We love watching superheroes defeat villains in our media, but there is only one true hero for our world. Jesus Christ. In this episode, unpack what it means to be a part of Jesus’ redemption story with the author of Lord of Legends: Jesus’ Redemption Quest, Eric Eichinger.

 To order Lord of Legends visit https://www.cph.org/p-34643-lord-of-legends-jesus-redemption-quest.aspx

Show Notes:

Heroes we find in comics, movies, and books are often a source of inspiration and hope for us and the fictional worlds they inhabit. The Hero’s Journey is a literary term used to describe how a character transforms through their quest. These thrilling stories are often repeated, dissected, and shared throughout our culture and history. But as Christians, we know about a real superhero. One that isn’t just a tall tale or only exists on screen. Jesus Christ was born to be the hero of the world, to conquer all of our villains and He did.

Listen and join the conversation as we discuss how the concept of the hero’s journey can help us to understand the magnitude of the history the Bible tells of the real hero, our prince of peace, our conqueror– Jesus. With the author of Lord of Legends: Jesus’ Redemption Quest, Eric Eichinger as our guest, unpack Jesus’ quest to redeem the whole of creation.

Questions Covered:

-What is Eric’s background?

-Why compare Jesus to superheroes?

-How does Jesus’ origin narrative become the foundation for many popular origin stories?

-Why do modern stories use ancient mythology to tell their stories?

-How does this all connect to our secular world trying to reconcile the idea of God, sin, and redemption?

-What makes Christ’s origin narrative extraordinary?

-Is the Bible full of only boring stories?

-How do we apply Jesus’ epic hero journey to our own lives?

-Where do we celebrate our hero, Jesus?

Eric Eichinger is senior pastor of Bethel Lutheran in Clearwater, Florida. He earned a B.A. in Theatre from Michigan State University and ran on the varsity track and field team. Eichinger served for two years in New York as a youth worker, and two years in mainland China as an English teacher where he met his wife, Kara. He was ordained into the office of the holy ministry in 2006 and currently serves as pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church in Clearwater, FL. Eric resides in the Tampa Bay area with his wife, their three children, and a feisty dachshund, Doppelbock.