Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Theology of Alcohol by James Gregory

James Gregory is a good friend of mine and also a fellow bible scholar who also incidentally graduated from Simpson University with me! A true scholar James spent a great deal of time delving into the issues of alchohol a while ago and I am pleased to present to you a link of all the blogs he wrote in reverse order (so scroll to the bottom then move up as you go)

So with no further ado here is his Theology of Alcohol!

Preach it and Pour it James!

The Six Pack

We are not alone!

Christianpost.com tells us that in Missouri we have a sister concept in action! Please give your prayers out to this church, The Journey as they fight the divide that may become a public battle for us one day.
ST. LOUIS (AP) - A new church is attracting members with unconventional methods such as pouring beer during theological discussions, but Southern Baptists say the outreach runs contrary to what the ministry represents.
A congregation of young St. Louisans called The Journey has grown from 30 members in 2002 to 1,300 members. The growth has been fueled by energetic programs, including Theology at the Bottleworks, a gathering at a suburban St. Louis microbrew pub for discussions on serious and offbeat topics linked to religion, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported yesterday.
Seriously though our mission is along with these people, that the medium of alcohol might just be the way to reach out to the often neglected, or leave your enjoyment at home people who love ales, stouts, etc. We hope to see those people more and more, as we share real conversation, real love, and a real passion for sharing the great news.

Preach it and Pour it Brothers!

The Six Pack

Monday, January 29, 2007

"Adam & Eve Ale" and Communion!

So this past Sunday, the Pub Ministry gathered at the apartment and we partook of a very interesting ale, and communion as well. Last week we discussed the future of the group, and the steps we needed to take in order to really be a ministry and a pub church if you would. The 1st step we decided on was that we needed to participate in disciplines of worship. Matt, one of our Pub Ministry "Six Pack" decided that it would be best to join in one of the first acts ever commanded by Jesus, and this was communion.
We drank from a White Merlot, and partook of a loaf of French bread. There was joy and solemnity at the same time, overall a successful communion.

There was discussion on how we felt Jesus approached ministry, mainly coming to the point that they really enjoyed and embraced the concept of Jesus coming as a friend, into your place in life regardless of where you were, not just the poor and discarded such as cripples and prostitutes, but also to the home of Pharisees, Jesus excluded none. We discussed the Passion of the Christ and also what our reactions would have been had we the ability to go back in time and witness it, with 20/20 hindsight as to what was really going on.

Finally the ale of the week was "Adam & Eve Ale" from *ahem* Great Sex Brewery (go figure the Newlywed picked it out), which was more of a brown ale and was very creamy and bread-like in aroma but had a sweet finish.

This was the final installment of Blue Like Jazz, and next week we begin our reading of The Relevant Church.

See you next week!

The Six Pack

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Worship and "Alley Cat"

This last Sunday "The 6 Pack" gathered at the local watering hole (okay, our little apartment we meet at) and we discussed chapter 17 of Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality. It was based on the concept of worship and we discussed how we felt we should approach a discipline of worship as part of our weekly meeting. Ideas were thrown about, and no beer was spilled. We came to the consensus of trying various ideas about from music to lectio divina, to times of silence over a period of a few months. I doubt any one of these things will become the staple of this group but all will surely influence.

Whilst the discussing, and idea throwing, the beer we did not spill was from one of my favorite NorCal microbreweries, Lost Coast Brewery. We Enjoyed their offering of "Alleycat Amber Ale", "A full-flavored amber ale made with roasted caremel malt. Richly colored and medium-bodied, Alleycat is an assertive blend of malts with a sprightly cascade of hops." (Lost Coast Brewery) All this to say, that Alleycat was a very smooth ale, which had definite sweet notes and and a lingering bright aftertaste in my opinion.

Stay Tuned as we venture into the disciplines of worship and the enjoyment of beers!

The Six Pack

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

The PUB Ministry Blog has Arrived!

Welcome to the home of the PUB Ministry. We are a group of Christ Following, Young Adults, who have a passion for bridging some of the gaps that are dividing the secular world and the Christian world. namely for us the concept that Christians cannot partake in the same great beverages that the secular world can... like beer.

PUB stands for as you can see form the title: Praying Unifying Bonding, we will grow into greater detail over these. As well as going over the history of the PUB ministry, introducing you to "The Six Pack" and letting you in on what great theological discussions have occurred as well as what great beers we have taken the time to sample as part of this ministry.

We hope you enjoy your time here at the PUB Ministry Blog, and look forward to hearing your input as time progresses.

Thank You!

The Six Pack