Introduction

This is the first episode in Eric's epic summer series covering the contentious and war-torn season of American history from 1914 to 1974. In this inaugural installment, he declares his seemingly impossible goal for this series--to address the most sensitive issues of our day in such a way that the Church is strengthened rather than divided. This episode centers around one of the key powder kegs of the era--that of race. Using the famous heavyweight bout between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling as his muse, he unpacks a powerful picture of racial redemption and, simultaneously, a proposal for how we as the Church can handle these delicate issues in a way that changes the storyline of racial combat.