Equipping director Pat Reeder has created a new online course titled "Hammer and Fire: Job", starting November 6th. Students can sign up between now and December 31st. They will then have between 11/6 and 3/30 to fill out all the handouts to receive credit.
Pat answers a few questions about the new course:
What led to the creation of an online class?
This course is a bit of an experiment, or pilot. But as education becomes increasingly online, the Equipping division is curious about how to mobilize these newer tools for our members and like-minded Christians outside of Columbus. There are twenty 30-min episodes so that people can listen to them on the way to work or similar. Or, they can listen to a ton of episodes all at once.
What led you to teach on this topic?
The book of Job is theologically rich and touches on massive issues like justice, suffering, friendship, and the influence of Satan on worldly affairs. Those topics are worthy of attention in their own right given their scale, but the book's engagement with these issues provokes stimulating and challenging discussion.
What do you hope people come away with from your class?
A lot of Christians often have a limited understanding of the biblical worldview. Younger folks might be more influenced by content on socials–– TikTok or YouTube. Older folks might be impacted more by prestige television and cable news. Biblical values aren't wholly absent from these venues, but are distorted at best. The biblical worldview is presented in a particularly stark form in the book of Job. Even people with more robust Bible reading plans might skip lesser known books like this one. So, my hope is that (1) students will gain a taste for more serious Bible reading, (2) students will more deeply engage with God's nature as portrayed in all of Scripture, and (3) students will serve God and others in line with (1) and (2).