Pastor Justin Perdue launched Theology Night in 2022, believing that “under the shag carpet of contemporary evangelical teaching lies a beautiful hardwood floor of confessional doctrine and the ancient creeds of the church.” He says the church movements of the 20th century have produced a generation of people who are “frustrated and disenchanted with the fluffiness and the shallowness” and want something “more robust.”
MEN AND WOMEN come casually dressed and carrying Bibles as they enter the spacious office of Covenant Baptist Church in Asheville, N.C. Once conversations get going, voices echo off the concrete floors, creating what one church member calls the “happy buzz of fellowship.” This isn’t your typical midweek service, though. Twice a month, the office is transformed into a classroom for learning deep theology.
Folding chairs screech against the bare floor as everyone finds a seat. Pastor Justin Perdue, in jeans, T-shirt, and ball cap, stands behind a burnished café chair that doubles as his podium. He’s speaking from notes on a laptop, flanked by a water bottle emblazoned with Theocast, the name of his podcast.
Despite the hipster vibe in this 9-year-old church plant, Wednesdays are about something ancient. Perdue will spend the next 75 minutes digging into the threefold division of the law as part of a robust series for lay Christians. Two years in, he’s covered doctrine, church history, and what it means to be confessional. Welcome to Theology Night.