The Sacred, The Political, and Why We're All Vulnerable with Aaron Staufer & Aaron Simmons

The Sacred, The Political, and Why We're All Vulnerable with Aaron Staufer & Aaron Simmons

Author: Dr. Tripp Fuller August 7, 2025 Duration: 1:38:54
Another epic live stream from our Democracy in Tension summit! Aaron Simmons and I dive deep with theologian and community organizer Aaron Staufer about how sacred values and vulnerability shape our political life together. We wrestle with the big questions y'all have been sending in - can mainline churches recover a compelling sense of the sacred while staying committed to critical thinking? How do we navigate prophetic witness without falling into the therapeutic Christianity trap? And why does good theology always seem to come with absolutely terrible music? Aaron drops some serious wisdom about radical democracy, relational power, and why humans are lovers who care deeply about things. We get into the weeds about vulnerability, value, organizing, and whether multiculturalism can actually work in practice. Plus, we tackle the hard stuff - what happens when someone's sacred values make them unreasonable participants in democracy? It's theology, politics, philosophy, and a healthy dose of complaining about boring mainline Protestant worship. Grab your favorite beverage and settle in for some real talk about faith, power, and building beloved community. You can join the Democracy in Tension online summit and get access to all the lectures today. You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube Aaron Simmons is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Furman University. You can follow his Substack ‘Philosophy in the Wild.’ Aaron Stauffer is the Director of Online Learning and Associate Director of the Wendland-Cook Program at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. Previous Episodes with Staufer The Future of Faith & Justice Theology for Action UPCOMING ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠ This transformative online class brings together distinguished scholars from biblical studies, theology, history, and faith leadership to offer exactly what our moment demands: the rich, textured wisdom of multiple academic disciplines speaking into our contemporary quest for justice. Here you'll discover how ancient texts illuminate modern struggles, how theological reflection deepens social action, and how historical understanding opens new possibilities for faithful engagement with our world's brokenness and beauty. Join John Dominic Crossan, Peter Enns, Casey Sigmon, Aizaiah Yong, & Malcolm Foley As always, the class is donation-based, including 0. INFO & Sign-Up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.FaithAndPolitics.net⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Theology Beer Camp ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. _____________________ This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 70,000 other people by joining our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 50 classes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever wondered how the big ideas from theology and philosophy might actually connect to the life you're living right now? That's the space where Homebrewed Christianity does its work. Hosted by Dr. Tripp Fuller, this podcast operates like a lively, accessible conversation at the intersection of deep thought and everyday curiosity. Instead of dry lectures, you'll find engaging dialogues with a wide range of scholars, theologians, and philosophers, each bringing their unique perspective to the table. The aim is to make the often-intimidating wisdom from academic circles feel tangible and useful, providing what you might call raw materials for your own reflection. Consider each episode an invitation to process, question, and synthesize ideas on your own terms. You'll hear discussions that span historical context, contemporary ethical dilemmas, and the evolving nature of spiritual experience, all with a tone that's more thoughtful coffee shop chat than formal classroom. This isn't about handing down answers; it's about equipping you with diverse ingredients from across the Christian tradition and beyond, so you can actively engage in brewing a faith that is intellectually robust and personally meaningful. Tuning in regularly offers a consistent source of stimulation for anyone who believes that serious inquiry and a sense of wonder can, and should, go hand in hand.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Homebrewed Christianity
Podcast Episodes
Standing Firm: Bonhoeffer's Urgent Wisdom for Our Dangerous Times [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:14
🍺 Bonhoeffer for Dangerous Times | Theology Beer Camp 2025 Preview Are we living in the most dangerous times of our lives? Renowned Bonhoeffer scholar Jeffrey C. Pugh doesn't pull punches in this powerful preview lecture…
Myron Penner: Five Ways Science Can Help Your Faith [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:33
My friend Dr. Myron Penner - everyone's favorite Canadian Mennonite philosopher of science & religion - offers up five compelling ways that science can actually enrich rather than threaten faith. We move beyond the tired…
Elesha Coffman: The Christian Century and Mainline Legacy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:48:27
So I had the chance to sit down with Elesha Coffman, who's written what might be the only book entirely devoted to the Christian Century magazine, and we ended up diving deep into the whole messy question of what "mainli…
Christian Witness in Catastrophic Times with Cornel West [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:56:07
I had the privilege of sitting down with Dr. Cornel West, one of America's most distinguished public intellectuals and philosophers, to discuss his historic Gifford Lectures, which marked a watershed moment in the series…
Mark Vernon: Awake! William Blake and the Power of the Imagination [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:20:22
In this episode, we turn to the radical vision of William Blake with brilliant scholar and psychotherapist Mark Vernon. Mark argues that Blake isn't just a historical curiosity—he's a guide for rewilding our humanity in…
Nichole Torbitzky: Student Beliefs & The Evolution of Faith on Campus [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:28:53
I got an email from a retired university chaplain who'd hit a wall - after decades of ministry, he felt so culturally alienated from undergrad students that he didn't think he could do the job anymore. It made me think a…
When the Church Forgets Christ with Tim Whitaker [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:44:17
In this episode, Tim Whitaker from the New Evangelical joined me for one of those sprawling conversations that somehow manages to connect Christian nationalism, the Democratic Party's moral cowardice, process theology, a…