An Adventure in Ideas: Discovering Whitehead's "Religion in the Making"

Homebrewed Christianity

Dr. Tripp Fuller | Theologian, Philosopher, Minister

Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.6 • 612 Ratings

🗓️ 5 November 2025

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this audio essay, I explore why Alfred North Whitehead's "Religion in the Making" might be exactly what we need in 2025—especially if you're someone who's done with traditional religion but can't shake the feeling that something sacred is going on. I share Whitehead's remarkable story: a Cambridge mathematician who didn't even start teaching philosophy until he was 63, who lost his son in WWI, and whose wife Evelyn taught him that beauty and love aren't decorations on philosophy—they are the philosophy. Writing in 1926 amidst post-war trauma and scientific revolution, Whitehead saw past the tired warfare between science and religion to something more generous: What if the universe isn't dead matter but alive with meaning? What if we're not weird exceptions in a meaningless cosmos but examples of what the universe has been doing all along? I explain why this matters for anyone deconstructing faith, loving science, seeking justice, or simply hungry for a spirituality that's intellectually honest and alive to mystery. Most beautifully, Whitehead reminds us that religion isn't about safety or certainty—it's an adventure of the spirit, and maybe it's time we said yes to that adventure again. To join the Whitehead reading group, become a supporting member of the Process This Substack. In addition to Zoom invites to the reading group and archives of each session, you will get an ad-free podcast feed of the podcast and invites to all the other live streams with friends like Diana Butler Bass & Ryan Burge. ⁠UPCOMING ONLINE ADVENT CLASS w/ Diana Butler Bass⁠⁠ Join us for a transformative four-week Advent journey exploring how the four gospels speak their own revolutionary word against empire—both in their ancient context under Roman occupation and for our contemporary world shaped by capitalism, militarism, and nationalism. Advent marks the beginning of the church year—an invitation to step out of the empire's time and into God's time, where the last are first, the mighty are scattered, and a child born in occupied territory changes everything. This course invites you into an alternative calendar and rhythm. While our modern world races through December toward consumption and productivity, Advent calls us to a different time—a counter-imperial waiting, a subversive hope, a radical reimagining of how God enters the world. What will we experience? Each week, we'll hear one gospel's unique vision of the birth narrative, allowing Matthew, Luke, John, and Mark to speak in their own voices about what it means for God to show up when empires think they're in control. We'll discover how these ancient texts of resistance offer wisdom for our own moment of political turmoil, economic inequality, and ecological crisis. This class is donation-based, including 0. You can sign-up at ⁠⁠www.HomebrewedClasses.com⁠⁠ ⁠Sign up HERE to stay up to date on Theology Beer Camp 2026 & get EARLY ACCESS to the cheapest tickets.⁠⁠ This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity ⁠⁠⁠production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 70,000other people by joining our ⁠⁠⁠Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 50 classes at ⁠⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, friends, this is Tripp, and coming up this December, Diana Boller Bass is joining me for a four-week
0:10.0	Advent class, the journey up to Christmas, the beginning of the church year, and I would love
0:16.5	for you to join us. The class is called the beginning of another world, Advent against Empire, and each week
0:22.8	we're going to have a live stream and you'll get the recording and stuff as well that looks
0:27.7	at each of the four Gospels and the way in which they understand, describe, and wrestle with
0:34.0	the coming of God.
0:35.4	And we'll look at those texts, but also see what are the invitations each of these
0:39.1	gospel writers are giving us today?
0:41.9	How can the coming of God in Christ in that time help us reflect on the coming of God in
0:47.7	ours?
0:48.7	And if this sounds fun, if it sounds exciting, if you want to connect with an online community,
0:57.8	this Advent, then come and join me and Diana Butler Bass.
0:59.9	It's donation-based, including zero.
1:04.8	And all you got to do is head over to homebrewdclasses.com.
1:05.7	That's right.
1:07.2	Homebrewdclasses.com.
1:08.0	Join up.
1:09.1	Invite your friends.
1:15.5	And, you know, we'll see you online this advent season thank you to our partner garrett seminary seminary education isn't just for pastors social awareness of the
1:22.6	world's most pressing problems robust ethical analysis empathetic biblical wisdom, and courageous leadership
1:30.1	are skills you can use across a wide range of vocations. Whether you feel called to care and
1:36.3	counsel, public service, prophetic arts, or non-profit management, there's a program at Garrett's
	...

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