Gospel serves pub patrons
'Theology on tap'
Mark I. Pinsky
Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted April 23 2006
On a recent weeknight, pounding music spilled out of the Loaded Hog bar in downtown Orlando. Inside, the beer was flowing freely and the long, narrow space sandwiched between two exposed-brick walls was packed with a mostly young, upbeat crowd of about 100.
But this was not just another stop on the meat-market pub crawl. It was the kickoff of "Theology on Tap," a seven-part series of discussions about the Roman Catholic faith and practice, sponsored by the Notre Dame Club of Greater Orlando.
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In the New Testament, Jesus' critics complained that he hung around with a rough, hard-drinking crowd. Today some modern-day Christians are meeting in bars to spread the Gospel. If Jesus could turn water into wine, they say, his followers can transform venues many consider profane into sacred space -- if only for an evening.
This Monday night, the Rev. Karl Bergin of Saint Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Winter Park was perched on a stool on the bar's stage, dressed in a sport coat and a shirt open at the collar. Above him, the soundless TV was tuned to ESPN. For about 45 minutes, he talked movingly about growing up in Ireland, the son of a bartender and grocer, and his circuitous journey to the priesthood in his late 30s.
"I was reared in a pub in Ireland," he said, after opening his presentation with Psalm 139. "So I feel right at home."
25-year history
Rex Kochanski, 43, an adjunct professor at Valencia Community College, liked the atmosphere and the substance of the sessions.
"It's a very good way of bringing people together in a serious but friendly atmosphere," he said between free glasses of draft Bud Light, donated by the bar's owners.
"It makes the point that there's nothing wrong with enjoying good things in moderation," Kochanski added.
For Wendy Thomson, 34, of Orlando, Theology on Tap was an opportunity to leave the kids with her parents and enjoy some time out with her husband.
"It's kind of a date night," she said. "We have a chance to reaffirm our faith and friendship in a short amount of time."
Bergin's talk, she said, was "one of the best we've had. Father Karl did an amazing job of humanizing priests, and showing us how to look at life as a journey and to stop to listen to what God has in his plan for you."
The theology sessions, which started in Chicago 25 years ago, are held in more than 700 Catholic parishes and ministries across the country. In Central Florida, Theology on Tap started in 2003, according to Marie O'Neill, one of the series organizers. The Orlando Diocese publicizes the gatherings.
'2-Beer Bible Study'
Not all theology sessions in bars are like the one at the Loaded Hog.
Looking for a platform for evangelism, the Rev. Mark Evans paid a visit last year to Susie's Pub, which advertises itself as the "Cleanest Pub in Lockhart." The bar is not far from Evans' congregation, Northwest Community Church.
Evans, 50, asked owner Susan Duncan what her slowest night was. Duncan said Monday, and the result was "Two-Beer Bible Study -- All Welcome," in which the minister pays for two brews for anyone who will sit for an hour of Bible study, beginning with a verse of Scripture.
"The bar's the closest to what church is," he explained. "That's the world's church. It's people who are looking for a connection, a friend, an answer, a solution. I just thought I'd go to the place where they're looking."
Evans, who loves beer but gave it up 30 years ago, said he has had some dramatic successes at the bar -- and some less so.
"One guy wanted to fight me because he didn't agree with the Scripture," Evans recalls.
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