Diana Butler Bass:
American Saints in a Cynical Age
To join the open online Lenten class head over to www.EmptyAltars.com
We live in iconoclastic times. All around us, saints and heroes are being knocked off or taken down from public altars. It seems that nearly everyone we once admired or held in esteem has failed us. We’ve stripped the altars of both state and church. America’s spiritual landscape is now marked by empty altars everywhere.
Taking down statues is nothing new, especially in Christian history. Cynicism and anger at failed institutions and flawed heroes is nothing new. But human beings rarely leave altars empty very long — there’s almost a pressing need to re-sanctify the geographies we inhabit. People always put statues back up.
But of who? And to commemorate what? How do we move ahead with new saints and a less troublesome iconography? What “saints” can inspire us to address the hurts of our hearts, the brokenness of our communities, and the pressing issues of our times?
Shouldn’t we just give up on the whole idea of saints anyway? Why bother?
Join Diana and Tripp this Lentas they explore “sainthood” for an American — and global — future. We’ll share stories that need to be told of “saints” you know and those you need to know in a quirky learning journey through American religious history.
Session 1. Empty Altars: Visionaries & Prophets
Homebrewed Christianity w/ Dr. Tripp Fuller
& Dr. Diana Butler Bass
Streamed live on Feb 29, 2023
Session 2. Empty Altars: Artists & Innovators
Homebrewed Christianity w/ Dr. Tripp Fuller
& Dr. Diana Butler Bass
Streamed live on Mar 6, 2023
Session 3. Empty Altars: Mystics & Utopians
Homebrewed Christianity w/ Dr. Tripp Fuller
& Dr. Diana Butler Bass
Streamed live on Mar 13, 2023
Session 4. Empty Altars: Questioners & Thinkers
Homebrewed Christianity w/ Dr. Tripp Fuller
& Dr. Diana Butler Bass
Streamed live on Mar 20, 2023
Session 5. Empty Altars: Martyrs
Homebrewed Christianity w/ Dr. Tripp Fuller
& Dr. Diana Butler Bass
Streamed live on Mar 27, 2023
Welcome to the Post-Christian Century:
Diana Butler Bass & Bill Leonard in conversation
(Preview Podcast)
Homebrewed Christianity w/ Dr. Tripp Fuller
& Dr. Diana Butler Bass
Streamed live on Apr 3, 2023
Previous Episodes with Diana & Tripp
- Ruining Dinner… and Date Nights
- Welcome to the Post-Christian Century
- Ruining Christmas Dinner
- Ruining Election Night Dinner
- The Over-Rated Genie God
- Bad Blood, Civil War, and other Soothing Topics
- Shall the Fundies (Keep) Winning?, Abortion, and Black Holes
- Theology and Spirituality in a Time of Rupture
- White Evangelical Theopolitics, John Shelby Spong, & Jesus
- 20 Years of Religious Decline
- Jesus After Religion and Beyond Fear
- Ruining Dinner with Diana Butler Bass and Robyn Henderson-Espinoza
- Evangelical Decline, the Supreme Court, and the Horizon of Possibility
- Debating, Praying, and Living with Tyrants
- Religion, Politics, & the Elephant in the Room
Diana Butler Bass
Public Scholar of American Religion
Dr. Bass is an award-winning author, popular speaker, inspiring preacher, and one of America’s most trusted commentators on religion and contemporary spirituality. She is the author of ten books, including her most recent, Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way, and Presence. 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. You can connect with her on Twitter or by subscribing to her popular newsletter, The Cottage.
Tripp Fuller
Homebrewed Christianity
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 14 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.
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