I have to admit that having a beer or two and conversing about theology while in the form of an organized church group is totally foreign to me. Perhaps I've been living in a hole..but, to my surprise, these groups are actually not a new thing. Some have been formed and meeting regularly for decades now. One group organized by the Archdiocese of Chicago has been meeting regularly for 30 years!
What kinds of topics do these groups discuss when they meet? It seems everything and anything that might be relevant to Christianity and one's journey of faith. The picture above was taken off this website: http://www.watershedtc.org/pubtheology.htm a group that is part of the Christian Reformed Church. Many "Theology on Tap" groups I have found have been predominately Catholic and Epsicoplian oriented, but it seems like both protestant and catholic circles have found use for them.
This particular group, Watershed, explains their format as such:
The format is simple.
Beer, conversation, and God. Everything is up for discussion, no assumptions, no barriers to entry. If you are going to get upset because someone questions something that is important to you maybe this isn’t for you, but if you think that whatever might be true ought to be able to stand up to being questioned maybe it is.
Some other topics that I found while perusing the web that find their way in discussions at these events were: Is God Green? , Does God care about injustice? Heaven and Hell, What does it mean to say 'Jesus is here'? , The Religion of Reason, etc.
So, my question to you is this: Have you ever been to a Theology Pub? Would you go to one if you had the opportunity? Do you think that a pub is an appopriate forum for theological discussions?
I, for one, am intrigued and might just have to see if we have one happening in our local area. I'd love to attend one and then share my experiences :)
