Find the original episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJHCg8xt_l8
The early church fathers went to great lengths to ensure that the followers of Christ did not innovate but rather perpetuate “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3), and this conversation seeks to understand what they meant, where we may have gotten off track, and what it means to become truly human through Christ.
Topics discussed include:
- Balancing academic research and writing with artistic innovation and creation
- A search for authenticity and authority led Jacobs to study the early church fathers, such as Athanasius of Alexandria, where he came to realize the difference of thought between Eastern and Western Christianity
- Ephesians, examining the use of the term “energeia” by Paul, and understanding that faith and works are not in opposition
- Ecumenical councils where early church fathers defended the faith by answering the question “What is the faith that we received handed down by the apostles?”
- Biblical illiteracy, historical ignorance, and troubling Trinitarian analogies
- The importance of a Trinitarian God as opposed to Unitarian
- The sophistication of the early church fathers and our anachronistic belief that we are more intelligent than our ancestors, theologically speaking or otherwise
- Distinguishing between creation and types of causation
- Biblical terminology getting lost in translation and the linguistic advantage the early church fathers had over the scholars that proceeded them
- Understanding the balance between rationality and mystery
- Addressing the Holy Mystery of the Eucharist
- Objectivity in academics, distinctions between different systems of thought, and the systems of thought creating the biggest divide between Eastern and Western Christianity
- The difficulty of communicating complex issues in a soundbite culture
- The importance of Christians being part of a church community; and should Christians confess their sins?
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!