Category Archives: Church of God

White Paper: Sound Rhetoric in Sermonettes: Why Clarity and Economy Are Governing Virtues in This Genre of Speech

Posted on December 28, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Sermonettes occupy a unique rhetorical space within the life of the church. They are neither full sermons nor casual remarks, but compressed acts of instruction, exhortation, and framing delivered under strict time constraints and high expectations of doctrinal … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Bride of Christ and the Saints Before the New Covenant: A Biblicist Examination of Covenant Identity, Eschatology, and Scriptural Language

Posted on December 28, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper examines whether Scripture identifies believers called before the inauguration of the New Covenant—that is, the faithful of the Hebrew Scriptures—as part of the Bride of Christ, or whether that identity is reserved for those called … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Scribal Emendation and Theological Reverence: A Biblicist Comparison of Old Testament and New Testament Textual Interventions

Posted on December 27, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper examines the phenomenon of scribal emendation in both the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) and the New Testament, comparing their frequency, transparency, motivations, and theological implications. From a biblicist perspective, it argues that the two testaments … Continue reading →

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“They Hated Me Without a Cause”: A Biblicist Examination of Uncaused Hatred

Posted on December 26, 2025 by nathanalbright

In John 15:25, Jesus Christ declares, “They hated Me without a cause,” explicitly invoking the language of the Psalms (Ps. 35:19; 69:4). At first glance this claim appears paradoxical. Surely the Jewish leadership of the first century could articulate reasons—theological, … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Providence, Permission, and the So-Called “Fall”: A Biblicist Examination of Genesis 2–3

Posted on December 25, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary An enduring theological dispute concerns whether the sin of Adam and Eve should properly be called “the Fall,” or whether it should instead be understood as a deliberately designed and planned act within God’s redemptive purposes. Some argue … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Boundary-Setting Doctrine: Why Fundamental Beliefs and Creeds Often Emphasize Distinctions Rather Than Core Importance

Posted on December 21, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Across religious history, formal statements of belief—creeds, confessions, catechisms, and fundamental belief lists—rarely represent a full hierarchy of what a community considers most essential for salvation, moral transformation, or covenant faithfulness. Instead, these documents tend to emphasize points … Continue reading →

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The Origins and Development of Scribes as a Profession: A Biblicist White Paper

Posted on December 21, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper examines the origins, development, and operational roles of scribes in biblical times from a biblicist perspective. It argues that the scribal profession emerges not merely from literacy, but from covenantal administration: because God reveals Himself … Continue reading →

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White Paper: “The Kingdom of God Is at Hand”: A Biblicist Analysis of the Phrase “At Hand” in Scripture and Extra-Biblical Literature

Posted on December 19, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary The expression “the kingdom of God is at hand” (e.g., Mark 1:15; Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17) is among the most programmatic declarations in the New Testament. Yet the meaning of “at hand” is frequently misunderstood due to modern … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Resentment as a Substitute for Formation: How Frustrated Longings for Power and Respect Corrupt Ambition

Posted on December 15, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Across political, religious, academic, and organizational contexts, there exists a recurring pattern in which individuals who view themselves as visionary, exceptional, or uniquely insightful experience deep frustration when recognition, authority, or influence does not materialize as expected. When … Continue reading →

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Rejoicing in the Birth of Jesus Christ Around the Feast of Trumpets: A Biblicist White Paper on Timing, Theology, and Liturgical Meaning

Posted on December 14, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper argues that rejoicing in the birth of Jesus Christ in connection with the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah) is biblically defensible, theologically coherent, and spiritually fruitful—particularly within a biblicist framework that prioritizes scriptural patterns over … Continue reading →

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