away a library of John Cobb books… so get on it:)

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The Bible, Violence, & Our Future: John Dominic Crossan & Diana Butler Bass

Sun, 24 Apr 2022 09:58:49 -0000

John Dominic Crossan joins me and Diana Butler Bass to discuss a bunch of questions and topics fromÂ Jesus De/ConstructedÂ class members. This is the live stream of the QnA.

Previous Visits from Crossan to the podcast

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Helen Bond: the Historical Jesus & his Female Disciples

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 21:43:16 -0000

Dr. Helen K. Bond is Professor of Christian Origins & Head of the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh. She returns to the podcast for a wide-ranging conversation tackling topics from members of the HBC online Lent group, Jesus De/Constructed. In our chat we discuss…

what is the difference between the historical Jesus and the Christ of faith?
how does a historical Jesus scholar do their work?
the cultural/social/political/religious matrix of the historical Jesus
the role of honor and shame in Jesus’ culture
the entanglement of religion and politics
what is the scholarly consensus around the historical Jesus?
the political potency of Pilate’s pagan foreign troops in town for the Passover
what does it mean for Jesus to be an Apocalyptic Jewish figure?
it’s the end of the world, but what do “end” and “world” mean?
how did the ancient world understand religion, divinity, and god-talk?
how should we understand the titles of Jesus in the NT and his historical self-consciousness?
what does it mean for Jesus to be the Christ?
why does Paul say so little about the historical Jesus?
what occasioned the composition of the Gospels?
you should listen to Helen’s first visit to the podcast…the First Biography of Jesus… PS it is the Gospel of Mark
how does seeing the Gospels as biographies change the way we read them?
go get Helen’s new book Women Remembered: Jesus’ Female Disciples
the role and status of women in the early church
how the transitions within the early church brought back the patriarchy
Tertullian and the Montanists
Helen’s favorite female followers of Jesus
was Jesus a feminist?
what do we know about Mary, the mother of Jesus?
the historical Jesus’ brother James
the cross & resurrection

Don’t forget to join Tripp & Diana this Lent for an open online class – Jesus De/constructed! Details here. Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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John Dominic Crossan: Render Unto Caesar

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 13:41:20 -0000

John Dominic Crossan is back on the podcast talking about his new book Render Unto Caesar: The Struggle over Christ and Culture in the New Testament. It is always a blast to have Dom on the podcast and this is no exception! Dr. Crossan is one of the leading New Testament scholars today. Not only has he significantly contributed to the academic guild, but he has consistently written texts for a larger audience.

Want to hang out with Dom? Then come join an upcoming live stream QnA where he will be tackling a bunch of Bible questions from listeners. It promises to be a nerdy good time!

Previous Visits from Crossan to the podcast

Don’t forget to join Tripp & Diana this Lent for an open online class – Jesus De/constructed! Details here. Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Matthew Novenson: Multiplicity at the Birth of Christianity

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 11:27:41 -0000

My buddy and the New Testament scholar Matt Novenson is back on the podcast to tackle a bunch of Bible questions and topics from the Jesus De/Constructed group. It was a tour de force of the early Christian movements. In the conversation we discuss things like…

the major social /cultural context of Jesus
Rome’s relationship to Israel
the role of the Temple in Jewish life and how its destruction changed things
the historical Jesus and the many Gospels he inspired
what is Apocalyptic Judaism, the Kingdom of God, and Jesus’ own message
Did Jesus and his earliest followers think the world was going to end?
Paul and his role in early Christianity
how the discoveries of the last century have reshaped our understanding of NT times
the Resurrection of Jesus and the historian

Dr. Matthew Novenson is Senior Lecturer in New Testament and Christian Origins at the University of Edinburgh, where he is also director of the Centre for the Study of Christian Origins. Check out his previous podcast visit “ Messiah, Lord, Logos, & Other Titles” and his books:

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY

Louisville Seminary is a progressive theological school located in the fun and friendly city of Louisville, Kentucky. They offer the following programs: Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Religion, Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy, the Doctor of Ministry, and dual degree options in partnership with the University of Louisville in law, business, and social work. All master’s level students who are enrolled at least half time are guaranteed a minimum of a 100% tuition scholarship. Louisville Seminary hosts various virtual and in-person visit opportunities. If you’re interested in the MDiv or MAR for this coming fall, there is still time to apply. The deadline is June 1. To learn more, to schedule a visit, or to apply, visit www.LPTS.edu. For Homebrewed Christianity listeners, if you apply to a master’s program by June 1, your application fee will be waived. Simply email the code “Homebrewed Podcast” to admissions@lpts.edu.

Don’t forget to join Tripp & Diana this Lent for an open online class – Jesus De/constructed! Details here. Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Conrad Kanagy: a Church Dismantled

Mon, 28 Mar 2022 13:03:52 -0000

Dr. Conrad Kanagy taught Sociology at Elizabethtown College since 1993 and is an established scholar in the study of American and Global Christianity. He is also an ordained Mennonite minister. You can check out his podcast, YouTube channel, and the upcoming webinar – “Jesus in the Mainline: Why is Progressive Christianity Embracing A Church Dismantled?.”

Wherever you look, the metrics of the institutional church spell doom. Amid this forecast, Conrad Kanagy—long-time pastor and sociologist of religion—offers a vision of hope in what he calls the “Spirit’s dismantling of the church.” Five years ago, Kanagy learned that he had Parkinson’s disease. This devastating experience of “dismantling” gave him the courage to strip off his masks and to say things that, according to one reader, “Pastors and professors are not supposed to say!” When Covid-19 emerged two years ago, Kanagy produced a popular podcast that he has turned into a series of books receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews.

Donald Kraybill, author of The Upside Down Kingdom, writes: “Conrad’s essays mingle the voice of a prophet, the eye of a sociologist, the heart of a pastor, the wisdom of an educator, and above all the candid confessions of a child of God. He may stir your ire or light your fire, annoy you or compel you to compassion. Prophetic voices do that. But you will keep on reading. I promise!”

Professor Walter Brueggemann notes: “Conrad is able to cross many boundaries…he is able to juxtapose odd partners, push the extremities of exposure, and do a broad sweep of scripture. The subtext of his writing is the scriptural account wherein the biblical community of faith, in its distortion and obduracy, was dismantled in order to make way for an authentic community of mission.” Dr. Kanagy is currently writing an authorized biography of Professor Brueggemann.

The author includes stories of his growing up in a strict Amish/Mennonite community, his life-long struggle with OCD and constant fear of God’s wrath and damnation, his crises in ministry, battles with cancer, and his recent diagnosis of PD.

Don’t forget to join Tripp & Diana this Lent for an open online class – Jesus De/constructed! Details here. Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Natalie Wigg-Stevenson: From Transgressive Devotion to Snuggle Puppy

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 10:22:12 -0000

Transgressive Devotion is one of the best theology books I have read in years. I was thrilled to connect with Natalie and get her on the podcast. My list of questions was ginormous… then we got on zoom and all sorts of nerdy joy broke loose. We got to about 1/3 of topics, but had so much fun! On top of some zesty theology, we discussed Justin Bieber’s doughnuts, the Chicken Big Mac, Gandalf witnessing techniques, parenting as theologians, Passion Week, and a little sing-a-long.

Dr. Natalie Wigg-Stevenson is Associate Professor of Contextual Education and Theology at Emmanuel College, where she directs the MDiv and Contextual Education Programs. Her current research delves into how ethnographic methods could help create theological conversations across church, academy and everyday life. She is also interested in liturgical, feminist and queer theologies, cultural theories of practice, aesthetics, pop culture, and in decolonizing pedagogies. An ordained Baptist minister, Natalie is particularly passionate about preaching and worship, and about adult education in church settings.

Don’t forget to join Tripp & Diana this Lent for an open online class – Jesus De/constructed! Details here. Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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After Jesus Before Christianity

Tue, 22 Mar 2022 17:03:21 -0000

Last night Diana and I hosted the authors behind the brand new bookÂ After Jesus Before ChristianityÂ for some nerdy fun. This was a special session for our online Lent groupÂ Jesus De/Constructed.Â

â€œHere is a room full of forgotten stories about what it once meant to follow Jesus. Some are so strange that they tell me what a stranger I have become to my own faith. Others are so compelling that they refresh my sense of what this ?faith asks of me.â€?â€” Barbara Brown Taylor

â€œThere have always been Jesus people who challenged the assumptions of Empire and created refuge for the oppressed. This noble effort to uncover movements that were silenced reminds me of the saints who sing, â€˜I know Jesus for myself.’â€?â€”Â Bishop William J. Barber, II

â€œWith a prose cool, clear, and crisp, a tone positive, powerful, and persuasive, and a vision confident, collective, and collegial,Â After Jesus Before ChristianityÂ is good news, truth, and joyâ€”as Christianity itself should always be.â€?â€” John Dominic Crossan

Dr.Â ErinÂ K.Â VearncombeÂ is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, appointed to the Office of the Dean. She received her Ph.D. in a collaborative program at the University of Toronto between the Department for the Study of Religion and the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies. A specialist in writing instruction,Â ErinÂ worked for five years as a faculty member of the Princeton Writing Program at Princeton University, and is currently designing a program for the Faculty of Arts and Science at the University of Toronto that will ease the transition to university-level writing for incoming undergraduate students. Her research specialty is the social origins and histories of Jesus movements in the first centuries of the common era, with a particular focus on practices of dress. Hal Taussig recently retired as Professor of New Testament at Union Theological Seminary in New York. He lectures around the country and world.Â The editor of the award-winningÂ A New New TestamentÂ (2013), United Methodist minister, and author of fourteen books, his mediography includes The New York Times, Time Magazine, The Daily Show, People Magazine, Newsweek Magazine, National Public Radio, the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC, the Bob Edwards Show on Sirius Radio, The History Channel, and the Washington Post. Bernard Brandon ScottÂ is the author and editor of many books, including After Jesus Before Christianity, The Real Paul: Recovering His Radical ChallengeÂ andÂ The Trouble with Resurrection. A charter member of the Jesus Seminar, he is chair of Westarâ€™sÂ Christianity Seminar. He served as chair of the Bible in Ancient and Modern Media Section of the Society of Biblical Literature, as well as a member of several SBL Seminars including the Parable Seminar and Historical Jesus Seminar. He holds an A.B. from St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, an M.A. from Miami University, and a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. Donâ€™t forget to join Tripp & Diana this Lent for an open online class â€“ Jesus De/constructed! Details here. Â Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Tony Jones: The Future of Evangelicalism is (NOT) David Brooks

Sat, 19 Mar 2022 10:13:05 -0000

It’s always good to have a Deacon’s Meeting with one of the OG Deacons, a Senior… Arch Deacon even – Dr. Tony Jones. In this conversation we discuss…

the Amazon LOTR show & my quest to peer pressure Jason Micheli into a response pod
visiting Lego Land & Istambul
Organizing your life around keeping Income-based repayment & my failed plan to be a prof
THEOLOGY BEER CAMP
why Tony loves Constantine & Monty Python
The predicament of institutions, accountability, and injustice
The future of evangelicalism is (NOT) David Brooks
Righteous Gem Stones is a reality show & the MEGA pod might be
A student asked Tripp if he was an evangelical and he was triggered

A Few Previous Podcast Visits with Tony

Don’t forget to join Tripp & Diana this Lent for an open online class – Jesus De/constructed! Details here. Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Jürgen Moltmann: The Crucified God

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 16:58:41 -0000

Jurgen Moltmann is on the podcast!

Moltmann is the most influential theologian from the 2nd half of the 20th century. In this episode, you will get to hear Moltmann answer our questions like a theological champ. His one-liners are inappropriately zesty!

This is the first half of the live HBC podcast from the American Academy of Religion. You will get to hear Tony Jones and I interview the zesty German one – Moltmann! During the podcast, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Moltmann’s ground-breaking text The Crucified God.

We were also joined by Jennifer McBride and Philip Clayton. Get ready for the excitement!!

Don’t forget to join Tripp & Diana this Lent for an open online class – Jesus De/constructed! Details here. Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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What is the Future of Spirituality?

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 12:58:04 -0000

What is the future of spirituality? That question not only shapes this podcast episode but an upcoming online summit. Homebrewed is excited to be partnering with Convergence and 25 rather epic voices to explore the future of spirituality. In this episode, I have a blast talking with Cameron Trimble and Anna Golladay from Convergence. I not only hope you enjoy it but get wise and sign up for the free online summit HERE.

How is our understanding of faith being reshaped, perhaps accelerated, by the pandemic?
Do faith communities have a future and what kind of courage will that require?
What kind of rituals will shape the future of spirituality?
What are the big theological questions of our time?
How do younger generations seek spirituality?
Is there a future of courageous spirituality? If so, what does that look like?

Rev. Cameron Trimble is a serial entrepreneur committed to the triple bottom line – a concern for people, progress, and the planet. Driven by an adventurous spirit, she runs businesses and NGO organizations, both secular and faith-based. She serves as a consultant, a frequent speaker on national speaking circuits, is a pilot, and an author. Cameron is the CEO of Convergence, a not-for-profit made up of subsidiary companies and organizations focused on organizational transformation.

Rev. Anna Golladay is the Senior Director of Communications and Marketing at Convergence. Anna has served as associate pastor in the United Methodist Church. Her ministry is undergirded by social justice and the inequity that exists both in and outside the church’s walls. She is diligent in her advocacy for full inclusion for all persons in the United Methodist Church. She is an entrepreneur, running a small online-based apparel shop called Bias & Bourbon and social enterprise, Work of Place. She spends her free time as an avid football and hockey fan and life partner to Mike Krigbaum, a small-animal veterinarian.

Don’t forget to join Tripp & Diana this Lent for an open online class – Jesus De/constructed! Details here. Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Bill Leonard: the Fundamentalization of American Religion

Tue, 08 Mar 2022 08:45:56 -0000

My church history Prof from Wake Div, Bill Leonard, is back on the podcast. We have a wide-ranging conversation about the changing shape of religion in America. It is always a joy to reconnect with a mentor to pick some more wisdom and get feedback about some of the ideas you are working through.

Dr. Bill Leonard is Founding Dean and Professor of Divinity Emeritus at Wake Forest University’s SChool of Divinity. Leonard’s research focuses on Church History with particular attention to American religion, Baptist studies, and Appalachian religion. He is the author or editor of some 25 books including Christianity in Appalachia (1999); Baptist Ways: A History (2003); The Challenge of Being Baptist (2010); Can I Get a Witness?: Essays, Sermons and Reflections (2013); and A Sense of the Heart: Christian Religious Experience in the U.S., (2014). In March 2015 he delivered the William James Lecture on Religious Experience at Harvard Divinity School and in February 2017 he gave the William Self Lectures on Preaching at McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University. His newest book, The Homebrewed Christianity Guide to Church History: Flaming Heretics and Heavy Drinkers, was published by Fortress Press in July 2017. Leonard is on the board of the Journal of Disability and Religion, The Baptist Quarterly (England), the Day1 Preaching Network, the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, and the Governing Board of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. His sabbatical research focuses on a new book, tentatively entitled: “Security or Idolatry?: A History of Religion and Firearms in the U.S.” Leonard writes a twice-monthly column for Baptist News Global, is an ordained Baptist minister, and a member of First Baptist Church, Highland Avenue (American Baptist Churches, USA) in Winston-Salem.

the church’s loss of cultural privilege
the changing sociology of Sunday
the rapid rise of the religiously unaffiliated
living through a period of institutional permanent transition
changing shape of religious pluralism
the changing center of faith from the congregation
the rise of Christian Nationalism
the history of race and religion in America
fear of critical race theory
Christian formation in a Biblically illiterate age
how American evangelical identity got so ugly
the Fundamentalization of American Religion and the move from experience to transaction
from the Scopes Monkey Trial to Critical Race Theory
how inerrancy migrated to natural law
“you can be right about scripture and wrong about the Gospel”
an account of American brokenness
how big tech is ruining religion
the Pornification of Religion
how individualism is destroying us individually
the growing lack of community for many is a judgment on the church
why the West needs the church

Check out these books by Dr. Leonard:

Previous Podcasts w/ Dr. Leonard

Don’t forget to join Tripp & Diana this Lent for an open online class – Jesus De/constructed! Details here. Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Sarah Lane Ritchie: a Minimally Viable God Concept

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 07:27:27 -0000

What does it sound like when two friends discuss their struggle with the concept of God? If those friends also have a shared interest in science, philosophy, and religion it could sound like this.

My super-nerd friend, Sarah Lane Ritchie, is back on the podcast for a strikingly honest conversation about God and what is required for a “minimally viable” concept. It centers on three particular affirmations:

God is personal
God is transcendent
God provides for postmortem existence

Sarah’s Previous Podcast Visits

Don’t forget to join Tripp & Diana this Lent for an open online class – Jesus De/constructed! Details here. Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Diana Butler Bass: De/Constructing Jesus & the Lenten Journey

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 10:42:35 -0000

Yesterday we launched Jesus De/Constructed,Â an open online class with Diana Butler Bass. Â This is session one, so receive it as an invitation to join the group. We are thrilled over 3000 people have already signed up

Donâ€™t forget to join Tripp & Diana this Lent for an open online class â€“ Jesus De/constructed! Details here. Â Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Andrew Root: Churches and the Crisis of Decline

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 08:33:50 -0000

What would happen if Marty McFly went back in time and gave a young Karl Barth a copy of Charles Taylor’sÂ A Secular Age?Â

It would be pretty close to Andrew Root’s new bookÂ Churches and the Crisis of Decline.Â The book came out today, so Andy and I talked about it on a live stream. Enjoy the convo, get the book, and look forward to the coming Karl Barth musical on Disney+

Andrew Root is the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary, USA. He writes and researches in areas of theology, ministry, culture, and younger generations. Â Some of his most recent books areÂ TheÂ Congregation in a Secular AgeÂ (Baker, 2021),Â The End of Youth Ministry?Â (Baker, 2020),Â The Pastor in a Secular Age: Ministry to People Who No Longer Need GodÂ (Baker, 2019),Â Faith Formation in a Secular AgeÂ (Baker, 2017), andÂ Exploding Stars, Dead Dinosaurs, and Zombies: Youth Ministry in the Age of ScienceÂ (Fortress Press, 2018). Â Andy has worked in congregations, parachurch ministries, and social service programs. He lives in St. Paul with his wife Kara, two children, Owen and Maisy, and their dog. When not reading, writing, or teaching, Andy spends far too much time watching TV and movies.

Previous Visits with Andy Root

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Thomas Jay Oord: from Pluriform Love to Divine Revelation

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 09:56:43 -0000

This is another zesty session of “Big God Questions” with Tom Oord. In this edition, we discuss his new book Pluriform Love, an Open and Relational account of divine revelation, and more. At the end of the episode, Tom offers to send 10 people a copy of his new book if they submit a question for a future ‘Big God Questions’ session. So send us a question HERE.

We are both evangelists for Open and Relational Theology and now that it has a center you should check it out. You can also check out the doctoral program in Open and Relational TheologyÂ here.

Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. Oord is an award-winning author, and he has written or edited more than twenty books. A twelve-time Faculty Award-winningÂ professor, Oord teaches at institutions around the globe. A gifted speaker, Oord is known for his contributions to research on love, open and relational theology, science and religion, and the implications of freedom and relationships for transformation.

Some Previous Tripp & Tom Pods

Big God Twitter Takes

Trump is (NOT) a Process Theologian & Other Questions

Thomas Jay Oord wants you to know â€œGod Canâ€™tâ€

Open and Relational Theology Throwdown

Open and Relational Q&A with Thomas Jay Oord

Why Go Wesleyan?

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Leah Schade & Wilson Dickinson: Faith During an Ecological Collapse

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 13:22:58 -0000

What does it mean to take one’s faith seriously during an ecological collapse? How can ministers lead faith communities when so many justice issues are polarizing? These important questions and more shape this conversation with two returning guests to the podcast – Leah Schade & Wilson Dickinson. Both are faculty at Lexington Theological Seminary where there is a deep investment in these tasks and the cultivation of a more vibrant online education.

Dr. Leah Schade is Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary, A graduate of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, her research and experience cover the fields of homiletics and ecological theology. As an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), Schade has served in suburban, urban, and rural settings and has worked with parishioners from a variety of cultural, racial, and economic backgrounds. Formerly the pastor of United in Christ Lutheran Church in Lewisburg, PA, Schade s ministry is marked by her experience in and passion for ecological and social justice advocacy and activism.

Dr. Schade’s Books

Preaching in the Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red-Blue Divide

Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis

Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit

Dr. Wilson Dickinson is a writer, pastor, and organizer who lives in his hometown of Georgetown, Kentucky. He teaches theology and directs the Doctor of Ministry and Continuing Education Programs at Lexington Theological Seminary. He is the director of the Green Good News, an organization that works with churches and schools to integrate sustainability, justice, and discipleship.

Check out Wilson’s books The Green Good News and Exercises in New Creation.

PREVIOUS PODCAST VISITS Leah Schade: Preaching in a time of Crisis from Corona to Climate Wilson Dickinson: Faith After a Neo-liberal Compliant Church Don’t forget to join Tripp & Diana this Lent for an open online class – Jesus De/constructed! Details here. Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Ryan Duns: Spiritual Exercises for a Secular Age

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 15:27:00 -0000

Ryan G. Duns, SJ, is a Jesuit priest and an assistant professor of theology at Marquette University. His locates his work the intersection of philosophy and systematic theology and is interested in regarding theology as practice or "way of life." He has published on Karl Rahner, Jean-Luc Marion, René Girard, and his most recent work has involved a sustained engagement with William Desmond’s metaphysics. His monograph “Spiritual Exercises for a Secular Age: Desmond and the Quest for God" argues that, when read as a form of spiritual exercise (Pierre Hadot), Desmond’s philosophy can re-awaken a sense of the Transcendent.

In the conversation we discuss...

the possibility of a return to Narnia
problems with cranky Thomism
what is happening in the cultural fascination with Zombies
5 Commandments for doing Metaphysics... after the death of Metaphysics
Want to read a summary of the book and see some stellar scholars engage it? Head over here to the Syndicate consortium.
Sacramental hermenutics
how spiritual formation is like karaoke & why you don't have to be Bob Dylan
there's a little bit of Susan Boyle in each of us

Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Grace Ji-Sun Kim: a Theology of Visibility

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 15:20:00 -0000

My friend and brilliant theologian, Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim, is back on the podcast and we have a stimulating conversation about her newest book Invisible: Theology and the Experience of Asian American Women.

Check out my visit to Grace's podcast -Here's the audio & here's Mandang on YoutTube:)

Grace Ji-Sun Kim is Professor of Theology at Earlham School of Religion. She received her M.Div. from Knox College and her Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. She is the author or editor of 19 books most recently, Keeping Hope Alive; Intersectional Theology co-written with Susan Shaw and Embracing the Other. Kim is a Series Editor for Palgrave Macmillan Series, “Asian Christianity in the Diaspora”. Eerdmans included her in their list of Five Great Women Scholars, and the Englewood Review of Books named her in their list of Ten Important Women Theologians You Should Be Reading

Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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John Cobb: the Greatest Living Theologian Turns 97

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 15:31:00 -0000

John Cobb, the greatest living theologian, returns to the podcast for a birthday pod. What an honor, treat, and thrill! I hope you all enjoy this one half as much as I did :)

Books by Cobb that come up in the episode

Previous Visits from John Cobb

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Cancel Culture, Rogan, Whoopi, Chappelle, & the NFL

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 15:39:00 -0000

Last night Adam and I had a live stream session for the Upsetting the Powers online reading group. After an hour or so of digging into the readings from Womanist theologian Delores Williams, we took some questions from the group and it was too timely not to share. If you want to access the entire class head over here and join up.

At the end of the episode, you get a special invite to join Jesus De/Constructed with Diana Butler Bass and me. :)

Dr. Adam Clark is an Associate Professor of Theology at Xavier University. He is committed to the idea that theological education in the twenty-first century must function as a counter-story. One that equips us to read against the grain of the dominant culture and inspires one to live into the Ignatian dictum of going forth “to set the world on fire.” To this end, Dr. Clark is intentional about pedagogical practices that raise critical consciousness by going beneath surface meanings, unmasking conventional wisdoms and reimagining the good. He currently serves as co-chair of Black Theology Group at the American Academy of Religion, actively publishes in the area of black theology and black religion and participates in social justice groups at Xavier and in the Cincinnati area. He earned his PhD at Union Theological Seminary in New York where he was mentored by James Cone.

Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Andrew Schwartz: On the Zestiness of Process Theology

Tue, 08 Feb 2022 15:48:00 -0000

In this conversation we discus a bunch of questions sent in from the Homebrewed Community...

1. Books Andrew likes to use when teaching Process

Process-Relational Philosophy: An Introduction to Alfred North Whitehead & Process Theology: A Basic Introduction by Robert C. Mesle
On Whitehead by Philip Rose
God of Becoming and Relationship: The Dynamic Nature of Process Theology by Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson

2. How Whitehead came to believe in God

3. Why Process Panentheism is the superior Panentheism

shout out to Hartshorne's Omnipotence and Other Theological Mistakes
why Creation Out of Nothing is the most overrated doctrine

4. Process Panenthesim & Panpsychism

here's the book exploring this theme and it is FREE :)

5. Why is Process thought reaching more people now than ever?

6. If you had a dinner party with Whitehead, who are you inviting?

Want to go to a dinner party at the Whitehead's? Then read Dialogues of Alfred North Whitehead.

Some Previous Process Theology Episodes

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Jacob Alan Cook: Is the "Christian Worldview" a Supremacist Grift?

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 15:56:00 -0000

Dr. Jacob Alan Cook investigates how people move from an ideas-based sense of security about who they are and what they are doing in the world toward a more vibrant, relational posture of faith. He is actively studying and experimenting with creative practices for Christian moral formation in both the academy and local church-communities.

Cook’s first book, Worldview Theory, Whiteness, and the Future of Evangelical Faith, is out now along with a series of articles on Baptist News Global introducing its hypothesis. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Wake Forest University School of Divinity, where he leads a research program centered on formative practices and the big question: What does it look like when churches and their people thrive as agents of justice, reconciliation, and compassion in their local communities?

Check out Jacob's powerful series of articles based on the book

Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Bethany Sollereder: Celebration, Suffering, & the Future of Science + Religion

Sat, 29 Jan 2022 16:03:00 -0000

This is a celebration podcast! My friend Dr. Bethany Sollereder just landed a new job as Lecturer in Science and Religion here at the University of Edinburgh. After a celebration we discuss Bethany's newest choose-your-own-adventure style book on the problem of suffering. Then we shift directions to discuss the future of Science and Religion as a field, our coming ecological collapse, and a little Tolkien:)

Here’s two of Bethany’s Books to checkout

Check out Bethany's previous visit to the podcast - Theology and the Ecological Crisis

Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Ruining Dinner: from the legacy of Thich Nhat Hanh to Jerry Falwell Jr blaming his Mom

Fri, 28 Jan 2022 23:41:00 -0000

My friend and scholar of American Religion, Diana Butler Bass, is on the podcast for a little experiment. We plan to host monthly conversations about religion, politics, and culture from a progressive Christian perspective. We would love your input on the flow, format, and such - so holla :)

We plan to have live stream sessions each month with our online communities. To be a part of future zoom sessions like this one, make sure you join Diana's newsletter community, the Cottage. Yes, she does have an actual cottage where she reads, writes, and zooms

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Brian Zahnd: Learning to Pray & Change in the Pulpit

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 21:43:00 -0000

What a treat! I got a real deal in-person visit from Brian and Peri Zahnd. They were in town so we recorded in my office at the Unversity of Edinburgh. The conversation was a blast... the lunch that followed was Wow:) I hope you enjoy our first time connecting IRL (in real life).

Don't forget to check out Brian's most recent book, When Everything's on Fire: Faith Forged from the Ashes.

Brian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church, a non-denominational Christian congregation in Saint Joseph, Missouri. Brian and his wife, Peri, founded the church in 1981. Brian is also the author of several books, including, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God, Water to Wine, A Farewell To Mars, Beauty Will Save the World, and Unconditional?: The Call of Jesus to Radical Forgiveness. His newest book is When Everything's on Fire: Faith Forged from the Ashes.

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Gary Dorrien & Adam Clark: James Cone and the Emergence of Black Theology

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 22:21:00 -0000

In this episode, you get a preview of what is going on in the Upsetting the Powers reading group. Each week we will be featuring a live session where Adam Clark and I discuss the week's theme, reading, and class questions... but wait...there's more :) there will also be an interview in which Adam talks with a fellow scholar and friend of James Cone. After you hear this I hope you join the class. Remember all the content is available for the members to go at their own pace and it is donation-based (including 0) so if you are interested come on in.

Previous Episodes w/ Adam:

Serene Jones & Adam Clark: Theology Matters and the Legacy of James Cone

The Crisis of American Religion & Democracy: 1/6 a year later Christmas, BLM, Abortion, & the War on White Evangelicalism Jan 6th Theological Debrief: Adam Clark and Jeffrey Pugh Adam Clark: What is Black Theology? From Lebron James to the Black Panther: Black Theology QnA w/ Adam Clark Adam Clark: James Cone was right

Dr. Adam Clark is Associate Professor of Theology at Xavier University. He is committed to the idea that theological education in the twenty first century must function as a counter-story. One that equips us to read against the grain of the dominant culture and inspires one to live into the Ignatian dictum of going forth “to set the world on fire.” To this end, Dr. Clark is intentional about pedagogical practices that raise critical consciousness by going beneath surface meanings, unmasking conventional wisdoms and reimagining the good. He currently serves as co-chair of Black Theology Group at the American Academy of Religion, actively publishes in the area of black theology and black religion and participates in social justice groups at Xavier and in the Cincinnati area. He earned his PhD at Union Theological Seminary in New York where he was mentored by James Cone.

Dr. Gary Dorrien teaches social ethics, theology, and philosophy of religion as the Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary and Professor of Religion at Columbia University. He was previously the Parfet Distinguished Professor at Kalamazoo College, where he taught for 18 years and also served as Dean of Stetson Chapel and Director of the Liberal Arts Colloquium.

Professor Dorrien is the author of 20 books and more than 300 articles that range across the fields of social ethics, philosophy, theology, political economics, social and political theory, religious history, cultural criticism, and intellectual history. Philosopher Cornel West describes him as “the preeminent social ethicist in North America today.” Philosopher Robert Neville calls him “the most rigorous theological historian of our time, moving from analyses of social context and personal struggles through the most abstruse theological and metaphysical issues.” Dorrien told an interviewer in 2016: “I am a jock who began as a solidarity activist, became an Episcopal cleric at thirty, became an academic at thirty-five, and never quite settled on a field, so now I explore the intersections of too many fields.”

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Serene Jones & Adam Clark: Theology Matters and the Legacy of James Cone

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 22:27:00 -0000

In this episode you get a preview of what is going on in the Upsetting the Powers reading group. Each week we will be featuring a live session where Adam Clark and I discuss the week's theme, reading, and class questions... but wait...there's more :) there will also be an interview in which Adam talks with a fellow scholar and friend of James Cone. After you hear this I hope you join the class. Remember all the content is available for the members to go at their own pace and it is donation based (including 0) so if you are interested come on in.

Previous Episodes w/ Adam: The Crisis of American Religion & Democracy: 1/6 a year later Christmas, BLM, Abortion, & the War on White Evangelicalism Jan 6th Theological Debrief: Adam Clark and Jeffrey Pugh Adam Clark: What is Black Theology? From Lebron James to the Black Panther: Black Theology QnA w/ Adam Clark Adam Clark: James Cone was right

Dr. Adam Clark is Associate Professor of Theology at Xavier University. He is committed to the idea that theological education in the twenty first century must function as a counter-story. One that equips us to read against the grain of the dominant culture and inspires one to live into the Ignatian dictum of going forth “to set the world on fire.” To this end, Dr. Clark is intentional about pedagogical practices that raise critical consciousness by going beneath surface meanings, unmasking conventional wisdoms and reimagining the good. He currently serves as co-chair of Black Theology Group at the American Academy of Religion, actively publishes in the area of black theology and black religion and participates in social justice groups at Xavier and in the Cincinnati area. He earned his PhD at Union Theological Seminary in New York where he was mentored by James Cone.

Dr. Serene Jones is a highly respected scholar and public intellectual and the 16th President of the historic Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. The first woman to head the 182-year-old institution, Jones occupies the Johnston Family Chair for Religion and Democracy. She is a Past President of the American Academy of Religion, which annually hosts the world’s largest gathering of scholars of religion. Jones came to Union after seventeen years at Yale University, where she was the Titus Street Professor of Theology at the Divinity School, and Chair of the University’s Program in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. She is the author of several books including Trauma and Grace and, most recently, her memoir Call It Grace: Finding Meaning in a Fractured World. Jones, a popular public speaker, is sought by media to comment on major issues impacting society because of her deep grounding in theology, politics, women’s studies, economics, race studies, history, and ethics.

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The Crisis of American Religion & Democracy: 1/6 a year later

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 22:31:00 -0000

Adam Clark & Jeffrey Pugh joined me for a theological debrief on the anniversary of the 1/6 insurrection. It was a powerful conversation with two dear friends.

Previous Episodes w/ Adam: Christmas, BLM, Abortion, & the War on White Evangelicalism Jan 6th Theological Debrief: Adam Clark and Jeffrey Pugh Adam Clark: What is Black Theology? From Lebron James to the Black Panther: Black Theology QnA w/ Adam Clark Adam Clark: James Cone was right The Secret Chart to the END OF TIME (kind of) with Jeffrey Pugh and Daniel Kirk God Loves Science (Fiction) with Jeff Pugh and Will Rose Jeffrey C. Pugh: Why Go Bonhoeffer?

Dr. Jeffrey C. Pugh recently retired as Maude Sharpe Powell Professor of Religious Studies and Distinguished University Professor from Elon University in North Carolina. The author of six books ranging from Barth, religion and science, and the apocalyptic imagination to Bonhoeffer, Pugh’s work has focused on Christian complicity in the Holocaust and the lessons that can be applied to instruct future generations. His latest work, a chapter on his reflections while he was participating in the clergy resistance at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville is found in Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theology, and Resistance. He and his wife Jan, a retired United Methodist minister, make their home in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Dr. Adam Clark is Associate Professor of Theology at Xavier University. He is committed to the idea that theological education in the twenty first century must function as a counter-story. One that equips us to read against the grain of the dominant culture and inspires one to live into the Ignatian dictum of going forth “to set the world on fire.” To this end, Dr. Clark is intentional about pedagogical practices that raise critical consciousness by going beneath surface meanings, unmasking conventional wisdoms and reimagining the good. He currently serves as co-chair of Black Theology Group at the American Academy of Religion, actively publishes in the area of black theology and black religion and participates in social justice groups at Xavier and in the Cincinnati area. He earned his PhD at Union Theological Seminary in New York where he was mentored by James Cone.

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Exploring the Matrix Resurrections!

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 23:51:00 -0000

What happens when three fans of the Matrix film series who happen to be religion professors get together? This.

Donna Bowman & James McGrath return to the podcast for a bunch of fun. We hope you enjoy it half as much as we did.

Here's previous pods with James and Donna: James McGrath: What Jesus Learned from Women Early Christian Monotheism with James McGrath: Homebrewed Christianity 68 Becoming the Best Bag of Bones You Can Be with Donna Bowman Politics, Pussy Hats, and Patriarchy with Donna Bowman God and the World Wide Web with Donna Bowman Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Tony Jones: Progressive Christian Christmas

Thu, 16 Dec 2021 00:21:00 -0000

What does a progressive Christian do at Christmas? Do you cross your fingers the entire time? What about the Virgin Birth? The Incarnation?

Last month senior Deacon Tony Jones was on the podcast responding to questions from the listeners. Afterward, I immediately got messages asking about Christmas, like those above, so we decided to talk it out.

A Few Previous Podcast Visits with Tony

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Anne Rice on Quitting Christianity (in Memoriam)

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 00:34:00 -0000

I am sure many of you were saddened by the news of Anne Rice's passing. She visited the podcast in 2010 after publicly 'quitting Christianity' and enough of the long-time listeners asked for the interview we decided to share it.

My buddy Mike occasionally did interviews back then and he is the one asking the questions here. Since it was 2010 the technology was not as good, but I reworked the audio as best as I could.

Here's Mike's reflection on Anne's passing In the wee hours this morning I heard the heartbreaking news that Anne Rice died, surrounded by loved ones, due to complications from a stroke. Anne revolutionized gothic horror writing with her layered, humanizing, and sensuous approach to storytelling, initiating a trend toward more sympathetic portrayals of (say) vampires, telling the story of their eternal power and anguish from *their* point of view, which became the de facto norm for later shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Twilight, and True Blood. The LGBTQ community in particular embraced her supernatural creatures’ ‘outsider’ status as their own, and she embraced them right back, becoming an early safe haven and trusted voice for queer folk. As a young evangelical growing up in the Bible Belt, her writing was *especially* forbidden, and I recall the rushes and flushes I felt as a kid when sneaking some of her fiction in grocery store aisles while my mom was shopping, a world of history, mysticism and sexuality opening up to me. When Anne publicly announced her conversion from atheism to Christianity in 2005, I was among the first journalists to cover the story, in what became an award-winning profile for RELEVANT Magazine. You can read an archive of that story in the link below. When I met Rice at a progressive Baptist church in Birmingham, she was telling her story of coming to faith with nuance and intelligence, in a conversation proctored by a Roman Catholic priest, a rabbi, and a progressive Baptist minister. In our more private conversation that followed, she explained how her deeply-felt faith came from her inner historian’s keen eye for mystery: “Well, [being Christian] certainly has to be personal experience, but I did read myself back into faith. It was history, reading the story of the Jews in time and realizing that there was no rational explanation for the survival of the Jewish people. It was the biggest mystery history ever offered me—how did these people survive? That was the beginning. And then the second big mystery was this: How in the world did Christianity spread the way it did, to become an international religion by A.D. 110? How did that happen? In trying to answer those two questions, I read myself back into belief. And then belief came.” She temporarily abandoned her vampires and fallen angels, saying “the truth is, I’ve found what those characters were looking for. I can’t continue those stories because they don’t work for me anymore. The vampires are not metaphors for the outsider for me, because I don’t feel like an outsider anymore. I feel like I’m included in a great big wonderful family.” She went on to write two better-than-average historical fiction novels about the early life of Jesus, but within a couple years of publishing her spiritual memoir ‘Called out of Darkness,' her sense of belonging in the wider Christian family had strained to its breaking point. In 2010 she wrote: “Today I quit being a Christian. I’m out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being “Christian” or to being part of Christianity. It’s simply impossible for me to “belong” to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else. In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen.” Once again, I was able to talk to Anne about this transition — this time for my friend Tripp Fuller’s podcast, Homebrewed Christianity. We were able to have an extensive conversation in which she was just as incisive and gracious as before. I’m working with Tripp to see if we can bring this conversation back from the archives. To NPR at the time, she elaborated about what this did or didn’t mean: “Certainly I will never go back to being that atheist and that pessimist that I was. I live now in a world that I feel God created, and I feel I live in a world where God witnesses everything that happens. … That’s a huge change from the atheist I was when I wrote the vampire novels... I found what the characters in the vampire novels were looking for. They were groping in the darkness; they lived in a world without God. I found God, but that doesn’t mean that I have to be a supporting member of any organized religion." I wish Anne had been better acquainted with progressive Christianity, where she could have loved Jesus *and* women, science, and the LGBTQ community whole-heartedly. But I know that, regardless of the labels that she rather fluidly adopted and discarded, she remained a consistent advocate of those whose place in society was often in question, while continuing to write her journey in provocative fiction. Anne and I stayed in touch via email intermittently for a while, as she did with countless fans via her prolific Facebook fan page, where she held court with open-ended questions about society, politics, and spirituality. I’m going to miss Anne on this side of the veil. And I pray that she’s feeling, more deeply than ever, her belonging in the great, unbroken cloud of witnesses, that perichoretic dance of God, creation, and the ancestors. A space where doubt is honored for the treasure of conscience it is, and faith becomes expansive sight.

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Adam Clark: Christmas, BLM, Abortion, & the War on White Evangelicalism

Sat, 11 Dec 2021 00:39:00 -0000

My friend and most zesty theologian, Adam Clark, is back on the podcast. We discuss questions sent in by the Homebrewed Community and they were spicy. I hope you enjoy it half as much as we did and check out our upcoming online reading group - Upsetting the Powers.

Dr. Adam Clark is Associate Professor of Theology at Xavier University. He is committed to the idea that theological education in the twenty-first century must function as a counter-story. One that equips us to read against the grain of the dominant culture and inspires one to live into the Ignatian dictum of going forth “to set the world on fire.” To this end, Dr. Clark is intentional about pedagogical practices that raise critical consciousness by going beneath surface meanings, unmasking conventional wisdoms and reimagining the good. He currently serves as co-chair of Black Theology Group at the American Academy of Religion, actively publishes in the area of black theology and black religion and participates in social justice groups at Xavier and in the Cincinnati area. He earned his PhD at Union Theological Seminary in New York where he was mentored by James Cone.

Previous Episodes w/ Adam: Jan 6th Theological Debrief: Adam Clark and Jeffrey Pugh Adam Clark: What is Black Theology? From Lebron James to the Black Panther: Black Theology QnA w/ Adam Clark Adam Clark: James Cone was right Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Mark Scandrette: Religion & Spirituality in the Way of Jesus

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 00:44:00 -0000

I absolutely love Mark Scandrette. Not only do I find his invitation to life in the way of Jesus personally compelling in deep ways, but he is a friend, mentor, and

the new generation of 'deconstructors'
thoughts on the emerging church movement
his neighborhood experience of police violence
the way the Beatitudes of Jesus invite us to a vision of reality
adult confirmation
online spiritual formation
the 'Great Resignation'
pandemic spirituality
learning to love the enemies that are close to you
karaoke discipleship

Mark Scandrette is an internationally recognized expert in practical Christian spirituality. He is the founding director of ReIMAGINE: A Center for Integral Christian Practice, where he leads an annual series of retreats, workshops and projects designed to help participants apply spiritual wisdom to everyday life. His multidisciplinary studies in applied psychology, family health and theology have shaped his approach to learning and transformation. He is on the creative team for NINE BEATS collective, a project exploring the beatitudes as a 21st vocabulary for the living way of Jesus. A sought after voice for creative, radical and embodied faith practices, he frequently speaks at universities, churches and conferences nationally and internationally and also serves as adjunct faculty in the doctoral program at Fuller Theological Seminary. His most recent books include The Ninefold Path of Jesus, FREE, Practicing the Way of Jesus and Belonging and Becoming (with Lisa Scandrette).

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Chase Tibbs: Christian Communism, Revolutionary Violence & other Lite Topics

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 16:47:00 -0000

This is a special crossover episode with Chase Tibbs from the Faith and Capital podcast. In our conversation, Chase gives 5 reasons to go ‘Christian Socialist.’ Most theology nerds know that the overwhelming majority of theologians in the 2oth century were socialists. Barth, Tillich, Niebuhr, Guiterrez and more were all committed Christian socialists, and yet today, many Christians wrongly assume the two are incompatible. I doubt everyone is going to be persuaded, but I hope more people will come to see how Chase’s faith deeply informs his politics.

You can check out our previous episode over here.

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A Deacon's Meeting with Tony Jones

Tue, 16 Nov 2021 16:59:00 -0000

Deacon Tony Jones is back on the podcast for a Deacon's Meeting of sorts. He joins me in answering questions from the Homebrewed Community and we have ourselves a bunch of fun.

The questions for the fun came from the people. Topics we discuss include...

hunting, fishing, and the land (our catch-up and outdoor stories occupy the first 25 minutes)
Tony's return to ministry
the changing shape of the local congregation
Ground of Being &/or Personal Theism
Scottish hoppy beer & the Herods... the book on the family
Schleiermacher VS Kierkegaard
the struggle to pray

A Few Previous Podcast Visits with Tony

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Getting Lost & Finding Faith w/ Kierkegaard

Sun, 14 Nov 2021 17:04:00 -0000

Aaron Simmons is back on the podcast to give you a tasty preview reading group – Walking with Kierkegaard. In this episode, you get to listen in to the first session.

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Rolf Jacobson: The Five Most Offensive Things... you learn in Seminary

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 17:10:00 -0000

Dr. Rolf A. Jacobson is the Professor of Old Testament and the Alvin N. Rogness Chair of Scripture, Theology, and Ministry at Luther Seminary.

Known for his humor and faithful biblical interpretation, Jacobson is an in-demand preacher and teacher. With Craig Koester, he developed and supports the Narrative Lectionary. He enjoys collaborating with other teachers and pastors. His collaborative projects include The Book of Psalms (NICOT; with Beth Tanner and Nancy deClaissé-Walford), Invitation to the Psalms (with Karl Jacobson), Crazy Talk: A Not-So-Stuffy Dictionary of Theological Terms (with five fellow Luther Seminary graduates), and Crazy Book: A Not-So-Stuffy Dictionary of Biblical Terms(with Hans Wiersma and Karl Jacobon). He is also the author of The Homebrewed Christianity Guide to the Old Testament: Israel’s In-Your-Face, Holy God. His scholarly interests include the Psalms, prophets, biblical theology, biblical narrative, and preaching the Old Testament.

His voice can be heard on two weekly preaching podcasts, “Sermon Brainwave” and “The Narrative Lectionary,” as well as singing the high lonesome with a Lutheran bluegrass band, “The Fleshpots of Egypt.”

A survivor of childhood cancer, he is a double, above-the-knee amputee, who generally wears a bicycle and a smile. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with his beloved wife Amy, their children Ingrid and Gunnar, and a cat who thinks he is a dog. He is a loyal friend, lifelong sufferer of Minnesota sports, and committed board-game geek.

The Five Most Offensive Things... you learn in Seminary

Nobody wrote anything (in the Bible)
There are two—no, make that three, four, five, six,—seven creation stories in the Old Testament
There are no “Jews” in the Old Testament
Nobody agrees on how many books are in the Old Testament
The metaphor that God is a husband and the people of God are God’s wife is really offensive and yucky

Other things we discuss in the conversation:

a hot take on the 10 Commandments
the task of teaching the Old Testament to future ministers
the deep joy of ruining everyone's favorite Bible verses...'i knew the plans I have for you' - 'this is the day the Lord has made'
the Lutheran & Process connection
Biblical authorship and source criticism
Bluegrass Hymn Sing with Richard Rohr
the Biblical Creation stories and the divine hermeneutic Leviathan love
the holy ghost resurrection NFT
where the canon comes from
how wild Ezekiel gets and the day Tripp wore an Ezekiel shirt
how Biblical translations hide the Bible's rough side
election as synchronicity not selectivity
way too many Tripp stories...the last one is about Demons

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Matthew Novenson: Messiah, Lord, Logos, & Other Titles

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 17:16:00 -0000

Are you ready for some New Testament hype? My friend and colleague Dr. Matt Novenson is on the podcast. We have a bunch of fun.

Matthew Novenson is Senior Lecturer in New Testament and Christian Origins at the University of Edinburgh, where he is also director of the Centre for the Study of Christian Origins. Check out his books:

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5 Reasons the Church Needs Kierkegaard

Tue, 12 Oct 2021 17:20:00 -0000

Aaron Simmons is back on the podcast to preview our upcoming reading group - Walking with Kierkegaard. In this conversation we give 5 reasons the church needs Kierkegaard today.

5 Reasons the Church needs Kierkegaard today 1. Kierkegaard reminds us that faith is about lived commitment, not simply about right belief. 2. Kierkegaard helps us see that Christian Nationalism is anti-Christ. 3. Kierkegaard shows what it means to seek faithfulness, rather than success. 4. Kierkegaard stresses the radical inclusivity of the call: "Come all who are heavy burdened." 5. Kierkegaard models what it looks like to see humility as the condition of confidence.

J. Aaron Simmons holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Vanderbilt University and is currently a Professor of philosophy at Furman University in Greenville, SC (USA). He is the President of the Søren Kierkegaard Society (USA) and has published widely in philosophy of religion, phenomenology, and existentialism. Among his authored and edited books are God and the Other: Ethics and Politics After the Theological Turn; The New Phenomenology: A Philosophical Introduction; Kierkegaard’s God and the Good Life; and Kierkegaard and Levinas: Ethics, Politics, and Religion. He and his wife, Vanessa, have been married 20 years and have an 11 year old son, Atticus. Although Aaron loves doing philosophy, he would almost always rather be fishing. Check out Aaron’s youtube channel: “Philosophy for Where We Find Ourselves,” and his TedX talk (also on youtube): “The Failure of Success.”

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Dustin Kensrue: Thrice & the #ProcessParty

Fri, 08 Oct 2021 17:25:00 -0000

My buddy Dustin Kensrue is back on the podcast. We discuss his band Thrice's newest album - horizons/east. On top of being a rock star, Dustin is a member of the #ProcessParty and in our conversation, we discuss how his views of faith, politics, and more have changed and are expressed in the album. Enjoy :)

This episode is sponsored by:

When Amy-Jill Levine, University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School, looked at the gospels, when she read them, every once in a while Jesus would say something that would take her aback.

Sell all you have and give to the poor.
Comments about a fiery hell.
Hate your mother and your father.
You Jews are children of the devil.

She would read these versus, and I think Jesus what were you thinking? What did you mean?

Find answers and meaning to these perplexing teachings with Amy-Jill Levine and her new study The Difficult Words of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to His Most Perplexing Teachings. The study includes a book, leader guide, and video sessions.

With this study come learn, come be challenged, come be inspired, come be provoked, come be comforted, and come find even more of the Good News.

The Difficult Words of Jesus book and Bible study components are available wherever you buy books. Explore the study at AbingdonPress.com/DifficultWords.

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Curtis Holtzen: The God who Trusts

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 17:37:00 -0000

Wm. Curtis Holtzen is a professor of philosophy and theology at Hope International University. He is the author of The God Who Trusts: A Relational Theology of Divine Faith, Hope, and Love and has also authored chapters on pop culture topics such as The Simpsons, The Peanuts, and Bruce Almighty.

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Brian McLaren: God - Pray - Driscoll

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 17:46:00 -0000

In this episode, Brian McLaren joins the pod and we tackle some excellent questions. Here you will get a glimpse of what a QnA session sounds like in our current online learning group Oh God What Now: Christianity 20 years after 9/11. The class itself is 6-weeks and features a weekly session with Diana Butler Bass and Brian, along with occasional QnA sessions like this.

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Myron Penner: Navigating Philosophy & Religion

Tue, 28 Sep 2021 17:51:00 -0000

Since we are friends, Myron managed to turn almost every question around back at me and then bring up topics he knows animate certain peculiar frustrations of mind. This made for a very unique vibe and me talking more than normal. Believe it or not, this conversation was originally over 3 hours. There is a reward for those that make it to the end. We discuss a fun follow-up podcast where we bring three of our good friends on to play a little philosophical game.

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Diana Butler Bass: Theology and Spirituality in a Time of Rupture

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 18:00:00 -0000

In this episode, Diana Butler Bass joins the pod and we tackle some excellent questions. Here you will get a glimpse of what a QnA session sounds like in our current online learning group Oh God What Now: Christianity 20 years after 9/11. The class itself is 6-weeks and features a weekly session with Diana Butler Bass and Brian, along with occasional QnA sessions like this.

Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Michael Showalter: The Eyes of Tammy Faye & the Nerd Culture Happy Hour

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 18:04:00 -0000

Michael Showalter is here to talk about his newest film, The Eyes of Tammy Faye. He first got his start as a founding member of the sketch comedy troupes The State and Stella, and well as co-writing and staring in the now classic film, Wet Hot American Summer.

More recently, he directed The Lovebirds (Paramount/MRC), a comedy starring Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani. He also directed the 2017 Academy Award-nominated film The Big Sick, starring Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan, and the 2016 SXSW award-winning film Hello, My Name Is Doris, starring Sally Field, which he also co-wrote.

Michael is a co-creator of TBS critically-acclaimed series Search Party, starring Alia Shawkat, and is an executive producer of the CW series In The Dark, created by Corinne Kingsbury, in which he also directed the pilot episode.

In 2019, Michael directed Ray Romano in his first stand-up special in 23 years titled Right Here, Around the Corner, now available to watch on Netflix. Michael has done a number of other projects with Netflix, including co-creating the TV mini-series Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp and Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later.

His film credits include They Came Together, a satire of romantic comedies starring Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler, and The Baxter, inspired by the stylings of a Howard Hawks comedy. In addition to film, Michael has directed numerous episodes of television shows including Grace & Frankie and LOVE.

In addition to Showalter, I am joined by my friend and scholar of religion and pop-culture - Dr. Ryan Parker. In our conversation we disuss...

Pairing The Eyes of Tammy Faye with The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, and the TV show The Righteous Gemstones.
Life after the perversion of evangelical faith
Lord of the Rings and the upcoming series on Amazon...
Power Ranking Marvel & Star Wars on Disney+
Ryan is just now starting the Clone Wars. If it is new to you the MORTIS TRIOLOGY is amazing.
What is your go-to Star Wars film?
If you could only have one super power...and the one Socrates is against
How if you were the Flash you should consume more carbs and erase dumb things you say
Why Ryan and I love Henry at Monkish Brewing
If you got to produce a graphic novel what would it be?
We mention the greatest living comic book author, Jason Aaron's visit to the podcast and Ewan McGregor.

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Diana Butler Bass: White Evangelical Theopolitics, John Shelby Spong, & Jesus

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 18:09:00 -0000

Here are a few links from things we mention in the episode...

If you enjoy the QnA, then consider joining the class for more - Oh God What Now: Christianity 20 Years After 9/11.
Head over HERE to check out Diana's recent newsletter breaking down the recent data on American Evangelicals.
To get other sweet newsletter posts from Diana join the Cottage here.
In the episode, we discuss two collections of data. First is this recent study from PEW Research Center and then this study from PRRI looking at the partisan divide on perspectives about 1/6.
We both mention our love for this particular John Shelby Spong book.
I mention how much of loved The Eyes of Tammy Faye - a movie you should check out.

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Matthew Segall: Cosmology, Consciousness, and Whitehead's God

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 18:15:00 -0000

Matthew David Segall returns to the podcast after 8 years!

It was a blast to talk with Matt about his new book and a bunch of other process-related goodness. When you get done listening make sure you check out his YouTube channel and the new book.

How did Matt end up with cosmological questions
finding Alfred North Whitehead through Terence Mckenna
"Whitehead is like Psychadelics, you shouldn't jump into them alone"
the allure of Whitehead's vision of mind in nature
the potential of a process engagement with different sciences
Tripp talks about how part five of Process & Reality feels like a philosophical revival sermon
the limits of science and problem of repressed reductive metaphysics
what does Whitehead mean by a philosophy of organism
the hot spring hypothesis for the origin of life
what is in the concept 'world-soul'
how does Whitehead help one think of life after physical death
how Whitehead came to affirm God
Matt shares the story of his own wrestling with Christianity and his reflection on the future of the faith... 'a non-denominational non-institutionalized Christian'
what do we make about the power and problems that come with a religious tradition

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Josh Morris: Moral Injury & the War of Terror

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 18:20:00 -0000

Excited to have one of my heroes, practical theologian, army chaplain - Joshua Morris, joining me on the podcast to explore the legacy of 9/11 and the moral injury among returning veterans.

About the book... Joshua Morris privileges the voices of veterans to argue that returning soldiers need families, friends, and religious communities to listen to their stories with compassion to avoid amplifying the effects of moral injury. When society greets returning soldiers in ways that reinforce cultural norms that frame military service as heroic, rather than acknowledging its ambiguities and harmful effects, it exacerbates moral injury and keeps veterans from resolving inner conflicts and coping effectively with civilian life.

Morris, a military chaplain and veteran who served in Afghanistan, knows these difficulties first hand. Using stories from other veterans, Morris helps us see how cultural assumptions about military service can complicate moral injury and a veteran's return home. Drawing from liberation theologies, ideology critique, and Antonio Gramsci's advocacy for the working class, the book suggests useful perspectives and spiritual care resources for military chaplains, religious leaders, caregivers, and concerned civilians. Morris argues that military chaplains are uniquely positioned to help returning soldiers resist the amplification of existing moral injury. Moving from "thank you for your service" to liberative solidarity can galvanize resistance and make change possible.

Here's my endorsement for the book: The church has long debated war in general and the terms for a 'just' war. Recently there has been a growing interest in the moral injury of soldiers and the responsibility of both the Church and the State for them. In Moral Injury Among Returning Veterans, Morris advances the conversation by harnessing the ambiguity of military Chaplaincy for theological profundity and ecclesiological clarity. Weaving together his own experience and the testimonies of those he served in Afghanistan with a liberationist reading of Bonhoeffer, Morris invites and challenges the reader with a vision of a counter-hegemonic community. In this text, Morris reveals himself as a trusted guide to process our own failures as a church, a nation, and an academy. I am deeply grateful for this powerful text. Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Brian McLaren: Faith Beyond Fear in an Age of Terror

Wed, 08 Sep 2021 18:23:00 -0000

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Thriving with Stone-Age Minds: Evolutionary Psychology, Christian Faith, and the Quest for Human Flourishing

Sun, 05 Sep 2021 18:27:00 -0000

It is time for a party - a book release party! Thriving with Stone-Age Minds: Evolutionary Psychology, Christian Faith, and the Quest for Human Flourishing is out and the co-authors, Justin Barrett and Pamela King, are joined by two psychological scientist clergy Joanna Collicutt, and Jonathan Jong for some nerdy fun!

Check out our partner: Blueprint 1543 is an organization that develops grant projects at the intersection of faith and the sciences. With cognitive scientist Justin Barrett as one of its founders, BP1543 takes a special interest in how the psychological sciences might be integrated as a tool for a more robust understanding of human flourishing.

To learn more about the Thrive Center head over here. Pam has a chapter on "Vocation as Becoming: Telos, Thriving & Joy" right over here. Additional interdisciplinary work (pubs, videos) on telos can be found here on Thrive's website here.

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Diana Bass & Brian McLaren: 20 Years of Religious Decline

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 18:30:00 -0000

Diana Butler Bass and Brian McLaren continue to be two of the most trusted and influential voices in the Church. Nearing the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the three of us decided to spend 6 weeks together online exploring how Christianity has changed over the last 20 years. Each week we will be focusing on a different theme and last night we kicked things off looking at 20 years of religious decline. Not only did Diana bring the heat in the mini-lecture, but the ensuing conversation was energizing and enlightening. Before the session ended I had members of the class asking if they could share it with friends in an attempt to lure them to join the group. I figured I would go ahead and share with you all too.

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Andrew Davis: Mind, Value, and Cosmos

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 18:33:00 -0000

My friend and process philosopher Dr. Andrew Davis is on the podcast! We have a bunch of nerdy fun. In the conversation we discuss...

What does it mean that humans are a part of nature?
What is entailed in an event of experience?
Why do metaphysics?
How are mind and value related?
Why Whitehead thought God was necessary for an adequate metaphysics
On the cosmological piety of Whitehead
Problematizing the conceept of 'religion' from a process persepctive
we mention this previous podcast episode with John Haught: the New Cosmic Story
Here's Andrew's YouTube channel

Andrew M. Davis is a philosopher, theologian and scholar of world religions. He is Program Director for the Center for Process Studies at Claremont School of Theology at Willamette University. A native of northern California, he was born and raised among the towering redwoods of Occidental and the meandering woodlands of Santa Rosa’s Bennett Valley. It was out these natural settings that his passion for the questions of philosophy, theology and religion first emerged. He holds B.A. in Philosophy and Theology, an M.A. in Interreligious Studies, and a Ph.D. in Religion and Process Philosophy from Claremont School of Theology. An educator and advocate of cross-cultural knowledge and religious literacy, his studies have led him to a variety of religious contexts and communities around the world, including India, Israel-Palestine, and Europe. He received the 2013 Award for Excellence in Biblical Studies, the 2017 fellowship with FASPE (Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics) and the 2020 Presidential Award for Academic Excellence. He was recently nominated and elected as a fellow for the International Society of Science and Religion (ISSR). He is a poet, aphorist and author or editor of several books including How I Found God in Everyone and Everywhere: An Anthology of Spiritual Memoirs (2018); Propositions in the Making: Experiments in a Whiteheadian Laboratory (2019); Depths as Yet Unspoken: Whiteheadian Excursions in Mysticism, Multiplicity, and Divinity (2020); Mind, Value, and Cosmos: On the Relational Nature of Ultimacy (2020); Nature In Process: Organic Proposals in Philosophy, Society and Religion (forthcoming, 2021); and Process Cosmology: New Integrations in Science and Philosophy (forthcoming, 2021).

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Jason Ananda Storm: After Postmodernism

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 18:41:00 -0000

I loved this conversation. Once I heard that Jason was going to be releasing a book exploring the future of theory, I was interested... after reading it, I was PUMPED. Metamodernism is spectacular. This rather nerdy and cross-disciplinary conversation was so much fun. Hopefully, you will enjoy it and share it.

Jason Ananda Josephson Storm is chair and professor of religion and chair of science and technology studies at Williams College. He is the author of The Invention of Religion in Japan, The Myth of Disenchantment: Magic, Modernity, and the Birth of the Human Sciences, and his brand new text Metamodernism: the Future of Theory.

"For decades, scholars have been calling into question the universality of disciplinary objects and categories. The coherence of defined autonomous categories—such as religion, science, and art—has collapsed under the weight of postmodern critiques, calling into question the possibility of progress and even the value of knowledge. Jason Ananda Josephson Storm aims to radicalize and move beyond these deconstructive projects to offer a path forward for the humanities and social sciences using a new model for theory he calls metamodernism.

Metamodernism works through the postmodern critiques and uncovers the mechanisms that produce and maintain concepts and social categories. In so doing, Storm provides a new, radical account of society’s ever-changing nature—what he calls a “Process Social Ontology”—and its materialization in temporary zones of stability or “social kinds.” Storm then formulates a fresh approach to philosophy of language by looking beyond the typical theorizing that focuses solely on human language production, showing us instead how our own sign-making is actually on a continuum with animal and plant communication.

Storm also considers fundamental issues of the relationship between knowledge and value, promoting a turn toward humble, emancipatory knowledge that recognizes the existence of multiple modes of the real. Metamodernism is a revolutionary manifesto for research in the human sciences that offers a new way through postmodern skepticism to envision a more inclusive future of theory in which new forms of both progress and knowledge can be realized."

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Andrew Root: Acceleration, Resonance, & the Counting Crows

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 18:46:00 -0000

Andy and I tackle a bunch of questions from Religion and the Spiritual Crisis class members. It is a bunch of fun:) You can grab the class lectures now before they get locked up in the HBC vault for members only.

Andrew Root is the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary, USA. He writes and researches in areas of theology, ministry, culture, and younger generations. His most recent books are The Congregation in a Secular Age (Baker, 2021), The End of Youth Ministry? (Baker, 2020), The Pastor in a Secular Age: Ministry to People Who No Longer Need God (Baker, 2019), Faith Formation in a Secular Age (Baker, 2017), and Exploding Stars, Dead Dinosaurs, and Zombies: Youth Ministry in the Age of Science (Fortress Press, 2018). Andy has worked in congregations, parachurch ministries, and social service programs. He lives in St. Paul with his wife Kara, two children, Owen and Maisy, and their dog. When not reading, writing, or teaching, Andy spends far too much time watching TV and movies.

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Apocalyptic #ProcessParty with Catherine Keller & Jacob Erickson

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 19:20:00 -0000

Get Pumped for the party - an apocalyptic #ProcessParty!!

This episode is a party with two of my favorite theologians! Catherine Keller and Jacob Erickson are here to bring the zest to the people.

Want to get the invite to future live streams? Sign-up for the HBC newsletter on the front page.

PREVIOUS EPISODES WITH JAKE OR CATHERINE

Jacob Erickson: a Theopoetics of the Earth Theological Possibilities with Catherine Keller Catherine Keller: God-ish?:Logos of Theos in a (Seriously) Uncertain Time Catherine Keller on Cloud of the Impossible Catherine Keller on Process, Poetry, & Post-Structuralism [Barrel Aged] Theology for the People: Keller, Cobb and God The Birth of God and a new JC – part 2 Keller AAR Keller-riffic + Caputo Tells Pete the “lack” is BS Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Thomas Jay Oord: Big God Twitter Takes

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 19:30:00 -0000

It's time for another edition of live-streamed "Big God" questions with Tom Oord. This time we tackle a number of complaints and critiques of open and relational theology from twitter.

Tom also shares news about his new book Open and Relational Theology. Check it out.

We are both evangelists for Open and Relational Theology and now that it has a center you should check it out. Tom mentioned the launch of a new doctoral program in Open and Relational Theology. You can check it out here.

Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. Oord is an award-winning author, and he has written or edited more than twenty books. A twelve-time Faculty Award-winning professor, Oord teaches at institutions around the globe. A gifted speaker, Oord is known for his contributions to research on love, open and relational theology, science and religion, and the implications of freedom and relationships for transformation.

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Diana Butler Bass: Jesus After Religion and Beyond Fear

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 19:37:00 -0000

Last night I had some live streaming fun with Diana Butler Bass. She is not only a brilliant scholar and communicator but a mentor and friend. In this conversation, we discuss her newest book, Freeing Jesus, and the way it is a culmination of a trajectory first set in Christianity After Religion.

BTW you should sign up for her substack newsletter. It is awesome.

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Gerardo Marti: Secularization & Social Change

Sat, 12 Jun 2021 19:42:00 -0000

Sociologist of Religion, Dr. Gerardo Marti, drops a powerful lecture that explores secularization in three parts - the statistics, the theory, and the history. This lecture and the ensuing conversation is the kickoff of an open online reading group.

Gerardo's previous visit to the podcast: a Sociologist on American Religion

Here’s a few of his books to check out:

American Blindspot: Race, Class, Religion, and the Trump Presidency

The Deconstructed Church: Understanding Emerging Christianity

The Glass Church: Robert H. Schuller, the Crystal Cathedral, and the Strain of Megachurch Ministry

Latino Protestants in America: Growing and Diverse

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Richard Wolff: Why Marx? Why Now?

Fri, 07 May 2021 19:51:00 -0000

Richard D. Wolff is Professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst where he taught economics from 1973 to 2008. He is currently a Visiting Professor in the Graduate Program in International Affairs of the New School University, New York City. Earlier he taught economics at Yale University (1967-1969) and at the City College of the City University of New York (1969-1973). In 1994, he was a Visiting Professor of Economics at the University of Paris (France), I (Sorbonne). Wolff was also a regular lecturer at the Brecht Forum in New York City.

Professor Wolff's weekly show, Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff, is syndicated on over 70 radio stations nationwide and available for broadcast on Free Speech TV. Professor Wolff enjoys french cuisine and lives in New York City with his wife, Dr. Harriet Fraad. They have two adult children.

Over the last twenty-five years, in collaboration with his colleague, Stephen Resnick, he has developed a new approach to political economy. While it retains and systematically elaborates the Marxist notion of class as surplus labor, it rejects the economic determinism typical of most schools of economics and usually associated with Marxism as well. This new approach appears in several books co-authored by Resnick and Wolff and numerous articles by them separately and together. Common to all of Professor Wolff’s work are two central components. The first is the introduction of class, in its elaborated surplus labor definition, as a new "entry point" of social analysis. The second is the concept of overdetermination as the logic of an analytic project that is consistently non-determinist.

Want to sneak into Dr. Wolff's economics class? Then check out this amazing collection of his class lectures. Want to check out Dr. Wolff and his partners' collection of podcasts? Head over here. Books by Dr. Wolff The Sickness is the System: When Capitalism Fails to Save Us from Pandemics or Itself (2020) Understanding Socialism (2019) Understanding Marxism (2018) Capitalism's Crisis Deepens: Essays on the Global Economic Meltdown (2016) Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism (2012) Occupy the Economy: Challenging Capitalism (2012) Contending Economic Theories: Neoclassical, Keynesian, and Marxian (2012) Capitalism Hits the Fan: The Global Economic Meltdown and What to Do About It (2009) New Departures in Marxian Theory (2006) Economics: Marxian versus Neoclassical (1987) Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Bruce Rogers-Vaughn: the Economic Crisis is a Spiritual Crisis

Fri, 23 Apr 2021 20:35:00 -0000

Dr. Bruce Rogers-Vaughn is a Public Theologian & Scholar, Psychotherapist, Teacher, and Advocate for Radical Care.

Check out his book: Caring for Souls in a Neoliberal Age

Here's Bruce's previous visit to the podcast

https://trippfuller.com/2019/06/12/bruce-rogers-vaughn-the-neo-liberal-attack-on-the-soul/

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Peter Rollins: friends are friends forever

Sat, 17 Apr 2021 20:39:00 -0000

Peter Rollins returns to the podcast and we have a bunch of fun.

Some of Pete's previous visits

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Gerardo Marti: a Sociologist on American Religion

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 20:46:00 -0000

Dr. Gerardo Marti is a professor of Sociology at Davidson in North Carolina. His research centers around race-ethnicity, religion, identity, inequality, and social change. Through his research, he works to uncover the dynamics of contemporary issues like diversity, religious innovation, and political power. In this conversation, we not only get a vision of sociology of religion as a field but look at a number of Gerardo's research projects. It is also an amazingly fun conversation!

Here's a few of his books to check out:

American Blindspot: Race, Class, Religion, and the Trump Presidency

The Deconstructed Church: Understanding Emerging Christianity

The Glass Church: Robert H. Schuller, the Crystal Cathedral, and the Strain of Megachurch Ministry

Latino Protestants in America: Growing and Diverse

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Tony Jones: the Post-Emergent Church

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 20:49:00 -0000

Long time friend of the podcast - Tony Jones - is back. This episode includes a bit of storytelling about origins of the podcast, the emerging church movement, and thoughts about the church post-collapse .

We talk about...

That one time with discussed demons on a roof with Greg Boyd and NT Wright
The Phyllis Tickle beer
the origin story of homebrewed
we edited a bunch of stories out of the podcast... also for clarity Homebrewed started as a theology pub group with rewritable CDs and then became a podcast... so the blog/group is 15 years and the podcast 13 years old.
once Anthony Smith and Scot McKnight hung out at the cigar store I had a Bible study in. This store is awesome.
Tony makes me awkward with kindness
Why I am a hobbit and Sanco Panza?
What is it like to stay in a hotel together?
What was the biggest failure of the emerging church movement?
Emergent Village was lots of fun and full of really cool friends.
When the internet trolls finally apologize
How our minds have changed
What Mainline Protestants did with emerging church leaders... youth ministers
Will the American church or democracy die first?
Does Tripp or Tony think the world is more f*cked?
the task of learning how to be human in community again
Tripp tries hard not to vent about Boomers
"we don't deserve any of this sh!t"
Tripp's lockdown nightmare reflections are depressing
would the emerging church movement have survived with Twitter?
how horrible is platform building?
i like being Tony's friend
tony and tripp's post-collapse retirement podcast plan

A Few Previous Podcast Visits with Tony

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Joerg Rieger: the End of Religion & Business as Usual

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 20:58:00 -0000

Joerg Rieger is Distinguished Professor of Theology and the Cal Turner Chancellor’s Chair of Wesleyan Studies. He is also the founding director of the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice.

For more than two decades he has worked to bring together theology and the struggles for justice and liberation that mark our age. His work addresses the relation of theology and public life, reflecting on the misuse of power in religion, politics, and economics. His main interest is in developments and movements that bring about change and in the positive contributions of religion and theology. His constructive work in theology draws on a wide range of historical and contemporary traditions, with a concern for manifestations of the divine in the pressures of everyday life.

Previous Podcasts with Joerg & Tripp

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On John Polkinghorne: Creation, Prayer, Miracles, and Time

Sat, 13 Mar 2021 21:06:00 -0000

"John Polkinghorne said his being a physicist-priest might strike some like being a vegetarian-butcher. But in his writings, speaking, teaching, and ministry, he showed one could affirm the best of both science and theology. John died on March 9, 2021. I was privileged to work with him on several projects, including a book we called The Polkinghorne Reader. It included what he thought was the best excerpts from his various books. Tripp and I talked about his influential work as an open theist in the science-and-religion dialogue. Enjoy as we explore his ground-breaking ideas!" - Thomas Jay Oord

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Douglas Ottati: Reformed Theology for the 21st Century

Sun, 07 Mar 2021 21:12:00 -0000

Douglas Ottati joins the podcast for his 5th visit to discuss his new book, A Theology for the Twenty-First Century. This is one of the most significant Protestant Systematic Theologies in years. I absolutely loved it. Of course, I talk about Ottati's Christology in my recent book so I am a bit of a fan. Ottati is the Craig Family Distinguished Professor in Reformed Theology and Justice Ministry at Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina. In our conversation we discuss:

the nature and role of piety for Christian theology
the historicity of religious traditions
CS Pierce and the practice of musement
how the enlightenment has shaped our engagement with the world
the power of market & religious liturgies
why Jonathan Edwards gets a bad wrap
the task of being in a living tradition
how monuments work with history
theological anthropology
reasons to keep a thick doctrine of sin
why Schleiermacher is so awesome for thinking Christ & community
thinking theologically about the fissures and tensions in the life of the church and culture
how pastoral questions & challenges lead to economic and political critique
the problematic relations between church & academy

Previous Visits to the Podcast

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Chase Tibbs: Why Go Christian Socialist?

Wed, 03 Mar 2021 21:16:00 -0000

This is a special crossover episode with Chase Tibbs from the Faith and Capital podcast. In our conversation, Chase gives 5 reasons to go 'Christian Socialist.' Most theology nerds know that the overwhelming majority of theologians in the 2oth century were socialists. Barth, Tillich, Niebuhr, Guiterrez and more were all committed Christian socialists, and yet today, many Christians wrongly assume the two are incompatible. I doubt everyone is going to be persuaded, but I hope more people will come to see how Chase's faith deeply informs his politics.

OHHH Chase's pod is celebrating its 2nd birthday. If you haven't listened to it before and are interested in a show inviting Christians to participate in the struggle for emancipation, then give it a listen.

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Kevin Max: From DC Talk to Spiritual Cosmonaut

Thu, 25 Feb 2021 21:19:00 -0000

How do you become a hippie socialist Jesus Freak? Well, this is the story of one of them.

Very excited to have Kevin Max on the podcast!

Kevin is a four-time Grammy-winning vocalist, whose work began in DC Talk and has since explored a host of different genres from spoken-word, electronica, and rock. Currently, he is launching a new indie rock band - Sad Astronauts. You can find out how to participate in the band's first project by heading over to their kickstarter page.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Kevin shares about the birth of DC talk, the Christian music industry, his time at Liberty University, his faith deconstruction story, his friendship with Larry Norman (this awesome tribute album), and a number of fascinating stories.

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Staff Lounge Shenanigans with Sarah Lane Ritchie & Joshua Ralston

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 21:22:00 -0000

We continue a hardcore lockdown here in Scotland, so I talked two of my co-workers into joining me digitally to answer some of your questions. Just think of it as an audio simulation of a staff lounge conversation.

Dr. Joshua Ralston is a Reader in Christian-Muslim Relations here at the University of Edinburgh. He recently published Law and the Rule of God: A Christian Engagement with Shari'a and was part of launching this new free online class on Christian-Muslim Relations. You should really sign-up.

Dr. Sarah Lane Ritchie is Lecturer in Theology and Science at the University of Edinburgh. You can check out her other visits to the podcast here.

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John Thatamanil: A Comparative Theology of Religious Diversity

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 21:29:00 -0000

Friend of the podcast and theological super-star John Thatamanil is back on the podcast to talk about his ohhh sooo good new book Circling the Elephant. We had a bunch of nerdy fun and discussed...

the task of comparative theology and its relation to constructive theology
why the category of religion is problematic
the patronizing skills of Radical Orthodoxy
the story of the blind elephant
JT throws shade at those Process peeps with multiple ultimates
moving beyond the mono-logics of Barthian revelation and Rahner's Trinity
a fun excurses into Paul Tillich on Pluralism
"If God can speak through a dead dog, then God can surely speak through a Hindu"
pre-validating the mystery of the other
"There is no way of moving towards the mystery of God without moving towards the mystery of your Neighbor"
the Father Bracken book I mention The Divine Matrix: Creativity as Link Between East and West
"You cannot know what you do not love."
How the market is dreaming its dreams within us and tutoring our desire.
the possibility of a comparative theology of culture
the Judith Butler we both mentioned: The Force of Nonviolence: An Ethico-Political Bind
religions may have the possibility of making us heretics to economism... good news.
the Joseph Henrich I am a bit obsessed with The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous
our conversation ends up on one of my favorite books How Forests Think: Toward an Anthropology Beyond the Human... not sure how many episodes this book has come up, but if John, Willie Jennings, and Jacob Erickson bring it up it must be good.
I tell a story about the religious agenda of the World Bank
If Christian theology has conformed itself to University modes of knowing, as a kind of academic discipline, but theology within Hinduism and Buddhism remain a practice

Previous Visits of John on the podcast

Check out these books by John

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Andrew Davison: Participation in God

Tue, 09 Feb 2021 21:34:00 -0000

Dr. Andrew Davison is a lecturer in the Divinity Faculty of the University of Cambridge, and a fellow at Corpus Christi College, where he is also the Dean of Chapel. He is a regular contributor to Church Times and the Times Literary Supplement. Since 2014, he has been the Canon Philosopher of St Albans Cathedral.

We had one wonderful conversation and touch on a bunch of different topics including.

- how one relates to the tradition - how a person doubts and questions versus a tradition doubting and questioning - the task of preaching within an academic community - exploring the concept of “participation” - contesting Harnack’s Hellenization thesis - how to be a metaphysical realist - the nature of the “gift” & being constituted as receivers - Aristotle’s four causes and contemporary science - the extended evolutionary synthesis - role of philosophy for theologians - materialism without disenchantment - virtue ethics and participation - participation and atonement - intra-finite participation - how to be a “particularity mystic” - quantitative and qualitative finitude

Davison recommends these two books - The Human Wisdom of St. Thomas and An Augustine Synthesis.

Books from Dr. Davison

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Alister McGrath: Faith and the Big Picture

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 21:37:00 -0000

Excited to have Dr. Alister McGrath on the podcast. He is a public intellectual, a scholar of science and religion, a prolific author, and the Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion at Oxford University.

In the conversation we discuss:

the relationship of religion and science
Alister's own testimony of faith
Dawkins' fluffy and boring atheism
evolutionary accounts of religious origins
the role of wonder for the intellectual quest
the human quest for meaning
the religious instinct
the relationship between empirical and meaningful accounts. - value and meaning
the cultural internalization of Descartes, Hume, and friends
how one's faith is shaped by others
the nature of the theological task and its relationship to the community of faith
how the 'New Athiest' movement changed the public conversation about religion
McGrath's on-going relationship with CS Lewis and Einstien
McGrath's advice on being a better atheist
what is human nature?

Books by McGrath

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Big God Questions: Aliens, Hope, the Cross, & Divine Hiddenness

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 21:39:00 -0000

In this Big God Questions live stream Thomas Jay Oord joins me to tackle a stack of questions people just like yourself sent in. If you enjoyed this, then you should click on to OpenAndRelationalTheology.com and join our upcoming class Becoming Christian. In the class we will be going line by line through the ancient Apostles' Creed from an Open and Relational perspective. It is a 'pay-what-you-can' class, so there's no need to miss out for financial reasons.

The Books that changed our minds

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Jan 6th Theological Debrief: Adam Clark and Jeffrey Pugh

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 21:43:00 -0000

January 6th 2021 needed a theological debrief. I brought two friends of the pod and recent partners for reading groups, Adam Clark and Jeffrey Pugh. Recently Dr. Pugh and I hosted a Bonhoeffer reading group and Dr. Clark and I put on together on Black Theology. The topics and questions we cover were sent in by the members from these reading groups. If you missed out and want to get the content from the groups, the easiest way is by joining the Homebrewed Community.

Dr. Adam Clark is Associate Professor of Theology at Xavier University. He is committed to the idea that theological education in the twenty first century must function as a counter-story. One that equips us to read against the grain of the dominant culture and inspires one to live into the Ignatian dictum of going forth “to set the world on fire.” To this end, Dr. Clark is intentional about pedagogical practices that raise critical consciousness by going beneath surface meanings, unmasking conventional wisdoms and reimagining the good. He currently serves as co-chair of Black Theology Group at the American Academy of Religion, actively publishes in the area of black theology and black religion and participates in social justice groups at Xavier and in the Cincinnati area. He earned his PhD at Union Theological Seminary in New York where he was mentored by James Cone.

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Helene Russell: Trauma Sensitive Theology

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 21:46:00 -0000

Dr. Helene Russell is an Associate Professor of Theology at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. Russell has published the book The Pluralism Within: a Reconstruction of Theological Anthropology based on Soren Kierkegaard and Luce Irigaray and edited Creating Women’s Theology: A Movement Engaging Process Thought. She has also co-edited Augustine and Kierkegaard, with Kim Paffenroth.

On top of being a super scholar, Helene is a friend. When you hear this you will probably want to hang with her too.

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Jan-Olav Henriksen: Symbol-Deficit Disorder and other Theological Predicaments

Thu, 17 Dec 2020 21:53:00 -0000

In this episode I am joined by the Norwegian philosopher and theologian Dr. Jan-Olav Henriksen. He is the Professor of Philosophy of Religion in MF Norwegian School of Theology, Norway, and Professor of Contemporary Religion at Agder University, Norway. I absolutely loved his recent trilogy of books and was thrilled to have him return to the podcast!

In the conversation we talk about...

the pragmatic dimension of theology
the symbol-deficit disorder of contemporary theology
the connection between religious studies, philosophy of religion, and confessional theology
"God doesn't need to exist to have an impact on people's lives"
religion as a lived mode of being in the world
how to understand the ambiguities of religion
how religious symbols and metaphors function
the narrative nature of the self
getting over the super ego God
reframing nature symbolically in order to survive on this planet
the semiotics of nature

Check out Henriksen's first visit to the podcast where we discuss Christology & Postmodern Philosophy. Dr. Henriksen's Recent Books

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The Evangelical Youth Group Fantasy Draft

Mon, 07 Dec 2020 22:20:00 -0000

This is one wild and crazy episode with three friends. Sarey and Dan (You Have Permission Podcast) join me and Mason (a People's Theology Podcast) to launch a spectacular resource for those going through a faith transition - So You're Deconstructing. You will definitely want to check out the site and book mark it to share with friends when the time comes.

PS. This episode is not normal and definitely not safe for work or kids. If you don't like very inappropriate humor about religion, purity culture, youth group, and other elements of evangelical culture don't listen. You can go participate in the launch of So You're Deconstructing in a very serious way on You Have Permission where we tell serious stories of faith. If you want super nerdy goodness go check out Mason and I discussing all things process on a People's Theology.

Just don't listen to this and tell me I used potty words, made religious sex jokes, and was too flippant with serious things. Remember I made The Road to Edmond and had a character have heart felt break through while smoking a joint rolled in a page from the Bible. #PuffPuffPassLeviticus

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Willie Jennings: Christianity Beyond Whiteness

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 22:24:00 -0000

This episode is #Zesty.

Ever since I first started reading Dr. Jennings' work I have wanted to get him on the podcast and it did not disappoint. We discuss Christian animism, the nature of whiteness, the hidden supersessionism in the Religion-Science dialogue, theological education, and more. Enjoy.

Dr.Willie James Jennings is the Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale University. His book The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race won the American Academy of Religion Award of Excellence in the Study of Religion in the Constructive-Reflective category the year after it appeared and, in 2015, the Grawemeyer Award in Religion, the largest prize for a theological work in North America. Englewood Review of Books called the work a “theological masterpiece.” His commentary on the Book of Acts, titled Acts: A Commentary, The Revolution of the Intimate received the Reference Book of the Year Award from The Academy of Parish Clergy in 2018. Dr. Jennings has also recently published a book that examines the problems of theological education within western education, entitled After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging

Awesome Books We Discuss in the Conversation

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