After Class

Back to the book of James! The guys continue where they left off last week with, “The believer who is poor still has reasons to boast, for he has been placed on high. But those who are rich should boast in how God has brought them low and humbled them, for all their earthly glory will one day fade away like a wildflower in the meadow” - let’s resume… 

A book notoriously difficult to structure, once thought of as a loose compendium of wisdom with no specific audience, the book of James has been revisited in recent scholarship with a newly defined structure and specific, pointed criticisms. This week, the guys begin their walk through the book of James and ask the question: Who is the audience? John lays out the writing style and the framework of James in todays episode, setting the stage for future episodes. 

Round two: Picking up where we left off, the guys attempt to summarize the New Testament in seven sentences. How would you do it? Tune in to today's episode to see if you chose the same verses as Sam, John, or Ron.

As summer break rapidly comes to an end, the guys begin a new experiment. Is it possible to tell the Old Testament story in seven sentences? What principles would one use? How does one capture the whole thing in such a short blurb? How many commas can one use? Will the guys come up with the same summaries? Find out in today’s episode. 

The guys pause to speak about recent events, specifically, the attempt on Trump’s life. How do believers respond as kingdom representatives as they interact with events like this? 

New edition, same story. Where First Maccabees tells the story of the facts, Second Maccabees slows down on certain details and illustrates them, sometimes in extreme fashion. Let’s investigate this second telling and see what wisdom we might glean as the guys wrap up the series on the Apocrypha.

This week, the guys dive into the Maccabees and reflect on the stories of Mattathias and his sons, who break away from sell-out Jews. What can we learn from Judas, "The Hammer," and the Maccabees? What does this have to do with the role of the priesthood? Tune in to find out!

This week, Sam, John, and Ron survey the book of Baruch to see what wisdom and encouragement we might impart from this pseudepigraphal work. When the world does evil as the world does, how might we interpret the events? What insights into faithfulness does Baruch provide? Find out in today's episode of the After Class Podcast.

This week, the guys dive into two wisdom books: Ben Sira (Sirach/Ecclesiasticus) and the Wisdom of Solomon. Watch over your daughters, take medicine, fear God, seek wisdom, and praise… men? What are we talking about? Tune in to find out!

Join Sam, John, and Ron as they survey the story of Judith, an imaginative, highly fictionalized romance, portraying an Assyrian invasion of Israel led by a man named Holofernes. He besieges the town of Bethulia, where a widow named Judith dwells. Find out how she kept her head under pressure, glorified God, and saved her people from the Assyrian invaders. 

A man goes from a pious life of prosperity and joy to blindness and misery, all on account of bird poop and botched medical practices. A woman loses seven husbands and is accused of murder in the marital bed. Both parties call upon God and plead for a swift end to their lives. Yet God acts to redeem them instead. Join John, Ron, and Sam this week as they walk us through the story of Tobit to see what we might learn from this fascinating tale.

As we continue our studies of the Apocrypha, we turn to the additions to Esther that appear in the Greek translation of the story. What differences are there that do not appear in the Hebrew version? What does it add? How should we interpret it? Join John, Ron, and Sam as they find out in today’s episode of the After Class Podcast!  

Join the guys as they read more apocryphal extensions and stories of Daniel. Be inspired and encouraged to maintain faithfulness to the living God in the face of man-made alternatives. When asked, 'Why do you not worship this [god/thing]?' reply boldly with Daniel, 'Because I do not revere idols made with hands but the living God, who created heaven and earth and has dominion over all living creatures.' For we do not worship Bel, nor the dragon, nor will we fear the flames of persecution. Nay, we shall exalt the living God and give praise to the one who holds all creation in His hands! Delay no further, click “play” and listen to today’s episode of the After Class Podcast! 

God is concerned with justice, yet some of those who hold positions of power in His name abuse it. Congregants may give a blank slate to their leaders, mistakenly believing them incapable of evil. In the story of Susanna, we are presented with a narrative depicting the abuse of power and sexual exploitation—an ancient Jewish story that sheds light on a very contemporary problem. Entering the world of the Apocrypha helps round out our knowledge of God, His people, and their worldview through history. The guys invite you to join in the mini-series on the Deuterocanonical 'Second Canon' writings that provide insight into the thoughts and lives of the exiled Jewish people who were awaiting the Messiah.

Today, the guys wrap up their series on creation care and present various views of our relationship with creation both now and in the future. What camp do you find yourself in? The escapist, survivalist, animist, creationist, restorationist, or new-creationist? If you don’t know what these views are, listen to the end of today's episode, and while you're at it, order a copy of John Nugent’s new book!  https://a.co/d/gWLGGcN

Christ is the source of creation and the one who maintains it in its present form. He is currently at work in this world, ensuring it doesn’t fall apart. Anything we do to push against creation and pull it apart is working against Christ. However, Christ is reconciling all things, and the children of God—the church and the kingdom community—are as close to the new creation as the current creation can get. Tune in to today’s episode where the guys unpack New Testament passages that speak about our relationship to creation care.

Today the guys wrap up the Old Testament view of creation care. We are stewards and tenants of the land, but there is one who owns it all. Who set the world on its foundation? Who set the stars in the cosmos? Say among the nations, the Lord is king! Let us play in and with God’s good creation!

How much attention does God pay to how we treat the land? In today’s episode, the guys discuss the interconnectedness of our life choices as God’s image-bearers and stewards of creation, and our treatment of the land. What we do matters. God’s restoration is not only for us but for all creation. Find out what the prophets say about it in today’s episode of the After Class Podcast.

Today, the guys continue through the Old Testament and venture into apocalyptic imagery, trees that clap their hands, and… God’s destruction of the earth? Is God culpable for the attacks brought on by nations? All this and more in today's episode of the After Class Podcast.

The guys delve into Leviticus and Deuteronomy to explore how God’s laws, when followed, benefit all creation. What does it look like when we acknowledge that all things belong to God, and we are merely stewards of His property? What constitutes a Christian theology of land stewardship in today's context? Tune in this week to find out!