In a previous post I covered some great podcasts that will enrich your learning and intellectual development.

 

In this post I want to extend that by highlighting some classes, courses, and content collection podcasts that are absolute gold. These are not the usual podcasts but are free classes on Itunes that you can download and listen to for free.

 

For all the craziness in the world today, one great thing about living now in the 21st century is the amount of quality learning content available for free. We have access to the greatest minds in the world, all at the click of a button, again, at no cost! 

 

These are voices and minds that you’d have limited access to only rarely, on the chance that they came to town or you could travel to (and pay for) one of their lectures, or if you could strike it lucky and sign up for one of their courses at your college.

 

But now? The doors are wide open.

 

These tools are important to take advantage of because as I argued in an earlier post, your mind affects your kids’ minds. If you have a weakly developed intellect, theirs will be too. If you want them to have a good baloney detector that is able to separate truth from hogwash--if you want them to be able to stand firm in Truth--that starts with you.

 

This is by no means an absolutely authoritative list; an exhaustive list of great mind-enriching podcast content would be a book length project, and ain’t nobody got time for that. 

 

These are simply podcast classes etc that I have found that have benefitted me personally, and I think you will benefit from them too. Use these tools to love God with all your mind:

1) Five Minutes in Church History
Most of us are severely lacking in our grasp of church history. This podcast aims to plug the gap just a bit with short, digestible episodes on parts of church history. Covers well known stalwarts like Calvin and Augustine as well as (very much) lesser known figures like Jerome of Prague.

2) Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History
Historian Dan Carlin is absolutely captivating. In these long form podcast episodes--most of which last 3+ hours--he does a deep dive into key particular points in world history. His series on WWI is first rate and spellbinding.

3) The Cold War: What We Saw

Produced by the Daily Wire, this 13 part series goes deep into the history of the cold war. Fascinating. 

 

This podcast as well as the last aren’t explicitly Christian, but they still have immense value--getting a grasp on past events helps us get a grasp on our own time, because the past events have shaped our own time.

4) A History of Philosophy By Dr. Arthur F. Holmes

As the late Dr. R.C Sproul was fond of saying, “ideas have consequences.” This is just like straightforward history: understanding the history of ideas is a necessary part of understanding our own times. Yesterday’s ivory tower ideas only espoused by the eggheads will tomorrow topple whole civilizations, some for good, many for ill.

 

If you pay close attention, you can hear the echoes of past philosophers like Sartre, Hume, and Kant in the ramblings of your favorite uncle, or the declarations of your high school senior neighbor.  They might not have ever read those philosophers or even heard of them, but your uncle and neighbor sound just like them.

 

“Philosophers do rule the world….hundreds of years after they die,” notes Nancy Pearcey. That’s how philosophy works. Give yourself a leg up by studying the history of ideas.

5) Apologetics to Islam: Biola University Lecture Series by Nabeel Qureshi

Nabeel Qureshi--who passed away in 2017 from cancer at the age of 34--was a convert from Islam. In his series he analyzes various aspects of his past religion, such as the text and history of the Quran, Islamic practices and beliefs, violence and Islam, and how to reach Muslims for Christ.

6) A History of Christianity by Dr. Frank James III, Reformed Theological Seminary

This is another one that you can use to bone up on church history. Remember, history--including church history--equals a greater understanding of our world today. A greater understanding of our world today will help you steer your children towards the good, the true, and the beautiful.

7) Audio of Public Domain Classical Literature

This one isn’t a specific lecture series. A ton of pieces of classical literature can be found for free as a podcast, because they are in the public domain.  In this last month alone, I have found and “read” through audio on podcast (again, for free), Paradise Lost by John Milton, The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton, and David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.

 

8) In The Arena: The Debates and Lectures of William Lane Craig

I love almost any debate podcast, since I can get both sides of an issue. When it comes to theism/atheism debates, or other debates featuring the classical Christian worldview vs various secular worldviews, having the other side well represented helps me develop cogent responses to those ideas should they ever come up in conversation (and in my line of work, they often do!). 

 

Debates are thus indispensable as evangelism preparation tools.

 

9) Intelligence Squared Debates

This is another debate podcast, but is produced by Intelligence Squared, which is not a Christian organization. The debates are both interesting and invaluable, due to what I just explained above.  Topics include “Does the left have right on its side?” “does school testing demean education?” and “can we really end poverty?” Each debate features top notch thinkers and speakers from both sides.

 

These are all great resources to utilize when redeeming the time you already have, which is part of the “game plan” I layed out earlier to form and train your own Christian mind.  

 

So wait no further--use that car ride to enrich your mind!

​

​

Did you benefit from this article? Subscribe to our monthly email newsletter to get content like this and resources that will help you prepare young adults to stand firm in Truth. To sign up for the email list, go here.