The Distillery

Adam Hearlson is concerned that the Church’s dominant way of thinking about worship has been too concerned with preserving institutional rituals and practices. In this episode, he posits that subversion has been a central part of Christian worship from the beginning. He highlights ancient and even subversive forms of worship as alternative ways to more fully embody a Christian identity. The Distil...

The Church is a diminished place if it is not comprised of people with different abilities. In this episode, Amy Jacober explores how theology is better understood through the lens of disability. She shares from her experience as a youth pastor and professor to offer hope for a fully integrated church community. The Distillery is a podcast that explores the essential ingredients of book and resear...

The lines between business and charity are dissolving, and a new category—social enterprise—is emerging. In this episode, Mark Sampson explains that the Church is not immune to the effects of this shift. Yet, he believes that the language of gift and reciprocity enables Christians to imagine creative new economic possibilities and engage with their communities through enterprise. The Distillery is...

Culture wars have polarized the United States. The great divide has not left churchgoers unscathed in its wake. Allen Hilton imagines a world where all are united, work he believes originates in the church and will flow out into the nation. In this episode, Hilton proposes a way forward in a divisive time and place. The Distillery is a podcast that explores the essential ingredients of book and re...

Andrew Root describes the impossibility of relating science and faith conversations in the practice of ministry. Through specific theories and in-depth looks at scientists such as Charles Darwin who, he says, was obsessed with collecting beetles, Root highlights the ways ministers can engage those in their communities with a more embodied and organic approach to conversations surrounding faith and...

In this episode, Nicole Reibe takes listeners back to the medieval era to discover new theological friendships. Her reflections on the fascinating life of Teresa de Cartagena, a deaf medieval theologian, illustrate the importance of exploring history. The Distillery is a podcast that explores the essential ingredients of book and research projects with experts in their field of study. Learn what m...

A diagnosis of dementia—whether for oneself or a loved one—can be deeply troubling. John Swinton says that’s because most people think that memory loss equals identity loss. In this episode, Swinton shows that we are more than who we remember ourselves to be. The Distillery is a podcast that explores the essential ingredients of book and research projects with experts in their field of study. Lear...

Keri Day describes how economic systems promoting competition and individual prosperity can be dangerous and destructive. Through stories of contemporary communities who embody radical hope in the face of oppression, Day highlights the ways oppressive systems can and should be resisted. The Distillery is a podcast that explores the essential ingredients of book and research projects with experts i...

Thanks for joining us for the pilot season of The Distillery! Season 2 premieres February 20, 2018. We hope you look forward to learning with us about angels, demons, Paul's cosmology, nativity scenes, worship, political discourse, economic systems, dementia, disability, gender, race, science, church history, and technology. The Distillery is a podcast that explores the essential ingredients of bo...

In this bonus episode, Gregory Ellison shares how baseball caps and bowties tell part of his story. A grandson of a sharecropper with a fourth-grade education, hats remind Ellison of his family history wherever he finds himself, whether protesting on a picket line, teaching in a grad school classroom, or preaching from a pulpit. The Distillery is a podcast that explores the essential ingredients o...

Ethnography offers a new posture for learning from one another’s differences. In this episode, Erin Raffety draws on her work as an anthropologist, theologian, and pastor. She explores how listening well might lead to a more intimate understanding of each other and God.

Valerie Bridgeman encourages Christians to bring their full barrage of questions to the biblical text and to live with the overwhelming challenge of God encountered throughout the biblical canon. Bridgeman founded WomanPreach! Inc. to encourage preachers to wrestle with the text. The Distillery is a podcast that explores the essential ingredients of book and research projects with experts in their...

Youth ministry and disability cultures are both marginalized sub-cultures. Sharing part of his own story with disability, Michael Langford envisions what the Church might look like if it embraced all members of the community as vital participants at the table in order for us to be wholly the people of God.  The Distillery is a podcast that explores the essential ingredients of book and research pr...

Shively Smith describes her relationship with I Peter, one that began with resistance and ended in hope for the restored and diverse family of God, a family that cares especially for those on the edges. Smith explains how Christians living in diaspora reveal diversity to be the fundamental starting point for Christian community rather than the end goal. The Distillery is a podcast that explores th...

Andrew Root examines the secular age with a particular focus on the era of authenticity. In this episode Root critiques popular faith formation models by beginning with the work of Charles Taylor and moving toward a Pauline definition of faith. The Distillery is a podcast that explores the essential ingredients of book and research projects with experts in their field of study. Learn what motivate...

People are not going hungry because of food scarcity but because of inequality. Introducing global food systems and how they impact farmers and consumers, Eric Holt-Giménez unpacks the intersections of class, gender, and race from the unique vantage point of the food economy. The Distillery is a podcast that explores the essential ingredients of book and research projects with experts in their fie...

Many people have never been asked to tell their story. In this episode, Amanda Drury shares the important role of testimony in recognizing God’s activity in daily life and the ways in which communities that practice testimony also become communities of thanksgiving. The Distillery is a podcast that explores the essential ingredients of book and research projects with experts in their field of stud...

Greg Ellison creates unique spaces for people, often strangers, to have difficult conversations about taboo subjects. In this episode, Ellison draws on his vocation as activist, preacher, theologian, and scholar to explore what constitutes a stranger, how silence can be an act of violence, and how to overcome a divided life. The Distillery is a podcast that explores the essential ingredients of bo...

In this episode, Diana Butler Bass reimagines gratitude by examining two primary approaches: the self-help approach and the ethical approach. Acknowledging her inner ingrate, she critiques social systems of gratitude and turns to envision how we might become more grateful individuals and communities. The Distillery is a podcast that explores the essential ingredients of book and research projects...

In this episode, Gordon Govens unpacks John Calvin’s understanding and frequent use of the word testimony. Explore how testimony functioned for individuals and the community in Calvin's Geneva, and why truth-telling matters for church and society. The Distillery is a podcast that explores the essential ingredients of book and research projects with experts in their field of study. Learn what motiv...

After years of teaching speech in seminaries, Nancy Lammers Gross discusses the woman’s voice – not her metaphorical Voice, but her physical voice. She explores problematic vocal defaults of high pitch, glottal fry, and upspeak. Sharing some of her own story as professor, parent, and professional, Nancy points to the hopeful alternative of embodying an authoritative voice. The Distillery is a podc...

In this episode, Andrew Root explores the deep relational connection between humans and their dogs. Reflecting on the loss of their black lab Kirby and his son’s spontaneous liturgical response to the dog’s death, Andy describes what makes this relationship unique, even spiritual. The Distillery is a podcast that explores the essential ingredients of book and research projects with experts in thei...