After Class Podcast

How does God feel about the defenseless and how does he expect his people to view the vulnerable? This week the guys get close to wrapping up their mini-series on the topic of abortion and the sanctity of life. There is something inherent in God's character that seeks out and protects the weak, defenseless, voiceless - listen in and see how this applies to the abortion conversation.

This week the guys continue talking about abortion by looking at how life is valued in Torah. First up a translational issue plays a major role and then should children die for the sins of the parents?

This week the ACP hits a hot topic issue as they address a listener posed question - does the Bible give Christians a place to stand on abortion? Doing what they do best - the guys work their way through the story of Scripture to see what it has to say about killing, the sanctity of life, and babies in the womb.

This week the guys wrap up their mini-series on "Logos" in John's prologue. Ron gives his take on what John was up to when he put his gospel together. What themes did he intentionally draw on? Was he concerned about redeeming "logos" from Greek or Jewish philosophy?

This week the guys continue to examine "Logos" in the prologue to John's gospel. Did John borrow from Greek philosophy and redeem the idea to fit Jesus? Was he building on Jewish Wisdom tradition? Or was he using "logos" in a new and unrelated way? Listen in as the guys dip their toes into early Greek philosophy.

The guys jump into a new series this week as they look at the prologue to John's gospel. John emphasizes a high Christology as he talks about Jesus being involved in creation, at the very beginning of the story even. Is this view of Jesus unique to John? What is the connection between "logos", Wisdom, and Jesus?

This week's episode gave listeners the opportunity to participate live with the After Class guys as they celebrated their fourth birthday at the Brew.

We're between series so it's time for another ACP movie review! This week the guys (with guest) give their take on One Night with the King - Hollywood's version of Esther.

The guys complete their quick overview of Universalism this week. Beyond working through the list of popular supporting passages - they offer a handful of passages to counter and correct the theology of universal salvation. Wouldn't it be nice if Jesus answered this one for us? Listen in and see if he does!

This week the guys focus on the "hell-adjacent" topic of Universalism. If God is all-powerful and all-loving, surely He can come up with a plan to include everyone in His forever Kingdom - right? Listen in as the guys offer answers and corrections to the popular exegetical arguments for universal salvation.

This week the guys deliver "Hell" Q&A Part 2. Does your theory of atonement affect your view on the afterlife? What exactly is annihilationism? Plenty to talk about this week!

It's Q&A time! The guys address some listener-submitted questions on hell and the afterlife.

The guys put the finishing touches on their hell series this week with the last of the passages on death and the afterlife. Weeping and gnashing of teeth, eternal destruction, outer darkness, fire, eternal punishment...these are just some of the highlights from this week's ACP episode.

This week the ACP guys conclude their "hell" word studies (Sheol, hades, gehenna, Abaddon) with a look at an obscure NT reference to Tartarus. The Enoch tradition, the Greek OT, the Lake of Fire, eternal punishment, and the second death all share the spotlight this week.

The guys continue the series on hell with a new episode where they discuss NT usages of "hades" and "gehenna". Will they encounter fire and brimstone? They hit a lot of fun topics this week - the Valley of Hinnom, passing through fire, Abraham's bosom, and Lazarus - to name a few.

The guys are covering lots of ground on hell this week as they visit the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, and the New Testament. Is Hades the same as Sheol or a totally different place? Do we begin to see a distinction between good and bad people and their final resting place?

This week the guys are able to finish with the OT's voice on what happens to both the good and the wicked after they die. With the exception of a couple outliers, the picture is fairly uniform - wasting away in Sheol awaits all people at death. Isaiah and Daniel both offer apocalyptic nuances that show a shift in Israelite thinking/theology on the afterlife.

The guys are back this week with a new episode on hell. What was the Israelite understanding of death and the afterlife? In this first part the guys will look at Sheol and Abaddon and offer some discussion for their meaning and significance.

This week the ACP guys welcome back GLCC grad Natasha Smith for a chat about her book Unplanned Grace. What can the church do to better minister to pregnant women? How can they be a positive voice in the conversation of Life and Choice?

What does it look like to choose Jesus over your kids? How do you discipline as a parent but keep from frustrating or exasperating your children? This week the guys discuss these questions (and more) as they continue to focus on what the Bible teaches about parenting.

This week the guys look at some basic expectations for parents in the NT. Did anything change for parents when Jesus inaugurated a new covenant? From giving snakes to inheritances - make sure to catch their discussion.

This week the guys wrap up the OT as they look at the final list of "should" and "should not" for parents. Some of these expectations seem really obvious - some might surprise you.

It's all about love this week on the ACP. From the Bible's perspective love is all about priorities and choices. But it's likely to go sideways if parents show more "love" for one child over another. This week the guys consider how favoritism can do damage and make a mess in a family's dynamic.

Happy New Year! This week the guys continue their discussion on parenting as they look at the dominant parenting theme in Proverbs - Discipline. Is discipline just an old-fashioned, "ancient" understanding of how to raise children? Are discipline and love opposite ends of a spectrum?

A series on parenting will wrap up 2021 for the ACP. The guys get started by looking at what the Old Testament has to say about how to raise children. One major theme is how important it is for parents to teach their children God's ways and laws.

This week the guys answer a few final questions about marriage, remarriage, and divorce as they conclude this series.

This week the guys dive into the marriage, divorce, remarriage questions submitted by listeners. This topic can get messy fast - listen in as the guys walk through some tough issues while being faithful to the witness of Scripture.

This week the guys dive into what Jesus meant by "unchastity" when he spoke of reasons for divorce in Matthew's gospel. Listen in as the guys move from translation issues to the Jerusalem Council and back to Leviticus.

The guys are still in the NT this week and are focused on some of the murkier marriage/divorce passages. What was the bottom line for Jesus? What did Paul expect from the churches he pastored?

What does the NT say about marriage, remarriage, & divorce? This week the guys crack open the NT and begin looking at relevant passages to explore God's parameters for marriage.

The ACP guys continue their focus on marriage. This week they wrap up the relevant OT passages and see how God's laws held Israel to his standards for marriage. Listen in to see if God allows Israel any exceptions for those who are dissatisfied with their marriages.

The ACP guys continue to work their way through Torah as they explore marriage, remarriage, and divorce. Though some passages in Torah are sometimes taken out of context and used as a way to defend divorce - the guys discuss and explain how those laws are actually meant to protect women and aren't really offering divorce as an "out".

This week the guys are back in their normal swing and discussing marriage. Modern culture has a lot of opinions and differing views on marriage, remarriage, and divorce. Per their custom - the ACP guys give the Bible front stage as the basis for wisdom and truth. What were God's original intentions for marriage? Does the OT support polygamy? Lots of marriage questions answered in this episode!

Join the ACP guys as they celebrate Ron's return to health and get the scoop on his journey and experience.

This week we are re-airing the episode that we trace the "wrath of God" in the Old Testament. This and the next episode are a springboard to talking about what Jesus's death accomplished. So if you haven't heard this series or need a refresher on the often discussed topic of God as a cruel, wrathful God in the Old Testament, this is for you.

As Ron continues to recover, we have pulled another episode out of the archives. This is the second episode discussing elders, but really focuses on how power authority work or don't work in the church. It important information for those churches wondering what Elders should do or who they should be. Hope you enjoy and maybe go back and listen to the other episodes on the topic.

If you've ever wondered why the "conquest" had to happen this is the episode for you. Many, like Rhett and Link, have struggled to reconcile their understanding of the God of the (seemingly violent) conquest of Canaan with the God who embodied love in the person of Jesus. The guys explain - the love embodied in Jesus only makes sense with the land of Canaan in the background.

Due to Covid complications, this is a re-airing of a previous episode tacking some Christian myths. It also ended up being a catylyst for an entire series on Satan.

It's time for another ACP movie review! This week the guys give us their take on Ridley Scott's adaptation of the Moses story - Exodus: Gods and Kings.

This week the guys focus on the social media trend of divisiveness, hate speech, outrage, and "outgroup" alienation. Should Christians make use of these negative algorithms to increase their social media presence (likes, shares, comments, interactions, etc)? If the gospel is being shared - even with a touch of hostility or divisiveness - isn't it still worth it?

Maybe you listened to all of the ACP episodes on demons and still had some questions. This week your questions will be answered (hopefully!) as the guys work through some last minute issues.

As an appendix to the four episodes on demons, the guys zero in on bad angels this week. What's the deal with fallen angels and what's their correlation to demons?

This week the guys focus on the story of "Legion" to see if it sheds light on where demons come from and why they do what they do. Built from the evidence, the guys offer a theory on the origin of demons and explain the relationship between Satan and demons.

This week the guys have reached the relevant New Testament passages on demons. Are demons malevolent forces in an epic spiritual battle against Jesus? Are they spiritual forces with little real power - misunderstood health issues or sicknesses? Somewhere in the middle? Listen in for some discussion and answers with the ACP guys.

The guys continue the discussion on demons/evil spirits. They wrap up all mention of anything remotely "spirit" in the OT and move to investigate two references in the Intertestamental Literature (Tobit & 1 Enoch). If you like languages - you're in luck! - a lot of this episode hinges on the meaning of various Hebrew and Greek words.

This week the guys offer the first part of a mini-series on demonology. They begin with a look at relevant Old Testament passages about evil spirits and malevolent forces. If you've found yourself with questions about demons, evil spirits, and the like - this is the series for you.

The guys finish their mini-series on Israel by focusing on the New Testament. How will God fulfill his promises to the Jewish people? Are the people living in Israel today included in those promises and should Christians involve themselves in the turmoil of the middle east?

This week the guys continue their focus on Israel - specifically what does "Israel" even mean? Is it a people group - is it a single person - is it a land with specific boundaries? The guys walk through the Old Testament and describe the development of "Israel".

This week the guys lay the groundwork for a new After Class series centered on Modern Israel. The land of Israel/Palestine tends to be in a nearly constant state of turmoil. Do Christians have skin in the game?