After Class Podcast

What if the nation you despise most is actually on God's payroll? In this episode of The After Class Podcast, John, Ron, and Sam trace what the Bible really says about God and governing authorities — from Babylon and Assyria to Cyrus the Great — and why the "lesser of two evils" argument might be more sub-Christian than you think. If politics has been messing with your faith, this one's for you! ...

How does the language of the Bible talk about how God's people should relate to governing authorities and the level of our engagement with them? What do we do when differing groups of Christians land on different sides regarding the same administration? Split? μὴ γένοιτο ("May it never be!"). Today the guys begin investigating different approaches Christians take when approaching government and po...

Today, the guys wrap up the series and share some final observations and takeaways. But first, Paul writes that in the Supper we proclaim the Lord's death until He comes, through the bread and the cup. But how often do we do this? And what does it mean to proclaim His death? Who is guilty of eating in an unworthy manner when they come together for the Lord's Supper? Are we doing the right thing in...

So far guys have covered the following aspects in the Lord's Supper series: * Building on OT sacred meals * Commemorating key events in sacred history * Meal practices with Jesus and His disciples * An experience of the Kingdom of God—"a Kingdom meal" Today the guys dive into the body of the Lord's Supper—specifically, "this is my (Christ's) body." So, are Christians cannibals, or is this some for...

Today, the guys look into the Last Supper accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, investigating the differences and what they reveal about the Lord's Supper, the influence of Passover, and how it impacts our practice today. What do Passover and the Last Supper have in common? And what don't they? Tune in today to find out.

Ritual? Meal? Nourishment? Remembrance? Micro-banquet? Flesh and blood? What is the Lord's Supper—and how are we meant to practice it? What does it have to do with the other meals we share as believers, and how do the practices of the early church shape our understanding today? Join the guys as they dig into the meaning behind the meal—and how it reveals Christ and His Kingdom, and the first fruit...

Who do you eat with? Sinners? Tax collectors? Church leaders and influencers? Today, the guys survey the wider narrative of meals presented in the New Testament in hopes of enriching our understanding of the Last Supper.

What is the Lord's Supper? Who can partake in it? What is it about? In today's episode, the guys set the table for how the Bible speaks about food, festival, and feast. Pull up a chair and prepare to dig into what the Bible has to say about food, as we begin to unpack the Lord's Supper.

When another Christian falls in a big way on the public stage, what is the responsibility of the broader Christian community? Do we have an obligation to respond right away and offer our perspective? And what is the Christian perspective? Do we do it publicly or privately? How do we handle the unfortunate moral failings of our brothers and sisters in the faith in a way that still offers a Christia...

Is the truth in you?  Are you one who loves in deed and truth, obeying what Jesus has commanded? Or do you find yourself often falling into the trap of lip service and well-meaning thoughts instead? Truth is action, and in today's episode the guys follow suit with some of the stronger warnings in Scripture that call us to a way of life grounded in truth. But where is life found? With so many voice...

Today the guys reach the completion of John's Gospel. Truth is framed through the new revelation brought to us in Christ as we grow beyond the need for a pedagogue under the law and into the living way. But how did Christ, in His conversation with the Jewish people, communicate this—and how did they receive it? Perhaps more importantly, what do we do with it today? Why did Jesus unite the way, the...

Today we step into the Gospel of John, where truth is described as coming from above — and where John provides a fresh framing of truth. Grace and truth — why are they paired together? And what shifts in our understanding of truth in light of Jesus that transcends time and place? So who will you listen to — Moses, Jesus, or Ron as he defends his thesis? Tune in to today's episode to explore truth...

False teaching is real. Some people will intentionally try to rile you up or pick you off when you are away from the body. Others tie their teaching to their own glory and financial gain. They may be proclaiming Christ, but their aim is bereft of truth. Are we serving Christ for status and a wealthy, easy life — or because He is enough? Phew… this episode steps into some uncomfortable truth territ...

We have a duty to reflect God's truth to the world. If truth is something worth living — and dying — for, do Christians have a duty to correct error throughout the world, in legislation, governance, and social policy? God calls us to align with truth, yet that sometimes places us at odds with the powers that be. And when Scripture speaks of God sending a "powerful delusion," are we hearing divine...

Biblically, truth comes from God , and intermingling truth with perversion or distortion—no matter how sincere—removes us from God's truth. Yikes. What is the difference between affirmation and love, and how do they fit within God's kingdom? How do we ensure we are not mixing them inappropriately while still upholding truth and speaking it in love? What does truth have to do with how we treat othe...

Truth defined by God stands in contrast to truth claims grounded primarily in experience.
In this episode, Ron rides confidently through his home terrain in the New Testament, while John drifts into theological questions that reveal just how complex "truth" becomes in the biblical writings. As we move through the New Testament, the guys explore the tension: the closer we get to the truth, are we m...

Truth and justice. Is there truth apart from justice? What are the implications of knowing the truth without acting justly? This week on After Class, the guys turn to the prophets. Can God's people claim truth while walking unjustly? Do we hide our thoughts and motives in the dark, or do we expose ourselves in the light no matter the consequence? As resident aliens in kingdoms that don't always sh...

If you are not committed to the truth, your witness is compromised.  If truth has an agenda, how does the Bible weigh in on truth in a world where it may be twisted? We need a revelation from God, lest we spiral into despair as we sift through the conflicting worldviews of subjective truth. So what  is God's truth agenda? Definitions, hot takes, and a call to truth all await you in this episode. U...

In today's episode of After Class, the guys step into the world of philosophical and biblical truth, tracing how the Western tradition once held philosophy and Christianity together, and how Scripture itself speaks about truth in ways that don't always match our modern assumptions. This conversation leans into a key distinction: facts and truth are not the same thing.  As believers, can we unite a...

AI is changing how people think about truth and how they fact-check information. While AI has immense access to information and processing power, someone with a bias had to train it—and someone with a bias uses it. Grok, ChatGPT, and others may not be as reliable as one might think, but of course, you were thinking that already. But is scholarly consensus any more reliable? In today's episode, Sam...

Get ready for some holy hilarity! The guys are dishing out their hot take on The Promised Land, a new show that's basically a biblical mockumentary. Tune in to hear their review and try not to LOL too hard. https://afterclass.libsyn.com/849-the-promised-land . And if you haven't checked it out yet, what's taking you so long?  https://thepromisedlandseries.tv/

"Jesus wasn't born on December 25th!" Are you mad? Faith shattered? Christmas ruined? May it never be! With the actual birth date of Jesus a mystery, why did Christians gravitate toward December 25th? Did we rob and reface a Roman holiday? Are we coopting the winter solstice? Is it just a borrowed holiday from some other pagan religion? And what about... the tree? Are the critics right? And does i...

Empty worship, copies of temples, and priests in rooms full of… nothing. Have you ever felt like you were going through the motions, but God wasn't there? In today's episode, Sam, John, and Ron welcome Frank Viola and pepper him with questions about his Restoration Appreciation presentation at Great Lakes Christian College. Hear why Frank claims, 'The old work of God usually attacks or dismisses t...

Is an elder always an Elder, or are they simply an elder—and how does that change what Peter says about them in chapter five? Tune in to today's episode to make sense of that sentence and to dive into the closing remarks of 1 Peter, with a view of leadership that resists the worldly temptation to wield authority over others. Instead, see how submitting to one another out of obedience to the Lord e...

Turn from evil and grow in love and devotion toward one another, brothers and sisters in the faith. Following Christ does not mean we will always get along. In fact, we may be abused, or even betrayed from those whom we serve with. Maybe you have dealt with this, or are currently dealing with this. Tune in to today's episode to hear the guys unpack Peter's words to us—the family of faith—and how w...