I'm beginning a summer series of down-to-earth faith & life conversations in homes (or backyards, decks, etc.) this summer. Though I already have a bit of a plan, I'm wondering how those "Theology on Tap" or "Coffee House Theology" events are structured. If you've ever led or attended such an event, please share your thoughts and insights here. Thanks!
4 thoughts on “Pub Theology – How’s it done?”
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The Lutheran Zephyr 
The Catholic Diocese of Washington has a really good Theology on Tap model – they have a “six pack” a couple times a year, where 6 weeks in a row they’ll have a set of themed “talks” bringing in different speakers on different, but related, topics. They have a happy half-hour at Ireland’s Four Green Fields (with drink specials, they must have worked something out with the place – it was packed last time I went), there was about 30-60 minutes of the talk part, and then lots of Q&A. It was pretty formal because there were so many people there. I also tried to go to a Lutheran version, but it was advertized really poorly, and though we were in the right building at the right time, no one at the establishment knew it was going on in order to get us to some back room where it was being held – so we left assuming it was cancelled. Let the blog world know if you do set one up, I know plenty of people who’d want to come!
sounds really interesting! I may have to try this myself! … you’ve got me thinking 🙂 I’d be interested in your plan, such as it is.
Our (Episcopal) church in Boston sponsored a series of these and they were generally very good. It didn’t hurt that they often drew on Christian academics from the greater Boston area. I even gave a presentation at one of them – the series was on Christianity and popular culture and I did “The Gospel According to Star Wars.” Lots of fun and I do think they can draw people who might not otherwise want to go to church.
If you’re still interested in getting something going, or in continuing something you’ve already started, I just came out with a new resource: Pub Theology 101: A Guide to Cultivating Meaningful Conversations at the Pub. The book walks through all the steps to beginning your own Pub Theology group, from choosing a location to deciding what to talk about. (You’ll have to make your own decision as to whether you prefer an IPA or a stout). And the best part of this new book: hundreds and hundreds of discussion topics and questions, sorted by category, that I’ve has compiled from over five years’ worth of pub discussions. Only $2.99 for Kindle! Cheers!