Priests

What would it look like if we thought of ourselves as priests? Not Wicca or Pagan... but priests of Elohim with the call to intermediate between man and God (or Jesus)?

Denominational Differences?

The question was something like:
What are our thoughts about the doctoral differences between the churches and should there be much attention given those differences?

What is the Good News?

The following is my thoughts and struggles toward articulating a philosophy of ministry in the south specifically, as well as, in any other context (hopefully).

When I am talking to someone in the south and I make the statement "the gospel" or "good news" The first and only thing is, is that I am referring to salvation.



(Step 1) Salvation being:

"I am a sinner that is danger of going to hell and that if I do not want to be tormented for all eternity in this hell, I need to recognize that I am a sinner, confess it to Jesus Christ and accept that He was the sacrifice that had to be given to save me." This is usually what is articulated in especially the south and many churches around the U.S.. There is some focus on the kingdom:

(Step 2) The Kingdom as I would argue it is:

The Kingdom is about helping the poor, self sacrifice, loving your enemies, being ethical about business practices, being transparent, humility, loving and desiring to know people other than people that look like you, acting on social justice, caring for widows and orphans, learning to be poor in spirit, and much much more.


Over the last view years I have struggled with hearing that the kingdom was what it means to be a Christian, while in my time at TFC mostly hearing from the culture at large that Christianity is about salvation.

OK so here is the point of this theological system (Dave I only call it a system because they need me to. If I had it my way this note would be one title and a sentence "Nate's N.U.T.S. Love God, Love People")

Take step two and show the world there is something more to the world. Jesus offers a life of excitement, joy, beauty, creativity, love, acceptance, companionship, everything can be found in the kingdom. Than when they are around those that are doing this "kingdom thing" thats when we say hey come to really know Jesus, come and know your accepted and that Jesus paid for the way for you to truly know God and see the kingdom in a way that only I person "saved" can. Thus completing step one.




I have been listening to people smarter than me say this stuff for a long time and this is how I word it (for the most part).

Pray to santa god?

I no longer believe in the santa god that I used to believe in. The book "Blue Like Jazz" was a revelation to me! Now I am some what confused about how to pray and when to pray so I default to trying to follow The Lords Prayer. What do you think?

Theology

What, Exactly, Is Theology?

By Tony Jones

an exclusive excerpt from the book
The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier (now available in paperback):
Most human activity is inherently theological, in that it reflects what we believe to be the case about God—who God is, what God wants from us, how involved God is in the world, and so forth. The house I buy—where it is, how big it is, how much it costs—is a theological decision. It reflects what I believe about the following questions and more: Does God care where I live? Does God care how I spend my money? Does God favor the city or the suburbs? Does God care about energy use? Does God favor public transportation? Maybe I believe that God cares about none of these things, in which case my decision to purchase the biggest house I can afford in the nicest part of town reflects my theological belief that God is not concerned with such things. Similarly, decisions that are much more mundane also reflect our beliefs about who God is and how God interacts with us. Some people pray for a good parking spot when they're driving to the mall. Others ask, ''If God is allowing genocide in Darfur, why would he intervene in the traffic patterns at my shopping mall?!?'' - what do you think?

Tolerant?

What do you think of the word 'Tolerance' when referring to others political or religious views? Seems the word is used to say "you can talk but I don't have to listen." What do you think?

What's more important?

What's more important: the message that Jesus taught or His resurrection?

Comfort

Does God care about our comfort?

Blind Faith

What are your feelings on Blind Faith?
Should we just accept the bible as is - per what we are taught?
Will the bible stand up to hard questions?
Is it OK to question God or the things we don't "get" from reading the bible?
Is it OK to disagree with parts of the bible?

Fasting

Fasting is the voluntary act of abstaining from something for the purpose of growing in self-discipline. Why is this something that God asks of us? Can you call yourself a follower of Christ and never fast?

Great Divide Releases Claymore Scotch Ale and Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout

Denver, CO (Feb 2009) - On February 13, 2009, Great Divide Brewing Company, one of America's most acclaimed craft breweries, will release Claymore Scotch Ale and Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout as the first offerings in a new lineup of rotating seasonal releases.

Named for a medieval Scottish sword, Claymore Scotch Ale is a tribute to the legendary "Wee Heavy" beers of Scotland. A malty, deep-ruby-hued ale, it features a generous amount of caramel sweetness, a reserved hop profile and a subtle warming character, at 7.7% alcohol by volume. Claymore will be available in six-packs and on draft through mid-April.

"We still love hops, but we wanted to brew a more malt-forward beer for a change," says Great Divide founder and president Brian Dunn. "And since it's still winter, it made sense to brew something with a bit of warming alcohol character. Wee Heavy is sort of an underappreciated --not to mention delicious--style, so we decided that it would be the perfect fit. We're excited," he concludes. "It'll stand up to the best of them."

Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout is a skillful blend of the award-winning Oak Aged Yeti with a generous amount of espresso sourced from Denver's own Pablo's Coffee. The espresso combines with Oak Aged Yeti's vanilla oak character, intense roasty maltiness and bold hop profile to create a truly heady experience. Espresso Oak Aged Yeti weighs in at 9.5% alcohol by volume and 75 International Bittering Units. It will be available in 22-ounce bottles and on draft through mid-April.

"Imperial stouts already tend to have undertones of coffee, so the infusion of espresso makes for a perfect complement to Oak Aged Yeti's already complex flavor," says Dunn. "We've been playing around with this beer for a while, trying to achieve the right amount of espresso character, and we've finally got it exactly where we want it. The espresso is prominent but not overwhelming; coffee and beer have never tasted so good together."

Claymore and Espresso Oak Aged Yeti will be the first beers in a new seasonal schedule that Great Divide is debuting this year. Claymore will be part of a series of four rotating six-packs, which will also include the brewery's original winter seasonal, Hibernation Ale. Espresso Oak Aged Yeti will lead a new series of rotating 22-ounce bottles, which will include established favorites Oak Aged Yeti and Old Ruffian Barley Wine as well as several new beers to come.

"We need to keep things fresh around here, even if only for our own amusement," says Dunn. "Our brewers have a bunch of new recipes they've been itching to try out; introducing nine new beers in a year will be a challenge, but we're up to it. We're excited to continue our tradition of being on the cutting edge of assertive yet balanced and drinkable beer. This is going to be a great year for us."

Great Divide is one of the most decorated craft breweries in the US. The brewery has won 13 medals at the Great American Beer Festival, held each year in Denver, Colorado. In addition, Great Divide was ranked 14th in Ratebeer.com's 2008 "The Best Brewers in the World" and it was ranked 7th in Beer Advocate's 2008 "All-Time Top Breweries on Planet Earth."

In 2003, the brewery was one of craft beer's first to defy the mainstream and expand its focus to bigger, more assertive beers that reflected the original spirit of the company. The move to more challenging beers has helped Great Divide grow to 8,986 barrels of beer production in 2008.

In 1994, Great Divide set up shop in an abandoned dairy/yogurt plant on the north edge of downtown Denver. The company has expanded several times at that location. The Great Divide Tap Room is a hit with local beer lovers and Denver visitors.

For details on all of Great Divide's beers visit www.greatdivide.com

Sin -> Deformaty?

What would say to people who would say that mental retardation or deformities are a result of sin?

Can one lose their salvation?

Reference: Hebrews 6:4

How do we introduce ourselves?

Is homosexuality an identity? I have a friend who always states that he is gay when he introduces himself. Why do you think this is?

Who is welcome at our table?

Are we allowed to eat and dine with a Christian who is living a sinful lifestyle?

Altbier

By: Alström Bros on Wednesday - August 15, 2001 - 00:00 UTC
First published in: Boston's Weekly Dig

Typically when you think of German beer, the word "lager" comes to mind. However, long before lagers Germanic brewers brewed ales, which have been crafted in Germany for at least 3,000 years. Not many specific styles of beer can be traced thousands of years, however Altbier is one of them. An ale at heart, "alt" is German for "old" and helps to reflect how far back this style has been around. Even when the Romans invaded what is present day Germany they were surprised to see such a nomadic race with the intellect to brew something similar to wine by using the resources around them, though they still thought beer was an inferior drink in comparison. In the south of Germany, bad tasting beer was common during the summer, so brewing was restricted to the colder months and beer was stored in cool places in the mountains. Bavarian beers thus became lagers (from the German verb lagern -- "to store"). When refrigeration allowed brewers to control the temperature at which beer was made, Europe's lager revolution began in earnest. The name Altbier was put to use back in the 1800's when much of central Europe decided to switch to onslaught of light-coloured lagers, while the local beer drinkers in the Rhineland stayed loyal to beers brewed the old school way (ales).

Horst Dornbusch, master brewer and native to Düsseldorf, describes the alt's profile in his book "Altbier" as: "If alt were a British beer, it would rank in the flavor spectrum somewhere between a brown and dark ale. As a German brew, however, alt has a few distinctly continental characteristics." He also points out that due to the brewing process of alts they have more residual proteins and dextrins that cannot be broken down. These lend more texture to the beer and consequently more body, mouth-feel and effervescence making for a full-bodied beer with a creamy long lasting head. Bitterness is moderate and malt sweetness is just enough to compliment. Alts are left in the fermenter for long periods of time, at lower temperatures, or rather they are lagered (stored, aged and matured in conditions near freezing), this process allows the yeast to reabsorb off-flavours into the beer and provides the clean and soft finish that has become expected from altbiers. Proper alts should be served in straight-sided glasses, ranging in size from 0.2-, 0.3- or 0.4- liters.

Düsseldorf is traditionally the home of altbier, however you can find it distributed throughout Germany. Sadly, authentic German-brewed alt rarely lands on American shores, and even more saddening is the fact that domestic alt is also hard to find, since the process of making it is so complicated that few brewers consider it worth the trouble. Decent examples are to be found though and if it wasn't for the ingenuity of American brewers, the altbier style could have been a dead one, and without a doubt lost in the heated mergers of the brewing industry in Europe. Here are some brands to try to further get your nose into this somewhat obscure style.

Domestic Altbiers:

Dornbusch Ale (Mercury Brewing, Ipswich, MA) - A German Style Düsseldorf-Style Altbier that grabbed a bronze medal at the 19th Annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver last year. This is a favourite for us BeerAdvocates.

Longtrail Ale (Longtrail Brewing, Bridgewaters Corner, VT) - Vermont Locals have dubbed this as their unofficial state craft brew by making this the most sold micro brew in the state. An easy drinking ale with a German accent that has been brewed since 1989.

Ottercreek Copper Ale (Ottercreek Brewing, Middlebury, VT) - This beer is one of the few beers that still have a strong foothold throughout New England with a extremely popular following. It is their flagship brew and dominates that taste buds with a complex mix of six different malts and three hop varieties.

Sunday River Alt Beer (Stone Coast Brewing, ME and NH locations) - A magnificent Portland, ME brewed alt that is a rich, smooth, full-bodied, malty beer. If you search, you can find this outstanding Americanized example. Another BeerAdvocate favourite.

Alle Tage Altbier (McNeil's Brewery in Brattleboro, NH) - Not sure on the availability on this one, but you can occasionally pick this up direct from the brewery. Clearly a spot on specimen of the alt style, and a very complex one at that.

German Altbiers (Available in the Boston area):

Pinkus Organic Münster Alt (Munster, Germany and Imported by Merchant Du Vin, Seattle, WA) - This one has been around since the early 1800's, the wonderful house yeast strain really brings out the malt character with a slightly tart fruit flavour within.

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The above is an excert from http://beeradvocate.com/articles/260

Can you know Jesus but not his name?

Can people who have never heard the name Jesus or the "Good News" about Christ still go to heaven? What about all those Native Americans who never learned about Jesus, are they going to hell? Will there be Native Americans in heaven?

Launch

The Beer & Theology blog is a companion tool for those who attend "Beer & Theology," a gathering in which people gather in local bars/pubs around Spokane Washington to discuss... beer and theology.

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Beer & Theology was inspired by people from The Porch, a community of faith, love, and hope. For more information visit ThePorchSpokane.org