Was Charlie Kirk right that ekklesia in Matthew 16:18 does not mean church?
Robert Sungenis answers that "church" is an accurate translation of ekklesia and that Charlie Kirk was wrong on this point. He explains that ekklesia literally means the called-out ones, and that the Gospels, the Epistles and the Church Fathers all used it for the church, since Christians are called out of the world into the church.
A viewer says Charlie Kirk challenged translating ekklesia in Matthew 16:18 as church, and asks whether that translation is accurate.
Answer
Yes, church is an accurate translation, and this is an occasion where Charlie Kirk did not know what he was talking about. The root word ekklesia means the called-out ones; ek is the word for out. Technically, by itself, ekklesia means the called-out people, and Charlie tried to keep it on that general level to avoid tying it to a church. But that is exactly how the word developed in the Gospels, the Epistles, and all the writings of the Church Fathers: everyone used ekklesia for the church, because Christians too are the called-out ones, called out from the world to come into the church. So it is entirely appropriate to translate ekklesia as church. He is wrong in his assessment of that word.