Category Archives: Christianity

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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Rooms That Put People to Sleep: Environmental and Behavioral Causes of Drowsiness in Gathering Spaces, and Practical Countermeasures

Posted on October 3, 2026 by nathanalbright

1. Executive Summary Certain kinds of rooms have a lasting reputation for making people sleepy. Church halls, lecture halls, courtrooms, conference rooms, and public meeting chambers all host gatherings where attention matters, yet attendees routinely struggle to stay awake in … 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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“As Certain Also of Your Own Poets Have Said”: Greek Poetic and Philosophical Truth in Scripture and Its Implications

Posted on September 28, 2026 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary On at least three occasions, the apostle Paul quoted Greek poets, and his words, including those quotations, now stand in the inspired text. In Athens he cited two lines associated with Epimenides and Aratus (Acts 17:28). Writing to … 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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Paying for the Whole Career: A Framework for Just Compensation Across the Arc of Performance

Posted on September 25, 2026 by nathanalbright

Abstract Professional sports contracts routinely misalign pay with production. Players are often paid least during the years they may produce the most, because rookie scales, reserve rules, and restricted free agency cap their earnings. They are often paid most in … Continue reading →

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Prolegomenon On How Evidence Comes to Speak

Posted on September 23, 2026 by nathanalbright

1. The Problem of the Silent Result A person who sits through a modern criminal trial in which DNA evidence plays a part will often witness a curious procession. Before the jury hears what the laboratory found, it hears from … 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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Empty Glory: Vainglory as an Explanatory Category for Contemporary Behavior: A White Paper

Posted on September 22, 2026 by nathanalbright

Abstract Contemporary public discourse relies heavily on the word “narcissist” to explain self-promoting, attention-seeking, and contentious behavior. The term borrows clinical authority, yet it is usually applied without clinical basis and is directed mostly at disliked figures. This paper proposes … 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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