Theology with Imagination

If you’ve ever wanted to sit across the table from Brian Zahnd, pour a glass of wine, and talk about Jesus, you’re in luck—because that’s exactly what we did in the latest episode of Cabernet and Pray. And yes, it was as good as it sounds.

Brian is one of those voices in the modern church that makes you simultaneously uncomfortable and inspired, in all the best ways. We dove into his journey from fundamentalism to a Jesus-centered theology that resists empire, violence, and fear. We talked about how bad theology has tried to chaplain the state instead of calling it to repentance. We unpacked what it means to believe in Jesus, not just theologically but politically—by which we mean embracing the politics of the Sermon on the Mount, not aligning with any partisan team.

We also explored the idea that our theology should grow as we grow. Brian doesn’t trust theologians who don’t read fiction, and after hearing him unpack The Brothers Karamazov and the vital role of imagination in theology, you’ll understand why. Faith isn’t about locking down the right answers forever—it’s about staying open to the Spirit’s ongoing work in our thinking.

We hit on his books A Farewell to Mars and Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God in particular, reflecting on how Christian orthodoxy has too often been used to justify exclusion and violence. Brian reminded us again and again that Jesus is the clearest picture of God we will ever get. As he puts it:

“God is like Jesus. God has always been like Jesus. There has never been a time when God was not like Jesus. We have not always known what God is like, but now we do.” 

We've also just started reading Brian's book A Farewell to Mars in our online community this week. If you'd like to go deeper in your faith by exploring these ideas with us, we'd love to have you join us there (Click here to find out more).

Click here to watch or listen to episode 46.