Understanding the Times
Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do ….
1 Chronicles 12:32
Understanding the times has always been both a call and a challenge for God’s people. Whether it is knowing how Israel should respond to a change in Kingship, as in the days of the Chronicler, or whether it is knowing how the church should respond in the midst of the swirling tides of today's information society, discernment is needed. Join us as we lay out a framework for Biblical discernment and then put that framework into practice discussing ideas in recent podcasts.
Advance preparation of listening or watching podcast is recommended.
SEPTEMBER 13: Week 1
Building a Framework for Discernment
Class handout
SEPTEMBER 20: Week 2
What’s Happening with Men?
Scott Galloway: America Abandoned Its 'Unremarkable' Young Men | Interesting Times with Ross Douthat
Scott Galloway discusses the social and economic challenges facing young men in America, including falling college enrollment, the impact of technology and social media, and the lack of male role nodels.
OCTOBER 4: Week 3
AI & Staying Human
There are three different podcasts to listen to or watch in preparation for discussion.
AI and the Future of Humanity | Theopolis Institute
Is AI simply another tool to receive with gratitude and use wisely, or does the technology itself shape our habits, relationships, and understanding of what it means to be human?
What 400,000 Essays Reveal About AI and Creativity | Plain English
For generations, we've defined creativity by its products: the novel, the painting, the song, the breakthrough idea. We look at the work, and from the work we see the creator as “creative.” But AI is getting remarkably good at producing creative work. In some cases, experts now prefer AI-generated writing to work created by humans.
Spiritual Formation in a Digital Age | For Your Consideration
Dr. Brad East explores both the challenges and the questions which the advancement of technology raises for Christians, offering ideas for what discipleship, worship, and spiritual formation might look like in our time and place.
OCTOBER 11: Week 4
Does Money Buy Happiness?
God and Mammon | Faith Driven Entrepreneur
God and money, we cannot serve both. How do we balance out Jesus’ teaching and our calling as Faith Driven Investors?
Why Money Doesn’t Buy Happiness in America | Plain English
America is rich—richer than ever. Yet Americans are more anxious, lonelier, and less satisfied than people in many poorer nations. The 2025 World Happiness Report ranked the U.S. 24th in life satisfaction, its lowest on record. Maybe, as social scientists say, we’ve traded community for consumption. Today’s guest, Morgan Housel, thinks there’s a deeper reason money hasn’t bought us happiness.
OCTOBER 25: Week 5
Young Women,
a Sexual Revolution & Surprising Faith
Is It Time for a New Sexual Revolution? | Interesting Times
The growing alienation between men and women is one of the biggest stories of our time. It’s warping our politics and culture through the rise of misogynistic influencers on the right and a growing sense of feminist despair on the left. Louise Perry believes that our problems today can be traced back to the sexual revolution. She argues that it reset relations between the sexes in a fundamentally negative way and ultimately benefited men.
Are Gen Z Women Ready to Believe? | The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God
Why new atheism grew old and secular thinkers are considering Christianity again.
Listen to the interview with Freya India from minute 5:15 - 42:44
NOVEMBER 1: Week 6
Wrap Up