Wanting to get that signed copy of Pub Theology?
I’ll be at Schuler’s Books on 28th Street in Grand Rapids on Saturday, September 22, 9-11am. Later that day I’ll be at Horizon Books in Traverse City from 2-4pm.
There is also a rumored appearance at Founder’s the Friday before, where you can get a copy of the book, enjoy a good beer, and do some pub theologizing!
Want to have me come out your way? Let your local pub or bookstore know, or send me a suggestion!
A nice, low-key evening at the pub last night. In the cask was the Aztec Gold, a porter with chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, and chipotle... a spicy delicious combination. What was on the sheet?
So we loaded the kids, our mammoth tent, and some food (and beer!) into the van last Thursday and headed off to the hills of North Carolina. We were ready to hit the third annual Wild Goose Festival. We arrived at Hot Springs, NC to discover puddles, mud and —smiles. Hundreds of people setting up camp, giving directions, prepping stages and venues, setting up craft booths, plucking guitar strings, and more. Despite the deluge of rain the night before, and the forecasted rain (which did come), the Goose would go on.
I read Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck recently. There’s this terrific moment when one of the main characters, Pilon, has a sacred encounter with sea gulls: “These birds are flying across the forehead of the Father. Dear birds, dear sea gulls, how I love you all. Your slow wings stroke my heart as the hand of a gentle master strokes the full stomach of a sleeping dog, as the hand of Christ stroked the heads of little children. Dear birds,” he thought, “fly to our Lady of Sweet Sorrows with my open heart.” And then he said the loveliest words he knew, “Ave Maria, gratia plena –” There was, nor is, nor ever has been a purer soul than Pilon’s at that moment… A soul washed and saved is a soul doubly in danger, for everything in the world conspires against such a soul. “Even the straws under my knees,” says Saint Augustine, “shout to distract me from prayer.”
Finally, Bryan Berghoef, evangelical Christian pastor and beer connoisseur, gives us in written form what so many of us secretly desire: permission to mix up our beer and religion, in public even! In Pub Theology, he describes the formation of a club so unique as to be both hated and feared in his community, a club in which the only requirement is humble curiosity and the willingness to discus things of God and faith.
Guest post by Scot McKnight. The question: What are the central characteristics of a genuine conversation in your opinion? I want to draw your attention to a massive and brilliant study, but for most of us far too specialized to be a book to “blog” our way through. The book is Benedetta Craveri’s The Age of Conversation. Her book is a detailed analysis of 17th Century salons, directed mostly by women.
I wish I could join you at Founders. -Wolt
*The Overflow Project* “Simplify. Give. Change.”
206.850.9031 overflowproject.org
Me too, Wolt!
The Founders site may not be that available, it’s the first weekend of Art Prize so the downtown will be rather packed (and the venues, too). As an alternative, Harmony Brewing Company in Eastown has a nice reputation among the beer snobs at church. I’ve bookmarked the Schulers date.
Right! I knew it was the same weekend but somehow hadn’t made the connection that Founders would be insane. Good call – appreciate the heads up, and the alternative. I’ll check Harmony and a couple of other options out!