Ep 20: The Early Church Fathers and Atonement in Ephesians

 

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• The doctrine of horizontal atonement, reconciliation, and salvation.
• Beliefs and traditions of the early church and early church fathers.
• The Biblical basis behind cosmic powers and demonic forces.
• Cross-cultural and multi-ethnic unity in the church and how it honors and glorifies God.

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Show Notes:

Do you know how to honor God in a unifying, fulfilling way? Our guest today is Kristin Caynor, a researcher working on the Ephesians 2 Gospel Project! Kristin has her MTS from Duke Divinity and is currently working on her PhD at Trinity College as she dedicates her life to serving the global church the best way she can. She will be sharing her knowledge of Biblical text as we examine Ephesians 2 and its doctrine to horizontal atonement and salvation. We will discuss the beliefs and traditions of the early church in comparison to the modern church as we take a look at the text from the early church fathers’ eyes.

 

Then, it’s time to explore the Biblical basis behind cosmic and demonic powers at play in our world. We also talk about unity within the church and embracing a multi-cultural doctrine to bring glory to God. Why has Ephesians 2 been overlooked for so long? How does culture and context play a big role in how we interpret scripture today? What did the first 300 years of the church look like, and what has changed since then? By the end of this episode, you’ll be able to see an oft-overlooked text in a new light and new appreciation, so you can bring glory to God in a whole new way!

00:00 Say hello to researcher Kristin Caynor working on the Ephesians 2 Gospel Project!

02:20 What is the Ephesians 2 Gospel Project?

04:55 Examining the horizontal reconciliation in Ephesians 2:14-16.

06:40 What is significant about this collective reconciliation?

09:50 How did the early church fathers view this text? 

10:50 How did Kristin get involved in the Gospel Project?

13:20 Why do you think this text was overlooked for so long? How is the Project helping people to see it in a new perspective?

15:10 What did the first 300 years of the early church look like?

19:25 Why do we think differently about salvation compared to the early church fathers?

22:40 How has our culture affected the way we view and read the text of Ephesians 2?

24:15 Extrapolating the reconciliation of the Jews and gentiles.

28:10 What did slavery look like in the early church?

30:30 How did Gregory of Nyssa view slavery?

35:40 What scriptures tell us about the cosmic powers?

38:50 What is the Biblical basis behind demonic forces?

41:40 The mystery of the gospel.

43:30 How does God show his glory in Ephesians 2?

46:20 What do the early church fathers have to say about this?

51:10 How does disunity in the church dishonor God?

54:20 What do you hope people take away from this episode?