Homebrewed Christianity

Gary Dorrien, a noted theologian and historian of Christian social ethics, traces the Black social gospel through figures like Ida B. Wells and Reverdy Ransom. He maps its origins in anti-lynching activism, Reconstruction’s collapse, and prophetic socialist visions. Short, sharp stories of journalism, organizing, and theological resistance bring forgotten radical voices back into focus.

John Dominic Crossan, professor emeritus and historical Jesus scholar, offers a sharp, accessible take on Jesus, empire, and collective faith. He contrasts agrarian kingdom imagery with urban Paul, reframes resurrection as communal vindication, unmasks literalist traps, and sketches nonviolent, distributive resistance to imperial power. Short, provocative, and deeply political reflections for Eastertime.

Jarrod McKenna, Australian pastor, activist, and theologian focused on nonviolent social change. He recounts direct-action roots and talks about disciplining media intake, prayer as a way to process grief, forming small mutual-aid hubs, reclaiming Christian socialism, and practical Anabaptist/Catholic Worker practices for resisting war and imperial power.

Adam Clark, theology professor focused on civic engagement, centers white supremacy as the film’s central sin. Kelly Brown Douglas, scholar of Black theology, traces the blues-church dialectic and the juke joint as spiritual refuge. Stacey Floyd-Thomas, womanist ethicist, highlights the spiritual power and cost borne by women. Juan Floyd-Thomas, historian of Black religion and film, reads conjure, Papa Legba, and Sammy’s music as a gateway between worlds.

John Dominic Crossan, scholar of the historical Jesus and parable theory, offers lively, provocative readings of parables. Short, sharp takes explore riddle, example, and challenge parables. He reframes stories like the Sower, Vineyard Workers, and Good Samaritan as social and political provocations. There is also a bold take on the Eucharist, comic eschatology, and why parables demand action rather than mere reflection.

A deep dive into how a theologian’s life was turned into a political symbol. Traces the role of a bestselling biography and a fabricated quote in that transformation. Explores Bonhoeffer’s charge of docetism and why insisting on Jesus’ historical particularity mattered. Raises the central challenge: do we follow a living person or reduce them to a deployable principle?

Wes Ellis, practical theologian, pastor, and author of Abiding in Amen, argues prayer feels impossible because modern life turns it into a performance. He explores how achievement culture, digital distraction, and the desire for control colonize our inner life. He reframes prayer as receiving God’s movement, abiding, and cultivating wasted space rather than mastering a technique.

John Dominic Crossan, renowned historical Jesus scholar and DePaul professor emeritus, explores commons, enclosure, and how imperial economics shaped Galilee. He connects Antipas’s lakeside ambitions, commercialized fishing, and the loaves-and-fishes story to political economy. He also reframes demons as imperial oppression and contrasts theological participation with mere tradition.

John Anthony Dunne, New Testament scholar and beer nerd who studies wine and beer in the Bible, walks through biblical scenes soaked in fermented beverages. Short takes on temple libations, Cana and temple imagery, prophetic mountains dripping with wine, and a 'varietals' framework for wine symbolism. He ties all this to communion as a blended, communal climax of biblical themes.

Ted Peters, Lutheran theologian and astrotheology pioneer, explores theology at the edge of space science. He recounts UFO-influenced childhood roots and coins astrotheology. Conversation jumps from valuing microbial life on Europa to deep incarnation and whether Christ’s flesh ties redemption to the cosmos. Practical questions include hospitality for unexpected contact, ethical Mars colonization, and bridging ufologists with astrobiologists.