{"id":3346,"date":"2026-10-25T15:50:33","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T19:50:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grayrinehart.com\/blog\/?p=3346"},"modified":"2026-10-25T15:50:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T19:50:33","slug":"a-few-things-i-heard-at-theology-beer-camp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grayrinehart.com\/blog\/a-few-things-i-heard-at-theology-beer-camp\/","title":{"rendered":"A Few Things I Heard at Theology Beer (!) Camp"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A couple of weeks ago I trekked to Kansas City, Missouri, where about seven hundred people, many (if not most) of them professional clergy or theological scholars, ran and attended panels on various topics &#8230; and enjoyed a whole lot of beer. As I wrote in my newsletter after I got back, it turns out theology and beer go together pretty well!<\/p>\n<p>The event was much like a small science fiction and fantasy convention; however, although I&#8217;m used to attending cons I felt out of my depth a lot of the time. I figure that&#8217;s because even though I like thinking about God, I&#8217;m no theologian and a lot of the details went over my head. Also, I drink a beer now and again but I&#8217;m no kind of beer expert! That said, some of the panel discussions were right up my SF&amp;F street, covering the importance of the &#8220;scouring of the Shire&#8221; in J.R.R. Tolkien&#8217;s <em>Lord of the Rings<\/em> (with a nifty Hobbit-themed food tasting) and dystopian literature as presented in Octavia Butler&#8217;s <em>Parable of the Sower<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>To give you an idea of how it went, overall, I wrote down choice quotes from some of the panels:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;All of us have to wrestle with cowardliness.&#8221; (<em>Cornell West<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Faith is a team sport.&#8221; (<em>Craig Boyd<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Listening to prophets is hard.&#8221; (<em>Jill Elizabeth<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;What should we salvage from the old world to bring into the new world?&#8221; (<em>Jill Elizabeth<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Do we even want to do right, and do we even know what right is?&#8221; (<em>Juan Floyd-Thomas<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Translators make choices for you that you do not know that they made.&#8221; (<em>Angela N. Parker<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I think Theological Overreach is the name of my new metal band.&#8221; (<em>Will Rose<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;A true scientist is actually a spiritual seeker.&#8221; (<em>Ilia Delio<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;We are always approximating the real.&#8221; (<em>Ilia Delio<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Certainty is the one thing we should be uncertain of.&#8221; (<em>Ilia Delio<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;What is your dream for the earth?&#8221; (<em>Ilia Delio<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Of course, more good things were said than those, but I couldn&#8217;t catch them all at the time!<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.grayrinehart.com\/pix\/blog\/2026\/TBC2026.jpg\" alt=\" \" \/><br \/>\n<span class=\"imagecaption\" style=\"font-size: 65%;\"><em>(TBC 2026 logo.)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>I ventured out of my introvert shell from time to time, enough to chat with a few people, including some of the panelists, a few podcasters, and the director of an outfit that may help me get <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Church-More-Like-Christ-ebook\/dp\/B0DDTLQSFG\/\"><em>A Church More Like Christ<\/em><\/a> and my other books into libraries. (I&#8217;m mulling over the contract now.) I also brought out my guitar on Friday evening and found a few people willing to sing along with geeky drinking songs &#8212; not as many as I might&#8217;ve liked, but at least I had fun &#8230; until someone built so huge a fire in the fire pit that it drove me away!<\/p>\n<p><strong>What do you think: Is Theology Beer Camp something you might enjoy?<\/strong> I don&#8217;t know where it&#8217;ll be held next year, but if I can make it work I&#8217;ll go again!<\/p>\n<a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-24 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-facebook nolightbox\" data-provider=\"facebook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.grayrinehart.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3346&#038;t=A%20Few%20Things%20I%20Heard%20at%20Theology%20Beer%20%28%21%29%20Camp&#038;s=100&#038;p&#091;url&#093;=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.grayrinehart.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3346&#038;p&#091;images&#093;&#091;0&#093;=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.grayrinehart.com%2Fpix%2Fblog%2F2026%2FTBC2026.jpg&#038;p&#091;title&#093;=A%20Few%20Things%20I%20Heard%20at%20Theology%20Beer%20%28%21%29%20Camp\" style=\"font-size: 0px;width:24px;height:24px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px;margin-right:5px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Facebook\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" style=\"display: inline;width:24px;height:24px;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: none;box-shadow: none\" src=\"https:\/\/www.grayrinehart.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/48x48\/facebook.png\" \/><\/a><a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-24 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-twitter nolightbox\" data-provider=\"twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.grayrinehart.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3346&#038;text=Hey%20check%20this%20out\" style=\"font-size: 0px;width:24px;height:24px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px;margin-right:5px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"twitter\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" style=\"display: inline;width:24px;height:24px;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: none;box-shadow: none\" src=\"https:\/\/www.grayrinehart.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/48x48\/twitter.png\" \/><\/a><a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-24 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-pinterest nolightbox\" data-provider=\"pinterest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Pin it with Pinterest\" href=\"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.grayrinehart.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3346&#038;media=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.grayrinehart.com%2Fpix%2Fblog%2F2026%2FTBC2026.jpg&#038;description=A%20Few%20Things%20I%20Heard%20at%20Theology%20Beer%20%28%21%29%20Camp\" style=\"font-size: 0px;width:24px;height:24px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px;margin-right:5px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"pinterest\" title=\"Pin it with Pinterest\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" style=\"display: inline;width:24px;height:24px;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: none;box-shadow: none\" src=\"https:\/\/www.grayrinehart.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/48x48\/pinterest.png\" \/><\/a><a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-24 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-linkedin nolightbox\" data-provider=\"linkedin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Share on Linkedin\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.grayrinehart.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3346&#038;title=A%20Few%20Things%20I%20Heard%20at%20Theology%20Beer%20%28%21%29%20Camp\" style=\"font-size: 0px;width:24px;height:24px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px;margin-right:5px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"linkedin\" title=\"Share on Linkedin\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" style=\"display: inline;width:24px;height:24px;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: none;box-shadow: none\" src=\"https:\/\/www.grayrinehart.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/48x48\/linkedin.png\" \/><\/a><a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-24 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-mail nolightbox\" data-provider=\"mail\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Share by email\" href=\"mailto:?subject=A%20Few%20Things%20I%20Heard%20at%20Theology%20Beer%20%28%21%29%20Camp&#038;body=Hey%20check%20this%20out:%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.grayrinehart.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F3346\" style=\"font-size: 0px;width:24px;height:24px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"mail\" title=\"Share by email\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" style=\"display: inline;width:24px;height:24px;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: none;box-shadow: none\" src=\"https:\/\/www.grayrinehart.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/48x48\/mail.png\" \/><\/a><a class=\"synved-social-credit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"WordPress Social Media Feather\" href=\"http:\/\/synved.com\/wordpress-social-media-feather\/\" style=\"color:#444;text-decoration:none;font-size:8px;margin-left:5px;vertical-align:10px;white-space:nowrap\"><span>by <\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: inline;margin:0;padding:0;width:16px;height:16px\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"feather\" src=\"https:\/\/www.grayrinehart.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/icon.png\" \/><\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A couple of weeks ago I trekked to Kansas City, Missouri, where about seven hundred people, many (if not most) of them professional clergy or theological scholars, ran and attended panels on various topics &#8230; and enjoyed a whole lot of beer. As I wrote in my newsletter after I \u2026 <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.grayrinehart.com\/blog\/a-few-things-i-heard-at-theology-beer-camp\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[109,57],"class_list":["post-3346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faith","tag-christianity","tag-convention"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grayrinehart.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grayrinehart.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grayrinehart.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grayrinehart.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grayrinehart.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3346"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.grayrinehart.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3346\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3347,"href":"https:\/\/www.grayrinehart.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3346\/revisions\/3347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grayrinehart.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grayrinehart.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grayrinehart.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}