Nearly 2,000 years ago Paul claimed that through Christ God had defeated the powers and authorities that sew structural injustice and human division on a mass scale. That was a claim that seemed outlandish and unfounded in the first century and even more so today. In this episode, the Eikon team looks at the evidence that Paul claimed demonstrated that God was not losing the culture but had already won. Was he right?
www.patreon.com/eikonpodcast

www.patreon.com/eikonpodcast

Jason, Gi, and Michael make their way through Ephesians 2:1-10 and examine just what Paul meant when he said that we are saved by grace. Have we, at times, transformed Paul's words to mean something other than what he was intending to say?

As Paul prays for spiritual awareness for his first-century readers, he describes to them the reality of the spiritual battle ahead. The Eikon team dissects Paul's description of this battle and discusses the category of sin that was so important to Paul but that modern Christians have all but erased from our consciousness and have left ourselves completely vulnerable to its ravages as a result.

Have you always wanted to go to the Holy Land? Now is the time! 

Please join us for a tour of Israel this summer. You do not wanna miss this opportunity. It will be a week filled with wonder, inspiration, insight, good food, and good fellowship. Your trip to the Holy Land will not only change the way you read the Bible, it will also strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ. 

Reserve your spot today! 

Step One: Register. Here is the registration link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdWip3VoMAum1VHTrw99tePxqJ1LEa2s8Ox4UJ6L23YFIX2qQ/viewform. A $500 deposit will guarantee your spot on the trip. The remainder of the cost for the trip will not be due until April 7th, 2023.

Step Two: Book your flights to Tel Aviv (see registration form for more info on booking flights). Book your flights as soon as you can in order to get the best price.

Step Three: Get pumped because you’re going to Israel! 

Hope to see you there!

What does it mean to be in Christ and why did Paul describe it in such detail in the opening verses of Ephesians? The Eikon team wrestles with that and considers what this all has to do with the great cosmic battle that Paul is about to describe. They also consider what this might mean for American Christianity and whether we need to grip tighter to the past or if it's time for radical change to realign with the Gospel.

The Eikon team arrives at the end of Mark and explores where Mark ended his gospel and why. Did he intend a somewhat puzzling ending in verse 8 that challenges readers or a more triumphal ending in verse 20 that inspires readers?

Please consider supporting this podcast: www.patreon.com/eikonpodcast

Jason's Favorite Reads of 2022:
The Drama of Doctrine: A Canonical-Linguistic Approach to Christian Theology - Kevin Vanhoozer
For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio - W.H. Auden
How to Inhabit Time: Understanding the Past, Facing the Future, Living Faithfully Now - James K.A. Smith
Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel - Thomas Keating
My Bright Abyss: Meditation of a Modern Believer - Christian Wilman

Michael's Favorite Reads of 2022:
What if Jesus Was Serious About the Church - Skye Jethani
Dear White Peacemakers: Dismantling Racism with Grit and Grace
Becoming the Gospel: Paul, Participation, and Mission - Michael Gorman
The Patient Ferment of the Early Church: The Improbable Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire - Alan Kreider
You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World - Alan Noble

The Cross is the center of Mark's Gospel. Even though most Christian churches would identify it as their community's central symbol and heart, are we in danger of making the Cross too small? Have we embraced important elements of it but missed aspects that are just as important? The Eikon team looks at the tragedy of crucifixion but argues that the Cross is anything but. And understanding the difference is vitally important.

The Eikon team looks at Mark's stringing together of three incidents where people have the truth and wisdom of God right in front of them but tragically reject it, opting for power. But in those acts of rejection, the cross-shaped king takes his throne. These incidents should cause us to reflect on ways that we might reject the truth of the cross for something a little more comfortable and to our liking.

Please consider supporting this podcast: www.patreon.com/eikonpodcast

The Eikon team examines the emotional evening at Gethsemane and the events that immediately followed and wrestle with questions that arise as the way of the cross intersects with the violence of the world. Was non-violence a central tenet of the early church and if so, why is it not for many churches today? Would the early Christians have seen that as an anti-gospel?