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Relevant no matter your belief system, great read all around

Beer, Book review, Books, Church, Pub Theology Comments are closed
With a Perseus Porter at Elysian's Capitol Hill Pub on Pike Street in Seattle
With a Perseus Porter at Elysian’s Capitol Hill Pub on Pike Street in Seattle

Latest reader review of Pub Theology posted on Amazon.com:


Let me preface this review with the fact that I am by no means a Christian, nor a non-believer. A skeptic at heart, I came into the book and the concept of Pub Theology warily. I had never heard of Pub Theology or even met Bryan, but the book found me by chance.

That being said, it was a delightful read. He’s wise beyond his years and brings us a message of love, understanding, and openness. Do not let the word ‘theology’ turn you off – it’s relevant life-enriching information no matter your belief system. Whether you come into this as a veteran on the subject or as a fresh mind, you’ll find value. Worst-case scenario it’s a fun read on an interesting subject and a wonderful refresher. Best-case, you’re going to start seeing things differently and come away with some very useful information.

I was invited to and attended a Pub Theology event while in midst of the book. If you have the opportunity to visit one, do not miss the chance.

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Pairings and Places

Photos are coming in from readers of the book and the beer they are enjoying while reading. What about you? Share your favorite pairing! Let us know where you are reading the book, and what you are washing it down with.

Pub Theology Topics April 12

good group at the ol' pub last night. Here were the topics: 1. What is your favorite day of the week? 2. How do you nourish yourself spiritually? What is a spiritual experience? 3. What does the church look like at its best? At its worst?

Pub Theology topics – Oct 18

In case you missed it, here were the topics on the sheet at Harmony Brewing Co. last Thursday. 1. Rousseau said that ‘it is impossible to describe true enjoyment.’ Can words fully convey an experience? 2. Is grace unique to Christianity? 3. Scientists say dark matter is inferred, not seen. Could you call that faith? 4. Is science the discovery of what’s really out there or the construction of a way to perceive it? What about theology? 5. “‘Real people’ are just as fictional as the characters in a novel; all our encounters with other people depend on our ability to ‘fictionalize’ them.” Discuss. 6. Does temporal and cultural distance create an unbridgeable gap between biblical texts and us? No Pub Theology this week at Harmony in Grand Rapids, or Right Brain in Traverse City, as I will be on the road, and the TC group will break for this month's Etcetera gathering, at the Good Work Collective.

POLL: Pub Theology Conversation online

As part of creating space online for ongoing Pub Theology conversation, I'm considering a new Facebook group. Vote below with your thoughts. If you think I should consider something other than Facebook, let me know that in the comments. I'm in the process of creating a new Pub Theology website, so hoping whatever I create can be embedded and accessed there.

Gentle Soldiers? Yoga and Meditation in the Military

I live down the road from the old Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC, which served more than 150,000 active and retired personnel from all branches of the military before moving to its new location in Bethesda, MD. In 2006, yoga teacher Robin Carnes began teaching yoga at Walter Reed to returning soldiers suffering from severe cases of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

2 Comments

  2. Marnie Rourke says:

    I grew up in Hyde Park, the neighborhood that surrounds the University of Chicago and eventually received degrees from two different seminaries in the community. When I was younger, I went to a certain bar to meet guys. Once I was in seminary, I went there to enjoy the inspiring opportunity to explore pub theology. I went there with fellow students, but also with the theologians who were our professors.

    One of the classes I took was offered by the Divinity School at the University of Chicago. It was taught by Mircea Eliade, who was also a professor at the Sorbonne, and wrote novels as well as theological masterpieces. He developed the concept of history of religions — looking at religions without attempting to say whether anything about them was right or wrong. I learned so much about other religions, some that I didn’t even know existed! Our seminar class was held in the evening, and after every class we went to Jimmy’s, the neighborhood bar, to continue our conversation as pub theology, There was no judgement and no self-righteousness, just intellectual curiosity and a fondness for asking complex questions. And Eliade always bought the first round.

    I wish every seminarian had an opportunity like this, but it would be even more marvelous if we could make pub theology available to our congregation members. Then we would live in an inner-faith world with respect for all religions. I still live in Chicago, and wish there was someone I could invite to join me at the bar for a beer and engage in a little pub theology. But I graduated so long ago that my professors have retired and moved on — and the best of them, those who made a deep impression on my heart, as well as my mind — have sadly all died. May they rest in peace until we are back together, discussing the meaning and value of it all over a beer, practicing pub theology once again.

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