Theology @ The Taproom starts up for the fall season a week from today–Monday September 17th @ 6PM in the second floor of the Taproom at Brown’s Brewing Company. We will be reading Martin Luther’s classic “The Bondage of the Will”. If you have not already signed up but would like to join in–just shoot an email to phil@terranovachurch.org . Below you will find an entry by Jeff Mural on his experience with TATT.

Some years ago, my wife and I attended a Christian marriage conference. The speakers were well prepared, entertaining and effective communicators, but Cathy and I were bored out of our minds. During breaks in the conference, friends would come over to us and say, “Isn’t this conference great? Isn’t this just amazing?” I did what any good Christian would do. I lied.

Don’t get me wrong, I think such organizations are important. Clearly they are needed. So why were we so bored? That night, as I was laying in bed reading a book on apologetics, I had an epiphany. This book I was reading was really dense, far more complicated and nuanced than anything that was discussed that day at the conference, and I was reading this for fun! I was reading this to relax! If I was reading such a philosophical book for pleasure, no wonder I was bored at the conference. Was I the only one?

When Phil announced his idea for Theology at the Taproom, a year ago at Terra Nova, my wife turned to me, lit up, and said, “You HAVE to go to that. It’s PERFECT for you! You can spend time with people who are serious enough to discuss theology, and loose enough to do it over a beer.” I made the usual excuses about how I was too busy, and didn’t have time in my life for another meeting. Cathy replied that this was something I had to make a priority, and signed me up herself.

I’ve been studying theology for years, but for most of my adult life, I’ve been studying alone. Only on infrequent, out-of-town trips could I spend time with like-minded Christian friends who enjoy in-depth discussions about faith. God meant for us to practice faith in community. At the Taproom, I’ve finally found a local community of like minded Christian intellectuals willing to study, question and debate. It’s as refreshing as water in the desert. For me, what we do at the Taproom is sacramental, it’s just that instead consecrating with wine, we do it with beer.

Jeff Mural