Eikon Church - Little Rock, AR

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cityView: aaron reddin Posted by Ryan Byrd 06.01.2010 9:12 am

cityView blog series

I’ll bet 3 dollars that more people realize the volatility of Christian faith than are willing to admit. No matter your proximity to God, Jesus, Holy Ghost, Bible, or even the Church, you have without question encountered the “fickle faith” at some point, in some way.

Even the term “Christian” has earned such a stigma that many of us who try emulating this Jesus dude……well, just don’t want to be called one.

Blame Adam. Blame Eve. Yeah, I’m going there.

I honestly can’t remember ever using the OT, especially Adam & Eve, for a reference for any kind of talk. So, if this is a total bust you can come to where I work and throw rocks at me.

Let’s just call them “A&E”, which just happens to be my favorite television station.

A&E have a story. We know it. We’ve heard it. We may not all believe it, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t ALL apply something from their story.

That freakin’ fruit. What was so bad about it? Why was there a tree with bad fruit in a good place? I think those are valid questions.

The one I really want to ask is much bigger. Was it a real tree?

Or, was it the principle of a concept?

You have a “good tree” and a “bad tree”. Eat from one, not the other.

Eat from the “tree of life” or eat from the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil”.

This story is so often related to obedience or disobedience. But have you ever related these trees to yourself?

They’re both pretty self explanatory. The tree of life is simply that. It’s good. Not bad, or rotten. Not bitter. It’s refreshing and energizing.

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is the direct opposite. Almost.

It appears fresh and ready to eat. It may sparkle. It may smell appetizing. The problem comes after you give in. Knowledge of good and evil.

It’s this knowledge that breeds legalism, judgmental attitudes and outlooks, gossip, defamation, deceit, pain, injury, and brokenness.

If all we know is good, then our faith can remain pure. With the knowledge of both concepts, though, we see all the things that make us question our faith and our God. It makes us question others. Even the ones we’re closest to.

We have the knowledge. We can’t shake it. But we can make it a point to build our “club houses” in the tree of life. Hang out in that one.

I’ve spent far too much time in the tree of knowledge, making me critical and unpleasant. Making me the kind of Christian that makes other Christians not want to be called Christians.

When I look at others, I only want to notice the good. Kinda like the way Jesus looks at me.

What would Christianity be like if we’d keep our asses out of that damned tree? Let’s build a tree house big enough for everyone, in the tree of life.

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Posted in blog stuff, cityview, core values, culture, little rock, theology | 1 Comment »



the creation conflict: don miller talks community Posted by Ryan Byrd 09.24.2009 5:35 pm

donald miller

several years ago, someone made a statement that i have repeated many times since and has shaped my view of god and others: isolation is the enemy of god.

there’s a lot going on in that statement and today, in a live-streamed talk by don miller, i was once again reminded of that declaration.

miller—author of the best-selling blue like jazz and the newly released a million miles in a thousand years—talked about story—in literary terms—and its connection to the biblical narrative, particularly in reference to the creation story. more to the point, he talked about the need for conflict in any good story and how conflict engages characters and creates a need/opportunity to change.

while it seems more and more clear to me that the creation account in scripture is a poem steeped in metaphor, it makes it no less significant to the trajectory of the biblical narrative—the ongoing story of god and people and all creation in relationship. one of the most beautiful aspects of creation is the relationship between human beings.

miller made the point that people generally see life prior to the fall as perfect, without conflict. in fact, though, like any good story, conflict was a quintessential element in the genesis poems that pushed change. we find in genesis 2 that the man experienced an internal conflict that enacted a plot twist.

God formed from the dirt of the ground all the animals of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the Man to see what he would name them. Whatever the Man called each living creature, that was its name. The Man named the cattle, named the birds of the air, named the wild animals; but he didn’t find a suitable companion.

the man had everything—food, water and god—but in spite of these things, something was missing: other people. the man’s internal conflict was loneliness. it was the deep-seated need to engage the other. it was the inexplicably strong necessity of companionship.

his conflict created the need for change.

so god created another human. who created other humans. and other humans.

as miller made clear, people need people. we need community. we need to be in relationship with other humans.

for quite some time, christians have propagated the idea that being in relationship with jesus is the key to unlocking unlimited and unadulterated happiness. it’s the idea that jesus is the ultimate fullness. while there are certainly bits of truth to that, our experiences inform us that it’s only partially true. following jesus doesn’t eliminate conflict. we still experience sadness & loneliness & fear & uncertainty. while faith provides a “cushion”, we still process these things in tangible ways: other people.

the “other” is our way of experiencing something that doesn’t replace our relationship with christ, but makes our relationship with christ touchable.

we hope that eikon, above all things, is rooted in community. we hope it’s a place that resolves conflict by placing people in relationship with other people.

we invite you into this place of community and the other.

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why the goofy name eikon? Posted by Ryan Byrd 01.21.2009 6:38 am

ok, well, maybe we should back up and say that we hope you don’t actually think the name eikon is goofy…maybe different…or unique…but not goofy… no doubt, i, ryan, can personally lay claim to the word goofy…but not eikon… :)

certainly, the name eikon (pronounced the same as icon) is unique. maybe you’re wondering why we didn’t choose a “standard”, “churchy” sounding name. well, there’s several reasons, but the main one is that we want a name that isn’t just unique (although we do like that’s it’s unique and beautiful and engaging), but a name that represents our values. as the blog continues to develop, we’ll get more into the specifics of our core values and guiding theologies, but i thought i would share some of the values that led to the goofy name eikon.
first, a quick look at the origins. the word eikon is greek and is found about 20 times in the new testament (the equivalent is found throughout the entirety of scripture, but as it’s greek, it’s unique to the new testament). here’s the definition:
1. an image, figure, likeness
a. an image of the things (the heavenly things)
1. used of the moral likeness of renewed men to God
2. the image of the Son of God, into which true Christians are transformed, is likeness not only to the heavenly body, but also to the most holy and blessed state of mind, which Christ possesses
b. the image of one
1. one in whom the likeness of any one is seen
2. applied to man on account of his power of command
3. to Christ on account of his divine nature and absolute moral excellence
ok, so what does all that crap stuff mean?? here’s a few insights and values:
1. at eikon, the concept of image is important. i don’t mean image in the sense of image-obsessed or things that are inherently narcissistic. rather, it’s the idea of what’s visual and beautiful and sensory. we mean image in both the obvious and the very broad sense of the word.
in the obvious way, we mean that the arts are a central part of what we do and how we engage in community. be it the fine arts (painting, sculpture, etc) to film to graphic design to handmade arts and goods, the visual experience is a central experience at eikon. throughout scripture, there is such a rich visual thread of beauty and vivid detail. scripture is more than words on a page. we engage and enter scripture through the rich images that are evoked.
in the less—presumably—obvious way, the idea of image carries over into music and the written/spoken word and even the “art” of cordial dialogue. all these artforms evoke powerful and rich images that help us enter into community and into the story of god.
2. eikon speaks to being made in the image—the eikon—of god. one of our guiding values is the belief that every person is made in the image of god. the implication is that every person is equal in our community and valued and no person is greater than another. i, as the pastor, am not greater or more important or more valued than someone who walks in the door for the first time. everyone—regardless of color or age or background or sexual orientation or social status—is made to look like god. we aren’t gods, but we are certainly made in his image. from this, we derive value and acceptance and dignity and so much more (which i’ll get to on the blog in more detail down the road…).
3. as per the definition, eikon speaks to a certain transformation, specifically, it’s the redemptive transformation into becoming more like christ. in this, we don’t mean some kind of christian subculture jesus or some kind of social weirdo or some kind of bizarre other-wordliness, but rather, becoming people who are guided by grace and mercy and compassion and love and justice. the eikon of christ is a life defined by peace over retribution, acceptance over suspicion and grace over judgment.
this transformation isn’t necessarily a single moment of change, but rather, a process of engaging in community,participating in an ongoing dialogue of discovery and humility and uncovering the story of god in scripture.
4. finally, somewhat tied to the the value of the centrality of the arts and being made in the image of god, eikon quite literally means statue or likeness. the point is that we value creation. i use that word in the broad sense of creativity and inventiveness and outside-the-box thinking. it’s not just about being an artist who creates a work of art or a poet who writes or a film maker who produces something beautiful. it’s about a community of people who don’t settle for the status quo or the “way we’ve always done it.” it’s forging a new path that isn’t about reinventing the wheel, but rather, about always seeking to know and engage christ and each other in ways that are fresh and inventive and authentic. being made in the image of god means being made in the image of a creator. therefore, in our own unique ways, we are all creative people who need and desire new and fresh ways of interacting with the world around us.
so, i hope that gives you a better idea of why we chose the goofy name eikon. :) we truly believe that it expresses the rhythm and nature of the community that’s shaping here in little rock.
stick around the blog to learn more and more about this community in the coming weeks and months.

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