Category Archives: Church of God

None That Will Offend

Posted on November 8, 2026 by nathanalbright

[Note:  The following is the prepared text for a sermonette given to the Portland, Oregon congregation of the United Church of God on Sabbath, November 7, 2026.] Good afternoon brethren.  Often we find within our hymnal that there are statements … Continue reading →

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Paint at the Center: Ministerial Households and the Erosion of the Makeup Prohibition in the Worldwide Church of God Tradition

Posted on November 1, 2026 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary At a recent memorial service for a longtime member of a congregation descended from the Worldwide Church of God (WCG), an observer noted a pattern. The women wearing the most makeup were disproportionately the wives and widows of … Continue reading →

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Μονή in John 14:2: A Lexical and Biblical Study of the “Many Mansions”

Posted on October 4, 2026 by nathanalbright

Introduction On the night He was betrayed, Jesus Christ told His disciples, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2, KJV). … Continue reading →

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Empty Hands and Open Ledgers: Advance Electronic Giving and the Command to Appear Before God with an Offering: A White Paper on Convenience, Commandment, and Practice in the Holy Day Offerings

Posted on October 3, 2026 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Several Sabbatarian congregations have introduced offering envelopes that direct members, through a QR code, to give their Holy Day offerings online before the day itself. On the Holy Day, the envelope placed in the offering states that the … Continue reading →

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Psalms 120 and 140 for the Road Home

Posted on October 2, 2026 by nathanalbright

[Note:  This the prepared text for a sermonette given to the brethren at the Feast of Tabernacles in St. John’s, Newfoundland, on Thursday, October 1, 2026.] Good morning, brethren.  The Feast of Tabernacles is nearly over. As much as we … Continue reading →

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Imported Capacity: Staffing and Coordination at Small Feast of Tabernacles Sites

Posted on September 27, 2026 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Feast of Tabernacles sites differ widely in size, from large gatherings of several hundred people to small sites where fewer than a hundred worshipers meet in a rented hall. This paper examines a small site near St. John’s, … Continue reading →

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Divers Weights: How Symmetric Moral Judgment Becomes Self-Serving, with Vainglory as a Case Study: A White Paper

Posted on September 22, 2026 by nathanalbright

Abstract Moral vocabulary serves two purposes. It lets people examine themselves, and it lets them evaluate others. In its healthiest form a moral term does both with the same standard: the fault named in a rival is the same fault … Continue reading →

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Between the Trumpet and the Fast

Posted on September 20, 2026 by nathanalbright

[Note:  This is the prepared text for a sermon given to the brethren in the Dalles, Oregon congregation of the United Church of God on Sabbath, September 19, 2026.] Introduction Brethren, we meet today in one of the most unusual … Continue reading →

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A Day of Teruah

Posted on September 13, 2026 by nathanalbright

[Note: These are the notes for a sermonette given to the combined brethren of several United Church of God congregations in Kaizer, Oregon on the Feast of Trumpets, Sabbath September 12, 2026.] Good afternoon, brethren.  I hope you all had … Continue reading →

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Appendix B: The Assembly and the Marks: A Theological Appendix on Ecclesiological Application

Posted on September 10, 2026 by nathanalbright

The Bounds of Their Habitation — Appendix to the Whole B.1 Why this appendix exists Paper 1 established that the imperial marks are not size-indexed, and offered 3 John as the smallest complete specimen in the canon: a man in … Continue reading →

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