After Class Podcast

Merry Christmas from the After Class Podcast! This week the guys reach the New Testament and the gospel of Matthew as they get closer to wrapping up the study on biblical fasting. Do Jesus's practices or his teachings add anything new to the discussion?

This week the guys wrap up the Old Testament passages on fasting. What's the deal with fasting anyway? Is it just a method of manipulating God - to convince him to change his mind? Or is fasting all about humility and spiritual discipline? Maybe fasting is meant to be a road to greater personal health? Be sure to catch this episode (and the three previous) to get the summary of the relevant Old Testament passages and their implications.

The discussion on fasting continues this week as the guys get close to wrapping up the Old Testament's contribution to the topic. The prophets add a new dimension - is fasting for the people or for God and is fasting something God wants or expects from his people?

This week the guys continue their focus on fasting. Fasting in the Bible had multiple motivations and functions. We find it was a way to "turn up the volume" on prayers and petitions directed to God. And we see it was a way of humiliating the flesh to grieve or show solidarity in suffering.

As we enter this season of feasting - with Thanksgiving and Christmas on the horizon - the guys turn their attention to the subject of fasting. What does Scripture say about fasting - what was its purpose, what situations called for fasting?

In this week's episode the guys look to the Bible to see if it has anything to say about the use of marijuana or other recreational drugs. It's a hot topic for many in the church as several states in America have voted to legalize marijuana and other drugs for medical or recreational use. Do Christians have a dog in this fight - does the Bible give us a moral stance in the discussion on the use of marijuana?

In this week's episode the guys stick to their five-minute-format (mostly) to answer listener-posed questions and engage with the issues around this election season, nationalism, and the christian role in politics.

This week the guys respond to listener-posed questions centered on Christian involvement in politics. With the election looming on the horizon it's a relevant and fruitful discussion.

It's the conclusion we've all been waiting for! This week the guys revisit and review the major atonement theories in light of the exhaustive (and exhausting) New Testament study they've done. Which atonement themes/theories will end up on top?

Through a mix-up with the study notes, Paul's letters to the Corinthians slipped through the cracks. But never fear - this week the guys address the missing passages and finally and truly reach the end of all the New Testament passages that speak about Jesus's death - it's purpose and what it accomplished. Some of the language Paul uses will sound very familiar to those who have been in this study from the beginning. But Paul does add some new and interesting tidbits to the discussion.