Advent is not only as a season of waiting, but also a call to confront a world in crisis.

This Advent season, join Dr. Tripp Fuller for a unique four-week online class that dives deep into the Advent and Christmas sermons of some of the 20th century’s most provocative theologians: Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Paul Tillich, and Rudolf Bultmann. Known collectively as contributors to the "theology of crisis," these thinkers wrestled with the significance of the Incarnation in a world marked by upheaval, uncertainty, and hope.

Course Overview

Each week, Dr. Tripp Fuller will be joined by a fellow scholar who specializes in that week’s theologian, providing a dynamic, engaging introduction to the thinker’s life, theology, and Advent preaching.

Each session will combine lecture, lively dialogue, and interactive Q&A, ensuring that you not only gain historical and theological insight, but also feel empowered to consider how these thinkers can speak to our present moment.

Whether you’re new to theology or a seasoned reader, this Advent journey promises to deepen your understanding of Christmas—and the God who arrives when the world is most in need.

Week 2: Dietrich Bonhoeffer

LECTURE: "Incarnation as Resistance" with Dr. Andrew Root

LIVESTREAM: Monday, Dec. 9th (11am PT / 2pm ET)

This week, we journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, whose Advent preaching during the rise of Nazism called the church to resist complicity and reflect Christ’s humility. We’ll examine how Bonhoeffer’s Christmas sermons illuminate the Incarnation as God’s alignment with the suffering and oppressed, and discuss what it means to stand in solidarity with the vulnerable today.

Week 3: Paul Tillich

LECTURE: "Courage to Be in the Face of Advent" with Dr. John Thatamanil

LIVESTREAM: Monday, Dec. 16th (11am PT / 2pm ET)

Paul Tillich invites us to see Advent as a call to face our existential anxieties with courage and trust in God’s presence. In his sermons, Tillich interprets the Incarnation as God’s solidarity with human doubt and despair, offering a message of hope that transcends fear. Together, we’ll explore how Tillich’s ideas encourage a new understanding of faith for an anxious age.

Week 4: Rudolf Bultmann

LECTURE: "Demythologizing Advent" with Dr. David Congdon

LIVESTREAM: Monday, Dec. 23rd (11am PT / 2pm ET)

In our final week, we turn to Rudolf Bultmann, whose “demythologizing” approach to theology seeks to uncover the true meaning behind the biblical narratives. Bultmann’s Advent sermons strip away sentimentalism, presenting the Incarnation as a call to authentic existence. We’ll consider how his approach can help us understand Christmas as more than a story, but as a profound encounter with God’s call in our own lives.

The "theologians of crisis," including Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Paul Tillich, and Rudolf Bultmann, emerged in response to the profound upheavals and existential crises of the early 20th century. Their theological reflections were shaped by world wars, economic depressions, political extremism, and the rapid modernization that destabilized many traditional values and beliefs. They understood the theologian’s task in a new way, no longer a steward of the dominant order but one subject to the destabilizing breakthrough of God’s coming. In their time there were a series of interlocking crises; an ethical and political crisis, a crisis of faith and meaning, a crisis of identity and human dignity, and ultimately the idolatrous hubris at the heart of modernity. It is here, in the shadow of these crises they prayed, “Come.” In the midst of a world at odds, the Word of God comes, for the incarnation is not a validation of the world as it is, but a confrontation, an interrupting Word of the God who has refused to be God without us, despite us.

The theology of crisis, then, was both a critique of complacent or human-centered religion and a call to see faith as something that confronts the darkest realities of human existence. These theologians proposed that, in times of crisis, it is precisely the unsettling, transcendent, and often paradoxical nature of the Christian faith—the belief in a God who meets humanity at the point of its need and finitude—that offers true hope and meaning. Their theology continues to resonate today, speaking to a world still grappling with social, economic, and existential crises.

Dr. Tripp Fuller

Luther Theological Seminary, Homebrewed Christianity, and Theology Class

Tripp recently moved back to North Carolina and started as Visiting Professor of Theology at Luther Theological Seminary 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.

Dr. Andrew Root

Luther Theological Seminary

Andrew Root (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary) is Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is the author of more than twenty books, including Bonhoeffer as Youth Worker: A Theological Vision for Discipleship and Life Together, Faith Formation in a Secular Age, The Pastor in a Secular Age, The Congregation in a Secular Age, Churches and the Crisis of Decline, The Church after Innovation, and The End of Youth Ministry? Root is also the coauthor (with Kenda Creasy Dean) of The Theological Turn in Youth Ministry. He is a frequent speaker and hosts the popular and influential When Church Stops Working podcast.

Dr. John Thatamanil

Union Theological Seminary

John J. Thatamanil teaches a wide variety of courses in the areas of comparative theology, theologies of religious diversity, Hindu-Christian dialogue, the theology of Paul Tillich, theory of religion, process theology, and ecotheology. He is committed to the work of comparative theology—theology that learns from and with a variety of traditions. A central question that drives his work is, “How can Christian communities come to see religious diversity as a promise rather than as a problem?” He is also committed to Dzogchen meditation and includes time for meditation in virtually all of his courses at Union. John is also an Anglican Priest in and Diocesan Theologian for the Diocese of Islands and Inlets. John was born in Kerala, India and migrated to the US as a child when he was just shy of 9. He traces his love for Indian religious traditions to his desire to learn more about what it means to be an Indian kid growing up in the US.

Dr. David Congdon

McCormick Theological Seminary

Dr. David Congdon is an accomplished author, speaker, and scholar specializing in theology and culture. Originally from Portland, Oregon, he earned a B.A. in English at Wheaton College and later obtained both an M.Div. and Ph.D. in theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. He has since established himself in the publishing industry, working as an academic acquisitions editor. Currently, Dr. Congdon serves as the Senior Editor at the University Press of Kansas (UPK), where he manages the publishing program in political science, law, U.S. history, Native American and Indigenous studies, environmental studies, American studies, and religion. UPK is widely recognized for its esteemed publications in American political thought, the American presidency, and constitutional law. Dr. Congdon is always open to discussing potential projects with scholars working in these and related fields.

In addition to his editorial role, Dr. Congdon maintains an active research and publishing portfolio. His recent books include "Varieties of Christian Universalism: Exploring Four Views", published by Baker Academic in November 2023, and "Who Is a True Christian? Contesting Religious Identity in American Culture", released by Cambridge University Press in April 2024. The latter book is an intellectual history of the modern endeavor to define the "essence of Christianity," examining how both liberal and conservative thinkers—often with differing intentions—have contributed to this quest. Dr. Congdon explores three conservative approaches that have shaped contemporary American Christianity: the doctrinal pursuit of “historic Christianity,” the cultural aim for a Christian worldview, and the political quest for a global, persecuted, cisheteronormative identity. He ultimately argues that the issue lies in the concept of orthodoxy itself, proposing "polydoxy" as a forward-looking alternative for Christianity within a pluralistic society.
Dr. Congdon is also the author of "The Mission of Demythologizing: Rudolf Bultmann’s Dialectical Theology", "Rudolf Bultmann: A Companion to His Theology", and "The God Who Saves: A Dogmatic Sketch". Alongside W. Travis McMaken, he coedits the "Studies in Dialectical Theology" series at Lexington Books and is available to discuss prospective contributions to this series.

“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

When does the class meet?

The class is asynchronous and you can participate fully without being present at any specific time. Replays will be available on the Class Resource Page.

LIVE SESSIONS:
Mondays (11am PT / 2pm ET) - December 2nd, 9th, 16th, and 23rd with replays available.

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]homebrewedchristianty[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 lectures (approximately 30 minutes) and 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

Advent is not only as a season of waiting, but also a call to confront a world in crisis.

Course Overview

What to Expect in the Class

4 Lectures On Each Advent Topic & Theologian

4 Livestreamed Sessions with Tripp and Our Scholars

Question and Answer Time During Livestreams

Online Community

Who Were the “Theologians of Crisis?”

Our Presenters