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Changing views: Religion comes with questions ยป
Brooks Hanes, pastor of Kaio Church in Cedar Falls, started a monthly open mic discussions on hot-button topics in Christianity to build relationships between the church and non- and not-so-religoius community. A group of Christians as well as a University of Northern Iowa club for secular students and skeptics regularly come to the open mic night.
SCOTT MUSSELL/ Courier Staff Photographer
SCOTT MUSSELL/ Courier Staff Photographer
~ADVERTISING~
Brews & Good News
By KAREN HEINSELMAN, Courier Staff Writer
CEDAR FALLS --- As an atheist, Cody Hashman, 21, found the newspaper ad dubious. And enticing.
The open mic night promised philosophical discussion centered on a controversial topic: What's wrong with Christianity?
Hosted by a church.
At a bar.
Hashman's friend, Nick Covington, 21, also skeptical, smelled evangelism.
"We didn't know if it was going to be a trick," Covington said.
But the invitation to challenge the largest religion in America proved an opportunity too intriguing to miss. The outing also potentially fulfilled a practical purpose.
Hashman is president of the University of Northern Iowa Freethinkers and Inquirers, and he was looking for a social activity for the secular student organization.
According to its Web site, the group, recently established on campus, provides camaraderie and an intellectual outlet for "atheists, agnostics, humanists, skeptics, non-believers or anybody who turns a critical eye on the establishments of religion and other seemingly unfounded claims."
So one evening last April, Hashman, Covington and other like-minded students showed up for Grab a Brew, Share Your View. Several had mixed expectations.
Despite an advertisement in the campus newspaper, the Northern Iowan, and word-of-mouth invitations, organizer Pastor Brooks Hanes was pretty sure that, other than a few Christians, next to no one would show up.
"We had no idea what we were doing," Hanes admitted.
Though the open mic format offered a chance to share ideas, Hanes, 33, hoped for more. He wanted to expand his horizons and those of congregation members at Kaio Church --- a year-old community with seven core families.
Hanes launched Grab a Brew, inspired by a similar event in St. Louis, to build authentic friendships with non- and not-so-religious people.
"I think when you get desperate, you do things you've never done," he said.
Not desperate to argue, recruit or defend, Hanes said. Desperate to listen, learn and love.
Challenging views
By several accounts, the inaugural event featured awkward moments and misunderstandings, pointed accusations and sweeping generalizations, passionate statements and stunned silence.
About 20 showed up, Hanes estimates. He was pleasantly surprised.
Hashman and Covington were glad to find friendly Christians willing to give equal time to differing viewpoints.
Grab a Brew "kind of dispels stereotypes on both sides," Covington said.
Today, for the core group of non-believers, skeptics and Christians, what was a questionable experiment is now a much-anticipated monthly happening.
Grab a Brew, Share Your View --- where participants must be "18 to think, 21 to drink" --- happens at 7 p.m. every second Tuesday of the month at Voodoo Lounge. The Nov. 13 session invites commentary on the question: Is America a Christian nation?
Sheila Conrad, a member of the UNI Freethinkers and Inquirers, adores Grab a Brew. The UNI senior, once a practicing Roman Catholic, hopes the sessions grow deeper in content and draw more people to the discussion.
"I think there are things to be learned from both sides," Conrad said.
Steve and Debbie Bell of Waterloo are at the family stage of life and are a good 15 years older than the average attendee. Debbie Bell tries to put herself in someone else's shoes each evening.
"To me, Christianity seems so logical and natural," she said. "It's really intriguing to see someone who wasn't raised with that and has a difficult time seeing it as a reasonable thing."
Her husband supports the concept of Grab a Brew but notes the idea sounds, well, kind of nuts.
"This is crazy," Bell said. "We talk about religion in a bar."
Toes are bound to get stepped on from time to time, regulars say. Topics to date include creation and evolution; morality and consumerism, all with a religious twist. In a gesture toward fairness, the group recently tackled another question: What's wrong with atheism?
Participants share passionate and pointed opinions. Some ideas are delivered off-the-cuff. Others come with verbal footnotes, with references to philosophers and history, Scripture, modern authors and personal experiences. Rebuttals are acceptable. Speaking at all is optional.
Michelle Burns, a UNI senior who has volunteered in youth ministry, says the debates stir her mind: Why do I do the things I do?
"I really love looking at things theoretically," Burns said.
She enjoys thinking critically about her beliefs. Yet when Burns speaks of coming to faith in Christ, she talks about a relationship. People respond to the idea, she says, before they care much about information.
Hashman and Covington, who now help plan Grab a Brew sessions, study for each monthly topic as if for an exams. Hashman is not above playing the devil's advocate, especially if the exchange is going slowly.
"I want to be challenged," Hashman said.
Nor does he have to be a Christian to defend church practices. During an exchange in September on religious consumerism, Hashman listed reasons for using products based on faith. He drew a parallel to college students wearing sporting apparel with school mascots.
"It creates a positive experience," he said.
"If you are in the business of saving souls, the more you can do to get people to listen to your message," Hashman paused, " ... maybe the ends justify your means."
Participants can get to know one another as people. In Hashman's view, Christians often view atheists as arrogant, cynical and intolerant. Grab a Brew offers a wider lens.
"It softens this caricature of someone who is nonreligious," he said.
Hashman is familiar with both sides. Raised and baptized in a Protestant church, he previously helped organize church events, played church softball and ran a church's sound board. He points to no particular negative experience for his choice to let go of religion.
"Although I can't say I didn't try," he said. "It wasn't for me. I didn't feel it necessary."
Some Christians at Grab a Brew are willing to recognize shortcomings they see in the church. People of faith aren't immune from questions, they add. Christians also wonder about the purpose of painful circumstances in life, church traditions and how to best put faith into practice.
Asking questions is part of being human, said Amanda Vande Krol, a member of Kaio Church.
"Am I going to take this on faith because it's true, or will I deny it because I don't have all the answers?" she said.
Even ministers experience uncertainty, said Jesse Tink, college pastor at Prairie Lakes Church. He has attended a brew or two.
"We do doubt. That's what lets us come into those discussions," Tink said.
Tink says his lapses of understanding lie within his own inability to fully comprehend the world and God. Such questions fall within the bounds of being authentically Christian, Tink said.
"Anytime a finite being considers the divine ... some things are just beyond you," he said.
Despite some very real differences, many Grab a Brew regulars unite behind a common philosophy, Tink added.
"The unexamined life is not worth living," he said.
Tink said Grab a Brew isn't about Christians reaching out to atheists or vice versa. He hopes to gain relationships from the experience. He also believes God may use him to influence and to be influenced.
Covington says he feels no pressure to convert to Christianity. As an agnostic leaning toward atheism, he thinks it is impossible to know if a God exists. He chooses not to believe.
Covington isn't out to "get someone to abandon their beliefs."
"More so, can I get someone to question their beliefs?" he added.
Which to Covington, and others at Grab a Brew, is a healthy thing.
Unlikely friendships
Regulars believe Grab a Brew is more than a session to sound off. Participants make an honest effort to maintain an atmosphere of civility. To help foster a cordial exchange, Hanes regularly reviews the rules of engagement.
Respect people. Not necessarily the idea, but the individual who has the guts to share an opinion in a public place. Near-universal applause after each and every statement helps reinforce the concept. Keep it short and stay on topic.
And another request: generously tip servers who deliver martinis, Guinness, Coors Light, pop and water.
For some, the best part of the evening occurs once the microphone is turned off. After the declarations, musings and retorts, Hanes challenges participants to take time to get to know their polar opposites.
"And that's, I think, where the friendships are gained," Covington said.
Knowing that a face-to-face conversation is coming personalizes the open mic discussion and prevents unkind remarks, Hashman and Covington said.
Grab a Brew tries to break down barriers between Christians, atheists and everyone in-between.
At a recent meeting, Hanes challenged an assumption by some Christians that atheists are without morals. Hanes paused as a good portion of the group shared a laugh at the thought. Yet his point began a discussion so complex it carried the evening.
Small group conversations dig deeper into a range of concepts. Schoolwork and families. Movies and music. Beer brands and bands.
Covington, who used to go to church, said relationships formed through Grab a Brew coaxed him away from being a somewhat bitter atheist.
"It's a lot more difficult for me to think badly of Christians as a group," he said.
He now considers Hanes and others from Kaio Church "stunning examples of an awesome faith gone terribly right." Covington and Hanes regularly get together outside of Grab a Brew to read the Bible.
Hashman also shares a respect for biblical literacy. He believe having a sound understanding of religion in America, particularly Christianity, and the role it plays in society is important.
"If anything, I would hope to open people's minds that religion does affect people," Hashman said.
Hanes is grateful for the opportunity to believe, practice and question life and faith in the company of new and interesting friends who challenge his thinking.
"This is one of the best things that has happened to me," he said.
For information about upcoming Grab a Brew session's and discussion recaps, go online at www.grababrew.com. The Web site also provides links to more information about Kaio Church and the University of Northern Iowa Freethinkers and Inquirers.
Contact Karen Heinselman at (319) 291-1581 or karen.heinselman@wcfcourier.com.
The open mic night promised philosophical discussion centered on a controversial topic: What's wrong with Christianity?
Hosted by a church.
At a bar.
Hashman's friend, Nick Covington, 21, also skeptical, smelled evangelism.
"We didn't know if it was going to be a trick," Covington said.
But the invitation to challenge the largest religion in America proved an opportunity too intriguing to miss. The outing also potentially fulfilled a practical purpose.
Hashman is president of the University of Northern Iowa Freethinkers and Inquirers, and he was looking for a social activity for the secular student organization.
According to its Web site, the group, recently established on campus, provides camaraderie and an intellectual outlet for "atheists, agnostics, humanists, skeptics, non-believers or anybody who turns a critical eye on the establishments of religion and other seemingly unfounded claims."
So one evening last April, Hashman, Covington and other like-minded students showed up for Grab a Brew, Share Your View. Several had mixed expectations.
Despite an advertisement in the campus newspaper, the Northern Iowan, and word-of-mouth invitations, organizer Pastor Brooks Hanes was pretty sure that, other than a few Christians, next to no one would show up.
"We had no idea what we were doing," Hanes admitted.
Though the open mic format offered a chance to share ideas, Hanes, 33, hoped for more. He wanted to expand his horizons and those of congregation members at Kaio Church --- a year-old community with seven core families.
Hanes launched Grab a Brew, inspired by a similar event in St. Louis, to build authentic friendships with non- and not-so-religious people.
"I think when you get desperate, you do things you've never done," he said.
Not desperate to argue, recruit or defend, Hanes said. Desperate to listen, learn and love.
Challenging views
By several accounts, the inaugural event featured awkward moments and misunderstandings, pointed accusations and sweeping generalizations, passionate statements and stunned silence.
About 20 showed up, Hanes estimates. He was pleasantly surprised.
Hashman and Covington were glad to find friendly Christians willing to give equal time to differing viewpoints.
Grab a Brew "kind of dispels stereotypes on both sides," Covington said.
Today, for the core group of non-believers, skeptics and Christians, what was a questionable experiment is now a much-anticipated monthly happening.
Grab a Brew, Share Your View --- where participants must be "18 to think, 21 to drink" --- happens at 7 p.m. every second Tuesday of the month at Voodoo Lounge. The Nov. 13 session invites commentary on the question: Is America a Christian nation?
Sheila Conrad, a member of the UNI Freethinkers and Inquirers, adores Grab a Brew. The UNI senior, once a practicing Roman Catholic, hopes the sessions grow deeper in content and draw more people to the discussion.
"I think there are things to be learned from both sides," Conrad said.
Steve and Debbie Bell of Waterloo are at the family stage of life and are a good 15 years older than the average attendee. Debbie Bell tries to put herself in someone else's shoes each evening.
"To me, Christianity seems so logical and natural," she said. "It's really intriguing to see someone who wasn't raised with that and has a difficult time seeing it as a reasonable thing."
Her husband supports the concept of Grab a Brew but notes the idea sounds, well, kind of nuts.
"This is crazy," Bell said. "We talk about religion in a bar."
Toes are bound to get stepped on from time to time, regulars say. Topics to date include creation and evolution; morality and consumerism, all with a religious twist. In a gesture toward fairness, the group recently tackled another question: What's wrong with atheism?
Participants share passionate and pointed opinions. Some ideas are delivered off-the-cuff. Others come with verbal footnotes, with references to philosophers and history, Scripture, modern authors and personal experiences. Rebuttals are acceptable. Speaking at all is optional.
Michelle Burns, a UNI senior who has volunteered in youth ministry, says the debates stir her mind: Why do I do the things I do?
"I really love looking at things theoretically," Burns said.
She enjoys thinking critically about her beliefs. Yet when Burns speaks of coming to faith in Christ, she talks about a relationship. People respond to the idea, she says, before they care much about information.
Hashman and Covington, who now help plan Grab a Brew sessions, study for each monthly topic as if for an exams. Hashman is not above playing the devil's advocate, especially if the exchange is going slowly.
"I want to be challenged," Hashman said.
Nor does he have to be a Christian to defend church practices. During an exchange in September on religious consumerism, Hashman listed reasons for using products based on faith. He drew a parallel to college students wearing sporting apparel with school mascots.
"It creates a positive experience," he said.
"If you are in the business of saving souls, the more you can do to get people to listen to your message," Hashman paused, " ... maybe the ends justify your means."
Participants can get to know one another as people. In Hashman's view, Christians often view atheists as arrogant, cynical and intolerant. Grab a Brew offers a wider lens.
"It softens this caricature of someone who is nonreligious," he said.
Hashman is familiar with both sides. Raised and baptized in a Protestant church, he previously helped organize church events, played church softball and ran a church's sound board. He points to no particular negative experience for his choice to let go of religion.
"Although I can't say I didn't try," he said. "It wasn't for me. I didn't feel it necessary."
Some Christians at Grab a Brew are willing to recognize shortcomings they see in the church. People of faith aren't immune from questions, they add. Christians also wonder about the purpose of painful circumstances in life, church traditions and how to best put faith into practice.
Asking questions is part of being human, said Amanda Vande Krol, a member of Kaio Church.
"Am I going to take this on faith because it's true, or will I deny it because I don't have all the answers?" she said.
Even ministers experience uncertainty, said Jesse Tink, college pastor at Prairie Lakes Church. He has attended a brew or two.
"We do doubt. That's what lets us come into those discussions," Tink said.
Tink says his lapses of understanding lie within his own inability to fully comprehend the world and God. Such questions fall within the bounds of being authentically Christian, Tink said.
"Anytime a finite being considers the divine ... some things are just beyond you," he said.
Despite some very real differences, many Grab a Brew regulars unite behind a common philosophy, Tink added.
"The unexamined life is not worth living," he said.
Tink said Grab a Brew isn't about Christians reaching out to atheists or vice versa. He hopes to gain relationships from the experience. He also believes God may use him to influence and to be influenced.
Covington says he feels no pressure to convert to Christianity. As an agnostic leaning toward atheism, he thinks it is impossible to know if a God exists. He chooses not to believe.
Covington isn't out to "get someone to abandon their beliefs."
"More so, can I get someone to question their beliefs?" he added.
Which to Covington, and others at Grab a Brew, is a healthy thing.
Unlikely friendships
Regulars believe Grab a Brew is more than a session to sound off. Participants make an honest effort to maintain an atmosphere of civility. To help foster a cordial exchange, Hanes regularly reviews the rules of engagement.
Respect people. Not necessarily the idea, but the individual who has the guts to share an opinion in a public place. Near-universal applause after each and every statement helps reinforce the concept. Keep it short and stay on topic.
And another request: generously tip servers who deliver martinis, Guinness, Coors Light, pop and water.
For some, the best part of the evening occurs once the microphone is turned off. After the declarations, musings and retorts, Hanes challenges participants to take time to get to know their polar opposites.
"And that's, I think, where the friendships are gained," Covington said.
Knowing that a face-to-face conversation is coming personalizes the open mic discussion and prevents unkind remarks, Hashman and Covington said.
Grab a Brew tries to break down barriers between Christians, atheists and everyone in-between.
At a recent meeting, Hanes challenged an assumption by some Christians that atheists are without morals. Hanes paused as a good portion of the group shared a laugh at the thought. Yet his point began a discussion so complex it carried the evening.
Small group conversations dig deeper into a range of concepts. Schoolwork and families. Movies and music. Beer brands and bands.
Covington, who used to go to church, said relationships formed through Grab a Brew coaxed him away from being a somewhat bitter atheist.
"It's a lot more difficult for me to think badly of Christians as a group," he said.
He now considers Hanes and others from Kaio Church "stunning examples of an awesome faith gone terribly right." Covington and Hanes regularly get together outside of Grab a Brew to read the Bible.
Hashman also shares a respect for biblical literacy. He believe having a sound understanding of religion in America, particularly Christianity, and the role it plays in society is important.
"If anything, I would hope to open people's minds that religion does affect people," Hashman said.
Hanes is grateful for the opportunity to believe, practice and question life and faith in the company of new and interesting friends who challenge his thinking.
"This is one of the best things that has happened to me," he said.
For information about upcoming Grab a Brew session's and discussion recaps, go online at www.grababrew.com. The Web site also provides links to more information about Kaio Church and the University of Northern Iowa Freethinkers and Inquirers.
Contact Karen Heinselman at (319) 291-1581 or karen.heinselman@wcfcourier.com.
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