Who. We. Really. Are.

I’ve (Ryan) got it all wrong.

It’s okay to admit when you don’t quite get it right. When someone regularly asks me, “What’s Brew Theology?” I respond with the common saying, “We exist to Brew Theology and create healthy, meaningful and eclectic dialogue in pub communities.” That statement has been on social media, our BT website, and I’ll even introduce the Denver gatherings with this line all of the time.

“What’s wrong with that statement?” one may ask.

Well, “to Brew Theology” is definitely correct, but perhaps we have the second part backward.

We DO create healthy, meaningful and eclectic dialogue, but that’s not why we exist; that’s simply what we DO. It's like the difference between BEING & DOING! They are connected, but unique.

We are ultimately creating interfaith communities across the country. The BEING part is the community aspect. 

And how are we doing that?

We create these communities through healthy, meaningful and eclectic dialogue in pubs.

It may seem minor and first glance, yet I believe there’s a critical distinction.

So, from now on when someone asks me, “What’s this brew theology thing all about?” it’s important to get the words right.

It’s been a ton of fun being a part of what I believe is a movement of radical love transcending tribal boundaries, bringing people of all faith walks and inter-religious ideologies to the table in order to experience nontraditional, meaningful community. Brew Theology is not just a theoretical idea, and it’s not solely people who share ideas; it’s a very real community of incredibly interesting people wrestling with imperative issues that matter in the real world. We find common ground, and we also disagree on many topics. At the end of the day, in all of our nerdy particulars, we understand we share the same air, soil and sun. We are learning how to be better humans together…  We’ve been able to cultivate and witness our Denver community evolve and take shape over the past three years as a shining example that is hopefully making the world a bit brighter, one conversation (& brew) at a time.

Community.

It’s pretty important gang.

“We exist to Brew Theology and create interfaith communities through healthy, meaningful and eclectic dialogue in pubs.”

When Church Stops Working - Part 3

We ended Part 2 of this series, When Church Stops Working, with these words:

Wherever we see the good news of lives being made whole….

That. 

Is.

Church.

This means we have to have much bigger eyes, some creativity, an expansive consciousness, a heart that beats and breaks for the universe, and an ability to ask the ongoing question, “Who is being left out of this beautiful thing called life?”

Jesus didn’t come to earth to create another religion. He came to wake people up! We have to transcend our views of orthodoxy, get beyond Christianity as the best thing since sliced bread, and reengage the world with tangible shalom written all over our complex hearts! We get to partner with what spirit is doing within us, around us and in others to unveil life to the fullness: light, hope and healing to the nations. That’s good news!

Can I get an old school, Amen?

When I say, “church,” what comes to mind now that you’ve been trying to process a new way to live?

Okay, let’s get practical. 

I’ve got friends who plant seeds in local, urban gardens and cultivate a harvest of veggies that are given away outside coffee shops, breweries and local parks! 

I know people who organize peaceful protests in the city and mobilize the crowds toward social justice on behalf of people of color.

I have a friend who brings people downtown to feed the homeless every day. 

One of my buddies organizes online communities through diverse, theological topics, bringing people together to chat over fantastically critical topics.

I’ve got friends who sing hymns in bars with pints of beer held high!

Speaking of pubs, the interfaith/ inter-religious/nonreligious communities that engage in meaningful dialogue every week across the nation via Brew Theology is another excellent example of damn, good news!

Whether it’s bringing neighbors together for dinner, creating opportunities for communities to extend themselves on behalf of the poor or volunteering with friends at the local school, it is time we allow ourselves the freedom to say that spirit is moving in all kinds of fun ways; no institution or religion has the sole keys to these movements of love. 

We all have something to give regardless of our religious heritage, whether it’s our time, food, skills and/or conversations. As the saying goes, “build a longer table, not a higher fence.”

Sadly, the “church” has been notoriously known for the latter, which is why people are looking for love and belonging in other places. So, let’s have grace around the table! 

Let’s eat.

Let’s drink.

Let’s remember the critical words from the apostle Paul, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” 

These powerful words should infiltrate the souls of humanity. The dream is to be one humanity! That, my friends, is a beautiful dream. In all of our particularities: race, gender, sex, religion, etc…. we are one!

Let’s end with some of my favorite and inspiring words from Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh:

We have different roots, traditions, and ways of seeing, but we share the common qualities of love, understanding and acceptance… the most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When we are mindful, touching deeply the present moment, we can see and listen deeply.” 

I’d love to hear from you! What kinds of fringy, good news LIFE is happening in your city, town, neighborhood? What ideas do you have moving forward?

When Church Stops Working - Part 2

People simply aren’t going to “church” anymore. This isn’t shocking; it’s become the Sunday-Funday norm. Notice I said “church” (more on that later). If you scan cities across the nation on a Sunday morning, you’ll observe a massive exodus fleeing the pews, scattering in hundreds of directions: coffee houses, parks, back yard brunches, the mountains, downtown marches, lakes, beaches, and of course, couches! 

As I stated in Part 1 (Read HERE), "they (church leaders) are literally rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic." Professional pastors are fatigued, racking their brains wondering where they can find the next, relevant model to bring people back in the church doors.

I posed the haunting and perhaps frustrating questions, what if they don’t come back, and “they” (whomever “they” are) find other things in their weekly rhythm that bring them joy, hope, peace and goodness?

Before I dive into that question in more depth, let’s go back to the question, “Who/ What/ When/ Where/ Why/ How is church?”

Did you think about it?

Let's do a tad nerd session, and then get to the basics…

Ekklesia!

That’s the Greek word used in the New Testament for church. It refers to an “assembly,” but when you break it down and look at the ancient beginnings of this spiritually fringe movement, it’s much, much deeper.

Ek = "from/ out of" 

Kaleo = "to call"

Essentially, it’s the “ones called out”

This is an organic assembly, not a static group of people stuck in a building on Sunday morning doing a routine service. The earliest Christians were people who were moved by spirit and lived a life of good news (that’s actually where we get the word, “evangelical,” a word that has sadly been culturally hijacked beyond comprehension!). These earliest followers of Jesus were Jews who saw an expansive view of God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. 

While they continued to meet in the Temple courts and practice their covenantal religion of Judaism, they saw that spirit was on the move, calling them back to their Abraham roots: a blessing to all nations – Gentiles! 

Breaking bread was an act of intimacy. The earliest followers of Jesus extended their table to all people regardless of tribe, the status of one’s foreskin and dietary restrictions. 

All were welcome… all were accepted… all were loved! 

Compassion, mercy, extravagant love and healing were at the heart of this organic movement of radical good news, liberation and oneness. This kingdom was about KINship! 

Everyone was filled with AWE and WONDER!

People were actually deeply moved to be a part of this thing called, “church.” 

It’s time we reexamine what this “good news” of “ekklesia” means today in a world that is more polarized than ever before – a western world that is no longer interested in “church,” but way more interested in other activities that bring joy!

It’s time we expand our understanding of church and are awakened to what spirit is doing in our midst today! This will be really hard for many people because change is just freakin' hard as hell! 

It's time we ask a different set of questions that radically move beyond the 4 walls of just "church."

So...

Where do you experience the divine, and/ or that which you perceive to be pure, good and holy; where do you go that awakens your soul, and gives you genuine rest?

What group(s) of people do you see doing good work in your city?

If you have children, whom do you want influencing your kid’s life?

Where do you find acceptance?

What kinds of conversations are shaping the world toward real progress?

Where are the walls of hostility, oppression and tribalism knocked down?

What's happening in your neighborhood?

Who needs some TLC?

Go there… 

Go to those places and be with those people. 

Taste and see that it is good! 

Wherever we see the good news of lives being made whole….

That. 

Is.

Church.

The Fruit?

Brew Theology brings different worlds together; these worlds collide in an intentionally beautiful posture of respect, openness and grace.

This practiced value of open, tangible pluralistic dialogue would’ve felt foreign to many religious kids growing up with an agenda to convert someone over to their “superior” side of perceived truth. These colliding worlds are still very odd amongst many religious folk that are looking to "win" someone over to their team. Due to this norm from many people’s dutiful heritage, when guests visit our gatherings in the Denver community they desperately want to know, “Can I, in all seriousness, be genuinely honest here?”

This is a question newcomers have in the back of their mind, and we’ve sincerely heard people voice this question on several occasions.

So many people are suspicious with the important question lingering in their soul, “Where’s the bait and switch?”

I (Ryan) remember a friend of mine who now contributes to our gatherings by writing content and coming on some podcasts, asking me the 1st time we met, “What are you really doing here? Is this just one of those emerging thingies where you are going to start a worship service and try to convert everyone to Jesus?”

“Is there a secret agenda?”

“C’mon! Really, Ryan?”

My answer is a bold, resounding and heartfelt, “No!”

And for some people this answer is unsettling because many of us have come from a tradition that is so bait-and-switch agenda driven that if what we are doing isn’t leading someone to Jesus (or one's version of Jesus), we wonder if it’s worthwhile. That’s the worldview, the subconscious, and the embedded truth that many have yet to fully deconstruct.

Ultimately, Janel & I want to see these kinds of rich and deep, conversational communities that we experience in Denver pop up across this country because real, beating-heart-people across the faith spectrum profoundly NEED it today. Yet, I still hear from people who think I’m running an evangelistic ministry. Sure, it’s “good news” (if you wanna look at those words in their truest rootedness), but not an ounce of it is conventionally churchy and there is no proselytizing – no bait and switch game here. I had an hour-long conversation with someone who finally asked, “Okay. So, respectful dialogue is great and all, Ryan, but what’s the point? Is the goal to just let people BE and not have an agenda of leading them to Christ?” Another person asked, “Where is Jesus in the conversation?”  I had another ministry leader ask me, “So, where’s the fruit in all of this?”

#Facepalm

Don’t give me the fruit business, man! Those questions are foundationally missing the entire point and it may take a few high ABV barrel aged beers to finish those tough conversations.

But if you wanna get all fruity (and I’m not talking about the new fruit beer craze), how ‘bout the fruit is the fact that hardly anybody really does THIS open, interfaith dialogue community thing well in our polarized country, and we ARE doing it… I wanna scream, “The fruit is IN the conversation!”  The conversations create deeper and more honest community for the common good! Can I get an Amen? Although, if I used the word, “fruit” with our BT people, they may start throwing fruit at me.

I’ve said this before, but sometimes it is critical we say the same message time and again before it really begins to sink in… There are many churches with incredible and gracious people across America (And I sincerely mean this because I do have hope and love for the church, and I believe many churches are doing incredible things in the world...) that have massive budgets, killer buildings, top-notched staff and great marketing that says, “All Are Welcome” (Yes! I do believe many of them actually DO Welcome all people with loving, open arms!), yet so many “Spiritual” yet dechurched people are not buying that “welcome” sign anymore. Sadly, it’s been overused and abused. Countless people who have left the church are looking to find belonging, but a place much different from previous places that promised “safe” belonging. And they aren’t looking to find a “one-size-fits-all" model of religious goods. Beloved yet disenfranchised human beings are looking for brave and beautiful places to work out their shit, and get real with other people that are going to allow them to be real in all of their weirdness, mess, crazy ideas and interesting journeys. Unhappy yet sacred humans who are trying to find the spiritual spark in new places are looking to be loved no matter where they stand across the theological, political, economic, racial, sexual and gender spectrum. Let's give people the opportunity to freakin' breathe!

I’ll say it again… The FRUIT is IN the conversation. Let’s collide and #BrewTheology with true openness, and a generous posture to learn and grow from everyone.

Namaste with Jesus Y'all!

"Judge each person with the scales weighted in their favor."

Mishnah, Avot 1:6

Scales were a well-known metaphor for judgment in the ancient world. Even within Greek mythology, justice is represented as a blindfolded woman holding a scale. Egyptian justice is pictured with one's heart being weighed on a scale & a feather being weighed in another pan.

I (Ryan) used to do yoga. I’m sure I’ll get back into it, but I’ve never been good at it. Still, I’ve always felt a bit healthy when I was in the awkward postures of bending, breathing and believing I was getting in touch with my inner self. Yes! I am clearly always going to be a yoga rookie who still cannot touch his toes. Still, doing yoga, I've seen this same vivid picture of "weighing" as one side or part of your body is being pressed down or twisted, the other side must have the same pressure and posture. It's the balancing mixed with healthy, rhythmic breathing that is important when one does yoga.

In the Jewish tradition, balancing is an imperative posture as a disciple on many levels as well. Discipleship is a walk requiring one to grasp a Rabbi's "yoke!" The Rabbi is the one who has mastered the art of balance and weighing things, so to speak (one would hope!). You are linked or harnessed to the sage as a disciple. The Rabbi’s walk is the student’s walk.

Yoga comes from the root word "yuj"in Vendic Sanskrit, meaning "to add", "to join", "to unite" or to "harness" based figuratively upon the picture of two oxen harnessed with a yoke to do work. Balance... just like weights from a scale! Just like a young disciple becoming like one’s Rabbi.

The 1st Century sage from Galilee echoed other Rabbis with the saying, "Students  (talmidim/disciples) are not above their teacher (Rabbi), but all who are fully trained will be like their teacher/ Rabbi." - Luke 6:39

Did you hear that?

The whole point of a disciple is to be just like the Rabbi in both word and deed!

This life changing statement came after a short, easy to understand, parable regarding a blind man who followed a blind man. They both will fall into a pit! Well, NO $#*+ Sherlock!

Jesus knew the balancing act of discipleship was way off in his context. Studying the culture of his time, we see some Rabbis who were incredibly intense in their disciplines & study, but horribly off balance in their application. Blind men will lead blind men! Spiritual blindness is apparent in any context, whether we are talking about 1st Century Israel or 21st Century America.

Jesus' mission was to open the eyes of the blind, bringing love through spreading the good news regarding the kingdom/ commonwealth of heaven/ God’s reign of shalom on earth. New systems of scales were much needed then and still needed today! The means in which this would take place would be through disciple-making. The model was simple.

Love God.

Love others.

Follow the Rabbi.

Therefore, in order to usher in shalom (real, holistic peace!), discipleshp is the means to that end, and loving others with a healthy balance system in place is the natural outcome and overflow!

Therein, lies the problem....

Most of the unchurched and nonChristian world sees Christians as men and women filled with bitterness, lacking real joy, filled with hypocrisy and ugly judgment. The root of the problem is that discipleship entails someone who follows someone who isn't blind in this "balancing act" so to speak. Following means harnessing oneself to all the "yoke"... not just studying it! This is a balancing act, indeed.

Have the blind been leading the blind?

The question to all professed Christians must become, "Are you worth becoming?"

That’s a big and terrifying question, indeed! There are too many Christians (including me at times if I’m quite honest) who solely put their faith IN Jesus, yet neglect to live out the faith OF Jesus! We've somehow misread and misapplied the Gospels. This misreading and misapplying is not a minor glitch in the system of churches across the western world. It's a major issue that keeps the world from seeing the love and grace of God that was intended to create shalom on this planet! Christians should actually taste good to the world that is always watching their every move. I had a friend tell me once, "The church just seems to put on a show (meaning that is it lacks true authenticity!)" followed with this funny statement, "And, it's not even a good show!" 

So many people are just plain sick of putting on the show and watching the show anyway. The world deserves better. Humanity aches for something more substantial at the end of the day.

Moving forward, let's get back to one of Jesus’ teachings, which is tough as hell to live out! In Luke's Gospel, right before Jesus talked about a student not being above his teacher and the blind man leading the blind man he says the following:

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” - Luke 6

This evokes the imagery of the marketplace within the 1st Century. A merchant would measure out grain by pouring it into one pan of a scale until the grain became level with the weighted side. If you were a kind shopkeeper you would heap a little extra on it, letting the pans of the customer's grain tilt past the balancing point. The grain poured into your lap was due to generosity! In Jewish conversations, this was the picture of giving someone the benefit of the doubt! Disciples of Jesus, co-carrying his yoke, are called to bestow more grace, mercy, forgiveness and love with a big-hearted lifestyle toward all humankind! This moves beyond the world's standards of balance and justice. Christians are not supposed to weigh others through their own eyes (which is always a good reminder!).

Jesus followers are to see others through the eyes of Jesus! This is what the rabbinical saying about judging your neighbor, "with the scales weighted in their favor” literally means! 

Regardless if you are a professed Christian or an Atheist (or something else), try living this out for a day, two... perhaps a week, then try it out for the remainder of your days on earth! Your eyesight and application will drastically change.

How come we are so quick to judge someone else's heart?

I know I’m guilty of this on a regular basis.

How might we judge more favorably in each new situation? It starts with getting to know other people's stories. When you sit across from someone and hear their story, walls come down. 

… And this, my friends, is the true heartbeat of why we do what we do at Brew Theology! Brewing theology is a fun part of our community, but the unity we find in our diversity is where it’s at; this begins with a Yoga-“Namaste”-posture toward others at the table (more on this in a bit).

Perhaps the person who had his arms crossed during the presentation and asked a really mean-spirited question just found out that his father got cancer?

What if the angry man at the check out line just got divorce papers delivered to his doorstep?

What if the surly next-door neighbor is battling with depression, juggling jobs and trying to feed 5 kids after his wife walked out?

Perhaps she was beaten as a child?

Maybe he beat his kid and feels absolutely horrible with nobody to talk to about the guilt and shame?

What if her dog actually did eat his homework?

"Judge not your fellow man until you yourself come into his place." Mishnah, Avot 2:4

Damn. That’s good. We need to hear this over and over again… I know I do!

After you consider the “other” and put yourself in his/her shoes, regardless of what they've done or where they've been (victim or the victimizer), you will feel your anger or bitterness drain away. Sadly, our judgments and suspicions of others can easily lead to contempt and hatred if we aren't careful ... Yes, the dark side, it will. Thanks, Yoda!

Author Lois, Tverberg says, "Universally, we're all butchers with our thumbs on the scale, and often we're completely wrong in how we size others up." - Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus

If we are critical of others and become a chronic complainer, we will never see the world the way it was intended to be seen, and we will always fall short in bringing loving shalom to our communities. Our culture is saturated with enough negativity and pessimism. We will poison the world when we judge without mercy. Most of the time, when we treat others with a critical spirit of resentment or breed contempt is because we have never received true mercy. Or, maybe we've forgotten the mercy that we received years ago. My challenge to all of us is to love those people who are critical along with those that breed contempt! Kill 'em with kindness. And, if you are that person who has been embittered by a negative spirit, please know that you are deeply loved!

Caveat: This posture doesn’t mean that we allow people to walk over us, nor does it give absolute tolerance a place at the table and allow people to say oppressive things to others. No! We will continue the efforts of standing up for justice on behalf of those on the fringe of society. Calling out hateful bigotry and fear-mongering rhetoric is still a part of this messy-balancing equation. That IS love!

I’m a Jesus guy. So, I’d like to end with this guru’s words and actions while blending some yoga in the finale. Jesus continues to speak truth after he spoke about the blind man leading the blind man saying:

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. - Luke 6

To be a disciple of Jesus means to grant others the benefit of the doubt and to look within your own soul before you start pointing out faults in your "neighbor." This implies that you actually care about your neighbor beyond being a "project." This means a real relationship is at stake without any form of "judgment." If we spent just 1/2 the amount of time reflecting upon our own junk, we would be less likely to look at someone else's shortcomings. When we've done this difficult discipline, humility is our purest means of success as we journey with someone else's mishaps. This means, that if we get to a place of taking "sawdust" out of someone else's eye, we have already confessed and gotten real with our own shit! Our "sawdust" plucking will then become gracious attempts of loving someone that we are doing real life with on a consistent basis... When we take on this posture, there resides a different balancing act that might become contagiously life-giving to the world around us.

The next answer resides within Leviticus 19:18. It's the 2nd greatest commandment that is nonnegotiable to the disciple of Jesus. "Love your neighbor as yourself." Scripture makes it clear that you can't say, "I love the LORD but I don't love my neighbor!" This is not the way of Jesus. Loving God and loving one’s neighbor go together like Yoda & Luke Skywalker....

Another way of looking at this imperative commandment in its Hebrew context is by looking at a parallel Yoga salutation, "NAMASTE!"

At the end of every yoga session my good ‘ole buddy, Willis, used to leave me with the salutation, "I see the light inside of you. I recognize it as the same light that's inside of me and I honor that light. Namaste!"

What a beautiful way of finishing a Yoga class rooted in the word, "Yoke" as people have been balancing their own bodies and fighting the tension that they each see within their own soul. The truth can be seen that in the "other" I find the same struggle and the same beauty, the same hurts and the same joys, the same courage and the same fear. Namaste is a respectful way of honoring the other! We aim to do the exact same thing in the pub each and every week. We honor the person across from the table in our vast differences and create a truly brave space for freedom and vulnerable opinions to brew in our midst. We find unity in the chaos. 

Rabbi Moses Cordovero once said, "In everyone there is something of his fellow man.. Hence, "love your neighbor" - for he is really you yourself." 

Jesus' teachings and yoke genuinely reflect this statement. A more accurate, Hebraic way of looking at this text that Christians spout all of the time is to say, "Love your neighbor who is similar to yourself." 

THIS changes everything!

Therefore, disciples of Jesus, I challenge you to ...

Stop plucking SAWDUST!

Readjust your SCALES!

& NAMASTE y'all!

Peace,

Ryan

And #BrewTheology

How Often Do I Deny The Resurrection?

I (Ryan) have been sojourning down the unconventionally walked Lenten path, "Atheism For Lent," over the past 7 weeks with Philosopher Peter Rollins as the unorthodox guide.  Every week, Pete lectured the online group, and every day Pete supplied a reading or a lecture, sometimes a comic, a song or a movie (i.e. Scorsese's' 2016 gripping film, "Silence," which I highly recommend!) We spent the 1st week understanding the dynamic relationship between theism and atheism, followed by thematic weeks deconstructing God as being, dissecting God as hyper being, engaging the "Masters of Suspicion" such as Freud, Marx & Nietzsche, traveling down the road of interpreting God, as what Tillich would say, "ground of being," moving toward God as an event, and finally, unraveling into the Passion Week with the haunting words of Christ on the bloody cross crying out, "My God. My God. Why have you forsaken me?" This course has been a wild ride, and it's been very helpful as someone who takes his faith seriously, and aims to better understand the world at large while really better grasping what it means to "believe" and sincerely follow Christ. 

I'd like to post a parable by Phil Harrison (which was in today's reflection) alongside this talk Pete gave years ago. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts, friends. Message me at ryan at brewtheology. org Thanks.

///

A Parable by Phil Harrison

The other day I had a dream. I dreamed I arrived at the gates of heaven, heavy-shut, pure oak, bevelled and crafted, glinting sharp in the sunlight. St. Peter stood to greet me; the big man wore brown, smile set deep against his ruddy cheeks.

“You’re here,” he said.
“I am,” I said.
“Great to see you—been expecting you,” he smiled. “Come on in.”

He pushed gently against the huge door; it swung silently, creakless. I took a couple of steps forward until, at the threshold, one more step up and in, I realized I wasn’t alone. My friends had joined me, but they hovered behind, silently, looking on. None spoke. I realized only I could speak. I looked at them; some were Christians, some Hindus, some Buddhists, some Muslims, some Jews, some atheists. Some God knows what. I stopped, paused. A hesitant St. Peter looked at me, patiently, expectantly.

“What about these guys?” I asked him. “My friends. Can they come?”

“Well, Phil,” he replied, soft in the still air, “You know the rules. I’m sorry, but that’s the way things are. Only the right ones.”

I looked at him. He seemed genuinely pained by his answer. I stood, considering. What should I do? I thought about my reference points, and thought about Jesus, the bastard, the outsider, the unacceptable, the drunkard, the fool, the heretic, the criminal, and I knew exactly where I belonged.

“I’ll just stay here then too,” I said, taking my one foot out of heaven. And I’ll tell you, I’d swear I saw something like a grin break across St. Peter’s face, and a voice from inside whispered, “at last.”  

Should Christians Stop Clinging to Jesus?

To cling or not to cling?

Our Denver Brew Theology community is currently spending two weeks tackling the topic, American Buddha: How America is Buddhist Country, and it’s simply quite fascinating on so many levels.

My friend, Liz Wolfert, identifies as a Buddhist and she wrote the following excerpt regarding the movie, Birdman.

Birdman: Written and directed by Alejandro Iñárritu and starring Michael Keaton and Emma Stone, this artsy-fartsy, non-linear movie involves a former action-movie star Riggan Thomson who is staring and directing in a Broadway production of Raymond Carter’s “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.”  The movie’s plot is almost entirely driven along the twists and turns of Riggan’s obsessive inner world, most poignantly symbolized by a dominating Birdman figure of his imagination.  His ego-focus is so strong, he can barely connect with the three-dimensional presence of the three most important people in his life: his girlfriend, his ex-wife, and his daughter.  In fact, in the movie, some characters disappear entirely once he stops considering them.  The movie closes with the spectacular resolution of all of the fictional worlds Riggan inhabits: the play within a movie, his difficult and delusional inner life, and the world outside all come crashing together to become one and the same, and reveal themselves to be as plain as the nose (or lack of nose) on Riggan’s face.

What would the Buddha say? Riggan tries to transcend his suffering by unskillfully intensifying his obsession about himself: his creative vision, his perceived former glory, his quest for “self-improvement” through meditation, etc.  Riggan only achieves liberation when he crashes through the barriers of his “ego” or the inner world he’s built up for himself (symbolized by the theater building where the movie and play takes place) to touch the “world as it exists” outside of himself.

As a Christian I notice many commonalities between the Buddhist faith and Christian teachings: nonviolence, meditation, seeking peace/ shalom, serving the marginalized, and as seen in the movie Birdman, the ongoing effort of dying to self. Jesus speaks of picking up one’s cross and losing one’s life to find it, while the Buddha teaches practitioners to transcend suffering by not clinging to the temporal, which ends up owning the self-inner being. Essentially, the Buddha and the Christ teach and embody liberation!

I recently read Dr. John Cobb’s latest book, Jesus’ Abba: The God Who Has Not Failed, and the following statement struck a chord anew the other night as we were chatting up Buddhism at the brewery: “The question for Christians is whether faith really involves attachment and clinging. It is certainly often described in these terms, but we may be able to learn something from Buddhists here. Perhaps really to trust God is not to cling to him but to be free to let go; perhaps clinging is an expression of limited faith.”  Clinging, at first glance, does not seem that bad. In many ways we – Christians – were taught to “cling” to God and Jesus as the “author and perfecter of our faith.”

Children cling to their parents, but eventually in order to function properly in society, they move on... And nobody enjoys a clingy partner. Just say no to Stage 5 clingers! Likewise, perhaps raw, tried and true faith does actually require us to “let go” since faith is best translated as faithfulness rather than intellectual “belief.” And when we emphasize the latter, we can create problems of being “right” rather than living “right.” We know that when we cling to anything, whether it be the nostalgia of the past and trying to recreate it or an addictive substance, a crappy habit or relationship, this clinging provides dire results. Perhaps even clinging to Jesus can lead us toward bad religion, masquerading a mascot idol that simply tells us - followers - to “let go.”

Before you think this idea is either unbiblical or theologically incorrect, let’s unpack this a bit more using scripture and then ask some questions that may help move toward a greater awakening toward liberation.

According to the Gospel of John, one of the occurrences that happened after the resurrection speaks of Mary Magdalene encountering her old Rabbi in a state of shock and wild emotion. Mary clings to Jesus. She doesn’t want to let go. It makes perfect sense. Imagine losing your spouse, significant other, best friend, child or parent. Many of us have dealt with sudden or tragic death, and it’s painstakingly miserable. Letting go of a loved one is unnervingly shitty! And while there are many stages of grief, and in some ways it’s nearly impossible to plainly “let go,” we – humans – do need to move on, get up in the morning, eat, sleep, pay the bills and simply do this thing called life. So, when Mary sees Jesus after having experienced his tragic crucifixion, she doesn’t want to lose him again.

She clings.

I can imagine the difficulty, especially when Jesus tells her to let go and go….

Mary, stop clinging!

What? Why would her best friend say that? Doesn’t that seem a bit insensitive? Perhaps, but it was the ongoing good message that paved the way for people to walk in this new kind of kingdom, not the way of the kingdoms of the world, which are built upon clinging. This resurrection story is bigger than just Jesus, himself. It’s about the ongoing resurrection story that Jesus had been teaching his followers from the beginning of his ministry. It’s about shedding old layers, finding the new self, getting rid of old wineskins for the new wine to thrive, and reminding ourselves to not sew a new patch on an old garment. Why? Well, because the tear in the garment will worsen and the wine in the wineskin will burst! The resurrection story echoes these old teachings. In hindsight, it all becomes a bit more clear… and it's all about clinging.

Jesus told his disciples the same thing about leaving the world at the last supper after he washed their feet and broke bread. He told his boys that they would do greater things than him, and he was moving on… If he didn’t move on, and if they just relied on him in the flesh, they would never be able to do those “greater things.” If you look back at other instances throughout the Gospel stories you see Jesus healing people followed with the words, “Don’t tell anyone!” In fact, he became so popular (because we – humans – love to create demigods and superheroes and world rulers – to “save us” from A., B. or C.) that when the crowds wanted to make him king, he again slipped away from the crowds. For being such a big deal, Jesus didn’t have room for a popularity contest. He didn’t need to share his #’s or W column. Jesus was not insecure, and he knew what would happen if he became an idol, so to speak. I’d argue that he clearly abhorred the celebrity status. Full circle: Lose your life to find it. Jesus literally picked up his cross, and showed the world a new way of life completely different from the status quo.

Similar to the Buddha, the Christ not only taught his disciples to stop clinging, he fully embodied it.

So, as those who profess a faith in Christ, and more specifically, seek after the same faithfulness of Christ, we must ask ourselves the question, if Jesus tells Mary and others to “let go” of him, what does the mean today in the 21st Century?

How have we created an idol, or worse, a mascot of Christ?

What kinds of uber-religious clinging throughout Christian history can we unequivoclaly say butchered people's faith rather than built upon good faithfulness?

Does a death-grip-clinging to Jesus actually kill real faith?

What does it mean to find liberation through a faithfulness that looks like the life of Christ rather than putting Jesus on a bad celebrity pedestal? 

There was a way of viewing God at one point, and the clinging of that particular way had to die in order to find a new way, and so on… We – humans – love old customs, traditions and ways of thinking that help us sleep better at night. We enjoy patterns of clinging, and we love creating God in our image. We’ll do whatever it takes to never leave these "holy" places like that of Peter, James and John (after the transfiguration of Christ on the mountain), and we will persistenly want to build shrines and stay in these "sacred" places while neglecting the new sacred right in front of us… Perhaps Christians should better hear the words of Christ, “Stop clinging. Time to go.”

This is the story of death/ crucifixion and resurrection/ liberation. This is the cycle of letting go. Perhaps John Cobb is dead right, and clinging is an expression of limited faith. But I’d rather not be certain and cling to that conclusion… 

What do you think? 

- Ryan 

#TheologyBeerCamp & J.C.

You had me at 90’s Karaoke (and with a live band!)…

We had the privilege to hang out in Redondo Beach filled with 3 days of Craft Nerdom via Homebrewed Christianity’s #TheologyBeerCamp a few weekends ago. Like many stellar events such as the Spurs winning championships, unless you actually experience the magic with other partners-in-crime, it’s hard to do justice on a blog. Nevertheless, the fact that you are still reading makes me think you want a hopilicious sample-taster of the divine goodness that can only come from…

Unlimited IPA’s

A corn hole tourney

Killer podcasters (including yours truly)

Tripp Fuller’s stream of consciousness

Pete Rollins’ Irish accent

Barry Taylor’s rock-and-roll shirts and radical deconstructions

#Boombastic street tacos

High-gravity theological tailgating and conversations with a variety of other theologians and armchair theologians from across the brewtastic spectrum

Artistic spiritual creations over local coffee

More all-you-can-drink local craft beer

Morgan Freeman’s “Story of God” Season 2 pre-screening partnered with the “The Voice of God” and “The Rumble of God” IPA’s…

90’s Karaoke (Do I smell Teen Spirit? Indeed!)

And last, but certainly not least (for that would be a horrific hate crime), the honor to hang out and listen to THE process guru, J.C. himself, John B. Cobb Jr.!

We are about to unleash a Brew Theology Podcast with John Cobb (Episode 24) on Sunday evening (2/12/17). If you are unfamiliar with Dr. Cobb’s work, you will definitely want to dig in after listening to this Jedi Master unveil some theological #BOOM on the mic. Cobb breaks down a bit of experiential pluralism via Buddhism and Christianity to begin our conversation, engages in some Wesleyan dialogue and carefully navigates through 5 key developments in church history that have blocked appreciation and a priority of Jesus’ own teaching, thus hindering the relational accessibility of moving into a dynamic relationship with Abba/ Father as seen in the life of Jesus of Nazareth.

So, as much as this 90’s teen loves to rock the stage with some Nirvana karaoke, I’ll give John Cobb the mic any ‘ole day. Big shout out to Tripp Fuller for putting together an amazing Theology Beer Camp. I can’t wait for the next one, and I look forward to meeting more of YOU as you join me and other friends… details on that coming very soon!

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“We theologians of an earlier generation know that our style of thinking and communicating no longer works well -- if it ever did. I fear that we are unlikely to learn how to share the wisdom we have received (and still think helpful for others) with new generations. Brew Theology is a promising answer. The old methods consisted largely of monologues. What is needed today, perhaps what has always been needed, is sharing of thinking and feeling and mutual stimulus to grow. It is my personal hope that this will lead to life-shaping convictions and commitments and even to worship. But I also hope that it will never set aside the openness and interaction of Brew Theology.” - Dr. John B. Cobb, Jr. (Global leader of process theology and considered one of the greatest theological minds of the last fifty years, professor emeritus of theology at Claremont School of Theology in Claremont, California, & cofounder of the Center for Process Studies. He is the author of over fifty books, including God and the World. Co-winner of Grawemeyer Award of Ideas Improving World Order.)

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P.S. Snag this original John Cobb, "JC is my Homeboy" T-shirt (front & back) exclusively from Brew Theology. T-shirts, tanks, hoodies, V-neck's, women's, etc. all in multiple colors. You can even get a sticker. You can ask JC into your heart, but now you can wear him on your chest. Link: https://teespring.com/JCisMyHomeboy

Happy Holidays!

You may say, “Merry Christmas.” That’s great! I celebrate the fun American holiday too. Perhaps you say, “Happy Hanukkah” as well. Me too. I have come to enjoy the epic Maccabees story along with the lighting of the menorah, spinning of the dreidel and the hope that comes with light shining in the darkness. Maybe you are more into the Winter Solstice as one who is in touch with the earth. Fantastic! Some friends and I took part in a Solstice celebration last year (while partaking in the Eucharist/ Communion in the midst of the gathering), which was incredibly meaningful and spiritual on so many levels.

Did you know there are thee other religious holidays this time of year?

We’ve got Kwanzaa, an African American holiday that emphasizes family and cultural heritage, Bodhi Day, a holiday that commemorates the Buddha’s enlightenment, and Mawlid an-Abi, an Islamic holiday observing the birthday of the prophet Mohammed.

"Happy Holidays" is totally fine with me.

Last night I was sitting at the pub, a weekly Thursday tradition, with spiritual, religious and nonreligious friends discussing theology over local craft beer. Each table group regularly consists of 8 - 10 participants from a wide range of beliefs, ages and lifestyles. While we have Christians – of every kind – every night, we are not a “Christian” community. We value friendships beyond one tribe, and we encourage everyone to listen well.

As we were hashing out the ins and outs of Hanukkah, politics, the oppressed and some family traditions of Christmas and Advent, I came to realize that while everyone at our specific table (Christian and Jew) celebrates the holidays in different ways, we are eager to be more intentional to love our families, stand in solidarity with the disenfranchised and poor, and to find a better rhythm this time of year that creates healing and wholeness in our world(s).

I glanced over at a table next to ours – Christian, agnostic, Buddhist and Hindu - and saw other friends having the same conversation, but with a very different dynamic. That’s the beauty of each night we gather; every table is always unique. It’s like going to a brewery and drinking a flight of samples. Not all beer is the same, and not every brewery brews identical beer.

***Newsflash*** We – westerners – live in a pluralistic world; even those who claim to be Christian and celebrate Christmas. Everyone does it differently, and nobody has the market on how to do it “right,” per se. However, we can glean from one another, and we can come to a better respectful understanding of how other friends, neighbors and families do life this time of year.

As a Jesus follower, I celebrate the Christmas season, even though I know its origins are “pagan,” so to speak. I partake in Hanukkah activities as well since Jesus was Jewish. Regardless of which holiday is the “best” holiday, I am more interested in the spirit of each holiday. Christmas is about the incarnation: God in flesh. This is critical to the holiday season - each season! Since Jesus commands his followers to love their neighbor, I think the best way to love one’s neighbor is to listen to them. 

Why do they do A, B or C?

What’s important to them?

What aspects of their tradition bring beauty, goodness and joy to our broken world in need of hope?

How can we learn from one another rather than fighting over pointless, nauseating and ridiculous tribal battles?

I don’t need people in our country to say, “Merry Christmas!” That’s not interesting to me.

I’m more fascinated in the world looking more like Jesus, the one who shows the Way of love and light to a world living in darkness. This is the spirit of Christmas, and this is incarnation.

If another holiday unveils hope, I’m all about it.

If another holiday brings forth shalom, who’s going to argue with that brilliance?

If someone is intrigued with a holiday that helps the poor and broken hearted, let’s do it!

So, Merry Christmas (Dec. 25)!

Happy Kwanzaa (Dec. 26-Jan.1)!

Happy Hanukkah (Dec. 24-Jan.1)!

Happy Mawlid an-Nabi (Dec. 11-12)!

Happy Yule – Winter Solstice (Dec. 21)!

Happy Bodhi Day (Jan. 5)!

Happy Holidays to all!

Peace,

Ryan