Theology on Tap: Recent Episodes
St. Philip's Church: Charleston, SC
Theology on Tap is a twice-monthly gathering of young adults in Charleston, SC, who long for meaningful conversation about life and God. St. Philip's clergymen Justin Hare and Brian McGreevy begin each episode with a discussion about the given topic and finish with a Q & A session.
This week Justin and Brian continue their discussion of Meg Jay's The Defining Decade, looking particularly into the section on "Love" and relationships. As a secular social scientist, Jay puts forward some interesting data about dating, cohabitation and marriage that may surprise many in their twenties. Her insights reinforce biblical principles and, while there is some perspectives she maintains that one should be cautious of from a Christian perspective, there is nevertheless much to be learned and heeded in her book when it comes to these issues.
This week Justin and Brian begin a discussion on Meg Jay's bestseller The Defining Decade. Jay argues that contrary to popular opinion, your twenties are critically important and extremely consequential. She aims to show how this is true when it comes to your career, your relationships, your brain, and your body. This week Justin and Brian introduce the book and start tackling the topic of do's and don't's when it comes to vocation in your twenties.
Brian and Justin kick off the New Year in a WICKED way by discussing the recent film, Wicked. They start off by exploring some of the many positive components of the movie and then offer some thoughts as to how it, in other ways, reinforces some compelling yet bad ideas which are prevalent in our culture. In looking at this specific example of art, they aim to provide Christians a template for practically engaging the world around them with charity and wisdom.
This week Justin and Brian discuss some of the practical implications on one of the greatest acts in all of history: when God became man (also known as the Incarnation). They look at this all important topic particularly through the lens of what the early church has said about the Incarnation and they try to show how some of their insights are of great relevance to us today.
This week Justin and Brian discuss the season of Advent and how this season of preparing for Christ's coming (in several senses!) can be practical and useful in growing deeper in your faith as well as experiencing more joy and flourishing in your life today.
This week Justin and Brian conclude their series on friendship by exploring concrete ways to deepen the friendships in your life. They utilize material from Justin Whitmel Earley's "Made for People" and Brad Hambrick's "Transforming Friendships."
This week Justin and Brian continue their discussion on friendship, specifically looking into the major hindrances and challenges to friendship today. Friendship has never been easy but today it is uniquely challenging. They aim to offer a few thoughts in how to have flourishing friendships in light of these pressing challenges.
This week Justin and Brian continue their discussion on the topic of friendship, and they do so by looking to some of the insights that can be gained from C.S. Lewis, both in his writings and his personal habits.
This week Brian and Justin kick off a ToT mini-series on friendship. This week the examine the nature of true friendship - what it is and why it is so important.
Justin and Brian are back together this week and they discuss the role of the imagination in the Christian life. What exactly is the imagination? What is its purpose and benefit? How can we cultivate our imaginations well? These questions and more are on tap this week!
This week Justin welcomes special guest the Rev. Jason Hamshaw as they discuss the quintessential question of our day: "What does it mean to be human?" They discuss how this has always been a pivotal question, what has caused this to be such an important question now, and how the answer that the Bible gives to this crucial question is more freeing and compelling than any other out there.
This week, Justin welcomes special guest the Very Rev. Peet Dickinson, Dean and Rector of the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul in Charleston, as they answer as many of the unanswered questions from the past few months of Theology on Tuesdays as they can.
This week Brian and Justin have their wives join them for a discussion about relationships. They chat about what the biblical understanding of marriage is, when and how to prepare for marriage, as well as as well as what might be some wisdom when it comes to navigating dating and singleness.
This week Justin and Brian discuss what the Bible says about the topic of clothing. The Bible, suprisingly, has a lot to say about clothing, both metaphorically and literally. In all of what it says, our choices concerning what we wear are infused with signficance and purpose, and we are given principles to help us discern wisdom when it comes to our clothing.
This week Justin and Brian discuss how advances in technology of late, while helpful in many regards, have posed significant challenges for relationships and human flourishing. What does it mean to be a human being? What role does our body play in our human identity? What challenges do we face today to live embodied lives and why is that important? How intentional must we be in pushing back on technology and the world around us if we want to our lives to flourish? Justin and Brian seek to answer these questions and more this week at ToT.
This week Brian is joined by the Right Rev. Chip Edgar, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, and they discuss one of their favorite topics: the use of fiction in nourishing faith! Listen in as they discuss how the works of Flannery O'Conner, George MacDonald, and, of course, Lewis and Tolkien can be used as aids in your own faith today.
This week Justin and Brian discuss the virtue of humility and how needed it is today. They discuss the true nature of humuility and how it pushes back on the modern understanding of 'tolerance' and how it also will produce a better society.
Pornography has changed significantly just in the last 10-20 years. It has become so prevalent that it is actually invasive. How should the church respond to this? Has it misunderstood the Scriptures? What hope is held out to those who are bombarded with it today? Brian and Justin answer these questions and more this week at ToT.
This is another week where Brian and Justin tackle as many unanswered questions as they can from the last few months. Enjoy!
This week Justin and Brian discuss what Holy Week is all about, why it's important, and how you can make the most out of it this year.
'Let's talk about sex, baby! - Salt-N-Pepa aren't the only ones talking about sex! This week, Justin and Brian discuss God's gift of sex. Like all created things, sex was created by God as a good gift which was meant to be enjoyed according to its design and purpose. Justin and Brian explain what that purpose is, the ways humans have misunderstood and misused sex both in and outside of the Church down through the ages, and how we can experience joy and freedom in the area of sex today.
This week, Brian and Justin discuss the powerful emotions of shame and guilt. They explain what the difference is between the two, discuss why there is so much conversation surrounding these two emotions today, and offer a biblical perspective on how to understand, engage and respond to these emotions.
This week Brian and Justin explore the season of Lent. They discuss its origins, its purpose, and some practical ways you can engage and benefit from this season.
This week, Brian and Justin discuss Thaddeus J. Williams' Don't Follow Your Heart: Boldly Breaking the Ten Commandments of Self-Worship and how the season of Lent, along with its traditional practices, helps us to resist foolish ideas like 'follow your heart.'
In this episode, Justin and Brian reflect on some of the highlights of the 2024 Mere Anglicanism conference entitled "Speaking the Truth in Love: The Church and the Challenge of the New Morality." They discuss some insights they learned from their favorite speakers and how we can be better equipped to minister to lost and hurting world.
This week Justin and Brian discuss the role of both gratitude and giving in the Christian life. While most everyone would agree with the importance of these virtues, almost all also wish they employed these virtues more and more in their lives. Justin and Brian discuss why this is the case and how you can begin to put into practice more and more these critical practices.
This week Justin and Brian tackle all the unanswered questions from the previous 4 months. Topics include: feminism, fostering healthe relationships, technology, Halloween, and power/oppression.
This week Justin and Brian discuss the nature of power and oppression. Are all power dynamics bad? How are we to understand power and oppression as Christians according to the Bible? How might Christians work for justice today? Join in as they seek to answer these questions and more.
Happy Halloween! This week Justin and Brian discuss whether Christians should celebrate Halloween and if so, how they ought to celebrate. Topics include the importance of thinking upon our mortality, the mini-Triduum of Allhallowstide, and the nature and role of the saints in the Christian life.
In this episode, Justin and Brian discuss the point of education, the problem of student loans and how all of that relates to Jesus' call to become his disciple.
In this episode, Justin and Brian discuss the greatest command of Jesus: to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. While we might easily understand what it means to love someone with all our heart and soul, most of us are confused as to what it actually means to love someone, especially God, with our minds. This week, Justin and Brian not only explain what that means but also give some practical help regarding how you can actually go about doing it.
In this episode, Justin and Brian discuss some of the habits and practices mentioned in the Bible that simply make relationships work. They may be things you have heard before or things you think you know, but you may be surprised how Jesus and the Scriptures approaches these important topics!
In this episode, Brian and Justin discuss the Barbie movie and the current trends within the family, particularly when it comes to children, pets and DINKs (Dual Income, No Kids couples). They give some highlights from the movie (SPOILER ALERT!) and assess its strengths and weaknesses from a Christian perspective.
In this episode Justin is joined by functional nutritionist and health coach, Jolene Park, and they discuss the topic of alcohol from a Christian and physiological perspective. Alcohol is a timely topic and one that Justin and Jolene approach from the Scriptures, science and history in order to try and offer a balanced view of how to have a healthy relationship with alcohol as Christians.
In this episode, Justin is joined by the Director of Music and Choirmaster at St. Philips Church, Chris Walchesky, as they discuss how Christianity speaks into the ever growing market of self-improvement/personal development. They also discuss how what is truly happening from a spiritual standpoint in worship when the people of God are gather together on the Lord's Day, and how this actually gets to the kind of development we all long for most.
This week Justin and Brian discuss the rapid technological advances that have taken place in just the last couple of decades and how this digital revolution is affecting us from a spiritual standpoint both consciously and subconsciously.
This week Brian and Justin seek to answer all the questions that have been asked in weeks past but not posed yet. Expect a wide variety of questions and a fruitful discussion!
In this episode, Justin and Brian seek to glean some wisdom from Aldous Huxley, George Orwell and, of course, C.S. Lewis on how we might live flourishing lives in the brave new world that we find ourselves in today. While there are many themes discussed from Brave New World, 1984 and That Hideous Strength, each of them can be traced back to how God reveals human flourishing in the pages of the Bible.
In this episode, Brian is joined by St. Philips Organist and Choir Director Chris Walchesky to discuss the nature and purpose of beauty. Is beauty simply in the eye of the beholder? Is it a mere accident along the way in a random evolutionary process? Or is beauty an intentional signpost for something greater - something that we all know and see but find it impossible to fully capture with words and images? Listen in as Brian and Chris chime in on how indeed beauty can save the world.
In this episode, Justin and Brian discuss why there is an epidemic of loneliness for many young people in the West today. Many people, especially in their 20s, find themselves working long hours, filling their schedules with many social events, and yet nevertheless they are terribly lonely on the inside. Justin and Brian try to step back and look at the big picture and then offer a few ideas on how Christianity and the Church offer resources that get to the root causes of these issues and create more flourishing than any other way of living in our modern world.
This week, Justin and Brian share some of the books that have most influenced them and what they recommend to read this summer. They cover a wide variety of genres in hopes that all of your heart, mind, and soul will be built up and encouraged!
This week Justin returns from a global Anglican conference and discusses with Brian what exactly is the Church and how our modern understanding of the Church so often differs from that of the Bible's understanding. More importantly, they discuss why the Church is something very good and how we can experience the fulness of this blessing from God.
In this episode, Justin and Brian answer all the questions that were submitted but never asked in the previous few months at Theology on Tap. Of course as always they answered questions from the floor afterwards.
In this episode, Justin and Brian discuss the significant changes that have occurred in the last several decades when it comes to mealtime rituals. These changes in behavior certainly are due to a significant technological shifts, but more importantly (and perhaps more subtly) they reflect a change in society values. And unfortunately this shift is one of the biggest causes of the rampant loneliness among young people today. If we can recapture some of the features of a traditional meal such as sacrifice, intentionality, and vulnerability, it is to be expected that deeper friendships might be formed, less anxiety and depression would be had, and a deeper gratitude and devotion to God would be cultivated.
This week Justin and Brian discuss what the Bible has to say about the topic of money. They address some of the popular misunderstandings about what the Bible teaches regarding money and how the wider culture views money. At root, Jesus's teaching on money is not to restrict our joy but to lead us ultimately into a deeper satisfaction.
In this episode, Justin and Brian discuss the significance of the season of Lent with a special focus on Ash Wednesday. They debunk some common faulty approaches to the season of Lent and offer a few ways that this season is of particular help to us in our day.
In this episode, Justin and Brian recall some of their favorite parts of the Mere Anglicanism Conference hosted by St. Philips Church in Charleston on Jan 26-28, 2023. From the speakers to the worship sessions, they were blessed and further equipped to share the Faith in a postmodern world through the use of beauty, longing and story. And of course, C.S. Lewis is a perfect example of someone who led the way in this regard.
In this episode, Justin and Brian discuss how the Bible addresses failure. Because of the gospel failure is not something to deny or hide, but an opportunity for God to grow us.
“In this episode, Justin and Brian discuss why telling time is so important in identity formation and how Christians down through the centuries have sought to reinforce their values in how they order time. They also discuss the season of Advent which kicks off the new church year and why this season is of particular importance not to overlook today.
On this election day, Justin and Brian discuss two of the things one is not supposed to bring up in polite company: politics and religion. They discuss a framework for approaching politics as a Christian, as well as what is helpful and what is not helpful in political discourse as Christians.”
“In this episode, Justin and Brian discuss the various factors that contribute to the busyness in our lives and how this affects our flourishing and communities. We were made for friendship and yet many of our habits and practices mitigate the efforts we do put in to build quality friendships. Listen in to catch a vision for how we can capitalize on the time we are given so that we might experience the fullness of what we were made for and not simply ‘work for the weekend.’”
Description: “In this episode, Justin hosts special guest Dr. Ian Murphy, theologian and author of “Dying to Live: From Agnostic to Baptist to Catholic.” They discuss Ian’s remarkable story and then reflect on some of the do’s and don’t’s when it comes to sharing the faith with others based on what was helpful and what wasn’t helpful in their own journey’s of faith.
“In part two of the mini-series on finding purpose for our lives, Brian and Justin explore how relationships are central to human flourishing. The two kinds of human relationships that are explicitly mentioned in the 10 Commandments are the parent/child relationship and husband/wife relationship. Join Brian and Justin as they explore how we can find deeper purpose in our lives as we seek to follow God’s design in these specific relationships.”
In this episode we explore Brian‘s healthy obsession: C.S. Lewis! Both he and J.R.R. Tolkien have had such a broad appeal to people of all ages, both in and outside of Christianity. We discuss why this might be the case and what they have to offer us today.
A crucial yet often misunderstood topic is that of forgiveness. "What actually is forgiveness?" "Must we forget in order to forgive?" "Is it always appropriate to forgive?" These and many more questions we seek to answer in this episode of Theology on Tap.
Do you feel as though the way you are living doesn’t match up with how you were meant to live? The Church has a deep reservoir of wisdom to help. The Church’s ancient practices called the spiritual disciplines are just the antidote to the problems we face in our frenetic world today. Contrary to how we view freedom in the West now, true joy and freedom come not by the absence of all restrictions but rather the presence of the right ones. In this episode Brian, Justin and special guest the Rev. Andrew O’Dell discuss what these practices are and how they can help us lead fuller lives.”
Let's revisit all the questions we couldn't quite get to in our past meetings––anything goes!
We find ourselves overwhelmed with options in our world today. With modern advances in technology, we have more choices of what to do, where to go, and who to marry than ever before. Christians themselves are not immune to decision anxiety. In this episode, Justin and Brian discuss practically how we can make decisions in light of God’s desire for our lives and then rest knowing that He is in control.
What does a book written thousands of years ago have for us today? With special guest the Rev. Jeffrey S. Miller, Rector of St. Philip's Church.