Homebrewed Christianity

Over the last few years, I have returned more often than I could have imagined to the work of Reinhold Niebuhr and his vision of Christian Realism. Between the rise of Trump, growing disappointment in Biden, and inaction on the most pressing issues... to name a few... my inherent optimism in the democratic experiment has waned.  So, I decided to have Dr. Kevin Carnahan on the podcast to unpack Christian Realism and how this particular theological lens could help me wrestle with my growing disease.

Kevin Carnahan is Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Central Methodist University in Fayette, MO. He recently stepped down after five years of service as co-editor of the Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics, is the former president of The Niebuhr Society, and author of multiple books and articles on religion, ethics, and politics. He lives in Columbia, MO with his wife and two daughters.

For more fast, nerdy fun hot takes from Kevin, check out his TikTok:)

Kevin's recommendations for those wanting to get into Niebuhr are Langdon Gilkey's On Niebuhr and Reinhold Niebuhr and Christian Realism by Robin Lovin.

You can also check out these two previous episodes with Scott Paeth on Niebuhr: On Reinhold & Richard Niebuhr and Why Go Niebuhr?

JOIN the HISTORICAL JESUS class with Dom Crossan

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What happens when a progressive Christian historian and theologian talk about everything you aren’t supposed to discuss at dinner? Let’s find out:)

If you want to join our regular online hangs, head over to Diana’s substack community, the Cottage, or the Homebrewed Community.

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

Lenten Online Class w/ John Dominic Crossan

Previous Episodes with Diana & Tripp

• The Christology Ladder
• The Indictment Edition of Ruining Dinner
• American Saints in a Cynical Age
• Ruining Dinner… and Date Nights
• Welcome to the Post-Christian Century
• Ruining Christmas Dinner
• Ruining Election Night Dinner
• The Over-Rated Genie God
• Bad Blood, Civil War, and other Soothing Topics
• Shall the Fundies (Keep) Winning?, Abortion, and Black Holes
• Theology and Spirituality in a Time of Rupture
• White Evangelical Theopolitics, John Shelby Spong, & Jesus
• 20 Years of Religious Decline
• Jesus After Religion and Beyond Fear
• Ruining Dinner with Diana Butler Bass and Robyn Henderson-Espinoza
• Evangelical Decline, the Supreme Court, and the Horizon of Possibility
• Debating, Praying, and Living with Tyrants
• Religion, Politics, & the Elephant in the Room

Lexington Theological Seminary is the sponsor for this Episode.

Lexington Theological Seminary is a pioneer in online theological education. Both the Doctoral and Masters programs are designed with the flexibility and contextual focus needed for the working student. You can learn more byheading here.

Here are a few episodes with a couple of their Profs

• Leah Schade & Wilson Dickinson: Faith During an Ecological Collapse
• Leah Schade: Preaching in a time of Crisis from Corona to Climate
• Wilson Dickinson: Faith After a Neo-liberal Compliant Church

Upcoming HBC Projects

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I am thrilled to have Dr. Scott MacDougall back on the podcast. He recently published The Shape of Anglican Theology Faith Seeking Wisdom, which explores the distinctiveness of Anglican theology. The book describes its boundaries and names its particular characteristics, finally concluding that Anglican theology is a wisdom theology that seeks to build the capacity for faithful Christian discernment in belief and practice. You will hear a brilliant theologian reflecting on his tradition and the deep joy of his faith. Talking with Scott is always a pleasure, and I hope you enjoy it.

Scott MacDougall was born and raised in Central New York. He attended college in the greater New York City area, receiving his B.A. from Hofstra University. Following a career in the not-for-profit sector, he undertook the formal study of theology. MacDougall received his M.A. in theology from the General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church in 2007 and his Ph.D. in systematic theology from Fordham University in 2014. At the American Academy of Religion, he co-chairs the Anglican Studies Seminar and serves on the steering committee of the Ecclesiological Investigations Unit. MacDougall has served as Co-Editor in Chief of the? Anglican Theological Review and was the inaugural Theologian to the House of Deputies of the Episcopal Church.

Previous Episodes with Scott

• More Than Communion

The Infinite Mystery & Diverse Doxology of God w/ Elizabeth Johnson

Christian Feminist Theology with Elizabeth Johnson, Monica Coleman, and Cindy Rigby Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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Philip Clayton and Diana Butler Bass joined me for a livestream exploration of different Christologies. This was part of our recent class, The Cosmic Christ, but after so many class members wanted to share it, I decided to go ahead and post it on the podcast.

If you enjoy the conversation, you can grab the rest of the class by heading over here.

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

Previous Podcast Convos w/ Philip Clayton

• Christ, Christmas, & the Incarnation
• How to Think Theologically
• On the Meaning of Life
• on the Mindfulness of Nature
• The Theology of Wolfhart Pannenberg w/ Philip Clayton
• Finding God in Everyone and Everywhere w/ Philip Clayton and Andrew Davis
• Can a process theologian be an Evangelical & other questions with Philip Clayton
• The #GodDebacle w/ Philip Clayton and LeRon Shults
• Philip Clayton on the Shape of Postmodern Theology
• Party Time with Philip Clayton for “The Predicament of Beliefâ€
• Bootlegged Christianity with Philip Clayton, Jack Caputo, Bill Mallonee, Peter Rollins, & Jay Bakker
• Philip Clayton on The Resurrection, Trinity, Eschatology & the Predicament of Belief
• Coming to Jesus with Daniel Kirk & Philip Clayton

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

Previous Episodes with Diana & Tripp

• The Indictment Edition of Ruining Dinner
• American Saints in a Cynical Age
• Ruining Dinner… and Date Nights
• Welcome to the Post-Christian Century
• Ruining Christmas Dinner
• Ruining Election Night Dinner
• The Over-Rated Genie God
• Bad Blood, Civil War, and other Soothing Topics
• Shall the Fundies (Keep) Winning?, Abortion, and Black Holes
• Theology and Spirituality in a Time of Rupture
• White Evangelical Theopolitics, John Shelby Spong, & Jesus
• 20 Years of Religious Decline
• Jesus After Religion and Beyond Fear
• Ruining Dinner with Diana Butler Bass and Robyn Henderson-Espinoza
• Evangelical Decline, the Supreme Court, and the Horizon of Possibility
• Debating, Praying, and Living with Tyrants
• Religion, Politics, & the Elephant in the Room

Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.

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EMERGED PODCAST

God After Deconstruction: @Drew Feb 9-10 @Denver April 11-13

ORTcon July 8-12:

Ring Lake Ranch July 14-20

ORTline Feb. 22-24

Theology Beer Camp 2024

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A long-time friend of the podcast, Doug Pagitt, returns to the podcast! He’s been a regular guest since episode 2… 15 years ago. In this episode, Tony Jones joins me as Doug reflects on the end of the church he planted Solomon’s Porch and the ongoing legacy of the Emerging Church Movement.

Doug Pagitt is an American author, pastor, social activist and executive director of Vote Common Good. A leading voice for progressive Christianity, Doug makes frequent national media and speaking appearances. A proud, concerned and hopeful American, Doug Pagitt is a social activist. He is Co-founder and Executive Director of Vote Common Good, a national political non-profit dedicated to inspiring, energizing, and mobilizing people of faith to engage in civic life.

Pulling from his experience as an author, pastor and business owner, Doug consults for and trains churches, denominations, politicians, businesses and non-profits throughout the United States on issues of culture, leadership, social systems, Christianity and Progressive Evangelicalism.

Doug has authored 10 books on spirituality, Christianity and leadership, including: Flipped (Random House 2015), The Inventive Age Series (SparkHouse 2012), and A Christianity Worth Believing (Jossey-Bass 2008). His latest book, Outdoing Jesus: Seven Ways to Live Out the Promise of Greater Than (Eerdmans 2019), is a hopeful and provocative commentary on biblical good news exemplified through present-day ordinary people making extraordinary contributions.

In 2000, Doug was founding pastor of Solomon’s Porch, a Holistic Missional Christian Community in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He also founded and remains active with the Greater Things Foundation, a charitable non-profit for empowering and fostering more beautiful, inclusive, and life-giving communities.

Some of the previous episodes with Doug

• Flipped LIVE show
• Doug wants the church to get inventive
• Discussing the Debate… in 2012
• Christianity Worth Believing w/ Tim Ponder

Rollin’ Gospel Revival w/ Doug & Tony in character

EPISODE TWO… Doug and Tim Conder talk to a church historian PART ONE & PART TWO

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One of the ongoing tensions for Biblical scholars is the gap between the shared knowledge within the academy and the need for more awareness among the larger public. Most ministers are aware of the tension this creates in the congregation, but the public square is no better. A friend and New Testament scholar, Dr. James McGrath, is back on the podcast to discuss his new book to tackle this problem. You will not want to miss The A to Z of the New Testament: Things Experts Know That Everyone Else Should Too!

James F. McGrath is Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature. His PhD from the University of Durham became the basis for his first book, John’s Apologetic Christology, published by Cambridge University Press in the SNTS Monograph Series. He has also written a “prequel†about the broader context of monotheism and Christology in ancient Judaism and Christianity, The Only True God: Early Christian Monotheism in Its Jewish Context, published by University of Illinois Press. More recently, he has published What Jesus Learned from Women, which explores the topic of the historical figure of Jesus and the influence the women mentioned in the Gospels had on him.

In addition to his work on the New Testament and early Christianity, Dr. McGrath also researches the Mandaeans (the last surviving Gnostic group from the ancient world) and their literature. The two-volume critical edition, translation, and commentary on the Mandaean Book of John (which he produced together with Charles Haberl of Rutgers University) represents the first such academic edition of the complete work in English based on all known manuscripts. Another area of specialty is the intersection of religion and science fiction. On that subject, he is the author of Theology and Science Fiction and The Battle of Ranskoor av Kolos (Black Archive #52), editor of Religion and Science Fiction and co-editor of Time and Relative Dimensions in Faith: Religion and Doctor Who. He blogs at Religion Prof.

Previous Episodes w/ James

• What Jesus Learned from Women
• Exploring the Matrix Resurrections
• Early Christian Monotheism

 

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Thomas Jay Oord is back on the podcast! This episode has two different parts. The first is a live QnA from ORTcon23. The wide-ranging God questions came from the event attendees and were inspired by some fantastic conversations throughout the gathering. In the last bit, Tom and I discuss all the nerdy fun that went down at the Open & Relational stage at Theology Beer Camp.

God After Deconstruction: Check out our upcoming class, book, and in-person events

Theology Beer Camp: head over here to get info on 2024 camp

Check out the ORTcon 24 event this coming summer

Check out ORTline 24 – an amazing online event with TONS of open and relational theologians

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

Some Previous Tripp & Tom Pods

• Christ, Christmas, & the Incarnation
• the Death of Omnipotence!
• Brian McLaren & Thomas Jay Oord: a God Worthy of Love
• Process This!
• Process Theology QnA
• Authority, Atonement, Abortion, and a Big Hug
• from Pluriform Love to Divine Revelation
• Big God Twitter Takes
• Trump is (NOT) a Process Theologian & Other Questions
• Thomas Jay Oord wants you to know “God Can’t”
• Open and Relational Theology Throwdown
• Open and Relational Q&A with Thomas Jay Oord
• Why Go Wesleyan?

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I am thrilled to have  Dr. Hanna Reichel on the podcast for the first time! Our conversation centers around their newest book After Method.

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

After Method assumes the impossibility of doing theology right–and moves beyond it. Organized as a conversation in two voices—with systematic-theological commitments represented by Karl Barth and constructive-theological commitments represented by Marcella Althaus-Reid—this book calls the redemptive potential of any methodological program into question. Indeed, the search for a full and complete theological account of reality has only further fragmented theological discourse. Thus, Hanna Reichel argues that method cannot “save” us—but that does not mean that we cannot do better. After Method harnesses the best insights systematic and constructive theologies have to offer in their mutual critique and gestures toward a “better” theology.

Utilizing architectural metaphor, Reichel pulls from systematic and constructive approaches to develop an understanding of theological work as conceptual design, responsibly ordering and structuring given materials for a purpose. This necessitates a more realistic adaptation to reality for theology, expanding its standards to encompass the experiences and perceptions of people and speaking the truth available to it. The honesty, humility, and solidarity generated through the failure of method liberates theology to a more playful and tentative cruising of different approaches and redirects its attention to “misfits” and outsiders. Equally demanding and self-relativizing, the resultant ethos is better able to do justice to the reality of the world and the reality of God than doctrinal orthodoxy or methodological orthopraxy.

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I hope that no matter where you are in life, you have been able to enjoy the holiday season by eating good food, spending time with friends and family, or at least getting some rest. If the holidays don’t tend to provide comfort, then you can escape and take shelter in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy with Nick Polk from Tolkien Pop! as well as Tolkien Scholar Dr. Craig Boyd!

As we enter the eye of the storm that is the holiday season, we will kick off our run of Christmas movies with The Lord of the Rings (the extended editions, of course). Because, in fact, The Lord of the Rings are Christmas movies. The Fellowship is led by a supernatural man with a white beard, the company departs from Rivendell to begin their quest on December 25th (Christmas Day), and there are plenty of Elves to go around! To solidify the argument even further, Tolkien wrote his children Letters from Father Christmas (Santa Claus) every year during the Christmas season in their adolescence. In these letters, Tolkien told of Santa and his elves fighting off a goblin army. We even see glimpses of Tolkien’s invented Elvish language script in the letters. The legendarium was partly developed in and through a Christmas fantasy world sandbox.

We talk about all these things and more as a sort of “pregame†into our Christmas Movie Marathon and will come back with another “postgame†livestream with Dr. Craig Boyd and some other special guests that you won’t wanna miss. So, with all that said, let’s go on a Middle-earth Christmas adventure!

Craig A. Boyd is Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Saint Louis University. Among the books he has published are The Virtues: A Very Short Introduction, with Kevin Timpe (Oxford University, 2021), Virtues and Their Vices, co-edited with Kevin Timpe (Oxford University Press, 2014), and A Shared Morality: A Narrative Defense of Natural Law Ethics (Brazos Press, 2007). His scholarly articles have appeared in such venues as The Heythrop Journal, Christian Scholar’s Review, Christianity & Literature, New Blackfriars, and American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly.

Nick Polk (Tolkien Pop!) is the production editor for Mallorn, the academic journal of The Tolkien Society. His most recent research includes his essay entitled “Middle-earth in South Park: The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers as Parody.†Other than Tolkien, his other loves include his wife Kelly, coffee, and punk. Nothing sounds better than starting the day reading a Tolkien book with a cup of coffee and ending it in a moshpit with loved ones.

One Stream to Rule them ALL: Prepping for a LOTR Christmas Movie Marathon https://t.co/xCDvZ3ZIHv

— Theology Nerd (@HomebrewedXnty)  November 30, 2023

 

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