Theology on Tap Chattanooga

Using the World & Enjoying God: An Augustinian Theology of Economy Oct 29, 2024

The evening will feature poetry from Nikki Lake, a lecture from Rev. Dr. Zac Settle, and then a conversation between the two moderated by CALEB Faith Caucus leader Christopher Heintz.

00:01 - Opening Intro & Announcements

07:26 - Poetry by Nikki Lake

08:53 - Lecture from Rev. Dr. Zac Settle

46:19 - Poetry by Nikki Lake

47:21 - Conversation between Christopher Heintz, Nikki Lake, & Zac Settle

Lecture abstract: In this short lecture, Fr. Zac will sketch a theology of economy by drawing on the work for a fifth-century, North-African Bishop: St. Augustine of Hippo. He will talk a little about who Augustine was and then sketch a kind of rubric with which we can think about economics on a theological level. The goal is make use of Augustine's idea of "use" and "enjoyment" in order to facilitate our understanding of faithful economic action. Doing so will help us talk about how we ought to engage with the economic issues of our own time and place as Christians. If we want to follow Augustine's example, faithful action requires that we use our wealth, resources, and selves for the sake of facilitating people's enjoyment of God.

Rev. Dr. Zac Settle serves as curate at Grace Episcopal Church in Chattanooga, TN. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2023. Prior to joining Grace he earned an Anglican Studies diploma at Sewanee’s School of Theology and completed an internship at Erlanger Hospital, where he was a chaplain for the cancer and diabetes units. Before that he earned a PhD in theology from Vanderbilt’s Graduate Department of Religion. His first book, "On the Nature, Limits, Meaning, and End of Work", was published in Bloomsbury Academic’s “Reading Augustine” series in 2023.

Finding Home: Wendell Berry on the Sacredness of People and Place Sep 23, 2024

Through Berry’s fiction, poetry, and essays, we see a vision of how the transcendent beauty of creation is known in particularity. For this venerable Kentucky writer, human flourishing is a loving stewardship of people and place, appreciating the spiritual fruit of our embodied existence.

Dr. Thomas Pope joined Lee University's political science faculty in 2010, where he teaches courses in political theory and constitutional law.

"God & Architecture: How the Built Environment Influences Our Formation" with Jon Jon Wesolowski May 08, 2024

"God and Architecture: How the Built Environment Influences Our Formation"

Similar to how a fish is unaware of the influence of water, architecture shapes our lives. Through the grandeur of cathedrals and the brutality of concentration camps remind us of the profound power of the built world, most of our lives unfold in less dramatic settings, where built environments subtly but meaningfully influence us. In this lecture, Jon Jon will explore the role of how the influence of physical spaces can be used to make us more like Christ in character and conduct.

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Jon Jon Wesolowski is an armchair urbanist, TEDx speaker, and content creator. He is a devoted advocate for pedestrian rights, passionately connecting diverse groups to drive positive change.

All the socials - follow Jon Jon on Instagram and TikTok.

Sign up for his new Substack.

"The Psychology of Reconstructing Faith After Spiritual Trauma" with Dr. Preston Hill Apr 12, 2024

Our annual partnership with Richmont Graduate University & the Spiritual First Responders Project on the intersection of theology & psychology. The event was titled "An Evening on Trauma, Faith, & Reconstruction" and featured lectures by Dr. Hillary McBride & Dr. Preston Hill.

"The Psychology of Faith Reconstruction After Spiritual Trauma" by Dr. Preston Hill

Many people experiencing faith deconstruction feel spiritually homeless but also continue to search for spiritual meaning in life, though it is unclear how they can flourish as desired. This talk will review a current large scale research project that facilitates mentally-healthy spiritual meaning-making for this population. This talk will discuss the challenges and possibilities for "remixed" spiritual experience among this population by setting faith deconstruction and reconstruction in psychological and theological context and drawing implications for mental health care among this group.

Preston Hill (PhD, MLitt, University of St Andrews) is Assistant Professor of Integrative Theology at Richmont Graduate University, where he serves as the Chair of Integration and Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program. His doctoral research offers the first book-length study of Christ’s descent into hell in the theology of John Calvin. His current research focuses on reformation theology, science, mental health, and trauma theology. His latest publications include Dawn of Sunday: The Trinity and Trauma-Safe Church (Cascade, 2021), and a forthcoming volume entitled Christ and Trauma: Theology East of Eden (Cascade). Preston is a clinical pastoral therapist under supervision and ordinand in the Anglican tradition.

"Growing Ourselves Up" with Dr. Hillary McBride Apr 12, 2024

Our annual partnership with Richmont Graduate University & the Spiritual First Responders Project on the intersection of theology & psychology. The event was titled "An Evening on Trauma, Faith, & Reconstruction" and featured lectures by Dr. Hillary McBride & Dr. Preston Hill.

"Growing Ourselves Up: Understanding the Long Term Impact of Spirituality Traumatic Contexts on the Development of Self" by Dr. Hillary McBride

Foundational psychological theories of development and attachment have identified what people need in order to become more of themselves, including the steps necessary for a person to arrive at adulthood with the skills, capacity, and ego strength to face the demands and pleasures of living in a psychically rooted and interconnected way. Models of family systems can be used to understand how the interpersonal context around us supports us to, or inhibits us from, meeting these developmental steps in light of our desire for connectedness and relational safety. Informed by these theories, this talk will explore how extended time in a spiritually abusive and traumatic context (often called a family) can challenge and complicate typical psychosocial development and contribute to distress in adulthood. Ways to support the healthy development of self and organize the disorganized development will be discussed.

Dr. Hillary McBride is a registered psychologist, a researcher, author and podcaster, with expertise that includes working with trauma and trauma therapies, embodiment, and the intersection of spirituality and mental health. Her first book, Mothers, Daughters, and Body Image: Learning to Love Ourselves as We Are, was published in 2017; she was the senior editor of the textbook Embodiment and Eating Disorders: Theory, Research, Prevention, and Treatment, which was published in 2018. Her most recent bestselling book The Wisdom of Your Body: Finding wholeness, healing and connection through embodied living came out in the fall of 2021. She has been recognized by the American Psychological Association, and the Canadian Psychological Association for her research and clinical work. In addition to being a teaching faculty at the University of British Columbia, she is an ambassador for Sanctuary Mental Health, and the host of CBC's award winning podcast Other People's Problems. Hillary makes her home in the pacific northwest in British Columbia, Canada.

"Women Who Do" with Dr. Holly Carey Mar 12, 2024

Women Who Do: What We Can Learn from Female Disciples in the Gospels

When we think of disciples, we often picture the Twelve – the small group of men who followed Jesus throughout his ministry. But Jesus had many disciples, and the gospels are clear that we, as Christians, can learn from all of the people who followed Jesus. In her lecture, Dr. Carey will highlight the importance of female disciples in Jesus’s ministry and in the shaping of our understanding of what it means to follow Jesus faithfully, courageously, and sacrificially.

Dr. Holly Carey holds a PhD in New Testament and Early Christian Origins from the University of Edinburgh and serves as the Professor of Biblical Studies at Point University.

Evangelical Worship: An American Mosaic with Dr. Melanie Ross Nov 15, 2023

"Evangelical Worship: An American Mosaic" with Dr. Melanie Ross

6:30 - Lecture Begins

1:04:30 - Q & A

In partnership with UTC - Department of Philosophy & Religion

Evangelicalism has undergone seismic and controversial shifts in worship over the last forty years, particularly in the areas of preaching and music. In this talk, liturgical scholar Melanie Ross shares stories from her ethnographic research of congregations, discusses trends and shifts she has observed, and offers insights about what churches can learn from each other across lines of differences. She suggests that evangelical worship is more than a manipulative effort to arouse devotional exhilaration. It is a vibrant site of identity formation: the place where evangelicals’ ideas, beliefs, and commitments interact with larger religious traditions in an ongoing, mutually-constituting process.

Professor Melanie Ross works at the intersection of ecumenical liturgical theology, North American evangelicalism, and the worship practices of contemporary congregations. Her first book, Evangelical vs. Liturgical? Defying a Dichotomy (2014) brings together historical analysis, systematic theology, and congregational fieldwork to argue that the common ground shared by evangelical and liturgical churches is much more important than the differences than divide them. Her second book, Evangelical Worship: An American Mosaic (2021) draws on extensive fieldwork in seven congregations to show how evangelical identity is formed through corporate worship practices.

The Trinity & Work with Dr. Scott Swain Oct 19, 2023

In partnership with Faith Co-Op

5:40 - Lecture • 57:00 - Q&A

Learn more about Reformed Theological Seminary - Orlando's Faith, Work, & Culture Graduate Certificate Program

"The Trinity & Work: How God's Work Informs Our Work" - How does the work of the triune God inform our work? In 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, Paul provides an illuminating framework for addressing this question. In our various fields of labor, we are called to cooperate with God the Father in service to the Lord Jesus Christ by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Under God’s blessing, such work holds the promise of glorifying God and serving the common good.

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Dr. Scott R. Swain is President and James Woodrow Hassell Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Swain has served on the RTS faculty since 2006, having previously taught at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

His main research interests include the doctrine of God, theological interpretation of Scripture, and modern Protestant theology, and he has published a number of books and essays on these topics. With Dr. Michael Allen, he serves as general editor of two series: Zondervan Academic’s New Studies in Dogmatics and T & T Clark’s International Theological Commentary.

By Bread Alone with Kendall Vanderslice Oct 03, 2023

Lecture at 5:45

Q & A begins at 42:00

Our spiritual lives are deeply connected to bread―the bread we break with family and friends and the Bread that is Christ’s Body, given and broken for us. Kendall Vanderslice, a professional baker and practical theologian who spends her days elbow-deep in dough, believes that there is no food more spiritually significant than bread―whether eating, baking, sharing, or breaking. She will share how God uses bread throughout the Bible to teach us about his character and provision for us, as well as how the chemistry of breadmaking itself reveals the beauty of our Creator.

Kendall Vanderslice is a baker, writer, and the founder of the Edible Theology Project. A graduate of Duke Divinity School (Master of Theological Studies), Boston University (MLA Gastronomy), and Wheaton College (BA Anthropology), she has committed her life to the study of food and community formation. Kendall is a professionally trained baker, having learned from several top American pastry chefs. In 2018, she was named a James Beard Foundation national scholar for her work bridging food and religion. She is the author of "We Will Feast: Rethinking Dinner, Worship, and the Community of God" and "By Bread Alone: A Baker’s Reflections on Hunger, Longing, and the Goodness of God."

Get the book on our Bookshop.org

Learn more about Kendall and her work at edibletheology.com

My Body & Other Broken Empires with Lyndsey Medford May 30, 2023

We are living in a world that is sick. Both literally sick, with 60 percent of adults in the US living with a chronic illness and rising rates of autoimmune diseases in particular, including long COVID, and figuratively sick, facing ever increasing rates of burnout, anxiety, and disconnection. As a writer, activist, and theology student, Lyndsey Medford, draws on her experiences with a rare autoimmune disease to illuminate the broader lessons we need to learn, in order to heal what ails us individually and communally. Whether our burnout stems from illness, systemic racism, poverty, or simply sin's separation, we're all in need of hope, and we are called to heal together.

Lyndsey Medford is a writer, activist, and sometimes disabled person with a rare, chronic autoimmune disease. Her writing has been featured in The Deconstructionist's Playbook, Sojourners, 100 Days in Appalachia, The Wakening, and Our Bible App. She holds a master of theological studies degree from Boston University School of Theology. She and her husband live in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The Trinity & Trauma-Safe Churches with Dr. Preston Hill Apr 28, 2023

"The Trinity & Trauma-Safe Churches" with Dr. Preston Hill

Whether we realize it or not, our churches are full of those who have experienced and are living with the aftereffects of horror and trauma, whether as survivors, carers, or perpetrators. The central question of this book is simple: How can our churches become open to the Trinity such that they are trauma-safe environments for everyone? How can we join the triune God to become trauma-safe churches? While the reality is bleak, the church can dare to hope for healing because of the reality of God and the body of Christ. Using the metaphor of the dawn of Sunday, the authors propose a double witness to trauma that straddles the boundary between the deadly silence of Holy Saturday and the joy of Easter Sunday. While witnessing loss and lament we can also be open to the possibility of new life through God’s trinitarian works of safety and recovery in the church. This involves adopting some basic principles and practices of trauma safety that every pastor, congregation, and layperson can begin using today. Creating trauma-safe churches is possible through God the Trinity.

Preston Hill (PhD, MLitt, University of St Andrews) is Assistant Professor of Integrative Theology at Richmont Graduate University, where he serves as the Co-Chair of Integration and the Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program. His doctoral research offers the first book-length study of Christ’s descent into hell in the theology of John Calvin. His current research focuses on reformation theology, science, and mental health. His latest publications include Dawn of Sunday: The Trinity and Trauma-Safe Church (Cascade, 2021), and a forthcoming volume entitled Trauma Theology: Perspectives on Christ and the Wounds That Remain (Fortress Academic).

Making Christ Real: The Ascension in Our Everyday with Dr. Sam Youngs Mar 15, 2023

The social and political life of the church is in upheaval, as the currents of our polarized culture invade the Christian witness from both within and without. We desperately need a re-centering on the radical work of Jesus, even if this means ceding our securities and curating a holy suspicion of the world's power structures. In this lecture and in his new book, Making Christ Real, Dr. Sam Youngs argues that the ascension of Christ is an untapped resource in this regard, with invigorating implications for both spiritual formation and cultural engagement. Come and hear a new and powerful theological rendering on the meaning of the ascension for our everyday experience in difficult times.

Samuel J. Youngs serves as an associate professor of Christian studies at Bryan College, adjunct professor of theology and church history at Richmont Graduate University, and the Dean of the Mission School of Ministry. He completed his PhD under Paul Janz and Oliver Davies at King’s College London. His first book, The Way of the Kenotic Christ, was a major English monograph on the Christology of Jürgen Moltmann, and he has published on interreligious topics, theology and psychology, the thought of Martin Luther, the Old Saxon Heliand, natural theology, narrative pedagogy, kenosis, and staurology.

Lecture begins at 2:54

Q&A begins at 49:10

"Space, Sound, & the Body in American Evangelicalism" Dr. Tucker Adkins Nov 15, 2022

"Space, Sound, & the Body in American Evangelicalism" with Dr. Tucker Adkins

Evangelicals are perhaps the most discussed group in American Christianity, but such conversations often revolve around two distinctions: politics and theology. Evangelicals vote this way, and evangelicals believe these things. In this way, we typically cast evangelicalism as longstanding, identifiable sets of ideological and doctrinal convictions that steer conservative voting blocs and vaguely underpin “born-again” belief. By contrast, this lecture urges us to consider how the physical world—especially space, sound, and the body—have always distinguished so-called “evangelicals” from other Christians in the United States.

Paying particular attention to its early American figures, this presentation asserts that “evangelicalism” first took shape through revivalists’ manipulation of their bodies, voices, and terrain. Black, white, and indigenous people who received the “new birth” made their movement legible on the landscape, by expelling “frightfull Shrieks & groans” during their preachers’ cutting sermons, gathering outside of consecrated church spaces, and succumbing to uncontrollable bodily “exercises.” By foregrounding examples of evangelicals’ physical, lived religious experiences, we find that their controversial choreography of space, sound, and the body—not just what they believed—radically redefined what it meant to be Protestant in America.

Dr. Tucker Adkins teaches religious history at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, MI. His focus is on religious experience and lay spirituality in the early modern British Atlantic world.

A Christian Critique of Christian Nationalism with David Ritchie Sep 06, 2022

What if we understood nationalism as a religion instead of an ideology? What if nationalism is more spiritual than it is political? Several Christian thinkers have rightly recognized nationalism as a form of idolatry. In this TOT lecture, David A. Ritchie , author of the book Why Do the Nations Rage?, will argue that nationalism is inherently demonic as well. Through an interdisciplinary analysis of scholarship on nationalism and the biblical theology behind Paul’s doctrine of “powers,” Ritchie's lecture will uncover how the impulse behind nationalism is as ancient as the tower of Babel and as demonic as the worship of Baal. Moreover, when compared to Christianity, Ritchie will show that nationalism is best understood as a rival religion that bears its own distinctive (and demonically inspired) false gospel, which seeks to both imitate and distort the Christian gospel.

David A. Ritchie serves as the Lead Pastor of Redeemer Christian Church and an Instructor of Religion at West Texas A&M University. In his scholarly research, Ritchie interrogated how nationalist movements operate less like a political ideology and more like a spiritually-charged religion. This research culminated in the writing of his book Why Do the Nations Rage? The Demonic Origin of Nationalism, published in 2022 by Wipf & Stock Publishers. This fall he will be presenting a paper at the American Academy of Religion annual meeting entitled “Sketching a Christology of Nationalism: How Nationalism Utilizes Messianic Characterizations to Elicit Spiritual Devotion and Religious Affection.” Ritchie is a highly engaged leader in the West Texas community, serving on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations and ministries, including the Refugee Language Project and the Redeemer Network. David is married to Kate, and together they live in Amarillo, Texas, with their three sons, Solomon, Samuel, and Simon Peter.

"Who Will Cast the First Stone? Christianity & the Death Penalty" with Rev. Stacy Rector Jun 17, 2022

"Who Will Cast the First Stone: Christianity & the Death Penalty" with Rev. Stacy Rector.

Rev. Rector is the Executive Director of Tennesseans For Alternatives to the Death Penalty, an organization working toward the end of the death penalty in Tennessee. She is the Associate Pastor of Second Presbyterian Church in Nashville and has served as a spiritual advisor for men on death row.

In the lecture we watched a video from Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. You can watch that video on their website at tennesseedeathpenalty.org.

"Imagining Our Neighbors as Ourselves: How Art Shapes Empathy" with Dr. Mary McCampbell May 06, 2022

Anyone reading comments in online spaces is frequently confronted with a collective cultural loss of empathy. This profound deficit is directly related to the inability to imagine the life and circumstances of the other. Our malnourished capacity for empathy is connected to an equally malnourished imagination. In order to truly love and welcome others, we need to exercise our imaginations, to see our neighbors more as God sees them than as confined by our own inadequate and ungracious labels. We need stories that can convict us about our own sins of omission or commission, enabling us to see the beautiful, complex world of our neighbors as we look beyond ourselves.

In this lecture, Dr. Mary McCampbell will look at how narrative art–whether literature, film, television, or popular music–expands our imaginations and, in so doing, emboldens our ability to love our neighbors as ourselves.

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Dr. Mary McCampbell is an associate professor of humanities at Lee University where she regularly teaches courses on modern and contemporary fiction, film, and popular culture. A native Tennessean, she completed her doctorate at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (UK); her research focused on the relationship between contemporary fiction, late capitalist culture, and the religious impulse. Her academic and public-facing publications span the worlds of literature, film, and popular music, and this interdisciplinary focus is also present in her new book, Imagining Our Neighbors as Ourselves: How Art Shapes Empathy (Fortress Press: April 5, 2022). You can find her writing in various faith and culture publications such as Image Journal, The Other Journal, Relevant Magazine, Christianity Today, Christ and Pop Culture, and The Curator. She has been one of the organizers of Calvin College's Festival of Faith and Music since 2009, and she frequently speaks and teaches on the theological significance of popular music, film, and fiction. Mary was the Summer 2014 Writer-in-Residence at L’Abri Fellowship in Greatham, England and periodically lectures at English L’Abri. She was a Scholar-in-Residence at Regent Theological College, Vancouver, for the 2018 winter term.
You can read Mary’s writing and find out about her new book at marywmccampbell.com.

"In Search of Healing: Trauma In Light of Theology" with Dr. Preston HIll Apr 08, 2022

The church today is increasingly traumatized and traumatizing. An endless stream of "scandals" and "moral failing" of major church leaders is leaving many Christians disenchanted, disillusioned, and deconstructing their faith. There are so many survivors in our churches today suffering in silence. They carry wounds hidden in shame among communities that feel overwhelmed and unprepared to offer effective trauma-care. Where do we go from here? How can we create churches that are trauma-safe? This presentation will sketch some basic principles and practices of a trauma-safe church which are made possible by the triune God of the gospel and the blessed incarnation of Jesus Christ who has promised to never leave his people come hell or high water. Our theology is simply too good not to be trauma-safe. By seeing trauma more clearly in the light of basic Christian theology, we can begin immediately to be who we are, namely, Christ's very own body, the trauma-safe church.

Preston Hill (PhD, MLitt, University of St Andrews) is Assistant Professor of Integrative Theology at Richmont Graduate University. His doctoral thesis offers the first monograph-length exposition of the place of Christ’s descent into hell in the theology of John Calvin. Dr. Hill is the co-author of the forthcoming book "Dawn of Sunday: The Tinity and Trauma-Safe Church" that explores the themes of this lecture in depth.

"When Doctrine Hurts: Theology In Light of Trauma" with Dr. Sam Youngs Mar 18, 2022

As we increasingly attend to the ongoing mental health crisis, the church must raise its awareness of both psychology and trauma. Certainly, a well-informed church can contribute to meaningful healing in these contexts. But the church has also, historically, been a significant factor in traumatization. Christian teaching itself has contributed to psychological wounding on many fronts, and the church will struggle to become fully trauma-informed until it examines this reality. This presentation will discuss the dynamic interplay that can arise between religious doctrine and traumatizing circumstances, in the hope that such awareness will enable wisdom, compassion, and repentance.

Samuel J. Youngs serves as an associate professor of Christian studies at Bryan College, adjunct professor of theology and church history at Richmont Graduate University, and the Dean of the Mission School of Ministry. He completed his PhD under Paul Janz and Oliver Davies at King’s College London. His first book, The Way of the Kenotic Christ, was a major English monograph on the Christology of Jürgen Moltmann, and he has published on inter-religious topics, theology and psychology, the thought of Martin Luther, the Old Saxon Heliand, natural theology, narrative pedagogy, kenosis, and staurology.

Labor & Liturgy with Dr. Matthew Kaemingk Nov 18, 2021

The modern divide between Sunday worship and Monday work has a devastating effect on the health, vibrancy, and effectiveness of Christian worship in the sanctuary and work in the world. Drawing on years of marketplace ministry and biblical research, Rev. Dr. Matthew Kaemingk will lead an evening exploration of the deep biblical connections between worship and work. In this, he will offer practical steps for how Christians in the marketplace can begin to form deeper and more transformative connections between their daily work and worship.

Dr. Matthew Kaemingk is a "pastor for professionals." He has served alongside marketplace leaders in a number of faith and work ministries in New York City, Seattle, and Houston. Dr. Kaemingk is the coauthor of Work and Worship: Reconnecting Our Labor and Liturgy an innovative new book exploring how Christians might form deeper and more meaningful connections between their worship of God in the sanctuary and their daily work in the world. He holds a PhD in Christian ethics and teaches public theology at Fuller Theological Seminary where he was recently appointed to the Richard John Mouw Chair of Faith and Public Life. Dr. Kaemingk serves within the De Pree Center for Christian Leadership as both a scholar in residence and an instructor within Fuller's doctoral program on faith, work, and the marketplace.

Presented in partnership with the Chattanooga Institute for Faith, Work, & Culture.

Production note: Audio levels recorded quite low, Q&A begins at the 49' mark.

"The Saddest Stories Are Best Told Slowly: When White Supremacy Hits Home" with Dr. Justin Phillips Nov 03, 2021

When the national protest over police brutality reached its apex in 2020, many white evangelicals struggled to understand or enter into the modern conversations on race, racism, and racial equity. Justin Phillips claims in his new book Know Your Place that their inherited world had not prepared them for that crucial moment. Phillips examines the three communities (white, southern, and evangelical) that shaped his own racial imagination and names how each community creates blind spots, making it difficult to conceive of a world different than the dominant narrative of the white evangelical South. When those narratives are challenged or rejected it can feel like nothing short of the end of the world. Blending together personal experiences with ethics and pastoral sensibilities, Phillips traces for white, southern evangelicals lines that run from the past through the present, to help his beloved communities see how their loyalties have harmed their neighbors. In order to truly love others and reconcile brokenness, you first have to know your place.

Dr. Justin Phillips is the Executive Editor for The Other Journal and teaches theology and ethics in Knoxville, Tennessee. Connect with Justin and his work at justinrphillips.com.

"The Weakness of Christ: Politics, Nature, & the Radical Way of Jesus" with Dr. Samuel Youngs Jan 28, 2020

"The Weakness of Christ: Politics, Nature, & the Radical Way of Jesus"
Dr. Samuel Youngs
Bryan College, Mission School of Ministry
Description:
Christology - or what Christians say, think, and believe about Jesus - has always determined the place and work of the church in the world. As our theology of Christ goes, so goes the Church. And in an increasingly post-Christian Western context, the church must learn how to live, and indeed thrive, in weakness. It is at this precise point that the self-emptying (kenosis) of Christ (Phil. 2:7) becomes a deep well for envisioning a cruciform church and how it might embrace a vulnerable and transformative existence in the midst of today's world. Dr. Samuel Youngs presents a daring understanding of Jesus focused on his radical self-emptying and his strange weakness that changes the world.

Learn more about Dr. Young's book: The Way of the Kenotic Christ: the Christology of Jurgen Moltmann.

Signposts From a Divided World with Dr. Craig Bartholomew Apr 05, 2019

"Signposts From a Divided World: Where Is God In Contemporary Culture?"
Dr. Craig Bartholomew

Description:
Not all is well in our culture. We are living through a time of change and of crisis in Western civilization. Craig’s lecture will identifying the nature of our Secular Age and the rich Christian resources available to us for healing our present condition and moving beyond it toward a wold that promotes the flourishing of all in the light of Jesus Christ. Theology on Tap and North Shore Fellowship will host Craig Bartholomew (Director of the Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics at Tyndale House in Cambridge, England) to speak on “Signposts from a Divided World: Where is God in Contemporary Culture?"

This lecture was delivered live at The Camp House in Chattanooga, TN on March 21, 2019

Presented in partnership with North Shore Fellowship and Mission Chattanooga.

List of Dr. Bartholomew's written works:
https://www.amazon.com/Craig-G.-Bartholomew/e/B001HD1YAE?

History As Activism with Rev. Jemar Tisby Oct 25, 2018

"History As Activism: Learning the Past to Change the Future" with Rev. Jemar Tisby.

This Theology on Tap lecture was recorded live at The Camp House on October 17, 2018.

Description: Confederate monuments, kneeling during the national anthem, the #MeToo movement, Black Lives Matter—We live in an age of protest and reform. College students often stand at the forefront of these movements by lending their energy, passion, and creativity to virtuous causes. But the problems of today arise from circumstances in the past. Today’s activists must pursue a deep knowledge of this nation's history, especially as it relates to race and justice, in order to change the present and the future for the better. This session will relate America’s past to current justice issues in order to demonstrate how studying history is a form of activism that has the power to impact the present.

Rev. Jemar Tisby (B.A. Notre Dame; MDiv RTS Jackson) is the president of The Witness: A Black Christian Collective where he writes about race, religion, and culture. He is also the co-host of "Pass The Mic”, a podcast that amplifies dynamic voices for a diverse church. His writing has been featured in the Washington Post, CNN, Vox, The Atlantic, and the New York Times. He has spoken nation-wide at conferences on racial reconciliation, U.S. history, and the church. Jemar is a PhD student in History at the University of Mississippi studying race, religion and social movements in the 20th century. In January 2019, he will release his first book, The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism. Follow him on Twitter @JemarTisby.

Links:

The Witness - https://thewitnessbcc.com/
Pass the Mic Podcast - https://thewitnessbcc.com/category/pass-the-mic/
Follow Rev. Tisby on Twitter - http://bit.ly/2z0bSJQ

Practicing The King's Economy - Part 3 May 10, 2018

On April 19th we had the pleasure of hosting a book launch event in Chattanooga for Practicing The King's Economy with authors Michael Rhodes, Robby Holt, and Dr. Brian Fikkert. Part 3 features questions submitted by the audience on the night of the event. Our previous episodes features a small lecture by Michael Rhodes and a panel discussion with the authors moderated by Matt Busby.

Learn more about the book and explore resources at https://practicingthekingseconomy.org/

Practicing The King's Economy - Part 2 May 10, 2018

On April 19th we had the pleasure of hosting a book launch event in Chattanooga for Practicing The King's Economy with authors Michael Rhodes, Robby Holt, and Dr. Brian Fikkert. Part 2 features a panel discussion with the three authors moderated by Matt Busby. Our previous episode features a small lecture by Michael Rhodes and this episode is followed by audience Q&A in Part 3.

Learn more about the book and explore resources at https://practicingthekingseconomy.org/

Practicing The King's Economy - Part 1 May 10, 2018

On April 19th we had the pleasure of hosting a book launch event in Chattanooga for Practicing The King's Economy with authors Michael Rhodes, Robby Holt, and Dr. Brian Fikkert. Part 1 features a small lecture by Michael Rhodes. This episode is followed by a panel discussion in Part 2 and audience Q&A in Part 3.

Learn more about the book and explore resources at https://practicingthekingseconomy.org/

"A Pilgrimage Renewed: Living as a Christian in Post-liberal America" with Dr. Patrick Deneen Apr 19, 2018

A Pilgrimage Renewed: Life as a Christian in Post-liberal America - Dr. Patrick Deneen, University of Notre Dame
Recorded live at The Camp House in Chattanooga, TN on March 20, 2018.

Abstract
The American political order has entered a new phase, comparable to the long period of decline experienced by Rome after its peak of power. Christians are learning anew the need for forms of psychic withdrawal from the fortunes of the imperium, but why such a change is necessary and how to undertake this new pilgrimage is a subject of hot debate. Professor Deneen will discuss the decline of the liberal order and the hopes for Christian renewal.

About Dr. Deneen
Patrick J. Deneen holds a B.A. in English literature and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Rutgers University. From 1995-1997 he was Speechwriter and Special Advisor to the Director of the United States Information Agency. From 1997-2005 he was Assistant Professor of Government at Princeton University. From 2005-2012 he was Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis Associate Professor of Government at Georgetown University, before joining the faculty of Notre Dame in Fall 2012. He is the author and editor of several books and numerous articles and reviews and has delivered invited lectures around the country and several foreign nations.

Deneen was awarded the A.P.S.A.'s Leo Strauss Award for Best Dissertation in Political Theory in 1995, and an honorable mention for the A.P.S.A.'s Best First Book Award in 2000. He has been awarded research fellowships from Princeton University and the Earhart Foundation.

His teaching and writing interests focus on the history of political thought, American political thought, religion and politics, and literature and politics.

The (Liberating) Theology of Black Panther with Donivan Brown, Tabi Upton, Nyasha Chiundiza, & Chris Woodhull Mar 27, 2018

At Theology on Tap Chattanooga we convened a panel to discuss the theology imagination of the new film Black Panther. Recorded live at The Camp House on March 8th, 2018. This episode contains the panel discussion with a separate episode of Q&A to be released as a part two.
Panelists feature Donivan Brown, Tabi Upton, Nyasha Chiundiza, & Chris Woodhull.

Donivan Brown serves as a Field Fellow for Unifi-Ed. Chris Woodhull is an ordained minister of the Mission Chattanooga and Executive Director of Build Me A World. Together, Donivan and Chris form the Office of Truth, Repair, & Lament at the Mission Chattanooga.

Tabi Upton is the morning co-host of Mornings with Jason and Tabi on 88.9 Moody Radio Chattanooga. She is also a licensed counselor, blogger, and speaker. She is a former Peace Corps volunteer, has supported military families in Europe and Cuba, and has worked with inmates in jail settings. She wrote a column called Mind Matters for the Chattanooga Times Free press from 2001 to 2013. She attended Biola University (BA-Psychology) in southern California and Colorado Christian University outside of Denver, where she obtained a MA in Counseling. She is the founder of WOW Dinner Parties and Beyond for Christian single women, and she loves encouraging others to live fulfilling lives by embracing the place God has for them, right where they are.

Nyasha Chiundiza is a scholar of philosophy and religion (Yale University) and social theory (The New School for Social Research). He teaches on religion and society and global religions at Albertus Magnus Colllege in New Haven, Connecticut.

"Dropping Science on Religion?: The Myth of Warfare Between Science & Faith" with Dr. Clint Ohlers Jan 19, 2018

"Dropping Science on Religion?: The Myth of Warfare Between Science & Faith" Dr. Clint Ohlers

Recorded live at The Camp House in Chattanooga, TN on May 12, 2015

According to some scientists and theologians, we currently stand at a high-water mark in human history for scientific evidence favoring a Creator of the universe. At the same time there exists a longstanding perception of perpetual warfare between advancing science and embattled religious beliefs. To answer why this is we will step into the history of science. What we find is a vibrant and engaging story of an era of science that was highly supportive of theistic belief, followed by, more recently, an era dominated by a philosophy of science hostile to it. This talk unravels these developments and examines a colorful cast of thinkers who have weighed in on both sides, many of whom, such as Charles Darwin in the 19th century, and Stephen Hawking today, were and are legends in their own time.

About our speaker: Clinton Ohlers received his PhD and MA degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in American History, where he specialized in American and European intellectual history and the history of science. He has held the titles of Benjamin Franklin Fellow and Roy F. and Jeanette P. Nichols Fellow, at Penn, and Leadership History Fellow at Leaders’ Portfolio, Washington D.C.’s CEO Interview Show. Dr. Ohlers is currently completing a book manuscript developed from his dissertation at the University of Pennsylvania. The working title is “Science after Darwin: Theism, Scientific Naturalism, and the Warfare between Science and Religion.” Dr. Ohlers has taught on science and religion as a Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania and delivered papers on his research before the History of Science Society, Evangelical Philosophical Society, and the American Society of Church Historians. He has been an invited speaker at conferences nationally and on the radio. He also serves on the boards of the International Human Development Corporation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, and R. C. Cord, Inc.

"Mary Christmas: The Mother(hood) of God for the Perplexed" William Glass & Satoya Foster Dec 22, 2017

"Mary Christmas: The Mother(hood) of God for the Perplexed"
With Rev. William Glass & Satoya Foster

Recorded live at The Camp House in Chattanooga, TN on Dec. 12, 2017.

From the beginning, Christians have affirmed that Jesus Christ was “born of the Virgin Mary.” Is this confession just a leftover from a superstitious era, or is it a core part of our faith? Why do the Christian creeds bother to mention Mary when they don’t mention, say, Joseph? Does Mary teach Christians anything about the way God views motherhood – or how they should? Does she matter for our salvation? Does she teach us anything about God?

We’ll explore all these questions in an unconventional format – via a conversation about motherhood between William Glass, who is not a mother, and Satoya Foster, who miraculously is. By telling Satoya’s journey through infertility to the surprising birth of her daughter Zoe, we will discuss why Jesus was born of a mother and no father, instead of, say, the opposite. We’ll learn why barrenness is such a big deal in the Bible (hint: it’s not just patriarchy!) and why (Mary’s) motherhood is a crucial part of how God saves us. Finally, we’ll show the part Mary plays in teaching Christians how to read their own Bible and to understand the motherhood of God their father.

About the Speakers:

William Glass is a PhD candidate in systematic theology at Southern Methodist University. His research is on Catholic and Protestant controversies concerning the doctrine of Marian co-redemption. Before attending SMU, he trained in biblical studies at Duke Divinity School, where he received one of two awards given to his year for excellence in Bible.

Satoya Foster is a musician currently based in Chattanooga, TN. Her latest album, Emergence, is available as of November 2017 (https://satoyafoster.com/). She leads worship at Mission Chattanooga, a multi-chapel Anglican congregation, and she is also training for ministry at the Mission School for Ministry.

An Evening At Truth's Table - Part 2 Dec 07, 2017

Truth's Table is a podcast featuring Michelle Higgins, Christina Edmondson, and Ekemini Uwan. Together they are the midwives of culture for grace and truth. In October we had the privilege of partnering with Lee University to bring the ladies to Chattanooga for a live event. For the sake of the podcast we split the event into two episodes. Part 1 features introductions and the ladies telling the story of how they began the podcast. Part 2 is the Q&A portion of the evening that gets into a lot of cultural and theological topics.

Listen to Truth's Table Podcast: http://www.podasterystudios.com/truths-table

An Evening At Truth's Table - Part 1 Dec 07, 2017

Truth's Table is a podcast featuring Michelle Higgins, Christina Edmondson, and Ekemini Uwan. Together they are the midwives of culture for grace and truth. In October we had the privilege of partnering with Lee University to bring the ladies to Chattanooga for a live event. For the sake of the podcast we split the event into two episodes. Part 1 features introductions and the ladies telling the story of how they began the podcast. Part 2 is the Q&A portion of the evening that gets into a lot of cultural and theological topics.

Listen to Truth's Table Podcast: http://www.podasterystudios.com/truths-table

"The End of Innovation" Dr. Greg Thompson Oct 26, 2017

Recorded live at The Camp House in Chattanooga, TN on October 17.

What is the end of innovation? Why do we even innovate to begin with and how will we know if we are successful in such an endeavor? Dr. Greg Thompson seeks to pull our imaginations to the deeper questions of why innovation will matter for our communities in the 21st century.

Greg Thompson is the Director of Research and Strategy at Clayborn Reborn, a historic Civil Rights site in Memphis Tennessee. He is also a Senior Advisor for the Tom Tom Founders Festival in Charlottesville, Virginia. Before joining Clayborn and Tom Tom Greg served as the CEO of the Thriving Cities Group, a Civic Design firm based in Charlottesville, Virginia and as the Executive Director of New City Commons, a consulting team that supports faith-based communities in the work of serving their cities. Greg is also active in national conversations surrounding race and equity in America and holds a PhD from the University of Virginia where he wrote his dissertation on Martin Luther King, Jr.

Clayborn Reborn - https://www.claybornreborn.org
Thriving Cities - http://thrivingcities.com
New City Commons - http://newcitycommons.com

Other talks by Dr. Greg Thompson on Qideas.org - http://qideas.org/contributors/greg-thompson/

"The Doctrine of Trauma, Discovery, & Lament" Mark Charles - Part 2 Oct 25, 2017

THIS IS PART 2 - Our Q&A session with Mark Charles. Please go back and listen to Part 1 first, which is the lecture, to better understand the context of these questions.

How deep do issues of race and discrimination go in our country and in our Christian faith? Mark Charles digs into this complex history in order to help forge a path of healing and conciliation for both the church and our nation.

Mark Charles is a dynamic and thought-provoking public speaker, writer, and consultant. The son of an American woman (of Dutch heritage) and a Navajo man, he speaks with insight into the complexities of American history regarding race, culture, and faith in order to help forge a path of healing and conciliation for the nation. Mark serves as the Washington DC correspondent and regular columnist for Native News Online and is the author of the popular blog "Reflections from the Hogan." He served on the board of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) and is a former Board of Trustee member of the Christian Reformed Church of North America (CRCNA). Mark also consults with the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (CICW), has served as the pastor of the Christian Indian Center in Denver CO and is a founding partner of a national conference for Native students called “Would Jesus Eat Frybread?” (CRU, IVCF and CICW).

"The Doctrine of Discovery, Trauma, & Lament" Mark Charles - Part 1 Oct 19, 2017

PART 1 - LECTURE, PART 2 - Q&A

How deep do issues of race and discrimination go in our country and in our Christian faith? Mark Charles digs into this complex history in order to help forge a path of healing and conciliation for both the church and our nation.

Mark Charles is a dynamic and thought-provoking public speaker, writer, and consultant. The son of an American woman (of Dutch heritage) and a Navajo man, he speaks with insight into the complexities of American history regarding race, culture, and faith in order to help forge a path of healing and conciliation for the nation. Mark serves as the Washington DC correspondent and regular columnist for Native News Online and is the author of the popular blog "Reflections from the Hogan." He served on the board of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) and is a former Board of Trustee member of the Christian Reformed Church of North America (CRCNA). Mark also consults with the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (CICW), has served as the pastor of the Christian Indian Center in Denver CO and is a founding partner of a national conference for Native students called “Would Jesus Eat Frybread?” (CRU, IVCF and CICW).

"Reasons to Believe Beyond Reason: The Faith of Blaise Pascal" Dr. Graham Tomlin Oct 10, 2017

Recorded live at The Camp House on November 12, 2014.

Preview: T.S. Eliot once wrote, “I can think of no Christian writer… more to be commended than Pascal to those who doubt, but have the mind to conceive, and the sensibility to feel, the disorder, the futility, the meaninglessness, the mystery of life and suffering, and who can only find peace through a satisfaction of the whole being.” At the next ToT, we will be looking at the life and work of the 17th century French mathematician and philosopher, Blaise Pascal, a man who peculiarly embodied the anxieties of his age and ours, anticipating the intellectual quandaries of Christian belief posed by the Zeitgeists of the modern and post-moderns worlds.

Dr. Graham is Dean of St. Mellitus College in London, a church training institution which provides theological education for London, Essex, and Liverpool. He is also Principal of St Paul's Theological Centre, which is based at Holy Trinity Brompton. He holds degrees from Oxford University and Exeter University, the latter from which he earned his PhD in theology. He returned to Oxford where for sixteen years he variously served as a chaplain, taught theology, church history, evangelism and held posts at Wycliffe Hall including acting principal. Among his books are Spiritual Fitness: Christian Character in a Consumer Culture (Continuum, 2006); The Power of the Cross: Theology and the Death of Christ in Paul, Luther and Pascal (Paternoster, 1999); The Provocative Church (SPCK, 2002).

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Dr. Graham Tomlin's Blog: http://grahamtomlin.blogspot.com

"Chance The Rapper's Theology of Art & Life" Dr. Mary McCampbell Oct 10, 2017

Recorded live on September 9, 2017 at The Camp House.

"'Like God In My House': Chance The Rapper's Theology of Art & Life"
Dr. Mary McCampbell, Lee Univeristy

Mary McCampbell is Associate Professor of Humanities at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, where she teaches courses on postmodern theory and fiction, film and philosophy, and popular culture. A native Tennessean, she completed a doctorate at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne where her research focused on the relationship between contemporary fiction, late capitalist culture, and the religious impulse. Her publications span the worlds of literature, film, and music, and she is currently working on a book titled Postmodern Prophetic: The Religious Impulse in Contemporary Fiction. She has been one of the organizers of Calvin College's Festival of Faith and Music since 2009, and she frequently speaks and teaches on the theological significance of popular music. McCampbell was the Summer 2014 Writer-in-Residence at L’Abri Fellowship in Greatham, England and has been invited to be a Winter 2018 Scholar-in-Residence at Regent College in Vancouver.

Support TOT Chattanooga on Patreon: http://bit.ly/2hXfRSx
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Dr. Mary McCampbell's website: https://www.drmarymccampbell.com/

"The Death & Afterlife of the American Prosperity Gospel" Dr. Kate Bowler Oct 09, 2017

Recorded live on October 28, 2014 at The Camp House.

"Again and again, observers have predicted the death of the American prosperity gospel. Scandals. Economic depressions. Senate investigations. Failed miracles. The prosperity gospel has been pronounced dead and gone time and again since its inception in the 1950's. How has this message of divine health and wealth been resurrected in American Christianity? Meet the modern preachers of this changing movement and learn about how this theology of blessing has become, once again, one of the most popular religious movements in America."

Kate Bowler (Ph.D., Duke University) is assistant professor of the history of Christianity in the United States at Duke Divinity in Durham, North Carolina. Her first book, Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel (Oxford, 2013), traces the rise of Christian belief in divine promises of health, wealth, and happiness.

Support TOT Chattanooga on Patreon: http://bit.ly/2hXfRSx
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Dr. Kate Bowler's website: http://katebowler.com

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