1. It is mind blowing and soul nourishing to listen to talented orators and scholars about the “whys” and “hows” of current challenges in our individual and communal lives…especially when surrounded by joy and laughter.

2. “Have you ever noticed that the happiest people on television are on medication? … but the side effects are hell!” Jean Dominic Crossan (Hmmm… and did you know that there are only two countries in the world that allow direct to consumer marketing of prescription drugs?) 

3. “Heaven and hell are not locations in the future, they are options in the present.” Jean Dominic Crossan

4. “The battle is not how we worship but what we worship at the altars of our daily lives. That which is central to us is sacred to us.” Stacey Floyd-Thomas

5. “We were chanting, dancing, and trancing before we could speak… Religion started before belief.” Tripp Fuller

6. “The United Daughters of the Confederacy sought to create “living monuments” through what children were taught” (This is a history I sort of knew, but not really). We are repeating this today in the current policies of school boards and the Dept of Education to erase our history because it makes white kids “uncomfortable”…“A little discomfort is required to improve. An education that never discomforts never transforms.” …“Control of the narrative is more powerful than bombs.” Kelly Brown Douglas

7. “What books have torn you wide open?” Kelly Brown Douglas (What an amazing question and truth – the education that sets you free is not just what you learn from teachers in classrooms but also from books… supporting my deep belief that librarians will save our civilization)

8. West Coast IPA may be my favorite type of beer, and the one that was specially brewed for this event was among the best I’ve ever had. 

9. “Paul intended and wrote to speak to the ages, not just the time he lived in. In thinking about his words, his instructions, his understandings we can and should judge Paul against where we find ourselves today. This means that originalism, or fundamentalism is the wrong approach to the writings of Paul.” Jean Dominic Crossan

10. Spiritual/faith journeys must be done in community (church) so each of us can do “the work our soul must have” (Church). (the quote is from Katie Geneva Cannon, shared by Stacey Floyd-Thomas)

Photo from Brian Jones

Here’s the website for Theology Beer Camp 2025, so you can see the full list of speakers, topics, and events. Many of the speakers have wonderful podcasts, too!