The Inaugural Address of Dr. Christopher Cone, President of Calvary University
“Understanding the Challenges, Embracing His Excellence” August 26, 2016 – Thank you so much for your kindness. That I stand here before you today convinces me as much as many other things He has done in my life, that God indeed has a sense of humor. That He should...
Calvary University Convocation Address: Avoid Spiritual Unconsciousness
Convocation Address to Incoming Students of Calvary University, August 24, 2016, by Dr. Christopher Cone – Men and women of the incoming class, we are indeed privileged to welcome you to Calvary University. You are embarking on a journey that is not vague or...
The VERITAS Formula for Organizational Leadership
The VERITAS formula for organizational leadership is really about leading people and helping them to become who they are designed to be. The formula is rooted in the principle that from God’s mouth comes knowledge and understanding (Prov 2:6). God’s word is true, and...
“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.”
Why Do Bad Things Happen?
You recall how the story goes – God and Satan are having a discussion about a man named Job. He was a man of great character whom God had given much wealth and blessing. God commends Job, and Satan accuses Job, betting that Job would deny God if God would simply allow...
Breaking the Hinge in the Free-Will vs. Sovereignty Debate
One simple premise undergirds the ideas that either humanity has free volition or that God is sovereign, and that ultimately the two concepts are mutually exclusive. That premise is the hinge upon which the argument turns, favoring either human freedom or Divine...
The Beautiful Paradox: God’s Unfathomability and Knowability
In response to the question of whether or not science makes belief in God obsolete, Christopher Hitchens (who ultimately answers the question in the negative), suggested that, “It will not do to say, in reply to this, that the lord moves in mysterious ways. Those who...
“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
Beware Objective Standards Where Only Subjective Ones Are Provided
Paul’s instructions to Timothy regarding the qualifications for leadership in the church (specifically for elders in 3:1-7) are vitally important. They are also not as simple as we might sometimes prefer. We generally prefer things to be neat and clean – objective and...
A Worker’s Manifesto: Why Do Excellent Work?
I once heard a story – I don’t recall where – of a builder who was commissioned by his employer to build a house. The builder’s employer gave specific instructions regarding the quality of the house. He wanted it to be excellent, but the builder tried to save money...
How Can I Know God’s Will For My Life?
In a study addressing why millennials stay in church, the Barna group discovered that 65% of active church goers or those who believed their faith is very important to their life believed that the Bible contains everything a person needs to live a meaningful life,...
“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)
The Rise of Philosophy and Conflict With Theology
(An excerpt from Life Beyond the Sun: An Introduction to Worldview and Philosophy Through the Lens of Ecclesiastes) – Despite assertions that “any conflict between philosophy and theology must be apparent rather than real, the result of a misunderstanding,”[i]...
How to Choose an English Bible Translation, Part 2
In the previous article, we introduced some significant aspects to consider when deciding on an English translation for Bible study (formal versus dynamic equivalence, and transparency in the source material used, for example). While no translation can equal the value...
The Magnificent Seven: Formats for Communicating Biblical Content (PPT)
Presented to the first annual Calvary International Pastors' Conference on April 22, 2016. The Magnificent Seven (a reimagining of Seven Samurai) tells the story of seven men who were unspectacular as individuals, but who together had the power to change lives. It is...
How to Choose an English Bible Translation, Part 1
What a blessing it is to have many English Bible translations from which to choose. Not too long ago there were none, and attempts to translate the Bible into English were met with severe persecution (read about William Tyndale, for example). So when we are faced with...
Seeking Excellence? Don’t Start With “Why, Start With “Who”
In seeking to identify the seeds of excellence, there is a popular device (the Golden Circle) that traces the beginnings of excellence back to the question Why? In this model, we could critique a more common alternative of beginning with the outcome (the What) and...
The Parables of Jesus as Metaphor: Considering the Mustard Seed of Matthew 13:31-32
In considering the parables of Jesus, there are a few contextual concepts we need to understand about Jesus’ presentations in Matthew’s Gospel. First, after Jesus was rejected in Matthew 12 He spoke in public often using parables. His purpose in doing so was...
Three Days That Changed Everything
A man named Jesus hung on a cross. To that point this man had endured the rejection of his people, arrest on false pretenses, an illegal trial in which he was falsely accused, beaten and abused, and ultimately condemned to die because of the spiritual arrogance of his...
Priority in Communicating to Mixed Audiences in a Church Setting
In any number of settings, a Bible communicator will not be aware of the spiritual/positional status of the listeners. In fact, only the Lord has the capacity to truly understand what is in the heart of man (1 Cor 4:5). Consequently, while we do observe a clear...
Patterns in Exposition: Biblical Dynamics for Preaching and Teaching
Biblical Rationale for Dynamics in Communication Just as we seek to discover our hermeneutic method from the pages of Scripture, and just as we seek to apply those principles consistently, we also need to recognize that Scripture has much to say regarding how we...
The Hermeneutic and Exegetical Implications of Descriptive and Prescriptive
The short-form process of discerning and appropriating the meaning of a Biblical passage includes the four basic steps of (1) observation, (2) interpretation, (3) correlation, and (4) application. The more detailed process exegetical process includes nine steps: (1)...