A few weeks ago, we released a conversation with Terryl Givens about the life of Eugene England. England’s work on atonement theology had felt like it necessitated another conversation, but it was too big to fit into the first one. So this week, we brought Terryl back to talk not just about England’s views, but about atonement generally.
The conversation starts with the fascinating premise that our faith doesn’t actually have an official theology of Atonement. What is clear, doctrinally, is that Christ brought about something of universal importance: as the Book of Mormon says, "we talk of Christ, rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, (and) we prophesy of Christ." (2nd Nephi 25:26) We accept Christ as both savior and healer — but that doesn’t mean that we’ve achieved a consensus understanding of how Christ’s atonement actually accomplished those goals of “saving” and “healing.”
So in this conversation with Terryl, we discussed various atonement theories — what some of the greatest Christian and Latter-day Saint thinkers have posited over the years about how the atonement works; why it’s necessary, and how it can apply in real life. It seemed to us that there was something to value in nearly all of these explorations, and it was fascinating to see how those views have evolved over time.
And, as it always does, conversation with Terryl brought us back to what’s really important: how Christ’s atonement can bring less retribution and more healing to society, and how we can participate in that work. Terryl reminded us that Atonement is about reintegration into loving relationship — not just vertically with God, but horizontally with those around us.
218. A New Book Every Time - A Conversation with Bob Rees
217. Surveying the Saints — A Conversation with Josh Coates
216. Big Stories, Little Saints — A Conversation with Sarah and Josh Sabey
215. Finding the Still Point in Tension — John Kesler and Thomas McConkie
214. Gathering All Safely In — A Conversation with Liz and Jordon Sharp
213. Leading Deseret Book — A Conversation with Laurel Day
212. Is God Disappointed in Me? — A Conversation with Kurt Francom
211. Come As You Are — A Conversation with Jen and Sam Norton
210. The Gift of Dissonance — A Conversation with Patrick Mason
209. What's So Good About Good Friday? — A Conversation with Eric Huntsman
208. Curious Mind, Open Heart — A Conversation with Bill Turnbull and Kathy Clayton
207. Feeling Separated? So did Jesus. — A Conversation with Kerry Muhlestein
206. Tragedy in the Holy Land: What Can We Do? — A Conversation with Chad Ford
205. Tough Love from the Book of Mormon — A Conversation with Grant Hardy
204. Advice from "The World's Worst Mom" — A Conversation with Lenore Skenazy
Proclaim Peace: A New Podcast by Faith Matters and Mormon Women for Ethical Government
203. Love is a Law, not a Reward — Adam Miller at Restore
202. The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God — A Conversation with Justin Brierley
201. The Counter-Culture of Commitment — A Conversation with Pete Davis
200. The Awakened Brain — Lisa Miller at Restore
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Cast The Word
Let Me Be Frank | Bishop Frank Caggiano’s Podcast | Diocese of Bridgeport, CT
The Kingdom Power Fellowship Podcast
The Bible Recap
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)