Rain and Grace
What do rain and forgiveness have to do with each other?
Culinary Calvinism: Considering Jay Adams’ TULIPburger
Jay Adams has a way with words, and an excellent way of explaining the significance of the doctrine of limited atonement in the Reformed view.[1] He describes the T (total depravity) and P (perseverance of the saints) as the bun, holding the burger together, and the U...
Do I Really Need to Know the Bible?
Why everyone needs to know the Bible, and how it impacts life.
“The most effective leadership, management, and efficiency models share traits common with each other, and traits that are ultimately traceable to the pages of the Bible. While these models are often not intentionally rooted in Biblical concepts by those that promote the models, the models illustrate how applying Biblical principles can set a trajectory of success in enterprise and in life. Led By a Lion is designed to introduce some of these leadership, management, and efficiency models, but goes a step further in identifying the Biblical genesis of many of the core traits that fuel the success of these models.”
When Does Eternal Life Begin?
John 6:47 tells us about the timing of eternal life, and helps us think about two very important implications.
A Philosophy of Biblical Counseling
Dr. Cone discusses different approaches to counseling and discusses Calvary University's model for Biblical counseling and direction for the program at Calvary.
God Doesn’t Play Dice…But He Does Play Hide and Seek
On the one hand, we have Paul telling us how unfathomable and unsearchable are the ways of God (Rom 11:33), and on the other, he prays that believers will grow in their understanding, and that they will be receptive to the breadth, length, height, and depth of His...
“This approach has the advantage of seeking to view all knowledge through the lens of Scripture, and to subject all knowledge to the authority of Scripture. It encourages science and research within the field of psychology. It offers a Biblical balance of description and prescription. Of course, if the Bible is unreliable, then the refractive power of Scripture is distortive rather than corrective, but the epistemological premise of this approach is that God’s word is authoritative and sufficient for our understanding, for our equipping, and for our practice. There are many extra-biblical resources that we can employ, but in seeking out how and when to do that, we mustn’t lose sight of the one reliable constant that God has provided for us – the Bible.” –Chapter 9
Why I Believe the Bible
Dr. Cone addresses students at Calvary University on some basic principles of the Bible's credibility, and how it all comes back to the issue of the identity of Jesus.
Spanish translation of Integrating Exegesis and Exposition now available
Integrating Exegesis and Exposition: Biblical Communication for Transformative Learning is now available from Exegetica Publishing in Spanish. The English handbook on preaching and teaching was first published in 2015, and has now been translated (by Ruben de Rus)...
The Bible Unleashed (Slides)
For much of this week, I have had the incredible privilege of spending time with some of the most amazing young people at the 2017 IFCA National Youth Convention (held at Taylor University's fantastic campus in Indiana). Attending are several hundred junior and high...
“The Green Tree is an exceptional work…provides a vital tool for every Bible interpreter…Just as the root system is the foundation of a tree and directly impacts the health of a tree, hermeneutic method is at the root of one’s worldview. This illustration demonstrates that the hermeneutic method that an interpreter of the Bible employs will significantly affect the outcome. The tree will either be healthy, or it will not be healthy…The authors provide a unique examination of Revelation, Genesis, and Job that demonstrates that the LGH hermeneutic is derived from within Scripture, something that other hermeneutical methods fail to demonstrate. This is perhaps the most crucial principle demonstrated in The Green Tree, and it effectively demonstrates that the LGH hermeneutic is also the Biblical hermeneutic.” – Andrew Friend (Amazon Review)
How Did We Get Here? Competing Theories of Origin
“How did we get here?” This is one of the great questions of life, and its answer sets the direction for so many other answers to great questions. If we are descended from animals, then are we not justified in living as animals? If we are generated merely by...
Communicating Biblical Worldview to Millennials and iGens: Taste and See Apologetics
COMMUNICATING BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW TO MILLENNIALS AND IGENS: TASTE AND SEE APOLOGETICS[1] Christopher Cone, Th.D, Ph.D, Ph.D Biblical Models for Communicating Truth to the Unversed Peter provides the only direct apologetic mandate in Scripture,[2] reminding his readers...
Gifted By The Holy Spirit, Gifted With the Holy Spirit (Slides)
At the 2017 IFCA Cultivate Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, Dr. Cone considers the Holy Spirit, how He works in the believer's life, and expectations for the believer's walk. [gview...
The Interconnectedness of Philosophy, Theology, and Worldview
A worldview is the perspective through which one views the world. By definition, a Biblical worldview is derived exegetically from the pages of the Bible. Philosophy and theology have long been perceived as rivals in worldview, but if we define those terms lexically...
The Disappearing Middle Class in Christian Higher Education
According to ABHE’s 2015 statistical report,[1] out of roughly 140 universities and colleges who have any official reported status with ABHE, there are only 5 non-denominational Bible colleges with attendance over 320[2] students (including undergraduate and graduate...
Overview of Ecclesiastes (Slides)
Having been a historic experimenter, Solomon writes the conclusion to his philosophical journey in Ecclesiastes. He describes the advantages and disadvantages of a number of different worldviews "under the sun," and he concludes that the beyond-the-sun perspective...
Kaizen and the Biblical Model for Continuous Improvement
Kaizen means improvement, or literally, good change. Identified by author Masaaki Imai as “the key to Japanese competitive success,”[1] kaizen is the philosophy undergirding continuous improvement at every level of the organization, and involving all personnel. As a...
Sovereignty of God and Human Responsibility: Nehemiah and the Daniel 9 Prophecy
Daniel 9:24-27 is a monumental passage, emblematic of God’s sovereignty over human events. It provides the chronological skeletal system of Biblical prophecy, recording Gabriel’s revelation to Daniel in around 516 B.C., of a 490-year timeline for Israel’s future: “for...
A Brief Introduction to Philosophical Inquiry and Components of Worldview, Part 2: Science and Justifying Presuppositions
Epistemological inquiry is the first step in developing a worldview. Determining how we can know with certainty is a necessary exercise, and requires that we identify the source of authority upon which the worldview is grounded. For example, Hume’s empiricism...
Dealing With Loss: A Hero Named Larry
I have always appreciated the old hymn “It is Well With My Soul.” The melody is hauntingly beautiful. The words are especially touching, as they were written while Spafford was crossing the Atlantic when he was near the place where his four daughters died after the...