Theology Beer Camp began as an experiment in “pub theology.” A few “theology nerds” delving into deep subjects like God, the universe and the meaning of life over a few brews.
Tripp Fuller, a theologian best known for his podcast, “Homebrewed Christianity,” was at the helm. The localized gatherings became so popular that participants challenged Tripp to make it a national event. The first Theology Beer Camp drew 150 people, and the annual convocation has grown in size and complexity with each passing year. This year, more than 600 people are expected to attend.
Alan Bean
The next edition of Theology Beer Camp will unfold Oct. 8-10 at Pine Ridge Presbyterian Church in Kansas City, Mo. My wife, Nancy, and I will be there. Should you be?
Theology that doesn’t suck
Although Tripp wields the rhetoric of academic theology with the best of them, he also has an earthy side. He’s an irreverent reverend trying to shape “a theology that doesn’t suck.”
This 2-minute promotional video will give you a feel for the sort of people you can expect to meet at Beer Camp. Some of them look like the folks you see at church on Sunday morning. Some of them … don’t.
At the close of the video, Tripp reminds attendees, “The one who made all creation knows your name, knows your face and gives a shit.”
If you are offended by that remark, don’t come to Theology Beer Camp.
But if you are intrigued, or even inspired, by Tripp’s benediction, chances are you will feel at home in Kansas City.
Why beer?
What if you don’t like beer? Or what if you are a recovering alcoholic and don’t like the idea of being around all that booze?
Come to Theology Beer Camp anyway. The organizers have created an AA meeting at the heart of the festivities where you can compare notes with fellow travelers.
Although Tripp Fuller grew up Baptist, he loves his beer with the theological passion of Martin Luther. Beer can be a social lubricant, and social lubrication is uppermost in the minds of the organizers. Jesus turned water into wine. And when he was looking for a way to draw his disciples closer to Abba-God, “He took a cup and, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.”
We have turned the wine into water; Tripp wants to turn it into beer.
What sort of people will you meet at Theology Beer Camp?
Tripp has identified four distinct types of people who will be coming to Kansas City in October. All four orientations reflect a post-apocalyptic understanding of Christian faith. A shared assumption is that something has gone tragically wrong with the American practice of the Christian faith. In fact, things have gone so wrong that we need to strip the institution back to the studs and start over.
“Tripp has identified four distinct types of people who will be coming to Kansas City in October.”
First, you’ll meet the Sand Walkers. Among other things, this is a reference to the Desert Mothers and Fathers who, beginning in the fourth century, retreated to the wilderness in an unspoken rebuke to Constantinian Christendom.
Although the Sand Walkers tend to be quiet and unassuming, they “know that fear is a mind-killer.” Their question is, “What does prayer actually do when the world is on fire?”
“When the rest of us are shouting,” Tripp says, “they are the ones who remember how to listen.”
Second, you’ll meet the Fleet. These people are on a voyage of uncertain destination. The Fleet is asking “if there will be a church worth joining on the other side” of the great American apocalypse. “They have left something, a church, a denomination, a whole theological orientation, and yet they’re still moving,” Tripp explains.
Most of the people attending Theology Beer Camp have been wounded by organized religion. If you are uncomfortable around people who have more questions than answers, people who claim to be “deconstructing” their old theology, Theology Beer Camp isn’t for you. But if you are sailing with the Fleet, you need to join the solemn festivities in Kansas City.
Third, you’ll meet the Remnant. These folks are asking, “What is worth preserving and who is going to do the preserving?” The attachment may be to traditional hymns, liturgical worship, Sunday school classes, beloved biblical texts or to revered preachers and teachers who laid a firm foundation for adult faith.
The Remnant views the church through a post-apocalyptic lens but clings to the good, the useful and the beautiful for dear life.
“When the rest of us are trying something new,” Tripp says, “they’re the ones who remind us what not to leave behind.”
Fourth, you’ll meet the Witnesses. These are the radicals, the ones who are tired of biting their tongues and holding their fire. The witnesses, Tripp says, “Can’t be quiet. They’ve watched the church go silent as the empire did its work, and they refuse to be one more pastor who kept their job by keeping their mouth shut.”
The witnesses ask, “What does it cost to tell the truth in public right now, and is the church willing to pay.” Does our faith drive us into the arms of authoritarian demagogues or does our faith hold the demagogues to account?
Tripp is convinced all these orientations need one another. Left to themselves, they are unlikely to find a lifegiving way forward; but when they all come together, they supply what is lacking in each orientation.
Post-apocalyptic theology
Think of John of Patmos unveiling the demonic truth behind Roman hegemony. Think of the desert Mothers and Fathers moving to the margins of a church that had been commandeered by Roman power. Think of old Roger Williams establishing a safe haven for spiritual misfits in Providence. Think of Dietrich Bonhoeffer asking what faith looks like in the wake of the church’s total capitulation to Nazi madness. Or think of Martin Luther King Jr. castigating moderate clergymen from a Birmingham prison cell.
Imagine the women who have been told they can’t preach to men, and imagine members of the LGBTQ community who have been drummed out of the very churches that brought them to childhood faith.
If you are part of a faith community in search of more honest, noble ways to follow Jesus, or if you haven’t been able to find a congregation that looks like Jesus, Theology Beer Camp might be the perfect medicine for what ails you.
Who will be speaking?
Tripp Fuller
Tripp Fuller, the primary organizer of Theology Beer Camp, will serve as master of ceremonies. He’s worth listening to. His insights are sharp, original and penetrating, and he’s all kinds of fun.
If you are an ex-Southern Baptist, you may be familiar with church historian Bill J. Leonard. Bill taught me in his first year out of grad school and taught Tripp late in his career. Leonard has a sly sense of humor, always brings something fresh and remarkable to the table and is one of the best public speakers the Baptist world has produced.
If you are a fan of “The Convocation Unscripted” podcast, you will be pleased to learn that Diana Butler Bass, Kristin Du Mez, Jemar Tisby and Robert P. Jones all will be in Kansas City. Bass has been a frequent guest on “Homebrewed Christianity” over the years and also has been a featured speaker at Theology Beer Camp in the past. This year, she convinced her co-hosts to join her.
Union Theological Seminary professor Cornel West may be the most familiar name on the roster of speakers this year. West has taught at premier universities like Harvard, Princeton and Dartmouth, had a hand in the production of films like The Matrix, and is impossible to ignore.
Gary Dorien, an ethicist who teaches at Union Theological Seminary and Columbia University, also will be at Theology Beer Camp this year. A leading expert on the Civil Rights Movement, the Social Gospel movement and American-style socialism, Dorien combines strong opinions with an irenic spirit.
I only have space to mention a few of this year’s speakers, but the lineup is remarkable. After decades in the podcast business, Tripp knows just about everybody who has published groundbreaking work on the relationship between religion, politics, culture, popular entertainment, ethics and history.
Theology Beer Camp always has featured religious podcasters, both the prominent and the obscure. The God-pods (as they are called) fill a critical niche in the world of post-apocalyptic religious reflection, and Tripp sets these pioneering spirits free to strut their stuff.
If you are intrigued by this little teaser, I have two suggestions. First, click on some of the links I have provided. Second, move quickly. Last I heard, this year’s event is 90% sold out. But there should be a few spots remaining, and one of them may well have your name on it.
Alan Bean leads the nonprofit Friends of Justice and lives in Fort Worth, Texas, where he attends Broadway Baptist Church.