Interview: What Can We Learn About Persuasively Communicating the Gospel from the Early Church?

In the face of current debates within the church, it can be immensely helpful to listen to the voice of the Early Church. The next couple of generations after the apostolic age were still very close to the source. How did the so-called "Apostolic fathers" - church leaders of the early 2nd century AD and subsequently, the "Apologists", formulate and also "contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints“ (Jude 3)? In this interview, we look at some of their main themes and lines of argumentation, and how their life of discipleship was an integral part of their witness.

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Roland Werner is a professor of theology, Bible translator, author, and church-planter in Marburg, a quaint medieval university town in the middle of Germany. He holds a Ph.D.in African and Semitic linguistics and a Ph.D. in theology. With his wife Elke he has served in many countries, including Egypt and Sudan. As chair of Lausanne Germany, it is his desire to inspire the church for evangelism.

Ádám Szabados is a Hungarian theologian and the leader of the Hungarian Evangelical Forum. Until 2017 he had been a pastor for 20 years. He is married to Dóra and has two adult sons. He studied English literature and linguistics at the University of Veszprém (MA equivalent, with honours), and theology at Schloss Mittersill Study Center (Diploma in Biblical Studies and Culture) and at Covenant Theological Seminary (ThM in Exegetical Theology). He received his PhD (summa cum laude) in the area of New Testament at Károli Reformed University. His study on the Reformational understanding of sin has been published by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He wrote three other books: Erosz nyomában (Traces of Eros) (Harmat Publishing House, 2008), Az apostolok hagyománya (The Tradition of the Apostles) (KRE-L'Harmattan 2020; 2nd edition 2021), and Teológus a sakktáblán (Theologian on the Chessboard) (Luther-Harmat - 2021). Ádám teaches at Fiúság Akadémia and also has a popular theological-apologetic website (divinity.szabadosadam.hu).

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