Eikon places value on the following as of first importance:
• Jesus as Teacher – Not just our Savior, not just our Lord, not just a baby in a manger. Jesus taught us how to live; all of those who came after are just helpful interpreters rather than our source of teaching. We are no longer content to keep Jesus in the manger or on the cross; He is alive and present in our communities through the Spirit and His teachings.
• Community as Commitment – Tertullian said, “one cannot have God for his Father without having the Church as his mother”. While we ultimately cannot judge who is a true son or daughter of the King, we believe that Tertullian was onto something. We believe that it is only in community that we can live out a faith that adheres to God’s dream. This means creating a tribe where there was none before. This means acceptance, forgiveness, strong families, and so much more.
• Creativity as Invaluable – Innovation, creativity, cultural relevance, and a drive for excellence permeates our community. We believe that God has given us specific gifts to use to further His dream for creation. Our entire lives must be used in the context of imitating God’s creative essence and “doing everything as unto the Lord.” Our writers, musicians, artists, artisans, craftsman and those who make Kraft macaroni and cheese will be supported and honored.
• Outsiders as Insiders – There are those who society politely (or violently) ignores and pushes away. We reject the alienation of any group of people (all of which bear God’s image) as blasphemous. We will actively embrace people without discrimination based on their sex, sexual preference, richness, poorness, occupation, hygiene, or past actions. We will not discriminate, but we will be discerning and seek to protect each other even as we reach out. Not only are our doors open to everyone, we will continue to reach out to everyone.
• Life as Sacred – We believe God has given us rituals, ceremonies, rites, and events as ways to honor him and mark spiritual occasions, as well as translate spiritual realities into community life. A sacrament is a Christian rite that mediates divine grace – a holy Mystery. Such sacraments include baptism, Eucharist, marriage, prayer, and possibly others as it seems good to us and the Holy Spirit. God’s mediation is not limited to these, but we commit to at least these in our communities.
• Space as Spiritual - We believe in thin places. In other words, there are places where the division between the heavenly (where God’s will is done) and the earthly (where we currently are) becomes “thin”. It is in these places that worshiping God seems more free and natural… that peace and harmony seem more frequent… places that are almost sacramental in themselves. We aim to create these “thin places” or “sacred spaces” wherever we can. First, we value our place of gathering to be a sacred space. Second, we value our neighborhoods to be sacred spaces, and work to make them so. Third, we feel like we have been adopted by our city, and vice versa, and work to make the city we live in a sacred space. Fourth, we long to see all of creation, our entire world, become a sacred space.
