Redeeming Religion

In this episode of Redeeming Religion, Ethan and John about their journey into prayer. Often we hear of prayer as making our requests known to God. With that, we want to highlight not just asking God for things, but finding a place and time to just listen to and be with God. Ethan shares about his job and learning Practicing the Presence of God, while John shares a thought from Mother Teresa and time at a Franciscan retreat center.Please join us in this discussion.Music by Ethan AvantsSuggested Reading:"Practicing the Presence of God" Brother Lawrencehttps://www.amazon.com/Practice-Presence-God-Brother-Lawrence/dp/1614279683"Where There is Love, There is God" - Mother Teresahttps://www.amazon.com/Where-There-Love-God-Greater/dp/038553180X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=where+there+is+God+there+is+love&qid=1592852993&s=books&sr=1-1Contact UsWe're still working on a method to reach us. For now, feel free to contact us at johndoukas@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you.

In this episode of Redeeming Religion, Ethan and John continue the topic of works, viewed through the lens of the Reformation. When we hear the word "works," we can often bring a lot of assumptions on what that word means both theologically and practically. The way we understand words like "works," is often through a filter of culture and the past, applying these understandings in our time. Are the roots of our faith based on issues or interpretations of the 16th century? Do we use 21st century questions to interpret the past? Is it possible to examine what was thought by Martin Luther, and perhaps regain clarity in our time? Please join us in this discussion.Music by Ethan AvantsSuggested Reading:"Judaism: Practice and Belief" - EP Sandershttps://www.amazon.com/Judaism-Practice-Belief-63-Bce-66/dp/1563380153"Paul and Palestinian Judaism" - EP Sandershttps://www.amazon.com/Paul-Palestinian-Judaism-Comparison-Patterns/dp/0800618998Contact UsWe're still working on a method to reach us. For now, feel free to contact us at johndoukas@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you.

In this episode of Redeeming Religion, Ethan and John come to the topic of works. Often we hear, "we're saved by grace and not by works." Works as a general doctrine is treated as a bad word, often associated with stale religion. We hit on the idea that we bring a lot of assumptions when we hear of works-based religion.Please join us in this discussion.Music by Ethan AvantsSuggested Reading from the Episode: "The Challenge of Jesus" by N.T. Wrighthttps://www.amazon.com/Challenge-Jesus-Rediscovering-Who-Was/dp/0830836969/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1591047617&sr=8-1"After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters" by N.T. Wrighthttps://www.amazon.com/After-You-Believe-Christian-Character-dp-0061730548/dp/0061730548/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1591047695"Jesus, Paul, and the Law" by James Dunnhttps://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Paul-Law-Studies-Galatians/dp/0664250955"Jesus According to the New Testament" by James Dunnhttps://www.amazon.com/Jesus-according-Testament-James-Dunn/dp/0802876692/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=Contact UsWe're still working on a method to reach us. For now, feel free to contact us at johndoukas@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you.

In this episode of Redeeming Religion, we are actually returning after a long break. It's been over a year since we last recorded. In that time we've been looking for a church to call home and discuss that in brief. We also ask the question of what self-awareness is, along with how it can be both healthy and perhaps destructive. Join us in this discussion.Music by Ethan AvantsContact UsWe're still working on a method to reach us. For now, feel free to contact us at johndoukas@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you.

In this episode of Redeeming Religion, Ethan and John examine the idea of "Narrative." How do we transfer information? Often we search for detailed breakdowns to communicate complex topics. However, when we look in Scripture, we find not a scientific breakdown of how-to's, but instead we find the art of storytelling. Join us in this discussion as we dive into mode of communication we call Narrative.Music by Ethan AvantsContact UsWe're still working on a method to reach us. For now, feel free to contact us at johndoukas@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you.

Words such as “religion” and “redeeming” come with a lot of baggage. In this episode of Redeeming Religion, Ethan and John lay some groundwork to define what is meant when using those words throughout this podcast.Music by Ethan AvantsContact UsWe're still working on a method to reach us. For now, feel free to contact us at johndoukas@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you.

Welcome to the Redeeming Religion podcast. In this debut episode, we introduce ourselves and what led to this podcast. Being members of a local evangelical church, we have often experienced treating the word, “Religion,” as a bad word. Phrases like, “it’s not a religion, it’s a relationship,” have often left us wondering what’s meant in that, spurring many discussions with each other, and now we’d like to bring a wider audience to the table. Join us in the discussion.Music by Ethan AvantsContact UsWe're still working on a method to reach us. For now, feel free to contact us at johndoukas@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you.