These days, a conversation about religion or politics - or any other topic under the sun - is just a click away.
But the age of blogs, Facebook and online discussion boards leaves something to be desired, says Dave Grosser, a 32-year-old Fitchburg resident who was trained as a pastor and now works as a software tester at Epic Systems.
Grosser is obviously not a technophobe, but he believes face-to-face discussions about "big ideas," such as God's existence or humanity's purpose, are superior to their online counterparts.
"For one thing," Grosser notes, "I think people are more civil" when they're sitting across a table from one another, rather than hammering out their thoughts on laptops hundreds of miles apart. "You're less protected and more vulnerable - but so are the people you're talking to."
A year ago, Grosser and some friends formed a group in Verona called Gray's Theology. The name comes from their meeting place - Gray's Tied House - where the group gathers at 8 p.m. the last Thursday of each month for good beer and deep conversations.
Gray's Theology is the brainchild of members of Living Hope Church, which set up shop in Verona in October 2006. Grosser helped found the church, and its lead pastor, Josh Montague, is a regular at the monthly discussions.
While Living Hope is an evangelical Christian church, Grosser is adamant that the goal of Gray's Theology is not to convert anyone. On the contrary, the more religious or political viewpoints that show up, the better, he said.
Talking philosophy with people who don't share your beliefs can be "a wakeup call that challenges our assumptions and/or the way we're living our life," Grosser wrote in his blog at wakeywakey.wordpress.com. Gray's Theology "is a forum to get that wakeup call from each other, to provide it for each other and to try on new ideas and mature in old ones."
Before each month's meeting, Grosser lists a discussion topic on his blog. At the meeting, he introduces a few questions and the conversation goes from there, usually for two hours.
The rules, Grosser noted, are simple:
"Disagreement is fine. Respect is necessary. Everyone should get a chance to talk. No one is forced to talk."
Topics range from questioning whether humans have free will to whether work is overly emphasized in American culture. One month's self-explanatory topic was "How do I know if I suck?"
Attendance ranges from a handful to a dozen. In one session this summer, six people showed up for a two-hour discussion that centered on forgiveness. They came from Mount Horeb, Madison and Verona, and the range of ages spanned a few decades.
The lively conversation started around a table on Gray's outdoor patio and was only interrupted when mosquitoes chased the group inside around 9:15 p.m.
Drinking beer while talking philosophy is nothing new, Grosser noted. He referred to the days when C.S. Lewis, J.R.R Tolkien and other members of "The Inklings" met weekly at an Oxford, England pub to discuss literature and life in the early 20th century.
"There's that good British tradition of discussing philosophical topics in a smoky pub," he said. "That kind of inspired us."
While some in the group - including Grosser - hold advanced degrees in theology, Grosser said the group prides itself on creating "a level playing field" where everyone's opinion is considered.
"It's really not an intimidating conversation when you warm up to it," he said.
Grosser, who calls himself a "fairly traditional Christian," admits they've hit a few bumps in the past year when some attendees - be they Christian, atheist or another persuasion - have shown up only "to convince you that you're wrong."
"We're not that kind of group," he said.
Instead, the group aims for civil discussions - something that's hard to find in an age of polarized politics and religion.
"We think it would be good for Verona, good for the Madison area, even good for the world, if people had more places to talk about what they believe - no matter what their worldviews are," Grosser said. "That's really the idea behind this."
