We lost a giant. Reverend Jesse Jackson has passed away, and I wanted to share this conversation we had with him back during lockdown in 2020 as part of the Black Theology reading group Adam Clark and I were running with over 3,000 people. We were joined by Grace Ji-Sun Kim, who edited a collection of Jackson’s sermons and speeches called Keeping Hope Alive, and the Reverend himself showed up and gave us a masterclass in what it looks like when theology breaks out of its bubble — and that bubble image is the thing that’ll stick with you.
Jackson talked about growing up in Greenville, South Carolina, where the entire Black community lived behind walls that white people set up for exploitation, and how your theology can either reinforce the bubble or blow it apart. He drew a sharp line between piety — behaving, adjusting, staying safe — and power, which is what happens when you follow a Jesus who challenges domination systems instead of one who follows you to the back of the bus. He gave us the real history of the movement, from Rosa Parks and Emmett Till to Fannie Lou Hamer and Daisy Bates, made a clear-eyed and probably controversial distinction between King and Malcolm — arguing Malcolm never really broke out of the bubble while King changed actual public policy — and told the origin story of both “I Am Somebody” and “Keep Hope Alive.” He talked about being one of the first Black ministers to publicly embrace the LGBTQ community, about internationalizing Black identity from “Black” to “African American,” and about why Obery Hendricks’ The Politics of Jesus changed how he saw Christ. Grace brought the warmth and the theological framing, Adam brought the hard questions about Kwame Ture and SNCC, and I mostly just sat there grateful to be in the room with a man who spent his entire life pulling down walls so the sun could get in.
Join the new Online Lenten Class with John Dominic Crossan!
What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?
For over five decades, Dr. John Dominic Crossan has been one of the world’s foremost scholars of the historical Jesus—rigorously reconstructing the life, teachings, and world of a first-century Jewish peasant who proclaimed God’s Rule in Roman-occupied Galilee. His work has shaped an entire generation of scholarship and transformed how millions understand the figure at the center of Christian faith.
This Lenten class begins where all of Dom’s work begins: with history. What was actually happening in Galilee in the 20s CE? What did Herod Antipas’ transformation of the “Sea of Galilee” into the commercial “Sea of Tiberias” mean for peasant fishing communities? Why did Jesus emerge from John’s baptism movement proclaiming God’s Rule through parables—and what made that medium so perfectly suited to that message?
Only by understanding what Jesus’ parables meant then can we wrestle with what they might demand of us now.
Preview Livestream - Watch here!
4 Visual Lectures - Each pre-recorded video lecture features Dr. Crossan’s masterful teaching, drawing on decades of historical research and his many visits across the Holy Land.
5 Livestream QnAs - Each week includes a live question and answer session with Dr. Crossan and Dr. Tripp Fuller—your chance to engage directly with one of the world’s leading Jesus scholars.
Online Group - Connect with other participants in the private Facebook group and access all lectures and livestream replays on the Class Resource Page.
Join Us at Theology Beer Camp 2026!
Look—most church conferences can be, let’s be honest, painful. Bad coffee, weird carpet, breakout sessions that make you question your life choices. We do things differently. Theology Beer Camp is three days of incredible speakers, honest conversations, craft beer, and a community of people who actually want to wrestle with the big questions. We laugh, we learn, we argue, we pray—and yeah, (and some of us) drink delicious beer while we do it. This October—the 8th through the 10th—we’re gathering in Kansas City, and I want you there. If you’ve ever wanted to join us—or if you’re ready to come back—this is the time to grab your ticket. Head to TheologyBeerCamp.com and lock in your spot: beer, theology, and some of the best conversations you’ll have all year.
