One of the perks (?) about living in a big city is the opportunity to meet different kinds of people. And by “different kinds” I mean “not Lutheran.”

Tonight was the monthly meeting of Theology on Tap, a night sponsored by a St. Louis church . . . ish . . . thing.

It was billed as an opportunity to “discuss issues relevant to the culture we live in, including topics that range from the economy and global warming to beauty and evil.”

Tonight’s topic was hedonism.

Way to jump right in.

The discussion was interesting, to be sure, but there was just one little problem. Nobody was discussing theology.

I guess when you call it “Theology on Tap,” I would expect that there would be . . . now follow me closely here . . . THEOLOGY.

Unless you call“Let’s all agree that if we can respect the person and not his opinion we can make the world a better, more peaceful place” theology.

For the record, I don’t.

The best part actually came after the formal discussion was over. The folks seated at the table above were atheists.

The atheists, apparently, have their own table.

Because we’re respecting the persons and not the opinion, remember?

My friend from college, Tyler, got into a great debate with the atheists over the unfoundedness of their beliefs. In the meantime, I was talking with an atheists about why women can’t speak in the church.

By the time the night was over, Tyler had the atheists tied up in knots. They were frustrated, annoyed, and had reduced the argument to ad hominem attacks, which can only mean one thing . . .

We’ll be back next month.