Chunks: The Letter of James
Chunks Bible Mini-Podcasts are designed to help you have a richer and more personal understanding of the teaching of Scripture. Each podcast focuses on a particular book or text, and each episode is only 5 to 10 minutes long, so you can listen whenever you have a few minutes to dig in. This podcast focuses on the New Testament letter of James, and is entitled ”Working Faith.” James insists that anyone who has truly received the gospel should show it in their conduct and character. He forcefully challenges his readers to reconsider the thoughtless, hurtful behaviors they take for granted, even down to the way they speak to one another. These are lessons we need in every age, including today. New episodes will drop Fridays until the book of James is finished. About your host: my name is Cameron Lee. I am a Professor of Family Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, where I’ve taught since 1986; I am also a Certified Family Life Educator and a licensed minister and teaching pastor. Writing is my passion: I’ve written or co-authored nine books and several articles, and have been blogging thrice weekly since 2011 at Squinting Through Fog (the-fog-blog.com).
Listen on:
Episodes
Friday Oct 27, 2023
Friday Oct 27, 2023
James uses not only Job, but also the Old Testament prophets as examples of endurance that his readers would have known. In this episode, we use the example of Elijah to illustrate the point, and also connect James' teaching once more back to the words of Jesus.
Friday Oct 27, 2023
Friday Oct 27, 2023
Is it okay to take oaths? James 5:12 teaches that we should not, merely saying yes or no instead. But here again he echoes Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount. This episode explores what James means, so we can apply it to our own attitude and behavior.
Friday Oct 27, 2023
Friday Oct 27, 2023
So much of the teaching of James is about how we use words. James 5:13-16 suggests that one of the most important use of words is--surprise!--prayer. In this episode, we explore James' teaching on prayer for the life of the church.
Friday Oct 27, 2023
Friday Oct 27, 2023
James 5:16 teaches that Christians should confess their sins to one another. But we can easily imagine how badly that could go wrong. This episode explores the cultural context of James' words, and how we might understand them for the life of the church today.
Friday Oct 27, 2023
Friday Oct 27, 2023
James 5:16 teaches that "the prayer of the righteous is powerful." We've already looked at the story of Elijah on Mount Carmel; James uses that story as an example of the power of prayer. But is he talking about "prayer warriors" with a special gift for prayer? What does he mean when he says that Elijah was "just like us"?
Friday Nov 03, 2023
Friday Nov 03, 2023
Back in the days of letter writing, we were taught to end letters with words like "Sincerely" or "Yours truly." As we approach the end of the letter of James, we see that he doesn't end the letter the way Paul might. But James 5:19-20 highlights the importance of "truth"--making me wish he had actually signed off with "Yours truly."
Friday Nov 03, 2023
Friday Nov 03, 2023
We all get lost sometimes. Spiritually, from the standpoint of the Psalms, we might say that we also stray from God's path. How might we understand James 5:19-20 accordingly?
Friday Nov 03, 2023
Friday Nov 03, 2023
The idea of "covering over a multitude of sins" is part of the very last line of James (and is found in 1 Peter 4:8) as well. We may have tried to "cover up" our sins, but this is not, of course, what James means. In this episode, we explore the connections of this teaching to the Old Testament.
Friday Nov 03, 2023
Friday Nov 03, 2023
James 5:19-20 suggests that our concern for one another should include correcting those who stray from God's way. But does that mean that people should act like church police? This episode explores how such an idea would actually be a contradiction of what James teaches throughout the letter.
Friday Nov 03, 2023
Friday Nov 03, 2023
We've reached the end of our study of James, and in this episode, we review some of the main ideas of the letter. Thank you for listening!
Your Title
This is the description area. You can write an introduction or add anything you want to tell your audience. This can help potential listeners better understand and become interested in your podcast. Think about what will motivate them to hit the play button. What is your podcast about? What makes it unique? This is your chance to introduce your podcast and grab their attention.