After Class Podcast

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 w...

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 creat...

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...

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 bo...

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...

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 a...

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 episo...

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?