Join us for a Four-Week Advent Journey
with Diana Butler Bass & Tripp Fuller!
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.
Join us for a transformative four-week Advent journey exploring how the four gospels speak their own revolutionary word against empire—both in their ancient context under Roman occupation and for our contemporary world shaped by capitalism, militarism, and nationalism.
Advent marks the beginning of the church year—an invitation to step out of the empire's time and into God's time, where the last are first, the mighty are scattered, and a child born in occupied territory changes everything.
This course invites you into an alternative calendar and rhythm. While our modern world races through December toward consumption and productivity, Advent calls us to a different time—a counter-imperial waiting, a subversive hope, a radical reimagining of how God enters the world.
What will we experience?
Each week, we'll hear one gospel's unique vision of the birth narrative, allowing Matthew, Luke, John, and Mark to speak in their own voices about what it means for God to show up when empires think they're in control. We'll discover how these ancient texts of resistance offer wisdom for our own moment of political turmoil, economic inequality, and ecological crisis.
Four Livestreamed Sessions
Each session focuses on one of the gospels and includes a mini-lecture followed by a conversation between Diana and Tripp.
Live QnA with Diana and Tripp
Engage with Diana and Tripp, ask pressing questions, and enrich your understanding during our interactive QnA sessions.
Exclusive Online Community
Connect with fellow learners and dive into discussions, sharing insights and reflections.
Replays Available for Livestreams
You can participate fully without being present at any specific time. Livestreams will be available for replay on the Class Resource Page.
The class is asynchronous, and you can participate fully without being present at any specific time. Livestreams will be available for replay on the Class Resource Page.
The cost? A course like this is typically offered for $250 or more, but we invite you to contribute whatever you can to help make this possible for everyone!
Preview Livestream
Advent Against Empire
Tuesday, November 18th (11am PT / 2pm ET)
Join Tripp and Diana for a special preview livestream introducing "The Beginning of Another World: Advent Against Empire." Together, they’ll explore how Advent’s ancient story of divine disruption speaks directly to our modern empires of power, profit, and control. This interactive session offers a taste of the four-week journey ahead—part theological deep dive, part spiritual awakening—as they reveal how each gospel invites us to live as if another world is already beginning.
Four Weekly Livestreams
WEEK ONE
Matthew's Gospel: The Genealogy of Revolution
Tuesday, December 2nd (11am PT / 2pm ET)
Explore how Matthew's genealogy and birth narrative subvert imperial power structures by centering the marginalized—women, foreigners, and the scandal-touched—in God's story. We will examine how Matthew's Jesus is positioned as the true king in direct challenge to both Rome and Herod, and what this counter-imperial vision means for resisting modern systems of power and exclusion.
WEEK TWO
Mark's Gospel: The Beginning of the Good News and the Silence of Advent
Tuesday, December 9th (11am PT / 2pm ET)
Explore Mark's startling absence of a birth narrative and what this "silence" reveals about Advent waiting and resistance. We will reflect on Mark's opening—"The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ"—as its own nativity story, and how Mark's urgent, unadorned gospel calls us to strip away the consumerism and sentimentality that empire uses to domesticate Christmas, returning us to the raw, dangerous hope of God's in-breaking kingdom.
WEEK THREE
Luke's Gospel: Mary's Magnificat and the Economics of the Kingdom
Tuesday, December 16th (11am PT / 2pm ET)
Dive into Luke's radical economic vision through Mary's Magnificat, the shepherds' witness, and the census narrative. We will explore how Luke positions Jesus' birth as God's answer to economic exploitation and political violence, and how this gospel challenges contemporary capitalism and wealth inequality with a vision of jubilee justice.
WEEK FOUR
John's Gospel: The Word Made Flesh Against the Logos of Empire
Tuesday, December 23rd (11am PT / 2pm ET)
Unpack John's profound theological prologue and its counter-narrative to both Roman imperial theology and philosophical claims about power and divinity. We will examine how "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" dismantles empire's claim to ultimate authority, and what it means for God's creative love to be the true organizing principle of reality against militarism and nationalism.
Meet the Hosts
Tripp Fuller
Luther Theological Seminary
Homebrewed Christianity Podcast
Theology Class
Tripp just moved back to North Carolina after three years as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Theology & Science at the University of Edinburgh. He recently released Divine Self-Investment: a Constructive Open and Relational Christology, the first book in the Studies in Open and Relational Theology series.
For over 15 years Tripp has been doing the Homebrewed Christianity podcast (think on-demand internet radio) where he interviews different scholars about their work so you can get nerdy in traffic, on the treadmill, or doing the dishes. Last year it had over 4 million downloads. It also inspired a book series with Fortress Press called the Homebrewed Christianity Guides to... topics like God, Jesus, Spirit, Church History, etc. Tripp is a very committed and (some of his friends think overly) engaged Lakers fan and takes Star Wars and Lord of the Rings very seriously.
Diana Butler Bass
Author, Historian & Public Theologian
Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D., is an award-winning author, popular speaker, inspiring preacher, and one of America’s most trusted commentators on religion and contemporary spirituality.
Diana’s passion is sharing great ideas to change lives and the world—a passion that ranges from informing the public about spiritual trends, challenging conventional narratives about religious practice, entering the fray of social media with spiritual wisdom and smart theology, and writing books to help readers see themselves, their place in history, and God differently. She does this with intelligence, joy, and a good dose of humor, leading well-known comedian John Fugelsang to dub her “iconic,” the late Marcus Borg to call her “spontaneous and always surprising,” and Glennon Doyle to praise her “razor-sharp mind” and “mystical heart.”
She holds a doctorate in religious studies from Duke University and is the author of eleven books. Her bylines include The New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN.com, Atlantic.com, USA Today, Huffington Post, Spirituality and Health, Reader’s Digest, Christian Century, and Sojourners. She has commented on religion, politics, and culture in the media widely including on CBS, CNN, PBS, NPR, CBC, FOX, Sirius XM, TIME, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, and in multiple global news outlets. In the 1990s, she wrote a weekly column on religion and culture for the Santa Barbara News-Press, which was distributed nationally by the New York Times Syndicate.
Her work has received two Wilbur Awards for best nonfiction book of the year, awards from Religion News Association for individual commentary and for Book of the Year, Nautilus Awards Silver and Gold medals, the Illumination Book Award Silver medal, Books for a Better Life Award, Book of the Year of the Academy of Parish Clergy, the Frank S. and Elizabeth D. Brewer Prize for Church History, Substack Fellowship for Independent Writers, and Publishers Weekly’s Best Religion Book of the Year.
She and her husband live in Alexandria, Virginia, with their dog and their sometimes-successful backyard garden.
What People Are Saying
"As a minister these classes and conversations have enriched how I read and engage with our sacred texts, as well as for the community I help shepherd. As an individual person of faith I'm always amazed at the resources and friends Tripp helps curate and connect with on a deeper and authentic level."
Will Rose - Parish Pastor, Holy Trinity Lutheran and Lutheran Campus Ministry (Chapel Hill, NC)
“Grad-school level classes with incredible teachers in a fun, accessible and engaging online experience for even an exhausted working pastor/parent to participate in and enjoy!”
Rachel Haxtema - Associate Pastor, Keystone UCC (Seattle, WA)
“I’ve taken several Homebrewed classes over the years, from a couple of Black theology classes, to Kierkegaard to Bonhoeffer, to Tolkien and many others I’ve heard episodes from. From the episodes and the readings I’ve learned things I wouldn’t have otherwise had access to, from some of my favorite scholars or about some of my favorite topics. From some of the readings I’ve bought books I wouldn’t have otherwise read, and further deepened what I was able to think with. It’s been a treasure to be part of them.”
Jonathan Stegall - faith-rooted organizer, abolitionist, designer, and coder
“Homebrewed Christianity is, in my opinion, the best open and interactive community I’ve ever been apart of. I’ve learned so much from people who are not only brilliant but kind and fun."
Ednaldo Elme - the drummer who doesn’t tell his minister what he’s really thinking
“HBC classes have been an absolute lifeline for allowing me to have continuing education outside of the adult Sunday School setting. Many people have limited exposure to the entire spectrum of Christianity as well as other world religions in the church setting, and these classes are a wonderful resource in that regard. Also, as someone who is getting a theology degree, the HBC classes have provided a super helpful avenue for learning."
John Pohl, MD - Pediatric Surgeon (University of Utah)
FAQs
When does the class meet?
The class is asynchronous and you can participate fully without being present at any specific time. There will be a preview session on Tuesday, November 18th at 11am PT / 2pm ET, and the weekly streaming session will take place on FOUR consecutive TUESDAYS at 11am PT / 2pm ET - December 2nd through the 23rd.
How do I get access to the class content?
The complete class content collection will be available on the password protected resource page. The downloadable audio and video of each session will be uploaded there and available for at least a year.
What happens after I sign up?
The email you enter when signing up will receive an email from classinfo[at]homebrewedchristianity[dot]com. The email will include access to the resource page, details on how to join the class Facebook group, and more.
Do I have to have Facebook?
No. Facebook is not required to participate, but an additional way to connect with other class members and interact throughout the class.
How can we use this with our church group?
We would love for you to use this online class for your Sunday School class or small group! If people will be watching the livestreams (approximately 70 minutes) on their own, we encourage every person to sign up and receive access to the Class Resource Page and Facebook group. Each person is welcome to make a donation on their own, or the church can designate one person to make a donation on behalf of the group. If the church is making the donation, feel free to make a donation in the amount of whatever you have budgeted for a curriculum of this quality. If you have further questions, please email classinfo[at]homebrewedchristianity[dot]com.
Who is producing this course?
Homebrewed Christianity
Theology Class
Process This Substack with Tripp Fuller