Drinking, Smoking and the Bible? Pub Theology puts God on tap for a whole new audience in Broad Ripple

Posted By Hup | December 21, 2009

I hardly ever watch the local news and if I ever do end up watching it for some reason I usually have a better chance of hitting the PowerBall jackpot than I do with taking away something that’s interesting and/or useful to my life. With this being said, I guess that it’s about time for me to go buy me some lotto tickets at the local gas station because just yesterday morning I saw something on the local news that really caught my attention.

The story was all about Pub Theology (watch video here), which is an idea that has been brought to life by Daron Earlewine who is also the drummer of a local Christian band, The Travellers. Daron and his band play at this very non-traditional worship service every Sunday night at CT Peppers in Broad Ripple. Several members of the band are also members of the worship team from East 91st St Christian Church and they have started Pub Theology as a way to really reach out to people who would never even consider stepping foot into a church or who have no idea what being a Christian even means.

“It’s for the people who are walking past the church, you know, who feel like if they go into church, they are going to burst into flames. This is a good step to get you in the right direction,” said worshipper Aaron Hubbard.

Although many church-going traditionalists think that preaching from the Bible in the same place where people are smoking cigarettes, drinking beer and shooting pool isn’t a very good idea, Daron and the 100+ people that attend each week think it makes total sense.

“Alcohol’s not the point. It’s about creating an environment for people to be able to investigate Christ and see that they’re never at a place where they’re unlovable,” Earlewine said.

“It’s your soul, it’s your spirit, it’s your heart. That who you are would fill its worth, that you are worthy to be loved by God, no matter what your story is,” Earlewine told the crowd.

Personally I think that this took some serious balls to get off the ground and I fully support any type of outreach that allows the word of God to be spread around to the people who need to hear it. I mean, if you take a look at how Jesus reached out to the non-believers and sinners of his time, I think that it’s pretty clear that he used many non-traditional methods to connect with those who needed to be saved through his grace and love. And just like with what’s happening with Pub Theology today, the traditionalists of His time also thought that He was a complete disgrace for doing so.

For example, check out what went down in Mark 2:15-17 when Jesus was asked by scribes and Pharisees why he was eating with sinners and tax collectors:

And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many tax collectors and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with tax collectors and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with tax collectors and sinners? When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

With all of that being said, I think that what Daron and the rest of the crew that puts on Pub Theology is doing in Broad Ripple is really, really awesome and if you’re ever looking for a nice, relaxed place to hear about the word of God (and have a beer) on a Sunday night you now know where to go.

Filed Under local to indy, you gotta have faith