Homebrewed Christianity

Latest Episodes:

The Specter of Prayer with Mark Karris Mar 21, 2018

Show notes

Mark Karris, ordained minister and therapist, is on to talk about his new book, Divine Echoes: Reconciling Prayer with the Uncontrolling Love of God. In this book about prayer, inspired by the open and relational work of Tom Oord, Mark looks at the role of trauma in his life and how that led to his work as a minister, therapist, and theologian; the specter of the failure of prayer; his experience of God as love amidst the trauma; the theological underpinnings for petitionary prayer.

what is the role of prayer?
do petitionary prayers make a difference?
is God really in control?

Many theologians are embarrassed by the theological implications of intercessory prayer and try to dismiss it, but Mark spends time reflecting on the nature of the God-World relationship, the nature of divine love, and really wrestles with what petitionary prayer could look like in an open and relational context.

Tripp and Mark also talk about the struggle to find meaning, purpose, and value within suffering and how that can lead back to a classical theism, the necessity for communities to rethink ideas of God's power, and Mark offers a solution to the problems of petitionary prayer.

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#HBC10: From Scripture to Screen with Hannah Leader Mar 16, 2018

Show notes

In the final episode of HBC's 10th birthday week, Tripp talks with film pioneer Hannah Leader. Hannah worked as a lawyer in the independent film world, but realized the need for high-quality Christian films.

Hannah and Tripp talk about how she got into the film industry and found her way talking about Christianity, the struggle to find videos that didn't depict Jesus as a white guy, why all other forms of art (music, art, architecture) are done to the highest level for the church, except for film, the sanitation of our lives inside and outside of the church, the challenges of bringing scripture to the screen, and what, as a person of faith, this project helped her discover about the gospels that she hadn't noticed before.

Plus, Hannah gives some suggestions for using the films in your community.

Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. Or, get the whole collection here.

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#HBC10: Theological Possibilities with Catherine Keller Mar 15, 2018

Show notes

Today is the last day to get the cheapest tickets for Theology Beer Camp! Don't let the birthday celebrations die - join us for Theology Beer Camp this August in Asheville, NC. There are only 99 spots, so get 'em while they're hot.

JC (Just Catherine) Keller is back on the podcast to talk about her book, Intercarnations: Exercises in Theological Possibility.

Catherine and Tripp talk about:

The possibilities for theology today
What is Christ Inc. and how has christology been short-circuited from its intercarnational possibilities?
How does theopoetics reframe the christological quest?
How do we make theopoetics inviting to the non-specialist?
What would a process-relational liturgy look like?

Plus, hear Catherine talk about issues of exceptionalism - religious, political, racial, species - in our theology, the christological problem, liberating incarnation from corporations, the role of substance metaphysics in christology and where it falls short, and the ways unexamined interpretations impose themselves on bodies, and the secularization of right-wing Christianity, the Eucharist as hyper-gift, and anxieties surrounding our ethical responsibilities.

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#HBC10: Evidence That Demands A Podcast with Sean McDowell Mar 14, 2018

Show notes

And now for something completely different.

Sean McDowell, Associate Professor in the Christian Apologetics program at Biola University, and son of Josh McDowell, is on to talk about the newly revised and updated Evidence that Demands a Verdict.

Sean and Tripp talk about a lot things, including:

What it's like being the son of someone everyone knows, and to be a part of the new edition of Evidence that Demands a Verdict
What the biggest doubts in his own life were and what made him question his father's work
The difference between an intellectual assent and gut-level response to faith
The experience of God and the role that evidence plays in talking about that
What are the main reasons not everyone finds Christianity as obviously true?
How do you differentiate what was part of the historical setting of the Bible from our current cultural context?

Plus, Sean talks about role-playing an atheist, the confrontational tone of the title, the cultural shifts that have taken place between the first edition and this one, relating to other parts of the church who don't agree with him, the ways in which the Enlightenment has shaped this conversation, issues of sexuality in the Bible and the early church and the changing role of women in scripture.

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#HBC10: Raising Prophetic Christianity from the Dead with Robyn Henderson-Espinoza Mar 12, 2018

Show notes

This is Homebrewed Christianity's birthday week! We are celebrating by releasing 5 new episodes every day. Up first, activist theologian Robyn Henderson-Espinoza is back to talk about all sorts of things, including inviting everyone to Theology Beer Camp in Asheville, NC whit August 16-18 (tickets go on sale tomorrow so head over to theologybeercamp.com to get notified when they're available).

Robyn answers some questions from their last visit:

how has their relationship to their own identity and their relationship to scripture changed over time?
how to form a framework with which to view the Bible in a way that makes heternormitivity relevant for LGBTQ persons?
how do you understand typical American theology and its connection to racist whiteness?
how might our own inner life mobilize us to address pressing social concerns

Plus, Tripp and Robyn talk about the need for progressive Christians to have fun, to be playful with theology and not always so serious, joyful resistance, the truth, beauty, and goodness of the IPA, an epistemology of the gut, and the recent responses to gun violence.

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#HBC10: Why Go Derrida with John D. Caputo Mar 12, 2018

Show notes

Today is the day! HBC turns 10!

Jack Caputo is back and gives us 5 reasons to go Derrida:

1. Derrida give you the best argument against fundamentalism 2. It also is the best argument against modernism, including the new atheists, and reductionism 3. The undeconstructable, or unconditional, which is not a Platonic ideal, but a hope, an expectation. 4. Binary oppositions are deconstructable 5. The pervasive presence of biblical motifs in Derrida's work

Jack also explains his relationship to Derrida and his work, how Derrida's atheism was not the end of theology but the beginning of a new, more interesting post-theistic theology, whether Derrida is to blame for post-modernism, why absolutists are much scarier than relativists, and why post-modernism is neither absolutism nor relativism,

Plus, he tackles fundamentalism, the new atheists, Trump, and the distinction between beliefs and a deeper faith. Books mentioned:

Hoping Against Hope, The Folly of God, On Religion, Deconstruction in a Nutshell

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Live! from Atlanta #McAfeeTheology Mar 09, 2018

Show notes

These are the highlights from a live podcast in Atlanta with faculty from the McAfee School of Theology.

Up first, Graham Walker and Tripp talk about their mutual friendship with "cowboy theologian" Frank Tupper (and share some great stories), that moment when the struggles of faith and life animated the tradition he inherited, living in the Philippines, and how his Baptist identity has changed.

Then, biblical scholar Dr. Garber, talks about his geek conversion story, the lack of one cultural meta-narrative, the power of story and myth, re-imagining the world using geek culture, and how the religious questions of the past are being asked not by the church, but by popular culture.

Plus questions for biblical scholars Dr. Slater and Dr. Holmes: how does the text become sacred again after encountering academic criticism? at what point in your life did scripture become something worth studying? what questions do you hope linger with your students?

Dr. Nash and Nikki Hardeman help us think about making sense of the changing ministerial vocation economically, culturally, and ecclesiologically. And they share how their own piety shifted after being involved in the lives of the students they work with.

Finally, "The World's Most Interesting Ethics Professor" - David Gushee - and Dean Jeff Willetts play a game of au contraire mon frère.

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Keith Ward talks about the Bible Mar 06, 2018

Show notes

Keith Ward is back on the podcast to talk a little about his new book, Love Is His Meaning: Understanding The Teaching Of Jesus. In the book, Keith wrestles with the teachings of Jesus in a non-literal way, and looks to interpret the teachings of Jesus consistently throughout.

In this episode he talks about his relationship with scripture and how it's changed over the years, his unusual route from philosophy to Christianity, which teachings of Jesus we should take seriously but not literally, the relationship between the bible as a historical text and as a sacred text, and the canonized diversity of Christianity. He also tackles:

* What does a reductive, materialistic, scientific account miss when talking about creation?
* How did the biblical prophets change biblical religion?
* How are we supposed to understand the Kingdom of God that Jesus teaches?
* What would it mean to be priests of the earth?
* What is scripture's role when discussing contemporary issues of ethics and morality?
* How much are we bound by Jesus' teachings and life?

Plus, the problem of evil and suffering and how science can help Christians with this, the centrality of God's unlimited divine love and why it's essential to the New Testament's testimony to God.

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Resurrecting Easter with John Dominic Crossan Feb 27, 2018

Show notes

John Dominic Crossan - the fifth guest ever on the podcast - is back for his sixth visit to talk about his new book Resurrecting Easter.

Hear about the genesis of a book about the resurrection, or rather, how a curiosity about an image of Jesus turned into this book, and how Eastern Christianity's image of Easter differs radically from the Western tradition of Easter.

Individual Resurrection vs. Universal Resurrection:

which of these images is in greater continuity with the New Testament?
and what is the meaning of it?
how does a universal resurrection impact understandings of God's relationship to the person of Jesus and the world?

Hear how his approach to questions about the resurrection has changed over time - whether the resurrection was literal or metaphorical - and how that blocked questions of meaning, the difference between ascension and resurrection in Judaism, Paul's re-reading of the resurrection of the dead, the political implications of resurrection, and why Christians should take evolution seriously.

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Define American: Immigration, Politics and Religion with Ryan Eller Feb 21, 2018

Show notes

Rev. Ryan Eller, master storyteller and executive director at Define American is on to talk about politics, religion, and immigration. Define American is a non-profit working for immigrant rights. They have a lot of local chapters all over the country, organize on college campuses against alt-right groups, and have a film festival that highlights how we all intersect with one another.

Ryan talks about his experience as a baptist in Appalachia, how he ended up working for political campaigns, and finally ended up with Define American. He gives advice for those who want to figure out how to take action around an issue or passion, talks about the difference between letting your faith direct your political action and letting your political beliefs shape your faith, the radical Baptist heritage, the hypocrisy of conservative Christians, the fatalism of Appalachia and how growing up there has informed his faith, and why rural white poverty is not a real concern in the political landscape.

Tripp and Ryan also talk about what forced migration looks like today, how it is changing and will change America, and some of the lies that are being told about immigrants in America.

Plus, Tripp and Ryan throw some shade and exegete a Jerry Falwell Jr. tweet, and 3 myths the church believes that prevent action from being taken. Watch Ryan on the Tucker Carlson show here and answer three questions sent in from Homebrewed listeners here.

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