Episode Details

In this thought-provoking episode, former neuroscientist-turned-Franciscan sister Ilia Delio offers a radical vision for the future of religion at Theology Beer Camp. Speaking to a community of spiritual seekers, Delio places humanity within our cosmic context—mere seconds in the universe's 13.8 billion-year story—while arguing that we are the universe becoming conscious of itself. She challenges institutional religion's static cosmologies, drawing on Teilhard de Chardin's integration of evolution and faith to advocate for a "religion of the Earth" that recognizes God as "in love with matter." With urgency, Delio warns that if religion doesn't evolve beyond dogma into creative participation with cosmic processes, technology will replace it as humanity's guiding force. The conversation, complemented by responses from biblical scholar Pete Enns, exemplifies the kind of boundary-pushing theological dialogue that makes Theology Beer Camp a unique gathering for those reimagining faith at the intersection of science, ecology, and spirituality.

Join us at Theology Beer Camp this October 16-18 in St. Paul, MN.

You can WATCH this session on YouTube

Theology Beer Camp is a unique three-day conference that brings together of theology nerds and craft beer for a blend of intellectual engagement, community building, and fun. This event features a lineup of well-known podcasters, scholars, and theology enthusiasts who come together to "nerd out" on theological topics while enjoying loads of fun activities. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! Get info and tickets here.

Ilia Delio, OSF, PhD is a Franciscan Sister of Washington, DC, and American theologian specializing in science and religion, with interests in evolution, physics, and neuroscience and the import of these for theology.

Previous Episodes with Ilia Delio

• Thinking Theologically about AI with Teilhard de Chardin
• The Not Yet God
• Bonaventure & the Cosmos in Process
• Catching a Cosmic Faith
• the Entangled God of my Heart

Upcoming Online Class:⁠ Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, & the Holy Ghost⁠

"⁠Rediscovering the Spirit: Hand-Raisers, Han, and the Holy Ghost⁠" is an open-online course exploring the dynamic, often overlooked third person of the Trinity. Based on Grace Ji-Sun Kim's groundbreaking work on the Holy Spirit (pneumatology), this class takes participa