Category Archives: Church of God

White Paper: The Authority Paradox: Why Those Who Struggle to Respect Authority Often Seek Authority Themselves

Posted on December 6, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Across institutions—families, churches, workplaces, governments—one repeatedly encounters a persistent paradox: individuals who resist, resent, or reject legitimate authority are often the very individuals who most desire to be seen as authorities themselves. They frequently fail to perceive the … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Giving an Answer for One’s Faith—A Biblicist Framework for Ordinary Believers

Posted on December 4, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper examines what Scripture itself expects of ordinary believers in giving an answer for their faith. Rather than constructing requirements from later systematic theology, ecclesiastical structures, or philosophical traditions, this paper relies solely on the biblical … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Intelligence and Counterintelligence Techniques for Capable but Ordinary People

Posted on December 3, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary While intelligence work is often imagined as the domain of government agencies and clandestine services, the underlying disciplines—situational awareness, structured information gathering, threat analysis, influence assessment, and protective behavior—are universally applicable. Ordinary people face adversarial environments in business, … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Understanding What We Want—and Obtaining It—While Building and Maintaining Good Relations

Posted on December 2, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Individuals, teams, and institutions frequently fail to achieve their goals not because the goals are unrealistic, but because they misunderstand their own motivations, misjudge the motivations of others, or pursue outcomes in ways that undermine long-term relational capital. … Continue reading →

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Fruit and Fruitfulness in the Bible: A Biblicist White Paper on Terminology, Imagery, and Theological Function

Posted on December 1, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper examines the Hebrew and Greek vocabulary, literary contexts, and canonical theology of fruit and fruitfulness in Scripture. In the biblical canon, “fruit” functions in multiple senses: agricultural, biological, moral, covenantal, spiritual, missional, eschatological, and judicial. … Continue reading →

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Two Measures of Gratitude — The Pharisee’s Pride and the Giver’s Cup

Posted on November 30, 2025 by nathanalbright

[Note:  The following is the prepared text for a sermonette given to the Tampa, Florida congregation of the United Church of God on Sabbath, November 29, 2025.] Introduction: The Measure of the Heart As we have just celebrated Thanksgiving, it … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Meaning of “Willing to Yield” in Biblical and Extra-Biblical Literature: A Biblicist and Literary-Grammatical Analysis

Posted on November 30, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary The expression “willing to yield” (Greek: eupeithēs) appears centrally in James 3:17 as one of the qualities of the “wisdom from above.” Although often translated as “submissive,” “open to reason,” or “compliant,” the word does not imply gullibility, … Continue reading →

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Fruit That Cannot Hide: A Sermonette on the Inevitable, External, and Public Nature of Biblical Fruit

Posted on November 30, 2025 by nathanalbright

[Note: This is the prepared text for a sermonette given to the Tampa, Florida congregation of the United Church of God on Sabbath, November 29, 2025.] Introduction Fruit is one of Scripture’s most powerful pictures of the life of a … Continue reading →

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White Paper: How Churches and Other Businesses View Ex Parte Communications as a Priority (or Not)

Posted on November 28, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Ex parte communication—the act of one party communicating privately and unilaterally with a decision-maker about a matter under their authority—carries deep implications for fairness, transparency, and institutional legitimacy. While highly regulated in courts and administrative agencies, the priority … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Bridging Authority Gaps: Recognizing and Overcoming Mismatched Expectations Between Ministers and Non-Ecclesial Leaders

Posted on November 27, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Across faith communities, tensions frequently arise when individuals who hold significant authority in their professional, civic, or familial spheres interact with ministers who operate within a distinct domain of spiritual and pastoral authority. These tensions are not merely … Continue reading →

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