Ocotillo
04-25-2006, 08:33 PM
link (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/orl-theoontap06apr23,0,636206.story)
Gospel serves pub patrons
'Theology on tap'
Mark I. Pinsky
Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted April 23 2006
On a recent weeknight, pounding music spilled out of the Loaded Hog bar in downtown Orlando. Inside, the beer was flowing freely and the long, narrow space sandwiched between two exposed-brick walls was packed with a mostly young, upbeat crowd of about 100.
But this was not just another stop on the meat-market pub crawl. It was the kickoff of "Theology on Tap," a seven-part series of discussions about the Roman Catholic faith and practice, sponsored by the Notre Dame Club of Greater Orlando.
In the New Testament, Jesus' critics complained that he hung around with a rough, hard-drinking crowd. Today some modern-day Christians are meeting in bars to spread the Gospel. If Jesus could turn water into wine, they say, his followers can transform venues many consider profane into sacred space -- if only for an evening.
<snip>
'2-Beer Bible Study'
Not all theology sessions in bars are like the one at the Loaded Hog.
Looking for a platform for evangelism, the Rev. Mark Evans paid a visit last year to Susie's Pub, which advertises itself as the "Cleanest Pub in Lockhart." The bar is not far from Evans' congregation, Northwest Community Church.
Evans, 50, asked owner Susan Duncan what her slowest night was. Duncan said Monday, and the result was "Two-Beer Bible Study -- All Welcome," in which the minister pays for two brews for anyone who will sit for an hour of Bible study, beginning with a verse of Scripture.
"The bar's the closest to what church is," he explained. "That's the world's church. It's people who are looking for a connection, a friend, an answer, a solution. I just thought I'd go to the place where they're looking."
Evans, who loves beer but gave it up 30 years ago, said he has had some dramatic successes at the bar -- and some less so.
"One guy wanted to fight me because he didn't agree with the Scripture," Evans recalls. :drunk :drunk
Gospel serves pub patrons
'Theology on tap'
Mark I. Pinsky
Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted April 23 2006
On a recent weeknight, pounding music spilled out of the Loaded Hog bar in downtown Orlando. Inside, the beer was flowing freely and the long, narrow space sandwiched between two exposed-brick walls was packed with a mostly young, upbeat crowd of about 100.
But this was not just another stop on the meat-market pub crawl. It was the kickoff of "Theology on Tap," a seven-part series of discussions about the Roman Catholic faith and practice, sponsored by the Notre Dame Club of Greater Orlando.
In the New Testament, Jesus' critics complained that he hung around with a rough, hard-drinking crowd. Today some modern-day Christians are meeting in bars to spread the Gospel. If Jesus could turn water into wine, they say, his followers can transform venues many consider profane into sacred space -- if only for an evening.
<snip>
'2-Beer Bible Study'
Not all theology sessions in bars are like the one at the Loaded Hog.
Looking for a platform for evangelism, the Rev. Mark Evans paid a visit last year to Susie's Pub, which advertises itself as the "Cleanest Pub in Lockhart." The bar is not far from Evans' congregation, Northwest Community Church.
Evans, 50, asked owner Susan Duncan what her slowest night was. Duncan said Monday, and the result was "Two-Beer Bible Study -- All Welcome," in which the minister pays for two brews for anyone who will sit for an hour of Bible study, beginning with a verse of Scripture.
"The bar's the closest to what church is," he explained. "That's the world's church. It's people who are looking for a connection, a friend, an answer, a solution. I just thought I'd go to the place where they're looking."
Evans, who loves beer but gave it up 30 years ago, said he has had some dramatic successes at the bar -- and some less so.
"One guy wanted to fight me because he didn't agree with the Scripture," Evans recalls. :drunk :drunk