Letting the spirits move them | Maryland Gazette (HometownGlenBurnie.com)

Our Shepherd Lutheran Church in Severna Park started the discussion group, called Theology on Tap, in January.

"The goal is to have a casual, free-ranging conversation about matters of theology," said the Rev. Earl Janssen, pastor of Our Shepherd and facilitator of group. "We're interested in making it comfortable for people who are very actively involved in the church, but also for people who are on the edges.

"What I have found is that people are more open to asking the kind of questions they might be embarrassed to ask in a more formal setting."

Each of the monthly meetings begins with a testimony shared by one of the men in the group, sharing his particular struggles or successes in living out his faith in his daily life.

This month, Chuck Trenkle talked about his career in a Detroit steel mill, and how he learned to balance his Christian values with the world around him.

"How to handle matters as a Christian gets to be a little fuzzy," he said. "This is an aspect for every Christian; when do you stand up for God?"

The answer, he eventually decided, was less of what to say as what to do.

"You might not always have the right words. The only thing I could do is lead by example," he said.

Each meeting has a particular topic, picked the month before at the end of the discussion.

"We've talked about heaven, about hell, about the resurrection of the dead," Rev. Janssen said.

This month's topic was how the world came to exist, and shortly after the topic was introduced the discussion was lively.

"We all come from different religious backgrounds, and we each bring our baggage with us," said Joe Fudjack, a 30-year member of the church who's been with Theology on Tap since the January meeting. "I come just to be a participant and to share what I've learned from reading the Bible."

While the format is simply a group discussion, the Rev. Janssen takes responsibility for keeping it on-topic, and guiding the direction if the discussion gets out of hand.

"The level of conversation has been extraordinary, from people that have been in the church for a long time to people that are newcomers. It really has been good," said Alex McKeague, one of those who helped establish the group.

Discussing theology over beers is written into the history of the Lutheran church. Martin Luther, after whom the denomination is named, used to hold what he called "Table Talks" with his students in the taverns of Germany during the 16th century.

The leadership at Our Shepherd Lutheran Church had been thinking about the idea for a while, Rev. Janssen said. They noticed other congregations - particularly Catholic churches - had started similar groups for young adults, and thought they'd give it a try.

"There became a desire for another men's group that is structured in such a way to make it easy for men who are in the margins of the church to find a foothold," he said. "This seemed to be the right kind of model."

Rev. Janssen had some hesitation as the meetings began. The tavern setting could be a problem for those recovering from various chemical dependencies, he said, and some of those who attend choose not to drink. But over all, it's been a success.

"It's not about drinking beer, it's about sitting around and having a discussion in a setting that is comfortable," he said. "We see it as a real safe entry point for folks who might want to talk about theological issues."

So far, Theology on Tap has been everything Rev. Janssen hoped for, though he said it's still early to tell for sure. And he hopes the group continues to grow.

"We hope that as word goes out about it, people who are outside of our congregation would feel comfortable to come," he said.

Theology on Tap meets at 8:30 p.m. the second Thursday of every month in the private room at Ellie's Place, 8421 Veterans Highway, Millersville. For more information, call Rev. Janssen at 410-647-1658 or Mr. KcKeague at 410-858-7308.