

The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast
Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College was founded in 1844 with a mission to provide "all who wish to learn" the education necessary to preserve the civil and religious liberties of America. This Podcast, hosted by Hillsdale Online Learning Directors Kyle Murnen and Juan Davalos, expands that mission to a whole new audience. The Hillsdale Online Courses Podcast brings free, full online courses to your podcast feed, with introductory commentary.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 20, 2024 • 28min
The Exodus Story: Passover
On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Kyle and Juan discuss the strange questions raised by the Passover narrative before introducing Justin Jackson. Exodus is central to the Old Testament and the Gospels. It tells the story of God reclaiming His people. This literary study of the Book of Exodus examines man’s relationship to God, God’s mercy toward man, and the nature of human freedom. After many warnings and attempts to convince Pharaoh to obey God, the final plague is the death of the firstborn throughout Egypt. The Israelites are spared, and Pharaoh, who is himself a firstborn son, is spared. Pharaoh finally agrees to let the Israelites go.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 13, 2024 • 28min
The Exodus Story: The Plagues, Part Two
On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Kyle and Juan discuss the many possible readings of the biblical plagues before introducing Justin Jackson. Exodus is central to the Old Testament and the Gospels. It tells the story of God reclaiming His people. This literary study of the Book of Exodus examines man’s relationship to God, God’s mercy toward man, and the nature of human freedom. God separates the Israelites from the plagues to show that He can spare His people. The Egyptians begin to see God’s power and have the chance to obey God’s commands and be spared as well.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 6, 2024 • 28min
The Exodus Story: The Plagues, Part One
On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Kyle and Juan discuss the unique challenge presented by the plagues and the question of monotheism before introducing Justin Jackson. Exodus is central to the Old Testament and the Gospels. It tells the story of God reclaiming His people. This literary study of the Book of Exodus examines man’s relationship to God, God’s mercy toward man, and the nature of human freedom. The plagues show God’s ability to bring death and suffering to Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Pharaoh repents, but then again hardens his heart.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 28, 2024 • 27min
The Exodus Story: The Burning Bush
On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Kyle and Juan discuss perhaps the most striking image in the Old Testament: the burning bush. Next, Justin Jackson dives into the intricacies of Hebrew translation. Exodus is central to the Old Testament and the Gospels. It tells the story of God reclaiming His people. This literary study of the Book of Exodus examines man’s relationship to God, God’s mercy toward man, and the nature of human freedom. God appears to Moses in the Burning Bush and calls him to lead the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. Pharaoh, who views himself as a god, hardens his heart against Moses and God.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 21, 2024 • 27min
The Exodus Story: Israel in Slavery
On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Kyle and Juan introduce the course "The Exodus Story," a continuation of "The Genesis Story." Exodus is central to the Old Testament and the Gospels. It tells the story of God reclaiming His people. This literary study of the Book of Exodus examines man’s relationship to God, God’s mercy toward man, and the nature of human freedom. Pharaoh fears the growing number of Israelites while they are enslaved in Egypt, so he orders all newborn Israelite boys to be killed. Moses is spared by Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopts him as her own son.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 14, 2024 • 42min
The Genesis Story: Joseph
On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Kyle and Juan discuss the beauty of the story of Joseph before introducing Justin Jackson. Genesis is a book of fundamental importance for the Jewish and Christian faiths and has exerted a profound influence on Western Civilization. In addition to being a great religious text, it is also a literary masterpiece. This course explores some of the work’s major narrative themes, including the complex relationship between God and man, the consequences of a rupture in that relationship, and the path towards reconciliation. Genesis concludes with the long and complex Joseph story. Employing a series of parallel structures, this penitential narrative—a pinnacle of literary achievement in Genesis—serves as a fitting transition to Exodus.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 7, 2024 • 37min
The Genesis Story: Jacob and Esau
On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Kyle and Juan reminisce about how much their own sibling rivalries remind them of Jacob and Esau before introducing Justin Jackson. Genesis is a book of fundamental importance for the Jewish and Christian faiths and has exerted a profound influence on Western Civilization. In addition to being a great religious text, it is also a literary masterpiece. This course explores some of the work’s major narrative themes, including the complex relationship between God and man, the consequences of a rupture in that relationship, and the path towards reconciliation. Genesis is filled with sibling rivalries, beginning with the tragic story of Cain and Abel. The decades-long rivalry between Jacob and Esau demonstrates how such conflicts can be resolved and how the face of God is made visible through a beautiful act of forgiveness.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 31, 2024 • 25min
The Genesis Story: Abraham and Isaac
On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Kyle and Juan discuss the challenging story of the binding of Isaac before introducing Justin Jackson. Genesis is a book of fundamental importance for the Jewish and Christian faiths and has exerted a profound influence on Western Civilization. In addition to being a great religious text, it is also a literary masterpiece. This course explores some of the work’s major narrative themes, including the complex relationship between God and man, the consequences of a rupture in that relationship, and the path towards reconciliation. The binding of Isaac is the Genesis passage that generates the most commentary—though it is frequently misunderstood. The narrative presents two acts of faith: Abraham offering his son to God and Isaac offering himself to his father. Abraham submits to God’s command, knowing full well that God will keep His promise.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 24, 2024 • 33min
The Genesis Story: Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar
On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Kyle and Juan discuss the problem of suffering in the Old Testament before introducing Justin Jackson. Genesis is a book of fundamental importance for the Jewish and Christian faiths and has exerted a profound influence on Western Civilization. In addition to being a great religious text, it is also a literary masterpiece. This course explores some of the work’s major narrative themes, including the complex relationship between God and man, the consequences of a rupture in that relationship, and the path towards reconciliation. The story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar illustrates the rivalry and pain that arise as humans struggle with divine promises. In spite of their failings, God remains faithful to His covenant and responds to the suffering of mankind.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 17, 2024 • 32min
The Genesis Story: Adam and Eve
On this episode of The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast, Kyle and Juan meditate on the value of reexamining the story of Adam and Eve before introducing Justin Jackson. Genesis is a book of fundamental importance for the Jewish and Christian faiths and has exerted a profound influence on Western Civilization. In addition to being a great religious text, it is also a literary masterpiece. This course explores some of the work’s major narrative themes, including the complex relationship between God and man, the consequences of a rupture in that relationship, and the path towards reconciliation. Genesis is dominated by four types of relationships: God and creation, God and human, human and human, and human and creation. Adam and Eve’s transgression in the Garden of Eden transforms the relationship between God and man and sets the stage for the remaining narratives of Genesis.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.