In the next few weeks we’ll have an episode about Laudato Si with Dr. Celeste Rossmiller. Here are some links to related information about Laudato Si’ and the global climate movement.
The Encyclical - Laudato Si’
The Letter Film
More Than A Label
by Ryan Miller
We often ask one another, "Who are you?" with a big “WHAT?” in mind referencing our religion, political affiliation, sports team loyalties, geographic location, etc.
Are you liberal or conservative?
Theistic or Atheistic?
Protestant or Catholic?
Black or White?
Egalitarian or Complimentarian?
Straight or LGBTQ+?
Republican or Democrat?
Capitalist or Socialist?
East Coast or West Coast?
Spurs or Lakers fan? (This one has truly taught me to transcend and include!)
Labels are words we use to define our tribal affiliations. We use them to categorize, and we use them to compare/ contrast & better understand the "other"...Yet, sadly, labels can often be harmful as people are often misunderstood due to their "label" (I.E. I (Ryan) have really good friends that are “Calvinist”). We fail to see a person's genuine context in the western world due to labels (without the full story). I grew up Southern Baptist, & was licensed as an SBC pastor 23 years ago. Now, I drink "Big Bad Baptist" Imperial Stouts. When I tell people I'm an evolving Anabapti-Metho-Jew-Costal with some processy and liberation theology leanings that enjoys interfaith community there is a large, complex, unfolding story; there are many stories behind that long label. Yet, I am more than my label, and so are you!
Brew Theology is an alliance of communities filled with Christians, nonChristians & other faith expressions; we gather in radically raw and open communities across the country on a regular basis. Everyone is affirmed in his or her preferred “label” of choice. To be more specific, theologically speaking, we’re a community of Atheists, Agnostics, Secular Humanists, Buddhists, Process & Open theologians, Catholics and Pagans; we have those that would label themselves the following: an iconoclast, "ex"-Catholics, Calvinists, 7th Day Adventists, Church of Christ, Eastern Orthodox, Spiritualists, Evangelicals, Reformed Baptists, progressive post and exEvangelicals, along with Gnostics, Christian Anarchist Vegans and more. Some are comfortable in their faith traditions while others are confused, but okay with that place of confusion. Our brew theologians range from their 20's & 30's, to middle aged & seniors; we bring in male & female, straight and LGBTQ+, and even some non-white dudes... Yet again, as awesome as it is to be amongst such a diverse & eclectic group, we are more than those limiting labels.
We fail to see a person's genuineness because we don’t sit down long enough to hear their full story. I dream of a world where we break down these labels. So, I encourage you, wherever you live and however you do community, spend the time to do that hard work of listening and asking good questions. Start with a friend or two… give on another 15 minutes (I bet you go much longer!) each to unpack your theological/ religious/ spiritual story. Each person can either answer the follow up questions (I’ve provided some, below… maybe even draw a life- timeline if that helps) as a guide to get going…. Everyone in the group can choose to ask the person on the “hot seat” a specific question – not to mention follow up questions regarding someone’s “label(s)”. Spend some time in silence, crafting through these questions in order to have some direction. Be cool. Drink a beer/ coffee or high quality H20, have fun with this, and be gracious toward one another… that is important!
Questions
1.) What WAS your given label – or the label that others gave you – growing up? Who gave you the “Essentials” of your faith/ spirituality?
2.) Have you gone through seasons of change, evolution and a shedding or a deconstructing of past labels? What is the one thing that started your unraveling?
Talk about those experiences, thoughts, etc. …
3.) Did you ever feel stranded in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight while unraveling? What was that like, processing that part of your journey?
4.) What are the formative life experiences, people, books, art, etc. that have shaped your current theological/ philosophical/ sociological, etc. “label?”
5.) What is the BEST part of your faith or nonfaith “label” that is worth talking about? Why? What is the WORST…? Why?
6.) What are you currently exploring today in your theological world, and what kind of a label do you see yourself having in 5 years down the road?
WHO ARE YOU? WHY ARE YOU HERE? These are the deep, soul questions we crave, and yet are scared to death of in the very same breath.
Let’s enter a familiar social space, grab a drink, mingle, and right away after shaking a few hands, some new person asks you, “So, what do you do?”
It’s a normal practice, but it’s ultimately the question about measuring up. It’s the masking question as we all have personas, the ones doing the asking, and the ones answering the question. It’s our attempt at “thin slicing,” so we can immediately make a snap judgment on whether this person is worth our time or not, or if we need to act a certain way, put on a different persona, or hide that part of our deepest self. There are basic rules of social engagement as conventional wisdom suggests; this question begins that process.
How many social gatherings do we hear people go on and on about how awesome they are at their job?
And how awful their boss and/ or coworkers are at their job?
Oh! You’re a lawyer! What kind of law do you practice?
So, you’re a teacher. What do you teach?
You’re a physician? What kind of medicine do you practice?
Social posturing suggests, don’t just tell me what you do, prove to us how great you are as you unleash your public awesomeness!
Yes! It’s really a bad opening question, but it’s the world we live in!
I’ve now reached a season of life where I like to mess with people when they ask me that question (I want to see where we can take this conversation, and/or relationship!). “Hey man. What do you do?” I eagerly get asked with a firm handshake (with its own gritty mask!), I respond, “I’m a trophy husband!”
I wait for it… crickets or an awkward giggle.
My favorite reply that gets a good laugh is, “I used to get paid to be a really good, professional Christian, and now I don’t get paid to be a heretic!”
The religious leaders during the time of Jesus did the same thing as we do. Humans really haven’t changed that much.
“Show us a sign!” they demand!
Convince us! We need a demonstration that you are the real deal, Teacher! If you are the Messiah, the leader of a new world order, wouldn’t you want to prove yourself? Interestingly, Jesus doesn’t use conventional wisdom! He is the Ultimate Crapmaster of 1st Century PR! Jesus is continually shying away from popularity and tells people to be quiet after he heals them or feeds them. He gets sick of the social masking drama.
Which is your Pharisee Team?
What’s your favorite law in the Torah?
Give us a sign, Rabbi!
The ego loves “The Sign,” but it’s a perpetual cycle… give them some food today; they’ll be starving tomorrow. Heal the sick, and more people will be sick in the weeks ahead. It really doesn’t matter how many “signs” the crowds see; life comes and goes, and there’s always a new “guy,” or a new “flavor of the month, a new social “issue” or a new “magic trick” that grabs the attention of the masses. More posturing. More projecting. More masking.
If Jesus lived today, he would drive most church leaders crazy! Jesus would flunk leadership development 101. The Orange Conference, or any other large church conferences across the US would not invite this ridiculous sage back to speak.
Luke’s Gospel records these words, “As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation” (11:29a).
Brilliant!
Just when he’s getting popular, cultivating that critical mass, Jesus drops the “wicked” card on their butts like a mic drop at a sold-out Taylor Swift show. And Luke seems to give his readers the PG version, as we see within the same scene in Matthew’s Gospel that Jesus calls the crowd a “wicked and adulterous” generation (16:4). Wow!
Hey Ryan. Give us a sign that you’re a good dad!
Ok. Let me first start off by telling you all that you are all crappy, toxic parents!
Jesus continues speaking to the “wicked” generation stating, “It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation” (11:29b-30).
When most people in the 1st Century Jewish world thought of “wicked” they immediately thought of 3 groups of people:
1.) Romans
2.) Samaritans
3.) Herodians
During this period, Herod added many features, otherwise seen as exclusive barriers that kept certain people out of areas of temple worship. One of which was the Gentile court. Another one was the court for women. In fact, if a Gentile crossed into the Jewish court, he/ she could be killed! There’s a reason why Jesus came in with a whip and trashed the money changer’s tables as God’s house was intended to be a place for all sinners and saints, including the gentiles, eunuchs, and all the single ladies!
Jesus infuriated these religio-business politicians because his “kingdom” message was messing with their system. And now, when more people are engaging his ministry, he calls them, “wicked.”
Jesus calls out the elite, religious leaders who hold the keys to power. These men ask for a “sign” to debunk this Messiah guru who is talking crazy talk.
Jesus mentions Jonah!
Why?
I recently read Jonah again. It’s a short, four-chapter book that is multilayered. Jonah is a mini-Deuteronomy, referencing the entire Torah narrative, and it’s packed with depth, irony, obedience, repentance, and according to Jesus, it is a radical message of reorienting the whole, dark system.
Jonah was sent to preach a message of damnation to Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria around 8th Century B.C., (“against it”) because of “it’s wickedness” (1:2).
The hero, Jonah, bolted the other direction.
I would too. Yes, you would as well!
The Assyrians were known for brutal warfare tactics with superb armies, psychological tactics and incredible engineers who built massive ramparts to attack any town that stood in their way. They impaled corpses and placed heads on stakes, skinned their enemies, tore out their tongues, dashed their enemy’s heads (even children) against the streets, and made their opponents grind the bones of their dead ancestors. Their shocking invasion left a profound imprint upon every man, woman and child who stared in the face of this great empire. This sadistic-minded empire with its kings who were likened to gods conquering lions was beyond a force to be reckoned with during the time of Jonah.
They WERE the FORCE… and Nineveh, a city filled with gold and silver, the largest city in the world during its time, was the Death Star!
Jonah didn’t feel brave like Luke Skywalker. As the story goes, the disobedient prophet gets caught in a storm out at sea and is thrown into the water and swallowed by a large fish!
3 days… 3 nights… in the depths of the sea inside the belly of the big fish!
It’s important to stop and talk about the Sea. Bodies of water flood the Hebrew text for a reason. Even today, there is still a bit of superstition and real fear about the waters. The sea or any large body of water is a vivid picture of chaos to any ancient Jewish person. And this reality sends all kinds of Genesis 1 “creation” story sirens flashing bright inside the Hebraic-minded reader. In the beginning, according to Genesis, Spirit – “ruach” – the wind of God – hovers over the abyss, the depths, the chaotic waters!
The abyss, the belly of the fish, the dark hell on earth is THE new social place where Jonah and Israel and the rest of us begin to ask these shadow land questions, “Who am I?”, and “Why am I here?!”
When we read the story, it states that Jonah, “called to the Lord out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me.” (2:2-3)
This is not lost on the ancient reader.
Sheol is the realm of the dead; the deep is the abyss. The frightening waves pass over Jonah! Again, this is a powerful reference to Spirit hovering over the chaotic waters! Something new is happening! This isn’t creation out of nothing; this is creation out of chaos!
Jonah comes to grips with not only life and death, but he starts to come to grips with the abysmal, shadow places of his own psyche.
Much like Jonah, our shadow side can be the very thing that we are running from, yet it's essential to confront that shadow if we want to experience true transformation. We must acknowledge and come to terms with the parts of ourselves that we don't like or don't want to see. The parts that we don’t want others to see! Because the shadow self is all interconnected. This is where we see our tendencies toward projection, creating bad ass heroes and horrid villains. This is where we meet the inner demons that love to scapegoat the world around us. This is where we find the voices that tell us, “You aren’t good enough. You aren’t smart enough. You aren’t __________!” Or, “They suck! They are to blame! They are the bad guys!” Yet, in all the terror, anxiety, and sadness, this is where we begin the process toward freedom and wholeness.
Jonah spends 3 days and 3 nights in the deep, the abyss of Sheol!
The story continues, Jonah prays, and BURP….the fish vomits! Seaweed and an acidic bleached dude emerge from the abyss!
This time, Jonah went to Nineveh and preached to those “heathens.”
However, in a twist of irony and divine comedic genius, the “wicked” and “adulterous” nation believed in the God of the Hebrews, put on sackcloth (their not-so-comfortable, fasting clothes) AND, they CHANGED (for a bit, at least.)! God also changes God’s own mind and did some repenting; God had a change of direction. God didn’t bring about the judgment we all thought was coming after all. The God of the Jewish nation is compassionate, gracious, and merciful to a city that deserved a smackety-smack, smack down!
And now… Jonah was understandably ticked off! Like us today, and like the Jewish crowds of the 1st Century, Jonah needed a common enemy. Having an enemy (or adversary) distracts us from having to do our inner shadow work.
The story is left with the angry prophet sulking, wishing he was dead and the Lord reminding Jonah that God cares about the “un-chosen” and “wicked” nation because God is their Creator too.
Ugh!!!
Jonah’s story is about transformation. It’s not just about his crazy journey; it’s about all of us. The cumbersome journey to Nineveh teaches us about our truest, deepest, and darkest self. Getting stuck in the belly of the fish is only the beginning… the monster that lurks within us is much more terrifying than the ones in the water or the ones in our extended families, our office spaces, the monsters in DC, the ones in “those” neighborhoods, the monsters with those voting tendencies that wear those hats, or the bullies in those playgrounds.
With all this mind, let’s go back to Jesus … What he says next has got to be the most foolish thing a Rabbi seeking messianic expectations can say in the 1st Century!
The Rabbi goes politically nuts on them saying, “The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here” (32).
This kind of talk gets you executed!
Jesus is essentially replying, do you want a sign? Well, I’m going to die to the entire system that needs a sign to give it legitimacy. I’m going to be buried to a system that gives you all your glory. I’m going to identify with all that is broken and lost and in shambles and exploited to expose the whole thing for what it really is, and what’s important. I’m taking all of us into the shadows!
Hopelessness, futility, pain, loss, death… that’s the abysmal sign of Jonah in the belly of the fish!
Embrace it. Face it. Own it. Mourn it.
You find your truest self in the pit.
You enter the dark shadows.
Jesus invites us into a Way of knowing and living, death and resurrection.
I turned 45 last year. I’m learning to accept that growing number in a new kind of way. I’ve had moments where I am still learning to mourn the person I thought I was supposed to be, the person I was raised to be, the Christian I was supposed to be, the leader of a particular tribe I was supposed to lead, the faith and theological beliefs that were supposed to sustain me, and move me forward. As I continue to move deeper into this 2nd half of life, I’m becoming more aware that I need to fully take a deep dive into the abyss with others around me and do the collective shadow work needed for this next chapter. It's scary. It’s vulnerable. It’s horribly frightening.
Looking back… when I turned 40, I was out to prove to myself that I was still strong. So, I began strength conditioning, and I was the strongest I’d ever been in my life. Then, one morning, I woke up with a sharp pain that went down my lower back, straight down my butt and calf, and rattled into my ankle bone. I would fall out of bed and crawl up my basement stairs. Then, we got some unfortunate health news, and my wife and I started a shocking conversation to those around us. We made the hard decision to leave Denver. Not long after, Covid hit. We moved to Waco in the summer of 2020. We left our beloved Mile High home and dear friends. I found myself more irritable, yelling at my two small children over insignificant things. I noticed we were surrounded by certain signs in our neighbor’s yards that made me want to throw up, and that somehow made me angrier. I met more people that made me roll my eyes more when it came to basic science. I projected more and blamed more of my misery on “those people” in the world.
My light slowly faded.
My joy sucked dry.
I was out of shape, lonely, and my soul felt empty. It was as this point where I had my first panic attack, and I really thought I was dying…those that know, know! I had to find myself. Again. But this time it was different. I had to ask myself harder questions. I had to learn to grieve. I had to see the world from a different posture. Feeling totally out of control, I cried out like Jonah, and that vulnerable cry has taught me that I can still cry out, and that’s an ongoing part of the chaotic journey of life at 45.
There is a losing of oneself that is hard to stomach when you find yourself inside the belly of the beast. But the only way forward is downward. Friends, it is not the facing of the Shadow that causes us to suffer consciously; it is the avoidance of the Shadow that causes us to experience so much grief. And the more we avoid diving into our shadows, the more anger and fear and fury and projection piles up on our unconscious self, spilling out into our day-to-day lives! We become the worst versions of ourselves, and it shows!
Fast forward approximately 150 years after Jonah successfully or unsuccessfully (however you want to look at it) prophesied to Nineveh. Remember, Jonah came in hoping that the LORD would unleash some Old Testament fury on those “godforsaken” jackasses!
Can I get the “lightning bolt” feature, God? How ‘bout that sinkhole action?
But that “wicked,” vengeful desire didn’t happen… there was no real change.
They lived!
The Assyrians went back to their old ways of doing things and eventually decimated the Northern Kingdom of Israel. They carried away captives in chains, dragging them with rings in their noses. God’s chosen people became a laughingstock in the hands of the Assyrian empire. The Assyrian invasions of the Northern kingdom were ruthless to say the least. This was one of the most traumatic times for the children of Israel.
The bottom line for the 1st Century readers of the Gospel text: The Jewish people HATED ASSYRIANS. And Rome fused with the Herodians and Sadducees to become the NEW Assyria!
But Jesus declares, “the men of Nineveh” will be the judges of this 1st Century generation.
Jesus directly slams the Sadducees and their political reign, the priests; men who were supposed to be leading the children of Israel in the path of peace but were sadly leading them down an unjust road just as bad as Rome and guiltier than Nineveh!
Jesus allows the new Nineveh to kill him!
Jesus, the new Jonah, dove into the bloody belly of chaos for the sake of a chaotic world that would make a mockery of the cross.
Jesus's kingdom movement of ridiculous love is tiresome, and it’s seemingly foolish and reckless grace for all people under the sun. This is God’s new kingdom message, a new family. Jesus uses the Jonah story as a reminder. Nobody is outside the walls of the family. It’s not about elitism, national superiority, and religious prestige. This new Way is never about warring against the evils of the troublesome, pagan nations or people groups that different from our own.
We must begin to transcend the continuous canceling from the left and the right, and take the radical narrow, ridiculous and beautiful Way!
I have a tattoo that often reminds me to answer the questions, who are you? And why are you here? It’s the Hebrew word, SHALOM, inked on my left arm. This is a reminder of God’s outlandish peace, the goal for creation. But if I’m being real, I don’t always want peace. Often, I wish certain “other” people were swallowed by a big, bad fish, or damned to hell. It would be easier if we didn’t have to deal with “them,” right? When I see this tattoo, and I look at the one we profess – Jesus – and his Way, I’m reminded of a paradoxical truth bomb.
I am Jonah, and I am also someone’s Nineveh.
Ultimately, like Jonah, it’s about how I view my “Nineveh” and perhaps, I am the one who needs changing because Nineveh is everywhere and within everyone.
Keep turning directions when you think you’ve arrived; there’s always a new Ninevah! Because while we are all Jonah, Jonah must realize in the depths of the sea that he too is…
Nineveh!
The sign we really need begins in the belly of a fish!
Who are you?
Why are you here?
We are Jonah. And we are Nineveh.
In that vein, we should:
Stop pretending.
Stop suppressing and repressing.
Stop scapegoating.
Stop playing church.
Stop seeking power.
Stop keeping score.
Stop denying the shadows.
If we want to find ourselves, we must enter our own loss and deadness. Our anxieties. Our depression. Our own unworthiness. That’s where we find the sign of Jonah. The sign… it’s in the cross, and within the grave. That’s when we learn to embrace all of life, in its beauty and filth, and the mosaic of people on that side or this side, and no side! It’s in the shadow where this transformation begins.
We will continually have people in social settings looking for “signs,” sizing us up, and asking, “What do you do?” as we have been conditioned to cultivate this art of masking to keep up with the personas, per se. I don’t suggest you tell them you are in the belly of a fish doing shadow work. I mean, I guess you can… if it’s the right person. But if you’re willing to dive deeper with other people around you in your other social circles, there’s freedom in finding our whole self.
Who are you?
And why are you here?
By addressing your shadow, and better integrating that world, you save yourself, and thus, the entire world. My hope is that we find ourselves prompted to ask the profound questions that will echo further into our collective bones and lead us all to a deeper dive into genuine, vulnerable transformation.
Dive in!
Ryan Miller
These are difficult, but not unprecedented, times we’re living in. The centering of violence against Black people is something we’ve faced before. All of us have witnessed moments of this unveiling whether through Rodney King, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor, or George Floyd to name a few.
As this week has progressed I have heard people ask, what can I do? What should I do? What will be helpful? So, I reached out to a couple of friends who do the work of regularly standing in solidarity with others and asked for their advice. Thank you to Andy and Piper for doing this.
Consider this guide a 101. It will get you going in the right direction. The most important thing is that you start to move. If we stand still and just keep asking the same questions, the answer won’t change. If we start to read, think, and investigate, change can emerge.
This will be some of the hardest work you’ve ever done. As you find answers, your thoughts may change in other areas as well. That’s to be expected. Keep going.
This list may feel overwhelming and that’s normal. Following are several pages of links, book recommendations, and ways to take action. Work hard and bring someone along with you. The work is easier together.
Come for the brew and theology; stay for the community!
This is my new saying because it’s the truth. I love a good brew, and if there’s a quality theological conversation while sipping on said brew, life is golden! Still, I can have an excellent IPA and nerd out on some robust theology, but if there’s no genuine community in the midst, I’m out after a couple of beers!
In nearly 5 years of doing and building this ever-evolving pub gig in the city of Denver and seeing it expand across the country, I’ve come to some pretty simple realizations.
First, people love to gather. Period.
Second, communities value authenticity.
Third, gathered tribes that are being real desire affirmation in the core of their humanity.
In summation, humans dig the connection that takes place when communities don’t bullshit, and are valued regardless of their ideas or beliefs.
When the following aren’t being met, we either pretend and repress what we really believe (out of fear of being kicked out of a certain tribe if it doesn’t match up with a particular tribe) and/or we double down and tow the party line with branded allegiance. The former is not healthy as the repression will poorly manifest in other ways, and the latter creates an (unhealthy) echo chamber of uniformity.
Here’s what I love about Brew Theology.
We love digging into nerdy theological, philosophical, political, socio-economic and spiritual discussions on everything under the sun while sipping on the nectar of the gods. It’s a flight of brew, indeed, and the topics are all out there for good brewin’… And when we do this difficult yet needed task on a weekly basis, everyone has a voice around all of the tables. There’s no top-down creedal agreement; our oneness is created in our eclectic differences.
So, if you want to taste and see that this authentic communal expression is very good, I encourage you to look around your community and see who can help be a part of a movement of love, acceptance and grace in midst of our chaotic, ever-increasing polarized world. Do your world a favor.
Grab a pint.
Tackle theology.
And stick around for some badass community!
Peace,
Ryan
Hey Brew Theology friends,
Are all truly welcome?
You will often hear us - Brew Theology - say that we affirm all people from all walks of life across the religious and spiritual spectrum. You’ll hear us say that everyone is welcome at the table.
But is that really true?
The real answer is Yes AND No!
Every now and then a situation comes up within the context of a robust topic when we have to really lean in and ask ourselves these honest, tough questions. What do we truly value and what are we trying to accomplish when we gather in what we believe are genuinely open, interfaith communities cultivating healthy, meaningful and eclectic dialogue?
Yes. We value humanity, to say the least. We value brewing theology across the spectrum, to learn, understand & respect people with differing theological beliefs. Our Denver community has tackled every single major world religion & a plethora (yes, a plethora) of particulars such as (& not limited to) evangelicalism, process theology, immigration, psychoanalysis, shamanism, Jewish mysticism, etc., In that posture, all religious beliefs & opinions are honored in our gatherings. They are honored because we honor humanity.
Still, nobody gets the last word; we can continue to be passionate about our own particular ideals and ideas in this interesting pluralistic age. That’s the odd yet critical paradox moving forward as a community. You can honor someone and their beliefs without believing someone else’s beliefs to be true.
We boast cultivating a brave space where everything is on the table and all ideas are up for discussion. If you find yourself in disagreement with someone at your table or with a particular speaker, that difference is quite normal. You are human. The vast richness of our spaces comes alive when we rub shoulders with that strange yet beautiful variance! If we all agree with every single person in the room and align ourselves with every single speaker we have in our midst, we would be a really boring group. Unity, not uniformity is our goal within interfaith community.
In that critical vein, we do stress that all participants respect our speakers and the people around any given table. I often tell people that there is a fine line between a soapbox and being passionate. We will let the occasional soapbox slide at times (there’s grace), but we will not tolerate toxic and belligerent bullying. The moderators in our communities have every right to call this out when someone crosses that disturbing line. And if this ugliness continues, you are simply not welcome at our Brew Theology gatherings.
This is true community, friends. When we have the courage to call out this toxicity and make sure we are creating respectful spaces for all people to learn and to grow with one another, we are building healthy, meaningful & eclectic community as dialogue (not one’s badgering monologue) is our true key to peace!
So, are all welcome?
Yes & No!
Much peace,
Ryan
I’ve (Ryan) got it all wrong.
It’s okay to admit when you don’t quite get it right. When someone regularly asks me, “What’s Brew Theology?” I respond with the common saying, “We exist to Brew Theology and create healthy, meaningful and eclectic dialogue in pub communities.” That statement has been on social media, our BT website, and I’ll even introduce the Denver gatherings with this line all of the time.
“What’s wrong with that statement?” one may ask.
Well, “to Brew Theology” is definitely correct, but perhaps we have the second part backward.
We DO create healthy, meaningful and eclectic dialogue, but that’s not why we exist; that’s simply what we DO. It's like the difference between BEING & DOING! They are connected, but unique.
We are ultimately creating interfaith communities across the country. The BEING part is the community aspect.
And how are we doing that?
We create these communities through healthy, meaningful and eclectic dialogue in pubs.
It may seem minor and first glance, yet I believe there’s a critical distinction.
So, from now on when someone asks me, “What’s this brew theology thing all about?” it’s important to get the words right.
It’s been a ton of fun being a part of what I believe is a movement of radical love transcending tribal boundaries, bringing people of all faith walks and inter-religious ideologies to the table in order to experience nontraditional, meaningful community. Brew Theology is not just a theoretical idea, and it’s not solely people who share ideas; it’s a very real community of incredibly interesting people wrestling with imperative issues that matter in the real world. We find common ground, and we also disagree on many topics. At the end of the day, in all of our nerdy particulars, we understand we share the same air, soil and sun. We are learning how to be better humans together… We’ve been able to cultivate and witness our Denver community evolve and take shape over the past three years as a shining example that is hopefully making the world a bit brighter, one conversation (& brew) at a time.
Community.
It’s pretty important gang.
“We exist to Brew Theology and create interfaith communities through healthy, meaningful and eclectic dialogue in pubs.”
We ended Part 2 of this series, When Church Stops Working, with these words:
Wherever we see the good news of lives being made whole….
That.
Is.
Church.
This means we have to have much bigger eyes, some creativity, an expansive consciousness, a heart that beats and breaks for the universe, and an ability to ask the ongoing question, “Who is being left out of this beautiful thing called life?”
Jesus didn’t come to earth to create another religion. He came to wake people up! We have to transcend our views of orthodoxy, get beyond Christianity as the best thing since sliced bread, and reengage the world with tangible shalom written all over our complex hearts! We get to partner with what spirit is doing within us, around us and in others to unveil life to the fullness: light, hope and healing to the nations. That’s good news!
Can I get an old school, Amen?
When I say, “church,” what comes to mind now that you’ve been trying to process a new way to live?
Okay, let’s get practical.
I’ve got friends who plant seeds in local, urban gardens and cultivate a harvest of veggies that are given away outside coffee shops, breweries and local parks!
I know people who organize peaceful protests in the city and mobilize the crowds toward social justice on behalf of people of color.
I have a friend who brings people downtown to feed the homeless every day.
One of my buddies organizes online communities through diverse, theological topics, bringing people together to chat over fantastically critical topics.
I’ve got friends who sing hymns in bars with pints of beer held high!
Speaking of pubs, the interfaith/ inter-religious/nonreligious communities that engage in meaningful dialogue every week across the nation via Brew Theology is another excellent example of damn, good news!
Whether it’s bringing neighbors together for dinner, creating opportunities for communities to extend themselves on behalf of the poor or volunteering with friends at the local school, it is time we allow ourselves the freedom to say that spirit is moving in all kinds of fun ways; no institution or religion has the sole keys to these movements of love.
We all have something to give regardless of our religious heritage, whether it’s our time, food, skills and/or conversations. As the saying goes, “build a longer table, not a higher fence.”
Sadly, the “church” has been notoriously known for the latter, which is why people are looking for love and belonging in other places. So, let’s have grace around the table!
Let’s eat.
Let’s drink.
Let’s remember the critical words from the apostle Paul, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
These powerful words should infiltrate the souls of humanity. The dream is to be one humanity! That, my friends, is a beautiful dream. In all of our particularities: race, gender, sex, religion, etc…. we are one!
Let’s end with some of my favorite and inspiring words from Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh:
We have different roots, traditions, and ways of seeing, but we share the common qualities of love, understanding and acceptance… the most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When we are mindful, touching deeply the present moment, we can see and listen deeply.”
I’d love to hear from you! What kinds of fringy, good news LIFE is happening in your city, town, neighborhood? What ideas do you have moving forward?
People simply aren’t going to “church” anymore. This isn’t shocking; it’s become the Sunday-Funday norm. Notice I said “church” (more on that later). If you scan cities across the nation on a Sunday morning, you’ll observe a massive exodus fleeing the pews, scattering in hundreds of directions: coffee houses, parks, back yard brunches, the mountains, downtown marches, lakes, beaches, and of course, couches!
As I stated in Part 1 (Read HERE), "they (church leaders) are literally rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic." Professional pastors are fatigued, racking their brains wondering where they can find the next, relevant model to bring people back in the church doors.
I posed the haunting and perhaps frustrating questions, what if they don’t come back, and “they” (whomever “they” are) find other things in their weekly rhythm that bring them joy, hope, peace and goodness?
Before I dive into that question in more depth, let’s go back to the question, “Who/ What/ When/ Where/ Why/ How is church?”
Did you think about it?
Let's do a tad nerd session, and then get to the basics…
Ekklesia!
That’s the Greek word used in the New Testament for church. It refers to an “assembly,” but when you break it down and look at the ancient beginnings of this spiritually fringe movement, it’s much, much deeper.
Ek = "from/ out of"
Kaleo = "to call"
Essentially, it’s the “ones called out”
This is an organic assembly, not a static group of people stuck in a building on Sunday morning doing a routine service. The earliest Christians were people who were moved by spirit and lived a life of good news (that’s actually where we get the word, “evangelical,” a word that has sadly been culturally hijacked beyond comprehension!). These earliest followers of Jesus were Jews who saw an expansive view of God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
While they continued to meet in the Temple courts and practice their covenantal religion of Judaism, they saw that spirit was on the move, calling them back to their Abraham roots: a blessing to all nations – Gentiles!
Breaking bread was an act of intimacy. The earliest followers of Jesus extended their table to all people regardless of tribe, the status of one’s foreskin and dietary restrictions.
All were welcome… all were accepted… all were loved!
Compassion, mercy, extravagant love and healing were at the heart of this organic movement of radical good news, liberation and oneness. This kingdom was about KINship!
Everyone was filled with AWE and WONDER!
People were actually deeply moved to be a part of this thing called, “church.”
It’s time we reexamine what this “good news” of “ekklesia” means today in a world that is more polarized than ever before – a western world that is no longer interested in “church,” but way more interested in other activities that bring joy!
It’s time we expand our understanding of church and are awakened to what spirit is doing in our midst today! This will be really hard for many people because change is just freakin' hard as hell!
It's time we ask a different set of questions that radically move beyond the 4 walls of just "church."
So...
Where do you experience the divine, and/ or that which you perceive to be pure, good and holy; where do you go that awakens your soul, and gives you genuine rest?
What group(s) of people do you see doing good work in your city?
If you have children, whom do you want influencing your kid’s life?
Where do you find acceptance?
What kinds of conversations are shaping the world toward real progress?
Where are the walls of hostility, oppression and tribalism knocked down?
What's happening in your neighborhood?
Who needs some TLC?
Go there…
Go to those places and be with those people.
Taste and see that it is good!
Wherever we see the good news of lives being made whole….
That.
Is.
Church.
I (Ryan) grew up in church. Well, everyone did in the Republic of Texas. As a young adult, I continued this exercise working at local churches.
Church has just been something deeply embedded in the fabric of my being from birth. Yet, I’ve always struggled with church on a number of levels. Whether it was not being able to sit still as a child, falling asleep as a teenager, and/or being completely bored out of my mind at all ages, I’ve often wondered about this “box” called “church.”
Don’t get me wrong…
I see the value of the institutional church. As a pastor, I’ve been involved in countless programs and gatherings and mission trips, etc. that have impacted countless people. I know people have a beef with the harsh, religious aspects of the institutional church, and we all have heard stories of the damage that has been done under the banner of God. Yet, in all of its complexities, twists, turns and interesting disciplines throughout the centuries, the church has been an active force of tremendous influence across the globe.
Today, in it’s western decline, the church has been in dire need of loud wake-up calls! The pews continue to thin, and the larger mega-church stadiums are simply transfer growth stats. When you actually look at where the western church is today compared to where it was many moons ago, people just aren’t that interested anymore. Whether that’s due to the information age, technology, irrelevance, hypocrisy, or a host of other reasons that have been entertained in other circles, the masses aren’t walking through the church doors.
As the saying goes, they are literally rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Church leaders have exhausted themselves trying to figure out how to manufacture that “magic pill” that will bring people back to church!
But what if they don’t come back, and “they” (whomever “they” are) find other things in their weekly rhythm that bring them joy, hope, peace and goodness?
And what if, over time, church leaders wake up to the reality that paradigm shifts are actually real; new movements are being birthed, and there is still a way to move forward?
Yes! The masses are still highly spiritual, indeed! There’s an itch. “Church,” the way it’s been presented to the masses may not be the “answer,” and I realize this is a tough pill to swallow. However, human beings are on the hunt, continually looking for wonder and awe, adventure and zest!
Maybe it’s time to redefine church yet again…
Before we do that, let me ask the following questions:
What is church?
Where is church?
Who is church?
When is church?
How is church?
Why is church?
I’ll be back… (To Be Continued)
Two weeks ago, we met at Grandma's House Brewery and talked about #metoo. It was a challenging topic, but one that we knew we needed to meet about and try to cover. Needless to say, there was no way to cover everything. But we gave it a shot.
As a result of that evening, Janel has recorded a podcast to also cover some of the material. This is definitely not everything we did, nor is it a comprehensive episode. But I hope that it opens up the topic and creates room for healthy listening and dialogue.
This podcast is probably PG13, in that there are a few stories about things women have experienced.
I want to thank several people for their contributions. Dr. Christy Sim is a domestic violence expert who helped with the resources and layout of the evening. Dr. Kara Lyons-Pardue is a professor of NT who helped me with liturgical resources. Lyndia Radice is an experienced Social Worker who also helped make sure this discussion was helpful and healthy.
I also want to thank Ryan Miller for reflecting on his own experiences in the church around this topic. And, my husband for talking with our group about HR policies. As always, thank you to Dan for being the best podmaster ever!
Following are a list of resources referenced in the podcast or used in our discussion. If you would like to host your own discussion please reach out and let us know.
If you were triggered in any way and need someone to talk to, please reach out to Janel or Ryan. Or you can reach out to these other agencies or Dr. Sim.
The National Domestic Abuse Hotline: 1−800−799−7233
National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 or chat
Please know: We know that this does not just happen to women. There are stories in our group from people on all sides having been abused and mistreated. We do not dismiss or diminish those stories. But in this context, we did focus on women.
From Buzzfeed: 32 Everyday Things Women Do That Men Don’t Have To Worry About
This is a powerful read. It is real. It is something that probably any woman in your life will tell you is true. Please take some time to think about these daily thoughts for women.
A Note to Men:
"Women are not asking men to give up their manhood in order to support women leaders. Rather, they are asking for men to bring their whole selves to work so that they can show up, contribute, listen, and collaborate.
Women don't want men to feel bad about being men. That's not the point. It's not just about teaching men not to be sexist and oblivious. Yes, all men have more to learn on this topic. And, yes, women want men to be respectful. But they are not asking men to be passive and silent. "
From http://onthemarc.org/blogs/22/519#.Wi4CIkpKvIU
Reflection Questions on the Podcast:
1. What were you taught early on about how to treat people of the opposite/different gender?
2. Do you still believe those things?
3. Where have you changed your views?
*In our group discussion, it was pointed out that emotions are also taught with these things. The emotion wheel may be helpful here for additional reflection.
On Male/Female Bias - From A Transgendered Perspective
You can learn more about Paula Stone Williams here. Her Tedx Talk from Denver is not live yet.
Power and Control Wheel
Many times the abuse that we are seeing right now has less to do with gender and more to do with power and control, which is expressed along gender lines. These actions can happen to anyone from anyone. And they are abusive.
*If you are in an abusive relationship and need help, please reach out to someone you trust. Call the abuse hotline or seek the help of counselor.
Emotions Wheel
Emotions are tough. Especially when we might not know how to name them all or be able to distinguish how they feel. This can happen for lots of reasons depending on family upbringing, early abuse, or religious upbringing. Be aware of and being able to name our emotions can help us in all areas of life.
Here is the poem we closed the night with: V'ahavta by Aurora Levins Morales
Other Poems that friends offered:
It is not just the interior of these walls,
It is our own inner beings You [are renewing]...
We are Your temple not made with hands.
We are Your body.
If every wall should crumble, and every church decay,
We are You habitation…
We bless You for this place…
[but] take us “outside the camp,” Lord,
Outside holiness,
Out to where soldiers gamble,
And thieves curse,
And nations clash
At the cross-roads of the world…
George McLeod adapted by John Philip Newell
Video Submission: "Word Choice"
I (Ryan) often use the common phrase, “All Are Welcome!”
The idealist self desires for this mantra to be true in all contexts because I truly do care about people. However, it’s just not true.
All are NOT welcome.
While Brew Theology exists to brew theology and create healthy, meaningful and eclectic dialogue in pub communities, if we are truly honest with what is best for people and building healthy community, we cannot unequivocally declare that all are welcome when we enthusiastically brew theology at the brewpubs.
Why?
Well, the same reason why NOT all people are welcome in one’s home. You wouldn’t invite someone into your home that you knew would toxically abuse you and your family. That’s just practical wisdom. And if you did invite someone in your home, giving then the benefit of the doubt, you wouldn't tolerate any and all actions. That would be foolish.
Yes! You may desire to be open-minded and have friends and acquaintances with a variety of beliefs and opinions; we applaud those efforts as we boast in doing the same each week in Denver when our community gathers for rich and profound interfaith/ interreligious conversation. Everything is on the table for discussion, and we find ourselves in vast disagreement with wild differences. Still, we extend courtesy by listening well, are respectful of one another, and we actually do this pluralistic thing pretty damn well. I’m proud of our people! It’s not easy, but it’s critical to sit across from people who think differently from one another.
And in that humane value, we hold true to being respectful of all human beings – female, male, gay, straight, transgender, brown, black white, skinny, fat, drinkers, abstainers, liberals, conservatives, independents, all religious observers, atheists, agnostics, the disabled, and any other category of person.
Therefore, if someone walks into out gatherings spaces and verbally abuses someone, they are not welcome. If someone feels threatened, they are not welcome at the table. If someone’s humanity is being degraded, we’ll call the bully an Uber and show him or her the pub door.
Diversity is real.
Pluralism is a legit value.
And freedom of speech is a real thing.
Yet, tolerance for oppressive behaviors and hateful speech is simply not productive and horribly unhealthy. As we build generously brave communities, we aren’t looking for uniformity; we are seeking unity with the posture of grace and a willingness to see one another with worth, beauty and goodness!
Brew Theology brings different worlds together; these worlds collide in an intentionally beautiful posture of respect, openness and grace.
This practiced value of open, tangible pluralistic dialogue would’ve felt foreign to many religious kids growing up with an agenda to convert someone over to their “superior” side of perceived truth. These colliding worlds are still very odd amongst many religious folk that are looking to "win" someone over to their team. Due to this norm from many people’s dutiful heritage, when guests visit our gatherings in the Denver community they desperately want to know, “Can I, in all seriousness, be genuinely honest here?”
This is a question newcomers have in the back of their mind, and we’ve sincerely heard people voice this question on several occasions.
So many people are suspicious with the important question lingering in their soul, “Where’s the bait and switch?”
I (Ryan) remember a friend of mine who now contributes to our gatherings by writing content and coming on some podcasts, asking me the 1st time we met, “What are you really doing here? Is this just one of those emerging thingies where you are going to start a worship service and try to convert everyone to Jesus?”
“Is there a secret agenda?”
“C’mon! Really, Ryan?”
My answer is a bold, resounding and heartfelt, “No!”
And for some people this answer is unsettling because many of us have come from a tradition that is so bait-and-switch agenda driven that if what we are doing isn’t leading someone to Jesus (or one's version of Jesus), we wonder if it’s worthwhile. That’s the worldview, the subconscious, and the embedded truth that many have yet to fully deconstruct.
Ultimately, Janel & I want to see these kinds of rich and deep, conversational communities that we experience in Denver pop up across this country because real, beating-heart-people across the faith spectrum profoundly NEED it today. Yet, I still hear from people who think I’m running an evangelistic ministry. Sure, it’s “good news” (if you wanna look at those words in their truest rootedness), but not an ounce of it is conventionally churchy and there is no proselytizing – no bait and switch game here. I had an hour-long conversation with someone who finally asked, “Okay. So, respectful dialogue is great and all, Ryan, but what’s the point? Is the goal to just let people BE and not have an agenda of leading them to Christ?” Another person asked, “Where is Jesus in the conversation?” I had another ministry leader ask me, “So, where’s the fruit in all of this?”
#Facepalm
Don’t give me the fruit business, man! Those questions are foundationally missing the entire point and it may take a few high ABV barrel aged beers to finish those tough conversations.
But if you wanna get all fruity (and I’m not talking about the new fruit beer craze), how ‘bout the fruit is the fact that hardly anybody really does THIS open, interfaith dialogue community thing well in our polarized country, and we ARE doing it… I wanna scream, “The fruit is IN the conversation!” The conversations create deeper and more honest community for the common good! Can I get an Amen? Although, if I used the word, “fruit” with our BT people, they may start throwing fruit at me.
I’ve said this before, but sometimes it is critical we say the same message time and again before it really begins to sink in… There are many churches with incredible and gracious people across America (And I sincerely mean this because I do have hope and love for the church, and I believe many churches are doing incredible things in the world...) that have massive budgets, killer buildings, top-notched staff and great marketing that says, “All Are Welcome” (Yes! I do believe many of them actually DO Welcome all people with loving, open arms!), yet so many “Spiritual” yet dechurched people are not buying that “welcome” sign anymore. Sadly, it’s been overused and abused. Countless people who have left the church are looking to find belonging, but a place much different from previous places that promised “safe” belonging. And they aren’t looking to find a “one-size-fits-all" model of religious goods. Beloved yet disenfranchised human beings are looking for brave and beautiful places to work out their shit, and get real with other people that are going to allow them to be real in all of their weirdness, mess, crazy ideas and interesting journeys. Unhappy yet sacred humans who are trying to find the spiritual spark in new places are looking to be loved no matter where they stand across the theological, political, economic, racial, sexual and gender spectrum. Let's give people the opportunity to freakin' breathe!
I’ll say it again… The FRUIT is IN the conversation. Let’s collide and #BrewTheology with true openness, and a generous posture to learn and grow from everyone.
How many of you like beer?
Not Bud Lite or Miller Lite… Damn my last name. Why couldn’t I (Ryan) have the last name Stone or Avery?
And even though I’m a Miller, I am a bit spoiled. I live in the craft beer capital of the US of A with 5 breweries in walking distance to my house alone. Don’t hate me. Come visit. For those of you who have sophisticated hop palates and go on quests to find some sweet, maltilicious craft beverages, you are probably like me and when you visit a new brewery - you grab a flight. You start off with a solid lager, or possibly an amber or Wit beer. Then, you move on to a porter, followed by a stout. Next, you get cranking to the hops and each flight must boast a West Coast IPA. Although, I’ve recently become a fan of the east coast transplants with the big juicy, hazy, unfiltered hop bomb. (Who’s thirsty?) As you keep sipping the brews, if a brewery has learned the craft of the world of sours, this consumption is a must! Lastly, you end with the High ABV whiskey barrel aged ale for dessert. Those bad boys deserve an AMEN! So, you clearly and unashamedly take a bomber or crowler home with you.
We all have preferences, but a beer nerd still drinks the gauntlet because it IS the right thing to do; plus, a solid porter may really surprise you (even if it’s not a drink that typically gets you stoked on a highway to beer heaven). I’m more of a hophead, but I also don’t mess around with quality sours and pretty much anything whiskey barrel aged with an ABV of 10% and up. Still, while I’m not getting crazy over the next Belgian Wit or Bohemian Amber Ale, I absolutely respect them. And you may not like west coast IPA’s (cough – Janel – cough), but if you are into beer, you still sip the dank of the gods and give a respectful shout out to the craft. Why? Because we all know that a brewer, who put in his sweat, and sometimes blood and tears, handcrafts each beautiful batch of beer; not to mention the obvious – everyone… every single one of us has a distinctive palate.
Palates are like people. We’re all over the place. I’ve become quite the fan of this hopped up pluralistic, diverse world to be quite honest!
Every single week our Brew Theology community in Denver meets at a local brewery to brew theology. That’s why we exist. We create healthy, meaningful and eclectic dialogue in pub communities. It works. And as someone who has been doing ministry since 1998 in a variety of contexts, I will say that what we’re doing now is the most freeing and complexly rich ministry I’ve ever tapped in nearly 20 years.
Why?
Because like a flight of beer, I get to sit with people who are Buddhist, Hindu, Jew, Atheist, Agnostic, Agnostic-Christian, Spiritual, Open and relational-Process theology oriented, Evangelical, Post Evangelical, Calvinist, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Ex-Mormon, Ex-Jehovah’s Witness, Vegan, Anarchist, Capitalist, and so on… some of our people attend conventional worship gatherings at a local church, and others haven’t been to a church in decades.
The pub has now become the sanctuary of all-encompassing beauty with genuinely WIDE open doors.
The beer mug is the chalice.
And the conversations are the sermon.
I know that I’m an IPA guy, but I’m always going to be sitting next to a Porter or a summer lager. Hell, there may be some people who still put a lime in their beer. And if it’s 90-100 degrees, I kind of don’t blame them, especially if they live in the South!
All voices are affirmed in these gatherings. Of course, we do have guidelines that remind everyone, “Don’t be a jerk, an a**, or a d*<$!” You pick the best adjective that fits your people.
At the end of the day,
People.
Do.
Matter.
I get to sit across the table with friends that have different beliefs, traditions and ways of living. We aim not to attack or even debate; rather, we aim to understand the vast flight of people with palates ranging from stouts to sours, hopped up on conservatism or left as malty Marxism.
To end with a profound word from Thich Nhat Hanh that fully speaks to what we are seeing in our Brew Theology communities is as follows: “We have different roots, traditions and ways of seeing, but we share the common qualities of love, understanding and acceptance. … The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When we are mindful, touching deeply the present moment, we can see and listen deeply.”
It’s time, my friends, to listen deeply. And this is what happens when you go a brewery and you order a flight. You are fully present in that flight. If the brewer is standing behind the counter, you aren’t going to say, “EWWW. Disgusting!” No. Even if you aren’t a fan of their brown ale, you are still going to be respectful and hopefully ask good, sincere questions about the beer that is in front of you. And listen. There’s a story behind the beer. You’re going to choose to be PRESENT! You may offer feedback if asked, and the same is true in our brew theology gatherings. You can still have an opinion. You can still be passionate. You may get your feelings hurt, but not intentionally. These communities are about genuine sincerity around the pub tables.
Brew Theology isn’t just a “safe” place where we can listen deeply, though. It IS a courageously brave space where the “other” across the table is valued and we are truly present. #HopHeadsUnite. And this is something worth prosting over, my brewin’ badass friends.
Cheers.
Buddhist leader Thich Naht Hanh speaks of DIALOGUE being a key to peace in his book, “Living Buddha. Living Christ” while making the following statement:
“Different religious traditions can engage in dialogue with one another in a true spirit of ecumenism. Dialogue can be fruitful and enriching if both sides are truly open. If they really believe that there are valuable elements in each other’s tradition and that they can learn from one another, they will also rediscover many valuable aspects of their own tradition through such an encounter. Peace will be a beautiful flower blooming on this field of practice.”
We do NOT do dialogue well at all in our western world. Americans royally suck at having a meaningful conversation across differences. Screw peace and blooming flowers. We’ve created a nasty bed of thorns. And we really can’t blame the right or the left (as if scapegoating ever worked toward progress).
This process starts with looking in the mirror. The western world has been conditioned to behave in such a way that if someone believes in a different deity or interprets a religious passage in a differing light, we absolutely freak out. We have become polarizing, black and white, binary thinkers, and it’s affected our ability to connect with other humans. But what would happen if we simply sat down, took a deep breath and listened without feeling so damn threatened? Our identity must not be susceptible to the fears of pluralism and seemingly strange nuances within a particular religion whether it’s streams of Christianity or flavors of Atheism. We must slowly appreciate the other as a fully loved and accepted human, a person who shares this same planet and breathes in the same precious air.
In addition, Thich Naht Hanh makes the following statement about appreciating the other:
“We have to appreciate that truth can be received from outside of – not only within – our own group. If we do not believe that, entering into dialogue would be a waste of time. If we think we monopolize the truth and we still organize a dialogue, it is not authentic. We have to believe that by engaging in dialogue with the other person, we have the possibility of making a change within ourselves, that we become deeper. Dialogue is not a means for assimilation in the sense that one side expands and incorporates the other into its “self.” Dialogue must be practiced on the basis of “non-self.” We have to allow what is good, beautiful, and meaningful in the other’s tradition to transform us.”
I absolutely love the fact that I (Ryan) rarely write the content anymore for our Denver Brew Theology gatherings. I did for the first year, but soon realized that there were other gifted and intelligent and simply diversified views out there… and guess what? It worked! I get super excited when we bring in speakers who have content that I’m clueless about… I’m fully open, and it’s a beautiful thing! I thoroughly enjoy it when my friend, Liz, who is a Buddhist, writes content on Buddhism because I get to learn from her. I am opened to being transformed and my Christianity doesn’t feel threatened by it. Quite the opposite: It’s amazingly liberating!
People across the western world visit pubs and coffee houses in droves. And fluid conversation always happens in a bar or a coffee house. That being said, I have had multiple people tell me that the kind of honest and raw conversations being held at these venues are lacking substance and intentional focus for many individuals. Sure, there’s a lot of prosting going on (and maybe other things. Wink. Wink.). What happens in pubs is a lot of good-times fun, but there’s something missing. On the other hand, there is another kind of prosting going on in religious circles, but it often lacks diversity. And it is often one tribe doing its own echo-chamber, self-gratifying service without any attention or priority toward the “other.” These venues often lack the rawness, honesty and diverse vulnerability that are typically offered in a pub or a coffee house.
Brew Theology brings both worlds together. With fierce loyalty amongst friends and strangers across open tables, we passionately PROST with beers held high and crazy, diversified hearts in one prosting-accord. We have tapped into the secret that Thich Naht Hanh calls a key to true peace: Dialogue!
To Fix.
To Abandon.
As spelled out in the previous blog, these two actions are what’s driving the masses and simultaneously destroying people in the western world. It is obviously our go-to, and it’s become our life sentence in a polarizing time. I provided 4 examples from 4 participants in previous pub gatherings that do not fit the mold of the average Denver pub theologian; they fit the mold of the average western world posture, though. Remember, we – Brew Theology – don’t roll like that… and I believe we are truly onto something of genuine merit within a world looking for hope, belonging, change and goodness.
So, where does this leave us?
Well, what motivates people to feel the need to fix others and abandon either the conversation or another person/ group altogether?
Fear.
Fear has been one of the greatest motivators since the dawn of civilization, and we can still see fear work itself into business, politics, religion, families, etc. Yet, it doesn’t provide anything worthy of praise, and it only makes us feel more depressed at the end of the day. Fear drives us, and it simultaneously cripples us.
So, in order to “fix” the problem of people feeling the need to fix one another, we need to abandon fear. Once we abandon fear, we will be okay with sitting in a room with people from different walks of life. We live in the age of pluralism and it’s not going away. Christians, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, Buddhists, etc. are all around us. The best way to make the world and your community a better place is to get rid of this deep-seated raging fear, and rather be motivated by compassion, love, beauty and one’s truest presence.
Rather than saying, “That’s stupid. You’re wrong. I can’t deal with this anymore” why not say, “Hmmmm. Help me understand where you are coming from! Why do you think this way?” We need to stop feeling threatened by another ideology and belief system that is vastly different from the one we carry; we must lean in and be present – not in order to “fix” the other, but to understand the “other.” And once we are present, and our lives are filled with compassion, we will begin to see humans again. Scapegoating will cease once we recognize it and call it out. It’s critical we start seeing one another as real humans with beating hearts (Note: This doesn’t mean we don’t call out abuse and oppression as I wrote about in Part 1).
We are all connected.
We share the same soil.
We breathe the same air.
We carry the same substance.
And while someone may choose to worship in a place different from you, and someone else chooses to do other things with their time and reject organized religion all together, it is best to start seeing some light within the eyes of the “other” in order to live side-by-side in the days ahead.
Who knows?
We may actually learn something from someone who holds another belief about the divine (or lack thereof). We may be inclined to give the next generation a shot of not isolating children in a bubble, but giving them the opportunity to experience the world with fresh eyes and child-eyes wonder.
Just ask your children about the differences that we fight over when it comes to religion. They simply won’t get it. They’ll only get it when they see us love and embrace the human who lives across the street, and they’ll also see it when we exclude and hurt others as well.
The pub is all about having open arms, open minds and a willingness to choose presence in the face of difference. We don’t have a shared intellectual-belief system. We have shared values, though. This is what makes it work, and it is good work I feel will help move us forward as a greater society.
Start with self.
Don’t convert.
DO compassion.
Don’t abandon.
DO abide.
Abide in the spaces that seem unnatural, and transcend the awkwardness by allowing the self to sit in it. It’s not so bad. Like I said, you may find something new, and you may find appreciation and mutual respect.
It starts within…
As the writer of 1 John in the New Testament reminds us, “Perfect loves drives out fear.”
Peace,
Ryan
To Fix.
To Abandon.
These two actions are what’s driving the masses and simultaneously destroying people. It’s our go-to, and it’s our life sentence, which is sadly killing us softy each and every day.
We don’t roll like that at Brew Theology, and I do believe it is one of the main reasons why we’ve been able to not only sustain a great Denver community filled with vastly different kinds of interesting people; it’s why we thrive as an example for what I think can and will change communities around the western world. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let me explain the negative by giving you 4 examples of different people who’ve come to the local Denver gatherings and have been steered by these two harmful actions: to fix and to abandon.
I’ll preface by saying that while we encourage diverse thought, we aim to be respectful, listen well and remember that nobody gets the “last word.” Bottom line: Don’t be a jerk. Now, while we are open to all viewpoints, tolerance is not the word we would use to describe our gatherings. In fact, I am convinced that nobody is tolerant; it’s a nice buzzword, but it badly misses the point of healthy diversity. If someone is dismissive and oppressive, that is simply not allowed. You can hold a differing opinion, but the minute you get cranked up on Mountain Dew and demean another human in the flesh, we will have some words… and I’ve had to do this before on a few occasions.
For historical reasons that we could possibly unpack in another post (Thanks Plato), we have inherited a rigid, dualistic worldview. I hate to fully blame ‘ole Plato (even though his epic influence has completely saturated how we live in the west) as dualism can be traced to ancient Egyptian religions as well. Still, due to this way of being, we – humans – operate under a “fix” or “abandon” posture when it comes to anything that we deem different, unusual, and/or conflicting to our liking, understanding and chosen (or un-chosen?) ideology. Thus, we have the “far left” and the “far right,” the “good,” the “bad,” the “pretty,” the “ugly,” the “orthodox,” and the “heretic.” Ever been called an anathema? It happened a to a buddy the other day. Ugh. C’mon! And while there are some obvious actions that a society – at large – can deem abhorrent, and there are definite times when we should stand up for injustice, our typical, rigid labels and categories of “black” and “white” have not helped us when kindly trying to make sense of the “other.”
This leads us to the “fix” or the “abandon” way of life…. When we don’t understand something or a situation, and the other’s beliefs seem cringe-worthy and deplorable to our current belief system, we naturally want to fix the other. By the way, this is why we – Brew Theology – make sure and hold ourselves accountable to not move toward the way-too-easily-adopted soapbox. If we tell ourselves to listen and understand rather than impulsively critique someone’s differing position, this will help bridge that strange gap that divides the masses. However, we feel compelled to fix someone’s wrong thinking since Platonic thinking still runs the western show. And if we can’t fix someone’s thinking, we get frustrated. So, we abandon them. Furthermore, there are others in our world(s) that don’t even bother with getting on a soapbox to fix; they simply abandon!
A dualistic thinker posed a strange – yet all to common – question to a recent speaker at the pub, “Do you feel as if your group is superior to the western white world, as you seem to imply from your talk?”
For a second, one could hear a pin drop. And the speaker – who doesn't live according to this western worldview – provided a gracious response, “Not superior. Just gentler.”
It was an honest question, but the question missed the point and it definitely could have been asked another way, more respectfully without the supposed snarky answer in the question. Needless to say, this person left the group before the discussion time, furthering the typical posture of abandoning. Side note: While the majority of the group would have disagreed with this person that evening, they would have given him the benefit of the doubt to express his legitimate thoughts. Still, to fix or abandon wins the day for most people.
Another friend of mine used to attend these pub gatherings. He’s an atheist, a kind and good person that I respect, and now I miss… While we have many atheists who frequent the pub and contribute in helpful ways just like anyone else with another Judeo-Christian belief system, this person continued to use the “fix” strategy and would get others in the group going down unnecessary rabbit trails, aiming to convince others that their belief in God was wrong. A few times, this man was ironically called a “fundamentalist,” which didn’t go over very well as you can imagine. While he was a delight on so many levels, he did operate in this “fix”-postured way on many occasions. I had a few chats with him, trying to help him understand that while his opinion matters, it’s important to remember that we have to graciously listen and put down our dualistic agendas regardless of beliefs. We discourage Christians from trying to zealously convert others to their preferred way, and we discourage atheists alike. Over time, he stopped attending the group.
Again: Fix and abandon.
There was a biblical literalist who attended a gathering on feminism. We had a young female leader moderating the group table. While there were a handful of people in the group who were more “progressively” minded with this topic, there were two others with more conventional, patriarchal views when it comes to women’s roles, etc. This is fine to allow for multiple views, but this is when the tension can and does get very interesting. One of the individuals, a long-standing Denver pub theologian, spoke with conviction, passion, intelligence and much grace. The other dissenting individual spoke with conviction, passion and intelligence. Yet, he forgot to bring any kind of grace or compassion to the table. He was dismissive toward the table moderator, talked over her and others, and used his Bible as a zealous weapon of hatred rather than encouragement and love. Several of the group attendees voiced their complaints after the fact. While the other groups were having amazing, robust dialogue, this table was plain messy and horribly unproductive. Let me remind you that we had two people in this small group who were “complimentarian” in their theological positions of women in ministry along with women in the household. This was not the issue; the issue stemmed from bigotry and the inability to listen in love. I spoke with this person, and I even tried to set up a time to talk over coffee or a beer. However, this individual never understood the error of his ways, and was unable to make the time to talk about his possible poor posture. This person has not come back to a gathering, and I think that is okay. I can’t fix that. He chose to “fix” and then to “abandon.”
To finish, last fall we were honored to listen to a female Muslim leader speak about Islam 101. It was fascinating. Then came the Q & R time. A newcomer eagerly raised his hand, and as he began firing away “questions,” I noticed he was reading from several sheets of printed-paper, extreme jihad loaded proof texts from the Quran. The entire questioning was rooted in his interpretive thoughts, not the presenter’s beliefs. It was an over-the-top, anti-Muslim loaded question (ask anyone of the 50 people in attendance). I was beyond embarrassed. Still, our speaker was a generous Rock Star! She even continued to dialogue with this person via email for months afterward until he continued to be persistently zealous and dogmatic in his ways (over hers). I saw the email interactions as I told our speaker to email me if this individual got out of hand. Yup. He did. I was appalled, and after messaging with him about how he could have handled himself differently, this person has not been back to a gathering. He too chose to fix, and then to abandon just like the other examples, above.
Where does this leave us?
(To Be Continued…)
Peace,
Ryan
"Judge each person with the scales weighted in their favor."
Mishnah, Avot 1:6
Scales were a well-known metaphor for judgment in the ancient world. Even within Greek mythology, justice is represented as a blindfolded woman holding a scale. Egyptian justice is pictured with one's heart being weighed on a scale & a feather being weighed in another pan.
I (Ryan) used to do yoga. I’m sure I’ll get back into it, but I’ve never been good at it. Still, I’ve always felt a bit healthy when I was in the awkward postures of bending, breathing and believing I was getting in touch with my inner self. Yes! I am clearly always going to be a yoga rookie who still cannot touch his toes. Still, doing yoga, I've seen this same vivid picture of "weighing" as one side or part of your body is being pressed down or twisted, the other side must have the same pressure and posture. It's the balancing mixed with healthy, rhythmic breathing that is important when one does yoga.
In the Jewish tradition, balancing is an imperative posture as a disciple on many levels as well. Discipleship is a walk requiring one to grasp a Rabbi's "yoke!" The Rabbi is the one who has mastered the art of balance and weighing things, so to speak (one would hope!). You are linked or harnessed to the sage as a disciple. The Rabbi’s walk is the student’s walk.
Yoga comes from the root word "yuj"in Vendic Sanskrit, meaning "to add", "to join", "to unite" or to "harness" based figuratively upon the picture of two oxen harnessed with a yoke to do work. Balance... just like weights from a scale! Just like a young disciple becoming like one’s Rabbi.
The 1st Century sage from Galilee echoed other Rabbis with the saying, "Students (talmidim/disciples) are not above their teacher (Rabbi), but all who are fully trained will be like their teacher/ Rabbi." - Luke 6:39
Did you hear that?
The whole point of a disciple is to be just like the Rabbi in both word and deed!
This life changing statement came after a short, easy to understand, parable regarding a blind man who followed a blind man. They both will fall into a pit! Well, NO $#*+ Sherlock!
Jesus knew the balancing act of discipleship was way off in his context. Studying the culture of his time, we see some Rabbis who were incredibly intense in their disciplines & study, but horribly off balance in their application. Blind men will lead blind men! Spiritual blindness is apparent in any context, whether we are talking about 1st Century Israel or 21st Century America.
Jesus' mission was to open the eyes of the blind, bringing love through spreading the good news regarding the kingdom/ commonwealth of heaven/ God’s reign of shalom on earth. New systems of scales were much needed then and still needed today! The means in which this would take place would be through disciple-making. The model was simple.
Love God.
Love others.
Follow the Rabbi.
Therefore, in order to usher in shalom (real, holistic peace!), discipleshp is the means to that end, and loving others with a healthy balance system in place is the natural outcome and overflow!
Therein, lies the problem....
Most of the unchurched and nonChristian world sees Christians as men and women filled with bitterness, lacking real joy, filled with hypocrisy and ugly judgment. The root of the problem is that discipleship entails someone who follows someone who isn't blind in this "balancing act" so to speak. Following means harnessing oneself to all the "yoke"... not just studying it! This is a balancing act, indeed.
Have the blind been leading the blind?
The question to all professed Christians must become, "Are you worth becoming?"
That’s a big and terrifying question, indeed! There are too many Christians (including me at times if I’m quite honest) who solely put their faith IN Jesus, yet neglect to live out the faith OF Jesus! We've somehow misread and misapplied the Gospels. This misreading and misapplying is not a minor glitch in the system of churches across the western world. It's a major issue that keeps the world from seeing the love and grace of God that was intended to create shalom on this planet! Christians should actually taste good to the world that is always watching their every move. I had a friend tell me once, "The church just seems to put on a show (meaning that is it lacks true authenticity!)" followed with this funny statement, "And, it's not even a good show!"
So many people are just plain sick of putting on the show and watching the show anyway. The world deserves better. Humanity aches for something more substantial at the end of the day.
Moving forward, let's get back to one of Jesus’ teachings, which is tough as hell to live out! In Luke's Gospel, right before Jesus talked about a student not being above his teacher and the blind man leading the blind man he says the following:
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” - Luke 6
This evokes the imagery of the marketplace within the 1st Century. A merchant would measure out grain by pouring it into one pan of a scale until the grain became level with the weighted side. If you were a kind shopkeeper you would heap a little extra on it, letting the pans of the customer's grain tilt past the balancing point. The grain poured into your lap was due to generosity! In Jewish conversations, this was the picture of giving someone the benefit of the doubt! Disciples of Jesus, co-carrying his yoke, are called to bestow more grace, mercy, forgiveness and love with a big-hearted lifestyle toward all humankind! This moves beyond the world's standards of balance and justice. Christians are not supposed to weigh others through their own eyes (which is always a good reminder!).
Jesus followers are to see others through the eyes of Jesus! This is what the rabbinical saying about judging your neighbor, "with the scales weighted in their favor” literally means!
Regardless if you are a professed Christian or an Atheist (or something else), try living this out for a day, two... perhaps a week, then try it out for the remainder of your days on earth! Your eyesight and application will drastically change.
How come we are so quick to judge someone else's heart?
I know I’m guilty of this on a regular basis.
How might we judge more favorably in each new situation? It starts with getting to know other people's stories. When you sit across from someone and hear their story, walls come down.
… And this, my friends, is the true heartbeat of why we do what we do at Brew Theology! Brewing theology is a fun part of our community, but the unity we find in our diversity is where it’s at; this begins with a Yoga-“Namaste”-posture toward others at the table (more on this in a bit).
Perhaps the person who had his arms crossed during the presentation and asked a really mean-spirited question just found out that his father got cancer?
What if the angry man at the check out line just got divorce papers delivered to his doorstep?
What if the surly next-door neighbor is battling with depression, juggling jobs and trying to feed 5 kids after his wife walked out?
Perhaps she was beaten as a child?
Maybe he beat his kid and feels absolutely horrible with nobody to talk to about the guilt and shame?
What if her dog actually did eat his homework?
"Judge not your fellow man until you yourself come into his place." Mishnah, Avot 2:4
Damn. That’s good. We need to hear this over and over again… I know I do!
After you consider the “other” and put yourself in his/her shoes, regardless of what they've done or where they've been (victim or the victimizer), you will feel your anger or bitterness drain away. Sadly, our judgments and suspicions of others can easily lead to contempt and hatred if we aren't careful ... Yes, the dark side, it will. Thanks, Yoda!
Author Lois, Tverberg says, "Universally, we're all butchers with our thumbs on the scale, and often we're completely wrong in how we size others up." - Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus
If we are critical of others and become a chronic complainer, we will never see the world the way it was intended to be seen, and we will always fall short in bringing loving shalom to our communities. Our culture is saturated with enough negativity and pessimism. We will poison the world when we judge without mercy. Most of the time, when we treat others with a critical spirit of resentment or breed contempt is because we have never received true mercy. Or, maybe we've forgotten the mercy that we received years ago. My challenge to all of us is to love those people who are critical along with those that breed contempt! Kill 'em with kindness. And, if you are that person who has been embittered by a negative spirit, please know that you are deeply loved!
Caveat: This posture doesn’t mean that we allow people to walk over us, nor does it give absolute tolerance a place at the table and allow people to say oppressive things to others. No! We will continue the efforts of standing up for justice on behalf of those on the fringe of society. Calling out hateful bigotry and fear-mongering rhetoric is still a part of this messy-balancing equation. That IS love!
I’m a Jesus guy. So, I’d like to end with this guru’s words and actions while blending some yoga in the finale. Jesus continues to speak truth after he spoke about the blind man leading the blind man saying:
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. - Luke 6
To be a disciple of Jesus means to grant others the benefit of the doubt and to look within your own soul before you start pointing out faults in your "neighbor." This implies that you actually care about your neighbor beyond being a "project." This means a real relationship is at stake without any form of "judgment." If we spent just 1/2 the amount of time reflecting upon our own junk, we would be less likely to look at someone else's shortcomings. When we've done this difficult discipline, humility is our purest means of success as we journey with someone else's mishaps. This means, that if we get to a place of taking "sawdust" out of someone else's eye, we have already confessed and gotten real with our own shit! Our "sawdust" plucking will then become gracious attempts of loving someone that we are doing real life with on a consistent basis... When we take on this posture, there resides a different balancing act that might become contagiously life-giving to the world around us.
The next answer resides within Leviticus 19:18. It's the 2nd greatest commandment that is nonnegotiable to the disciple of Jesus. "Love your neighbor as yourself." Scripture makes it clear that you can't say, "I love the LORD but I don't love my neighbor!" This is not the way of Jesus. Loving God and loving one’s neighbor go together like Yoda & Luke Skywalker....
Another way of looking at this imperative commandment in its Hebrew context is by looking at a parallel Yoga salutation, "NAMASTE!"
At the end of every yoga session my good ‘ole buddy, Willis, used to leave me with the salutation, "I see the light inside of you. I recognize it as the same light that's inside of me and I honor that light. Namaste!"
What a beautiful way of finishing a Yoga class rooted in the word, "Yoke" as people have been balancing their own bodies and fighting the tension that they each see within their own soul. The truth can be seen that in the "other" I find the same struggle and the same beauty, the same hurts and the same joys, the same courage and the same fear. Namaste is a respectful way of honoring the other! We aim to do the exact same thing in the pub each and every week. We honor the person across from the table in our vast differences and create a truly brave space for freedom and vulnerable opinions to brew in our midst. We find unity in the chaos.
Rabbi Moses Cordovero once said, "In everyone there is something of his fellow man.. Hence, "love your neighbor" - for he is really you yourself."
Jesus' teachings and yoke genuinely reflect this statement. A more accurate, Hebraic way of looking at this text that Christians spout all of the time is to say, "Love your neighbor who is similar to yourself."
THIS changes everything!
Therefore, disciples of Jesus, I challenge you to ...
Stop plucking SAWDUST!
Readjust your SCALES!
& NAMASTE y'all!
Peace,
Ryan
And #BrewTheology
I (Ryan) have been sojourning down the unconventionally walked Lenten path, "Atheism For Lent," over the past 7 weeks with Philosopher Peter Rollins as the unorthodox guide. Every week, Pete lectured the online group, and every day Pete supplied a reading or a lecture, sometimes a comic, a song or a movie (i.e. Scorsese's' 2016 gripping film, "Silence," which I highly recommend!) We spent the 1st week understanding the dynamic relationship between theism and atheism, followed by thematic weeks deconstructing God as being, dissecting God as hyper being, engaging the "Masters of Suspicion" such as Freud, Marx & Nietzsche, traveling down the road of interpreting God, as what Tillich would say, "ground of being," moving toward God as an event, and finally, unraveling into the Passion Week with the haunting words of Christ on the bloody cross crying out, "My God. My God. Why have you forsaken me?" This course has been a wild ride, and it's been very helpful as someone who takes his faith seriously, and aims to better understand the world at large while really better grasping what it means to "believe" and sincerely follow Christ.
I'd like to post a parable by Phil Harrison (which was in today's reflection) alongside this talk Pete gave years ago.
I'd love to hear your thoughts, friends. Message me at ryan at brewtheology. org Thanks.
///
A Parable by Phil Harrison
The other day I had a dream. I dreamed I arrived at the gates of heaven, heavy-shut, pure oak, bevelled and crafted, glinting sharp in the sunlight. St. Peter stood to greet me; the big man wore brown, smile set deep against his ruddy cheeks.
“You’re here,” he said.
“I am,” I said.
“Great to see you—been expecting you,” he smiled. “Come on in.”
He pushed gently against the huge door; it swung silently, creakless. I took a couple of steps forward until, at the threshold, one more step up and in, I realized I wasn’t alone. My friends had joined me, but they hovered behind, silently, looking on. None spoke. I realized only I could speak. I looked at them; some were Christians, some Hindus, some Buddhists, some Muslims, some Jews, some atheists. Some God knows what. I stopped, paused. A hesitant St. Peter looked at me, patiently, expectantly.
“What about these guys?” I asked him. “My friends. Can they come?”
“Well, Phil,” he replied, soft in the still air, “You know the rules. I’m sorry, but that’s the way things are. Only the right ones.”
I looked at him. He seemed genuinely pained by his answer. I stood, considering. What should I do? I thought about my reference points, and thought about Jesus, the bastard, the outsider, the unacceptable, the drunkard, the fool, the heretic, the criminal, and I knew exactly where I belonged.
“I’ll just stay here then too,” I said, taking my one foot out of heaven. And I’ll tell you, I’d swear I saw something like a grin break across St. Peter’s face, and a voice from inside whispered, “at last.”
The most pervasively haunting and thrilling question asked throughout the ages continues to be, “Who is God?”
Perhaps this has led to other questions such as, “What is God?"
Or “How is God?”
Is God an event?
Is God, as theologian Paul Tillich once coined, “the ground of being?”
Is God the “Unmoved Mover?” to echo Aquinas?
Do you literally visualize God as an actual being?
If so, does this God have all of the power, some of the power, limited power or shared power?
Perhaps you feel more in touch with the eastern/ apophatic tradition and do not like to use words to describe the ineffable deity that transcends any kind of finite reasoning?
And what if God was one of us… Just a slob like one of us… Thank you, Joan Osborne, for the song that will naturally be replayed in your head until you fall asleep tonight.
Does our idea(s) of God reflect our current state in life?
Have you ever stopped to consider how much anthropology plays into your theology?
I posed the question on Facebook yesterday, what do you think of the concept, “We ARE who we say God IS?”
Let's go back to the question, “Who do you say God IS?”
If we are genuine in our answer, is there naturally a reflection of the self in the divine mirror?
Some may wonder like the German philosopher, Ludwig Feuerbach, do we simply do a lot of projecting, thus negating our own pure humanistic qualities and potentiality? Feuerbach believes that, "If man is to find contentment in God he must find himself in God." Thus, “God” becomes human in this external projection of this internally complicated human disposition.
Last night, I (Ryan) had the pleasure to interview Eric Hall, author of Homebrewed Christianity Guide to God: Everything You Ever Wanted to know about the Almighty. Stay tuned for that Brew Theology Podcast in the weeks ahead, folks. It was a fun conversation.
Eric starts the book by moving the reader through, what he refers to, one’s grandparent’s patheon, and dismissing the notion of God as a cosmic vending machine.
Is God like Mr. Miyagi, as likened to classical theism: absolute intellect (Spoiler Alert: Eric likes Miyagee with some Voltron qualities)?
Eric hysterically speaks of some people’s God compared to a Jersey Shore-esque absolute willed deity!
And what about the retried Oprah, a transcendent deity who is set for life and is chilling while the clock ticks…?
Seriously, if you haven’t picked up Eric’s book, you’ll enjoy it for the familiarly clever pop references, alone!
Some deconstructionists may have dismissed the picture(s) of God, mentioned above. Others may have gravitated toward a mash of other godly images such as the Hippie Aunt God, which Hall refers to as the open and relational – process philosophy – deity that emerges into a cosmic drum circle. C’mon! Who doesn’t have a really cool hippie aunt who lives in Eugene, OR and makes the world a more beautiful place (true story for me)? Eric brings forth a Joan of Arc picture of God that deconstructs the Jersey Shore God, as "The Situation" goes through rehab, having a Face Off transplant (You know. Like that late 90's movie with John Travolta and Nicholas Cage, back when they were still cool.). In this light, Joan of Arc - God defies your expectations and becomes your new way of seeing the world (i.e. Jesus of Nazareth).
While all of these ideas and pictures of trying to articulate the ins and outs of God in winsome ways are loads of fun, I won’t give away the ending to Eric’s hopilicious, barrel-aged deistic tendencies; I will say that defining God is not an easy thing regardless of one’s place in the academic, pastoral or every-day person’s world. I think many of us can say that some of these images and thoughts have been helpful at times along the journey, while many definitions of God have simply been hurtful and irrelevant beyond measure in other seasons in life.
We could even say, “God is love” just like it says in the 'ole B.I.B.L.E.
At this endeavor, we would need to define love, which is always a fantastic way of getting raw and earthy and practical, which is my favorite kind of theology.
So, what is God?
What is love?
Does it even matter?
I’d love to hear from you.
Peace