Theology on Tap

Last updated

Theology on Tap is a program of lectures sponsored by a number of local Catholic dioceses. The lectures, which are often given by noted spiritual leaders and religious academics, address current topics in religion and theology, and are notable and sometimes controversial for their venue, which is normally a bar or restaurant. The concept has become common among other Christian Denominations, particularly Episcopalians, Lutherans, Anglicans, and some Presbyterian, Methodist, and progressive Baptist churches.

Contents

History

The series was cofounded by Father John Cusick, a resident of Old St. Patrick's Parish, and director of the archdiocese's Young Adult Minister and Father Jack Wall in June 1981 in Arlington Heights, Illinois, as the result of comments made by a recent college graduate who was "concerned about his personal identity and finding meaning in life." [1] [2]

Lecture topics have included the sacrament of reconciliation (commonly referred to as confession), Christian values, faith and work, relationship issues, small faith communities, decision making or discernment, embryonic stem-cell research, religious fundamentalism, the relevance of the church in the modern world and to public policy, and women's role in the church. [3]

Reach

Since its inception, the program has spread to more than 180 parishes and dioceses and at least six other countries, including Canada, Italy, Taiwan, the Philippines, Ireland, Australia and Hong Kong. [4]

As of Spring 2007, the Archdiocese of Chicago began a collaboration with RENEW International, a Catholic ministry organization, to expand and service Theology on Tap efforts in dioceses and parishes in the US and abroad. [5]

Controversy

Theology on Tap exhibits significant theological differences with some churches and temperance societies like the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (compare Christianity and alcohol). Advocates for Theology on Tap, however, have defended the concept, calling it, among other things, the practice of "bringing the faith to where the people are." [6] The fact that the lectures are open to the public is also hoped to bring in a broad audience; one organizer has stated that the goal of the lectures is "to reach out to people primarily in their 20s and 30s that may have strayed from their faith." [7]

Notable advocates

At least one high-level church leader has embraced the idea with a sense of humor. On October 17, 2006, Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl responded to a Theology on Tap gathering's applause by saying "That's the warmest welcome I've ever received in a pub ... That's the first welcome I've ever received in a pub." [8]

Cardinals Justin Rigali, Joseph Bernardin, Francis George, Seán Patrick O'Malley, George Pell and Archbishops J. Peter Sartain and George Hugh Niederauer have also led and/or addressed program gatherings. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of Sweden</span> Evangelical Lutheran church

The Church of Sweden is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sweden, the largest Lutheran denomination in Europe and the third-largest in the world, after the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis George</span> American Catholic cardinal and bishop

Francis Eugene George was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the eighth Archbishop of Chicago in Illinois (1997–2014) and previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Yakima and Archbishop of Portland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Rigali</span> American Catholic cardinal

Justin Francis Rigali is an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was the eighth Archbishop of Philadelphia, having previously served as Archbishop of St. Louis from 1994 to 2003, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 2003. Following a sex abuse probe into the Catholic Church, Cardinal Rigali resigned in 2011.

The hierarchy of the Catholic Church consists of its bishops, priests, and deacons. In the ecclesiological sense of the term, "hierarchy" strictly means the "holy ordering" of the church, the Body of Christ, so to respect the diversity of gifts and ministries necessary for genuine unity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryvale Institute</span>

Maryvale Institute is a college of further and higher education, an International Catholic Distance-Learning College for Catechesis, Theology, Philosophy and Religious Education in Old Oscott, Great Barr, Birmingham, England. It specialises in the provision of part-time, distance learning courses to the lay faithful, consecrated religious and ministers of the Roman Catholic Church.

Christopher West is a Catholic author and speaker, best known for his work on Pope John Paul II’s series of audience addresses entitled Theology of the Body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy M. Dolan</span> American prelate of the Catholic Church (b. 1950)

Timothy Michael Dolan is an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is the tenth and current archbishop of New York, having been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami</span> Roman Catholic archdiocese at Miami, Florida, United States

The Archdiocese of Miami is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in South Florida in the United States. It is the metropolitan see for the Ecclesiastical Province of Miami, which covers all of Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford</span> Latin Rite Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Connecticut, USA


The Archdiocese of Hartford is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Connecticut in the United States. It is a metropolitan see.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry J. Mansell</span> American prelate

Henry Joseph Mansell is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford in Connecticut from 2004 to 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Wuerl</span> American cardinal (born 1940)

Donald William Wuerl is an American prelate, a cardinal, of the Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington from 2006 to 2018. He was elevated by Pope John Paul II to serve as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle (1986–1987), and bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh (1988–2006). Pope Benedict XVI named Wuerl as archbishop of Washington and made him a cardinal in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Fisher</span> Catholic Archbishop of Sydney

Anthony Colin FisherOP is an Australian prelate of the Catholic Church and a friar of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). Since 12 November 2014, he has been the ninth Catholic Archbishop of Sydney. He served as the third Bishop of Parramatta from 4 March 2010 to 12 November 2014, having previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Parañaque</span> Diocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines

The Diocese of Parañaque is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Metro Manila, Philippines which encompasses the cities of Parañaque, Las Piñas, and Muntinlupa. Previously belonging to the Archdiocese of Manila, the Ecclesiastical District of Parañaque was declared an independent diocese on December 7, 2002, by Pope John Paul II by virtue of the papal bull Ad Efficacius. The district bishop, Jesse Eugenio Mercado, also one of the auxiliary bishops of Manila, was designated as its first and only bishop and was formally installed on January 28, 2003.

A base community is a relatively autonomous Christian religious group that operates according to a particular model of community, worship, and Bible study. The 1968 Medellín, Colombia, meeting of Latin American Council of Bishops played a major role in popularizing them under the name basic ecclesial communities. These are small groups, originating in the Catholic Church in Latin America, who meet to reflect upon scripture and apply its lessons to their situation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Braxton</span> American Roman Catholic retired bishop

Edward Kenneth Braxton is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Belleville in Illinois, from 2005 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Joseph Lucas</span> American prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1949)

George Joseph Lucas is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He has been serving as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Omaha in Nebraska since 2009, having previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois from 1999 to 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard Paul Blair</span> Catholic archbishop

Leonard Paul Blair is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford in Connecticut since December 16, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy C. Senior</span> American Catholic prelate (born 1960)

Timothy Christian Senior is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 2009 to 2023, as well as rector and later chancellor of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. In 2023 Pope Francis named him bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg.

The "Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience" is a manifesto issued by Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christian leaders to affirm support of "the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty". It was drafted on October 20, 2009, and released November 20, 2009, having been signed by more than 150 American religious leaders. On the issue of marriage, the declaration objects not only to same-sex marriage but also to the general erosion of the "marriage culture" with the specter of divorce, greater acceptance of infidelity and the uncoupling of marriage from childbearing. The declaration's website encourages supporters to sign the declaration, and it counts 551,130 signatures as of July 18, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Barron</span> Prelate of the Catholic Church, author, scholar and Catholic evangelist

Robert Emmet Barron is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as bishop of the Diocese of Winona–Rochester since 2022. He is the founder of the Catholic ministerial organization Word on Fire, and was the host of Catholicism, a documentary TV series about Catholicism that aired on PBS. He served as rector at Mundelein Seminary from 2012 to 2015 and as auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles from 2015 to 2022.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.