Homebrewed Christianity

Latest Episodes:

Bill Leonard: the Fundamentalization of American Religion Mar 08, 2022

Show notes

My church history Prof from Wake Div, Bill Leonard, is back on the podcast. We have a wide-ranging conversation about the changing shape of religion in America. It is always a joy to reconnect with a mentor to pick some more wisdom and get feedback about some of the ideas you are working through.

Dr. Bill Leonard is Founding Dean and Professor of Divinity Emeritus at Wake Forest University’s SChool of Divinity. Leonard’s research focuses on Church History with particular attention to American religion, Baptist studies, and Appalachian religion. He is the author or editor of some 25 books including Christianity in Appalachia (1999); Baptist Ways: A History (2003); The Challenge of Being Baptist (2010); Can I Get a Witness?: Essays, Sermons and Reflections (2013); and A Sense of the Heart: Christian Religious Experience in the U.S., (2014). In March 2015 he delivered the William James Lecture on Religious Experience at Harvard Divinity School and in February 2017 he gave the William Self Lectures on Preaching at McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University. His newest book, The Homebrewed Christianity Guide to Church History: Flaming Heretics and Heavy Drinkers, was published by Fortress Press in July 2017. Leonard is on the board of the Journal of Disability and Religion, The Baptist Quarterly (England), the Day1 Preaching Network, the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, and the Governing Board of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. His sabbatical research focuses on a new book, tentatively entitled: “Security or Idolatry?: A History of Religion and Firearms in the U.S.” Leonard writes a twice-monthly column for Baptist News Global, is an ordained Baptist minister, and a member of First Baptist Church, Highland Avenue (American Baptist Churches, USA) in Winston-Salem.

the church’s loss of cultural privilege
the changing sociology of Sunday
the rapid rise of the religiously unaffiliated
living through a period of institutional permanent transition
changing shape of religious pluralism
the changing center of faith from the congregation
the rise of Christian Nationalism
the history of race and religion in America
fear of critical race theory
Christian formation in a Biblically illiterate age
how American evangelical identity got so ugly
the Fundamentalization of American Religion and the move from experience to transaction
from the Scopes Monkey Trial to Critical Race Theory
how inerrancy migrated to natural law
“you can be right about scripture and wrong about the Gospel”
an account of American brokenness
how big tech is ruining religion
the Pornification of Religion
how individualism is destroying us individually
the growing lack of community for many is a judgment on the church
why the West needs the church

Check out these books by Dr. Leonard:

Previous Podcasts w/ Dr. Leonard

Don’t forget to join Tripp & Diana this Lent for an open online class – Jesus De/constructed! Details here. Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Sarah Lane Ritchie: a Minimally Viable God Concept Mar 07, 2022

Show notes

What does it sound like when two friends discuss their struggle with the concept of God? If those friends also have a shared interest in science, philosophy, and religion it could sound like this.

My super-nerd friend, Sarah Lane Ritchie, is back on the podcast for a strikingly honest conversation about God and what is required for a “minimally viable” concept. It centers on three particular affirmations:

God is personal
God is transcendent
God provides for postmortem existence

Dr. Sarah Lane Ritchie received her B.A. in Philosophy & Religion from Spring Arbor University, an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, and an M.Sc. in Science & Religion from the University of Edinburgh. She obtained her Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh in Science & Religion with a thesis on divine action and the human mind, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of St. Andrews. She has published a book with Cambridge University Press and numerous articles in academic journals, and continues research in the field of science and religion.

Sarah’s Previous Podcast Visits

Don’t forget to join Tripp & Diana this Lent for an open online class – Jesus De/constructed! Details here. Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Diana Butler Bass: De/Constructing Jesus & the Lenten Journey Mar 04, 2022

Show notes

Yesterday we launched Jesus De/Constructed,Â an open online class with Diana Butler Bass. Â This is session one, so receive it as an invitation to join the group. We are thrilled over 3000 people have already signed up

Donâ€™t forget to join Tripp & Diana this Lent for an open online class â€“ Jesus De/constructed! Details here. Â Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Andrew Root: Churches and the Crisis of Decline Mar 02, 2022

Show notes

What would happen if Marty McFly went back in time and gave a young Karl Barth a copy of Charles Taylor’sÂ A Secular Age?Â

It would be pretty close to Andrew Root’s new bookÂ Churches and the Crisis of Decline.Â The book came out today, so Andy and I talked about it on a live stream. Enjoy the convo, get the book, and look forward to the coming Karl Barth musical on Disney+

Andrew Root is the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary, USA. He writes and researches in areas of theology, ministry, culture, and younger generations. Â Some of his most recent books areÂ TheÂ Congregation in a Secular AgeÂ (Baker, 2021),Â The End of Youth Ministry?Â (Baker, 2020),Â The Pastor in a Secular Age: Ministry to People Who No Longer Need GodÂ (Baker, 2019),Â Faith Formation in a Secular AgeÂ (Baker, 2017), andÂ Exploding Stars, Dead Dinosaurs, and Zombies: Youth Ministry in the Age of ScienceÂ (Fortress Press, 2018). Â Andy has worked in congregations, parachurch ministries, and social service programs. He lives in St. Paul with his wife Kara, two children, Owen and Maisy, and their dog. When not reading, writing, or teaching, Andy spends far too much time watching TV and movies.

Previous Visits with Andy Root

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Thomas Jay Oord: from Pluriform Love to Divine Revelation Mar 01, 2022

Show notes

This is another zesty session of “Big God Questions” with Tom Oord. In this edition, we discuss his new book Pluriform Love, an Open and Relational account of divine revelation, and more. At the end of the episode, Tom offers to send 10 people a copy of his new book if they submit a question for a future ‘Big God Questions’ session. So send us a question HERE.

We are both evangelists for Open and Relational Theology and now that it has a center you should check it out. You can also check out the doctoral program in Open and Relational TheologyÂ here.

Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. Oord is an award-winning author, and he has written or edited more than twenty books. A twelve-time Faculty Award-winningÂ professor, Oord teaches at institutions around the globe. A gifted speaker, Oord is known for his contributions to research on love, open and relational theology, science and religion, and the implications of freedom and relationships for transformation.

Some Previous Tripp & Tom Pods

Big God Twitter Takes

Trump is (NOT) a Process Theologian & Other Questions

Thomas Jay Oord wants you to know â€œGod Canâ€™tâ€

Open and Relational Theology Throwdown

Open and Relational Q&A with Thomas Jay Oord

Why Go Wesleyan?

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Leah Schade & Wilson Dickinson: Faith During an Ecological Collapse Feb 28, 2022

Show notes

What does it mean to take one’s faith seriously during an ecological collapse? How can ministers lead faith communities when so many justice issues are polarizing? These important questions and more shape this conversation with two returning guests to the podcast – Leah Schade & Wilson Dickinson. Both are faculty at Lexington Theological Seminary where there is a deep investment in these tasks and the cultivation of a more vibrant online education.

Dr. Leah Schade is Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary, A graduate of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, her research and experience cover the fields of homiletics and ecological theology. As an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), Schade has served in suburban, urban, and rural settings and has worked with parishioners from a variety of cultural, racial, and economic backgrounds. Formerly the pastor of United in Christ Lutheran Church in Lewisburg, PA, Schade s ministry is marked by her experience in and passion for ecological and social justice advocacy and activism.

Dr. Schade’s Books

Preaching in the Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red-Blue Divide

Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis

Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit

Dr. Wilson Dickinson is a writer, pastor, and organizer who lives in his hometown of Georgetown, Kentucky. He teaches theology and directs the Doctor of Ministry and Continuing Education Programs at Lexington Theological Seminary. He is the director of the Green Good News, an organization that works with churches and schools to integrate sustainability, justice, and discipleship.

Check out Wilson’s books The Green Good News and Exercises in New Creation.

PREVIOUS PODCAST VISITS Leah Schade: Preaching in a time of Crisis from Corona to Climate Wilson Dickinson: Faith After a Neo-liberal Compliant Church Don’t forget to join Tripp & Diana this Lent for an open online class – Jesus De/constructed! Details here. Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Ryan Duns: Spiritual Exercises for a Secular Age Feb 24, 2022

Show notes

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

In the conversation we discuss...

the possibility of a return to Narnia
problems with cranky Thomism
what is happening in the cultural fascination with Zombies
5 Commandments for doing Metaphysics... after the death of Metaphysics
Want to read a summary of the book and see some stellar scholars engage it? Head over here to the Syndicate consortium.
Sacramental hermenutics
how spiritual formation is like karaoke & why you don't have to be Bob Dylan
there's a little bit of Susan Boyle in each of us

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Grace Ji-Sun Kim: a Theology of Visibility Feb 22, 2022

Show notes

My friend and brilliant theologian, Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim, is back on the podcast and we have a stimulating conversation about her newest book Invisible: Theology and the Experience of Asian American Women.

Check out my visit to Grace's podcast -Here's the audio & here's Mandang on YoutTube:)

Grace Ji-Sun Kim is Professor of Theology at Earlham School of Religion. She received her M.Div. from Knox College and her Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. She is the author or editor of 19 books most recently, Keeping Hope Alive; Intersectional Theology co-written with Susan Shaw and Embracing the Other. Kim is a Series Editor for Palgrave Macmillan Series, “Asian Christianity in the Diaspora”. Eerdmans included her in their list of Five Great Women Scholars, and the Englewood Review of Books named her in their list of Ten Important Women Theologians You Should Be Reading

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John Cobb: the Greatest Living Theologian Turns 97 Feb 10, 2022

Show notes

John Cobb, the greatest living theologian, returns to the podcast for a birthday pod. What an honor, treat, and thrill! I hope you all enjoy this one half as much as I did :)

Dr. John B. Cobb, Jr. taught theology at the Claremont School of Theology from 1958 to 1990. In 2014 he became the first theologian elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences for his interdisciplinary work in ecology, economics, and biology.

Books by Cobb that come up in the episode

Previous Visits from John Cobb

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Cancel Culture, Rogan, Whoopi, Chappelle, & the NFL Feb 09, 2022

Show notes

Last night Adam and I had a live stream session for the Upsetting the Powers online reading group. After an hour or so of digging into the readings from Womanist theologian Delores Williams, we took some questions from the group and it was too timely not to share. If you want to access the entire class head over here and join up.

At the end of the episode, you get a special invite to join Jesus De/Constructed with Diana Butler Bass and me. :)

Dr. Adam Clark is an Associate Professor of Theology at Xavier University. He is committed to the idea that theological education in the twenty-first century must function as a counter-story. One that equips us to read against the grain of the dominant culture and inspires one to live into the Ignatian dictum of going forth “to set the world on fire.” To this end, Dr. Clark is intentional about pedagogical practices that raise critical consciousness by going beneath surface meanings, unmasking conventional wisdoms and reimagining the good. He currently serves as co-chair of Black Theology Group at the American Academy of Religion, actively publishes in the area of black theology and black religion and participates in social justice groups at Xavier and in the Cincinnati area. He earned his PhD at Union Theological Seminary in New York where he was mentored by James Cone.

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