An 8th-century minor prophet with a major message! The guys dive into the book of Micah, the prophet from the countryside who prophesied to the southern kingdom—a people at the top, with the autonomy to decide how to use their financial and religious freedom. It is in this time of prosperity and freedom they find themselves drifting away from God and becoming more like the nations around them. Micah's message might be more relevant to our time than you think. Tune in this week as the guys lay the foundation for their new series.

There are laws that once were, but that we are no longer beholden to in Christ. Are we experiencing a shift in God’s progressive narrative in our time? Do we have reason to believe that God is changing His view on sexual ethics? Find out why that is a flawed principle to begin with. In today’s episode, the guys present their concluding thoughts and illustrate both the consistency and change we find in God as He reveals Himself through His Word and actions, engaging with and redeeming His creation, and some application points for us moving forward. 

Did God give bad laws? Did He intentionally set His people up for failure to demonstrate His glory and grace? Does God change His mind about His moral standards? Was the Law given solely to terrify us? In today’s episode, the guys unpacks these questions and shares why they believe there are better ways to interpret the texts in their original context and language.

Today, the guys discuss what they have experienced in their study of God and change, bringing their insights into conversation with conclusions drawn by others. While God experiences a dynamic relationship with His creation, does this mean He also broadens or changes His moral requirements for His people? Tune in today to find out! 

So far, we have seen that God experiences change at some level while interacting dynamically with His creatures. Now, we consider the counter-evidence as we wrestle with the scriptures that reveal a broader perspective on how we might understand God and change. How do we deal with the apparent contradiction: does God change His mind or not?

Our host continue their discussion about what the Bible says about God changing his mind. 

How do we interpret the language that depicts God as being provoked to emotion? What does this tell us about God and His changing mind? Is the language used univocal, equivocal, or analogical? The hosts wrestle with this in today’s episode of the After Class Podcast.

The Bible sometimes depicts God as changing his mind, some have used this narrative to promote a view that God has changed his mind about sexual ethics in our time.  While not dealing with this topic exclusively, the guys begin a new series investigating the question: What does the Bible say about divine change? 

This week our hosts review the movie the Book of Eli.

Prayers, oils, elders, sickness, and sin: the guys unpack the power of prayer and oil and the various interpretations in today’s episode as they conclude the book of James. 

The USA presidential debate has just taken place. Interestingly, the guys did an episode on Kamala back in Season 2. Check out Episode 2.10 - Indecent Proposal. Today, they turn to the last chapter of the Book of James and Section Three of the address. Here, Sam, John, and Ron wrap up the 'slow to anger' dialogue and enter into the conclusion of James.

We're back at it again this week! The Guys continue the reading of James and dig into what John calls "section three" as they transition to the slow to anger section. When worldly ideology meets Kingdom ideology, sparks may fly! Check your blood pressure and tune into today's episode! 

A detailed read of James chapter 3.

You’re not done with James, and neither are we! Tune back in today for James part three! This week the guys dig into chapter two and being quick to listen. Quick, listen! 

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!

God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." But, what does it mean to 'subdue' the earth? Join the guys this week as they continue to expand on how we can think about caring for God's creation.

God made us from the dirt. Is that why everything we touch is soiled? The Bible says creation is important to God, so how do we, as His image bearers, think about care for creation? What does work, service, and worship look like in relation to creation? Does Ron hate animals? Tune in this week to find out!

How should Christians think about the messages that other Christians use in their efforts to share the good news of Christ? This week the guys give their hot take on the topic with their reaction to the Super Bowl, 'He Gets Us' advertisement. What went well? What could be improved? What is our response and responsibility as brothers and sisters in Christ? Tune in today to find out!

How does the Song of Songs inform the Christian experience? When using the Song of Songs to teach about sensual love, we must approach the topic with careful sensitivity. Join the guys this week as they outline a few qualifying factors to consider when discussing the biblical perspective on romance, sex, and how we speak about our partner, before we finally close the book on the Song of Songs. 

Mandrakes, PDA, soulmates, and final thoughts all await you int this week’s episode of the After Class Podcast. Tune in to today's episode for the climax of the story and the conclusion of the series on the Song of Songs. Feedback Frenzy! Did Song of Songs awaken a desire within you for the survey of another biblical book? Would you be interested in a series on intertestamental literature? We're all ears—we invite you to share your thoughts and feedback below, and as always, thanks for listening to the After Class Podcast!

What tickles your fancy? A big nose, watery eyes, a long neck with rounded belly and thighs? Resuming in Chapter 6, we find clues to authorship and gain more insight into the poetic expressions of love and depictions of beauty that bring us closer to understanding the culture of the time. Join the guys as they transition from flattery to foreplay in the narrative of the Song of Songs in this episode of the After Class podcast.

Nothing says romance like the After Class Podcast and the study of the Song of Songs: repeated dream sequences, obstacles, and poetic utterances of the one who is loved. Join the guys as they continue to investigate love and discern the depictions of the ruddy male love interest. Happy Valentine's Day!

Hey guys! Looking for some fresh ways to compliment your beloved?  Eyes like doves, hair that flows like a flock of goats, and teeth like ewes; these are but a few of the ways you can extol your spouse in the way of this ancient sonnet. Join the guys in today’s episode as they investigate the poetic flattery of Song of Songs.

As the seasons shift from hot to cold, so do the nuances of love. The guys decipher more of the allusions, dreams, and poetic descriptions of the beloved and the love that should remain dormant until its appointed time. Moving through chapter two, Sam, John, and Ron delve deeper into our exploration of the Song of Songs. 

She is the keeper of the vineyard, but not her own. Dark and alluring, she is not one to be overlooked. Her passions have been aroused, yet this serves as a warning to other women. Join Sam, John, and Ron this week as they dive into the poetic innuendos of Song of Songs and work to uncover a common thread in the skipping narrative. What could go wrong? 

"The whole world was not worthy of the day in which this sublime song was given to Israel.” - Rabbi Akiva What differentiates the Song of Songs from other ballads sung in the common pub? What purpose does it serve to the people of God? Why has a song about intimacy been included in the Holy Scriptures? The Song of Songs is the most interpreted book of the Bible, and over the years, interpretations have varied. In today's episode, the guys will survey those various interpretations as they get prepared to walk through the text itself.

New Year, New Series! A preposition can wield immense power in altering meaning and establishing ownership. When ancient language becomes an intimate affair, where the eloquence of antiquity embraces the rhythmic sensuality of poetic expression, the modern reader may find themselves lost between the sheets of paper that the Bible is written on. To kick off the New Year, John, Ron, and Sam delve into a biblical figure most associated with wisdom, Solomon. More specifically, the trio explores Solomon’s Song of Songs, seeking wisdom from this biblical poetry's approach to the often-taboo topic of sex. Today, the guys ask: What does this book reveal about itself? Who are the characters, and did Solomon truly pen it? Join us as we set the stage for our study of Song of Songs, in today’s episode of the After Class Podcast

It's 2024! We are here to celebrate with you, the listener!  As we enter the 7th season of the After Class Podcast the guys explore the theme of New Year's resolutions and share moments from their lives when they renewed their way of thinking about God’s word and the magnitude of His mission and witness to the world.  We want to thank you for sticking with us each week and for engaging with us through email and Facebook! A special thank you to Great Lakes Christian College and to all those who make the podcast possible! Tune in and get personal with Sam, John, and Ron—perhaps you'll even experience your own paradigm shift this year! Happy Birthday Jenelle! Link to Drew Nyquist Professional Audio Production: https://drewanthonynyquist.wixsite.com/drew-anthony-nyquist?fbclid=IwAR2Cw1FQcncqjB28ya__kiEJ4KypaG5d3apIXFRxIqwxQiLK6k4bMKCf7

Share your Christmas Morning with the After Class Podcast this year and listen to the reading of the birth of Jesus from Matthew & Luke. Each author has their own theological agenda and calls the reader to pay attention to different aspects of Jesus’s birth and salvation history. Today, the guys read both perspectives and ask, how are the characters portrayed, and what is the author trying to do in their account? Let's compare, contrast, and appreciate both accounts of the birth of our Lord. Merry Christmas!