Unique Name
The city of Athens provided the setting for one of the most important messages ever delivered in the Bible. The name Mars Hill corresponds to a hill northwest of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, called Mars Hill. It is mentioned in Acts 17:22. Some versions of the Bible say that Paul stood up in a meeting of the "Areopagus," but the word "Areopagus" and "Mars Hill" really means the same thing. Mars Hill represents the intersection where Jesus, culture, race and humanism all collided, yet with Jesus clearly prevailing.
Paul was distressed to see the city so full of idols, but instead of ridiculing the people of Athens for their lack of spirituality and condemning their pagan practices, Paul acknowledges their hunger for God and their eagerness to learn about spiritual things. At the heart of his history-making message on Mars Hill, Paul who is Jewish tells the Greeks that "God has made of one blood all nations of men." (Acts 17:26). That message, "made of one blood", is a foundational value of Mars Hill Church. Why? Because the church family should reflect the "one blood" blend of God's creation.
