Homebrewed Christianity» cigars

Walter Brueggemann on the ‘Prophetic Imagination’ for our Political Situation: Homebrewed Christianity ep.27

Tripp Fuller — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:12:23 +0000

This is week one of the Faith & Politics series here at Homebrewed Christianity. We hope this series does a little bit to contribute to a broadening of the political conversation within the church. Dr. Brueggemann begins by walking through his famous book ‘The Prophetic Imagination,’ zeros in on the Prophet Jeremiah, and then explores connections between the biblical texts and our situation today. Walter discusses community organizers, the Daily Show, voting & political participation, and the ‘shabby avoidance of the issues’ by George Stephanopoulos.

LINKS

- Upcoming Podcast guests in Faith & Politics series include Bill Leonard and Brian McLaren

- Ashton VSG Cigars

- Homebrewed Christianity T-Shirts

- Nick & Josh Podcast who have not had Walter Brueggemann but have had other cool guests

- Brueggemann writes a bunch

- The Totally Unofficial Walter Brueggemann webpage

- Brueggemann from the Emergent Village Theological Conversation

- Caller Greg’s community

Walter in the Bruegg-o-sphere: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29

Scot McKnight doesn’t smoke Swisher Sweets

Tripp Fuller — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 14:57:00 +0000

Alright, for some reason listening to the AAR audio while I played Star Wars Battle Front lead me to some confusion. A 2.5 hour lecture is tough when you can’t see the panel’s beautiful faces, so I listened while electronically taking over the Death Star. Any way I thought I heard Scot tell Tony that he had a Swisher Sweet when he was outside smoking and just the mention of the cigar that should not be named bothers me. It is like a divinity student telling you their favorite ‘translation’ of the Bible is the Living paraphrase. BUT, I guess I did not have ears to hear Scot’s true words quoted below. Scot displays just how a true emerging cigar smoker responds to the idea of a Swisher Sweets:
@23:50 into the conversation audio……
Scot is telling a story about reading a book and bird watching and Tony inerrupts with a question.
TOny: ‘Did you have anything in your right hand?
Scot: ‘Like a cigar?’
Tony: ‘yeah’
Scot: ‘I don’t know, a good one. Not a cheap one like a Swisher Sweet,’

Amen Hallelujah.

My APOLOGY: Scot I am sorry for not listening well and questioning your emerging cigar status. It appears that with Blue Jeans, a real cigar, and the best blog out there you could be more emerging than Tony. Clearly you emerge past me who was distracted from listening to your voice well because of a violent video game and my radical othering of Swisher Sweets.

Emergent @ AAR Audio and Why Swisher Sweets are not Emerging….An aside for Scot McKnight

Tripp Fuller — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 02:34:00 +0000

Andy Rowell is my new hero. As some of you know my wife is about to pop out our first child so I couldn’t go to AAR this year and I missed the Process \ Radical Orthodoxy showdown and the Emergent Church panel with Tony Jones, Scot McKnight and Diana Butler Bass. Andy is from Duke so he didn’t make it to see my favorite living Methodist theologian John Cobb bring the theological ruckus, but he did get the Paul and Empire audio and few other dialogical treasures. Go and listen.

I thought Scot’s 6 questions were insightful and was proud to hear he rocked out the new Blue Jeans. Tony and DBB’s squabble was humorous and I think it brought things out of both of them you wouldn’t have seen otherwise. The only thing that really bothered me was Scot McKnight admitting to smoking swisher sweets. Swisher Sweets are for cigars what Boone’s Farm is to wine. When he came to NC with Tony Jones he brought a travel humidor with 5 Hoyo De Monterey Excalibur #1s. While he was here we also had Rocky Patel vintage 1990‘s and Cuban Montecristo #3‘s(See here). Just how one could take such strides in their wardrobe and take so many steps back in their cigar choice is troublesome. Swisher sweets are processed, chemical infused, pseudo-tobacco. It is difficult to taste the tobacco when you smoke one but each one of them tastes the same. They are dry-cured and made by machines. Real cigars, authentic cigars, organic cigars are those that come from the earth to a craft workers’ hand and to your mouth. A real cigar is made by God, the earth, and human beings (Ikons even). It is a piece of organic art. It tastes different depending on the soil, location of the plant, weather from the of growth, aging process and length, size of the cigar, blend of tobaccos, when you smoke it, how you cut it, light it, and who you smoke with. Real handmade cigars are emergent or emerging if you will. Swisher Sweets are what were are emerging from in the cigar world.

For those of you who have yet to experience a real cigar or join in an emergent conversation let me know and I will open my humidor of friendship for you and match a perfect cigar with a great cup of coffee and you will hopefully never find yourself smoking Swisher Sweets again. It appears I will need to mail Scot a Christmas gift on behalf of all emerging cigar smokers.

For some reason at every Q&A session with academics or church people atonement comes up. I have a theory some other emergent types should test out. If you bring up atonement and they freak out because the idea of a mosaic of atonement theories seems ludicrous then they are probably an evangelical. If on the other hand they look at you like you are Jerry Falwell the moment you act like atonement matters then you are probably talking to a mainliner. On that note everyone should read Scot McKnight’s book on atonement and then try out the golf bag metaphor.

Save Mr. Stogie

Tripp Fuller — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 15:28:00 +0000

Well if my senators (Burr and Dole) and House Rep. (Fox) don’t holla back about the farm bill’s participation in the exploitation of the Two-Thirds world farmers maybe they will about saving cigars from being lumped into cigarette tax increase. Check it out.

Tripp Fuller — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 07:55:00 +0000

This is a sweet picture of Zach and I hanging with Scot McKnight and Tony Jones this weekend at our conversation weekend we put on. The weekend was awesome and I will post some mp3s of the conversations and talk about them then, once I get a new chord that wont’ hiss at me. For now I wanted to let you in on a vision of the emergent eschatological banquet. Friends talking about theology and enjoying fantastic Rockey Patel cigars. Scot and I had Vintage 1990 Churchills, which are among the greatest things on God’s planet. Zach and Tony had the Rockey Patel ‘Edge’ series which are a little cheaper than the 90, but still has the complex smoke Rockey’s are known for. The best thing about a Rockey, outside of being served at the eschatological banquet, is the fullness of flavor without the gigantic amount of nicotine from similar cigars, say a Comacho. Any way, if you wondered what the emerging heaven looks like here it is. If we ever cross paths and you want to visit this anticipatory reality let me know, I will most likely be packing cigars and can create an ‘opt out’ situation for you. P.S. The reference to Spencer Burke’s eschatology is in no way an endorsement. Save your money and buy Moltmann’s eschatology.

My third or fourth love

Tripp Fuller — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 22:03:00 +0000

After God, Alecia, and maybe Pebbles comes my love for cigars. Here is the shrine I keep in my office.