Category Archives: Church of God

Equipped to Equip: Leadership for the Building of the Body

Posted on June 28, 2026 by nathanalbright

[Note:  This is the prepared text for a split sermon given to the United Church of God congregation in Portland, OR on Sabbath, June 27, 2026.] Part One: “Equipping the Ministry” — The 2026 General Conference of Elders Brethren, I … Continue reading →

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The Sabbath They Keep and the Sabbath They Broke: Irony, Liability, and Religious Freedom in EEOC v. Hatch Trick, Inc.

Posted on June 17, 2026 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary In May 2026 the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued an Austin-area Chick-fil-A franchisee, Hatch Trick, Inc., alleging that the operator fired a manager rather than continue accommodating her seventh-day Sabbath observance. The employee, Laurel Torode, is a … Continue reading →

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Paper 8: Weaponization and the Authority-Symmetry Problem

Posted on June 11, 2026 by nathanalbright

Abstract This is the diagnostic paper of the suite. The seven papers before it answered the question is the claim sound? and found that it is not — no office, no polity, no process, no live paternal role, no avenue … Continue reading →

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Paper 7: The Intellectual Sources: Theonomy, Patriarchy Movements, and Sovereign-Adjacent Reasoning

Posted on June 11, 2026 by nathanalbright

Abstract The first six papers diagnosed the error in the abstract and in the texts. This paper traces its intellectual genealogy. Three streams of thought tend to feed private enforcement of biblical law: theonomy, which holds that Israel’s judicial penalties … Continue reading →

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Paper 6: The New Covenant and the Limits of Church Discipline

Posted on June 11, 2026 by nathanalbright

Abstract The previous papers established the limits on the believer reaching backward into Israel’s civil law. This paper addresses the structure that actually governs the new-covenant community, and shows that it is no avenue for the penal action the live … Continue reading →

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Paper 5: Parental Authority and the Adult Daughter

Posted on June 11, 2026 by nathanalbright

Abstract Paper 4 conceded that the bride-price texts grant a father a real role, then showed that the role is narrow, protective, and bound to a daughter within his house. This paper takes up the limit it deferred: what happens … Continue reading →

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Paper 4: The Bride Price Reconsidered: What the Mohar Texts Actually Govern

Posted on June 10, 2026 by nathanalbright

Abstract This is the honest paper of the suite. Unlike a case built on a command that grants the reader nothing, the bride-price texts do give a father a genuine role and a genuine right of refusal. Exodus 22:16–17 and … Continue reading →

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Paper 1: The Distinction Itself: Recognizing a Law Versus Possessing Authority to Enforce It

Posted on June 10, 2026 by nathanalbright

Abstract This paper establishes the distinction on which the remainder of the suite depends: within Scripture, the existence of a divine command does not, by itself, authorize the reader to enforce it. Recognition and authorization are separate acts. Across the … Continue reading →

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A Prolegomenon on Standard Without Standing: Foundations for an Inquiry into Biblical Law, Jurisdiction, and the Private Assumption of Enforcement Authority

Posted on June 10, 2026 by nathanalbright

Front Matter Statement of Purpose This suite exists to pry apart two questions that are constantly fused into one: what does the law require, and who may act on it. The first asks after a standard; the second asks after … Continue reading →

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A Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation

Posted on June 7, 2026 by nathanalbright

[Note:  This is the prepared text for a sermon given to the United Church of God in the Dalles, Oregon, on Sabbath, June 6, 2026.] Introduction: The Debate Over the Priesthood of Believers Few phrases in the history of Christian … Continue reading →

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