2016 SCS Commencement Address by Dr. Christopher Cone
GO FROM THIS MOMENT AND DO SMALL THINGS Commencement Address, Southern California Seminary, May 14, 2016 Christopher Cone, Th.D, Ph.D, Ph.D It is one of the great honors of my life to have been invited to share these precious moments with you today. I express my...
Time to Put the Gun Away? A Comment on the Auction of George Zimmerman’s Gun
Recently George Zimmerman has put up for auction the gun that he describes as a “piece of American history,” and which is notable for its role in the loss of Trayvon Martin’s life. The auction is currently being handled by the United Gun Group, owned by Todd Underwood...
Why Go to Church?
A recent survey showed that the percentage of those in the U.S. who identify as Christians declined sharply by 8% from 2007 to 2014, with millennials leading the exodus. Roughly 36% of millennials now consider themselves to have no religious affiliation (“nones”)....
“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.”
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...
“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
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...
“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 to Grow as a Person
A Google search of the phrase “how to grow as a person” (or even just “grow as a person”) reveals 520 million related links. For points of reference, let’s look at the results of some other popular Google searches: “how to make money” 426 million, “world peace”...
How Can I Know God?
How can I know God? Paul’s Letter to the Romans tells the important true story about who we are, what we need, and what God has done for us. Paul writes that “There is none righteous not even one…there is none who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10-12). We have all...
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...
The Two Commissions in Matthew’s Gospel
In a now published thesis,[1] James Fazio draws attention to an important component of Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life and ministry: specifically, that Jesus commissioned His disciples on two significant occasions, and for two very different purposes. The first,...
An Introduction to Solomon’s Philosophy of Mind and Concept of Self
Solomon uses the Hebrew word leb forty two times in Ecclesiastes. The term is more general than technical, and is typically translated as mind, heart, will, or inner man. It is worth noting that the word indicates a deep connection between the thinking and feeling...
Hell No?
Satan’s encounter with Eve in the Garden is fascinating and very important for us to understand. His temptation of Eve, recorded in Genesis 3, represents several firsts: It is the first instance of an epistemological alternative to God’s design. Satan offers to Eve a...
A Dialogue on the Relationship of Apologetics and Philosophy to Evangelism
Biblical apologetics is a form of evangelism (1 Pet 3:15), and not a form of polemics. Also, Biblical apologetics technically has nothing to do with philosophical argument. However, in practice, the term apologetics is traditionally used to refer to principles and...
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