This episode examines the Scriptures from Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John which involve female characters in the narrative. Note: The Virgin Mary is the focus of a separate episode, and is only mentioned in passing in this episode.

In this episode, we will look at the last acts of the Congress under the Articles of Confederation, the great debate between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists which was carried out mostly via letters/editorials in newspapers and journals, the timeline of ratification of the Constitution done by ratification conventions in the 13 states (plus Vermont), and - as always - we chase bunny trails!

Mary the Mother of Jesus is almost certainly the most recognized, significant, and important female character in Scripture. There are many misunderstandings concerning this person, too. In this episode, we will look at the Scriptural passage where Mary's story is told.

Previous episodes brought us to the point where the Constitutional Convention presented a final draft of the Constitution to the states for ratification. We will discuss the ratification process next week. In the meantime, let us go through the original Constitution (pre-Amendments) line-by-line and discuss it. Join us in this episode as we analyze the USA's most important state document.

In this sermon, I break down the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12). Some of the Beatitudes have instant, obvious application: Make Peace. Be merciful. Seek righteousness. But some of the Beatitudes - Blessed are those who mourn, or the poor in spirit - are directed at those who are hurting. Through Jesus Christ, even the downtrodden are living the good life, despite their hardships.

Solomon is the likely author of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. In those books, Solomon is unafraid to use female imagery to make his points. And he is unafraid to use female imagery in an unflattering light, such as a dangerous adulterous or the personification of folly. But he also gave us Proverbs 31, and he uses a woman as the personification of wisdom itself. And compared to his contemporaries, Solomon's treatment of women in his writings is strikingly positive.

The United States government under the Articles of Confederation was toothless and broke, unable to raise money, and with little to no international clout. Something had the change. And Shays' Rebellion in Massachusetts was the final straw. So James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and other advocates for a more robust federal government began taking steps that would result in a convention in Philadelphia in 1787 which hammered out a Constitution that still exists today as the most important state document of the United States of America.

The Bible is full of villains, like Satan, Haman, Pilate, etc. Four of those villains are women, and therefore are the purview of this class. So in this episode we will look at the stories of Delilah, Jezebel, Athaliah, and Herodias.

The United States of America has existed for 236 years under the same government, perpetuated by the United States Constitution. But the Constitution is a strong document that establishes a rather strong central government, and the American citizens of the late 1770s and early 1780s would never have adopted such a document. First, we had to go through the weeds and suffer the slings and arrows of a national government founded on a much weaker document, one that allows only a toothless and perpetually broke national government. Only after the failure of that document would the United States be ready to try something else. That original document was the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, commonly known as Articles of Confederation. In this episode we go through that document and see just where it failed. Also, *bunny trail warning*, this class and its professor chase several bunny trails in this lecture.

The story of Esther is one of the most well-written, gripping, cinematic stories found in the Bible. It has a good hero, a compelling villain, high stakes (an attempted genocide), and such great story telling devices as irony and poetic justice. This episode looks at the characters of Vashti & Esther and each woman's relationship with the Persian Emperor Xerxes I.

This episode closes out our discussion of the American Revolutionary War. First, we track the French contribution to American victory. France's alliance was perhaps vital to America's victory, so much so that perhaps the US does not win the war without them. And, the French Navy's incredible victory in the Chesapeake Bay was necessary to make the siege of Yorktown possible. The heart of the episode is a brief look at the siege, the battle, and the results of the Franco-American victory at Yorktown, VA. We close by looking at some of the events in the final years of the war, including the loss of the founding father John Laurens, a brief mutiny by a small group of soldiers in Philadelphia, the negotiations and ratification of the Treaty of Paris, and the birth of the Society of the Cincinnati.

This episode surveys the major female characters in the Bible from the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, as well as Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Hosea.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ... And the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." (John 1:1 & 14) This episode of the podcast is a collection of Bite-Sized Theology lessons (5-minute-or-so sermonettes) that together form a sermon that takes a look at the Christian theology of "The Incarnation," which is the belief that God the Son became a human person - namely, Jesus of Nazareth - and maintained both true humanity and true divinity.

“Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?" Jesus asked in Mark 4:13. Jesus Christ Himself gave us a hint that the Parable of the Sower is somehow foundational to understanding all of his parables, which were his most-oft-used figurative devices to make spiritual points. So, in this episode, let us dig into Mark 4 and look into the Parable of the Sower.

This episode of the pod opens with a 5-minute Bite-Sized Theology about Americanism in the Gospel. After that, I give one of the most difficult sermons I ever preached. The Church has a bad habit of knee-jerk conclusions that sexual assault allegations are fake, despite the statistics that show that such false accusations are rare. In this episode, we go back to Deuteronomy to dig into a much-needed frank discussion about sexual assault, and how we, as the church, can be part of the solution.

Living Hope Southern Baptist Church of Parsons, Kansas, does something called Bite-Sized Theology. These are 5 minute (or so) lessons/sermons that are designed to be meatier but much shorter than the average sermon. Our church did not record every single one of these lessons, so this presentation is a bit random. Nevertheless, here is a random selection of the Bite-Sized Theology lessons I preached at our church.

Benedict Arnold. What a tool! ... Except, we've discussed him before in this class. Thus far, he's been a positive figure, an asset to the American cause, one might even call him a war hero. So, what changed? How did Benedict Arnold become one of history's worst traitors?

There are few women who have significant political power in the Bible. The few who do have such power in the Bible are either seen as villains (see Athaliah), or she has power because of her marriage (see Esther), or both (see Jezebel). But in Judges, we are introduced to Deborah. She is the only judge of Israel who is female, and is also the only judge whose reign actually looks more like a "judge" than a military leader. She is, therefore, one of the most significant females in the text of Scripture. In this episode, we will look at her career, and also look at all the women who factor into the events in the Book of Judges.

A rag-tag collection of young men went into Valley Forge for the winter of 1777-8. An army walked out of Valley Forge. But at least 2000 men died at the Valley Forge winter encampment - a place where no battle was fought - because of disease, malnutrition, and clothing so inadequate for the winter that the relatively mild winter of 1777-8 is still remembered in the American subconscious as the worst winter ever. In this episode, we will discuss the particulars of Valley Forge, and look at the careers of three important immigrants whose paths crossed in this cold corner of Pennsylvania.

Revelation tells us that worshipers of the Lord will include those from every tribe, tongue, and nation. Ethnic diversity is a wonderful thing, and should be a goal that we attain to. In the first chapter of the New Testament, Matthew includes a few women in the genealogy of Jesus Christ, which is radical enough, but a majority of those women are not ethnic Jews. In this episode, we will look at each of those Old Testament women mentioned in Matthew 1: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba.

After early successes, the American Continental Army faced nearly a whole year (1777) of defeat and retreat, including the fall of Philadelphia to British forces, necessitating the Second Continental Congress' move from what was then the national capital. Despite these being "the times that try men's souls," the British were unable to force an American surrender. And the Americans were able to secure a couple of incredible victories, at Trenton (NJ) and Saratoga (NY).

This episode explores the women who appear in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. As it turns out, female characters only really factor into the narratives of Exodus and Numbers. This episode explores those characters, especially Miriam, the prophetess and sister of Moses. We will also take a look at a short list of laws that deal directly with women's issues.

This is the episode upon which this semester turns (in our The American Revolution class). All that we have discussed thus far has led the Founding Fathers up to the point where declaring independence from Great Britain was the only move that made sense. In this episode, we will go through each word of the Declaration, discuss the non-war-related aspects of the Second Continental Congress' business, and end with the adoption of the Articles of Confederation, which we will discuss in detail later this spring.

In May 2023, I was a guest on my friend Aaron & his sister Rori's pop culture podcast "Trying to Like It." In this episode, we select five bands from any point in history to headline our summer music festivals. If you enjoy this episode, consider liking and subscribing to "Trying to Like It" on Apple Podcasts, Simplecast, Spotify, or your favorite podcast distributor.

The timeframe of Genesis 12-50 is often referred to as the Age of the Patriarchs. Well, let's flip the script. We're here to talk about the ladies whose stories are vital to understanding the patriarchs. Some are heroes, some are villains. Some are triumphant, while others suffered under oppressors. But all of these ladies' stories deserve to be told.

The American Revolution was a process that went on for decades. In the midst of the evolving political revolution, a war broke out. The British government was not interested in letting their colonies be self-governed, rebellious, or independent. So, when the "redcoats" rolled out of Boston to capture rebellious legislators and colonial weapons stashes in Concord, Massachusetts, the "minutemen" responded. With actual bullets flying, the American Revolutionary War began. This episode of the podcast looks at the developments that led up to the Battle of Lexington and Concord, through the events that followed, such as the capture of Fort Ticonderoga and the Siege of Boston. Note: In the episode, I mistakenly credit the phrase "the shot heard 'round the world" to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The phrase comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Concord Hymn."

In this episode, we look at the women who appear in the text of Genesis 1-11. These chapters cover over a thousand years of narrative history, giving minimal details and skipping many details as this section lays out a trim and streamlined foundation for the line of Abraham, whose family story is the origin story of the Jewish people.

It took a while for the American colonists to begin thinking of themselves as colonies that could bond together to resist British imperial policy, let alone rallying together for the purpose of independence. But, before we can get to July 4, 1776, we have to understand all of the British policies and American reactions that built momentum that would eventually become the American Revolution. This episode covers such things as the Stamp Act, the Tea Act, the Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre, the Intolerable Acts, etc.

The prophet Jeremiah makes several references to a "Queen of Heaven" that was being worshipped by some Jews of his generation. God, through Jeremiah, condemns this blatant act of polytheism. But this raises two questions: Who or what is this "Queen of Heaven?" And why was the attraction to worship her so powerful in a culture that was supposed to be devotedly monotheistic? Note: Roman Catholics sometimes use the term "Queen of Heaven" as an honorific title for Mary, the virgin mother of Christ. For obvious chronological reasons, Jeremiah was not referring to her. This episode will explore the ancient Near East's polytheistic roots of the Queen of Heaven.

Why and how did England plant its flag on the Eastern Seaboard of North America? What was the purpose of the 13 colonies? Were the colonies established for different reasons and purposes? What role did religion, business, and war play? We will explore these and other similar topics that lay a foundation of British colonization of the East Coast of North America.

The Fall 2023 class for the NCCC Lifetime Learning program was called "Women in the Bible." Over the next few weeks, this podcast feed will provide lecture audio for that class. But before we can dig into individual women in the Bible and their stories, we need to back up and look at the entire Bible's timeline from a bird's eye view. From the earliest days of prehistory in Genesis to the height of Roman Imperial control of Israel as documented in the New Testament, this episode attempts to cover (briefly) all of it.

This episode launches our Spring 2024 class: The American Revolution. Join us as we travel back to the birth of democracy in ancient Athens, the Magna Carta in 1215 England, the Protestant Reformation, and the Age of European exploration and colonization in the Americas. We also, admittedly, chase a few bunny trails about WWII, Jewish history, the 27th Amendment, etc.

This episode is the finale that closes out The World Wars class. We will briefly cover the rapid growth of the American and Soviet nuclear programs after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as the beginning of the Cold War.

The development of the atomic bomb remains one of the greatest scientific achievements of all time, as well as one of the most controversial tools of death ever used against other human beings. This episode digs into the origins of the Manhattan Project, which saw the United States & Allies invest billions of dollars into a project that made sure that the Allies got the A-Bomb before Hitler or Imperial Japan.

The Second World War in the Pacific hinges on Midway. Before Midway, Japan found unbelievable success. After Midway, Japan lost territory, as well as their necessary manpower to hold all that they conquered. But Midway was in the first year of the Pacific war. Japan fought tooth-&-nail to hold their conquests, and made the Allies fight with all that they had for another 3 years. In this episode, we will cover the events from Midway to Okinawa, often referred to as "island hopping."

Imperial Japan had an incredible undefeated streak that went a half of a year after their attack on Pearl Harbor. The US, the UK, Australia, the Netherlands, and the other Allies were unable to stop Japan as they spread their Empire over many islands and peninsulas all over the Pacific Ocean and coastal Asia. But Imperial Japan met their match when they went toe-to-toe with the US Navy at the tiny island of Midway. Though WWII in the Pacific would drag on for three more long years, the Battle of Midway proved to be the turning point in the Pacific.

Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor? How did they do it? What military moves did Imperial Japan make immediately following their successful first strike? Download, listen, and find out!

This episode explains the history of Japan, from the origins of the Emperor's Chrysanthemum Throne, to the rise of the shoguns, to rise of late-19th Century and early-20th Century Japanese militarism. We will examine Japan's multiple military successes from the late 1890s to the early 1940s, the atrocities of the Rape of Nanking, and the military reasons for attacking the United States.

As you can see on this podcast page, The Blue Collar Scholar has been on hiatus for some time. However, we are back! This episode attempts to get caught up a bit. This podcast episode covers the lecture notes for four different lectures, all related to WWII in Europe: (1) The Battle of Britain & Operation Barbarosa, (2) The Holocasut, (3) D-Day, & (4) Allied Victory.

This sermon draws on the story of King David bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem to illustrate four lessons for Christians today.

The European Theater of World War II will be our focus on the podcast for the next few months. (In the Spring, we will shift the focus to the Pacific Theater.) For the Nazis, the earliest stages of the Second World War was a series of successes. After their six-week conquest of France - the strongest of the Allies in World War I, and the nation Germany wasn't able to conquer in four years in the trenches of WWI - the Nazis could boast about their conquests of Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. Thanks to their non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union, Germany stood as the lone continental power, with everyone else conquered, an ally, or decidedly neutral. Only the United Kingdom stood between Hitler and absolute victory.

This episode briefly explores the Paris Peace Conference, Prohibition, the Roaring '20s, technological advances after WWI, the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, the Spanish Civil War, the Japanese invasion of Manchuria & China, and the rise of Adolf Hitler.

In this podcast episode, we will take a criminally-brief dive into World War 1, why it started, who were the major belligerents, and how WWI set the stage for WWII.

This short episode of The Blue Collar Scholar is a book review and enthusiastic recommendation to read or listen to "Confederate Reckoning: Power and Politics in the Civil War South" by Stephanie McCurry.

This episode kicks off a new class for Spring 2023: The World Wars. The first episode quickly summarizes all the wars and industrialization that helped form the great belligerent nations of the First & Second World War, namely the United States, the United Kingdom, Tsarist Russia (and the USSR), Germany, France, Austria-Hungary, Italy, the Ottoman Empire, China, & Japan.

This podcast episode will conclude the lessons for the Fall 2022 New Testament class. This episode is a survey of New Testament theology, examining the Doctrine of Man, the Doctrine of the Church, and Eschatology (the study of the End Times).

We will close out the New Testament class with a few lessons on New Testament Theology. First up, we will discuss monotheism and the Trinity.

This episode will cover the class notes of the last three class periods for the New Testament class. In this episode, we will briefly discuss how the original manuscripts of the New Testament were transmitted through time to us today. We will also take a look at translation philosophies of English translations and discuss the value of a few of them. The second half of the podcast will deal with the King James Version of the Holy Bible. We will look at the history of early English translations, the reasons why James I called the Hampton Court Conference to produce what would become the KJV, and take a look at the KJV-Only controversy.