Bio for Steve Cornell

Personal (family)

I am the second oldest of eleven children and oldest of seven boys. Growing up in a large family came with good times and hardships. I learned the meaning of work at an early age as I felt responsible to help with family needs. My wife (Becky) and I have four adult children and eight beautiful grandchildren.

A good part of my teen years were spent in a big city (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). This allowed me to experience more diversity in people and culture. Ethnic diversity surrounded me and I am grateful for the ways it enlarged my worldview. My parents never treated people differently based on race, lifestyle, or any matter of social distinction. My father taught me to be as comfortable in the presence of a Senator or a Judge as with any other person. I simply don’t relate to people based on outward distinctions. This is my perspective as a follower of Jesus Christ, but I am grateful it was part of my upbringing.  

The only distinction that matters to God is the one found in Romans 3:22-24

“We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” (NLT, emphasis mine)

Ministry and education

Steve Cornell is the former senior pastor of Millersville Bible Church, Millersville Pennsylvania (a position he held for 35 years). Steve’s ministry included daily and weekend radio on WJTL (Focus on the Church and Take 5 with Pastor Steve). He was also a correspondent for Lancaster Newspapers Inc. (21 years) and for The Morning Call of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Steve is an honored recipient of seven writing awards from the Amy Foundation. Steve has been a featured speaker for many conferences.

His educational background includes: Citadel Bible College, Philadelphia College of the Bible, Institute for Biblical Studies, Lancaster Bible College, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (North East extension), and Biblical Theological Seminary.

Volunteer – Seven years as Chaplain for Millersville University football and basketball. Work with The Way Recovery, Lancaster PA.

Certifications –Recognizing Child Abuse and Mandated Reporting (July 8, 2020), PREA (July 10,2020), Inmate Suicide Prevention (August 3, 2020), Adult First Aid/CPR/AED (August 3, 2020), SCM (August 4,5, 2020), 

Areas of expertise– preaching/teaching, counseling, class instruction (focus on relationships, communication, conflict resolution, forgiveness, and the theme of my book (see below)

Philosophy

παντα δε ποιω δια το ευαγγελιον – “I do all for the sake of the gospel”

“Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ” (Phil. 1:27).

I am humbled and amazed that I belong to God’s kingdom, but I am also a citizen of an earthly kingdom (USA). I try to take seriously my role and calling in relation to both.  Since the nation of my earthly citizenship is governed by a representative form of democracy, I am called to be part of the political process and the establishment of policies and laws.

I am challenged by the words of the late president, Abraham Lincoln, “In this country, public sentiment is everything. With it, nothing can fail; against it, nothing can succeed. Whoever molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes, or pronounces judicial decisions.”

My work overlaps between two kingdoms. Communication is a different challenge in each realm, but is always based on unchanging truth from God.

I like the way Hadley Arkes framed the challenge,

• “There is no way of purging from human beings an understanding of right and wrong, of purging from common life a discourse about right and wrong. Once we think we are in the presence of real wrongs, we think (for example) that it’s wrong for people to torture their infants, our next response is not, ‘Ah, therefore, let’s give them tax incentives to induce them to stop.’ No, we respond with a law that forbids them.”
• “Once you understand that this is the nature of the enterprise of ruling and governing, it becomes a matter of whether you will address the questions of right and wrong or whether you simply try to divert the questions and talk about something else.” 

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Series 

• Understanding and Doing the Will of God
• When Christians Disagree: Handling debatable matters
• Disciple-Making Manual
• Learning to Forgive
• Meeting God in His Word (Two-month devotional)
• The Power of encouragement in your Marriage
• Sobering look at the character and strategy of Satan 
• Spirit-filled life
• Forgiveness and Reconciliation
• Many more
• 

Favorite quotes

• “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important” (C. S. Lewis).
• “One of the great attractions of Christianity to me is its sheer absurdity” (Malcolm Muggeridge).
• “If only there were evil people somewhere, insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?” (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)
• “If the universe is not governed by an absolute goodness, then all of our efforts in the long run are hopeless”  (C.S. Lewis).
• “God is good but God is not safe. God is good and terrifying at the same time” (C. S. Lewis).
• “Atheism is the most daring of all dogmas, for it is the assertion of a universal negative” (G.K. Chesterton)
• “I have taken my good deeds and bad deeds and thrown them together in a heap, and fled from them both to Christ, and in him I have peace.” (David Dickson)
• “After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again. Very often what God first helps us towards is not the virtue itself but just this power of always trying again.” (C. S. Lewis).
  

Steve Cornell

18yearfactor@gmail.com

Purchase a copy here