By Mark W. Christy, PhD In D. A. Carson’s Prophetic from the Center, he offers a contemporary rendition of the gospel that is pervasive among American Christians: “Ever since the fall, God has been active to reverse the effects of sin. He takes action to limit sin’s damage; he calls out a new nation, the Israelites, to mediate his teaching and his grace to others; he promises that one day he will send the promised Davidic king to overthrow sin and death and all their wretched effects. Thi...

By Mark W. Christy, PhD In this increasingly self-centered world, many people seek experiences that satiate their every desire. This desire for experience is often found even within the church where many gather on Sundays not so much to worship God for what He has done in their lives through Christ but simply to get their emotional ‘batteries recharged’ to face another week. Beyond this, it also tends to impact their personal testimonies as well. This trend seems to only be getting worse as ...

By Mark W. Christy, PhD The revivals of the eighteenth century caused a major shift in the theological commitments within many churches in America. At the onset of the First Great Awakening in America(1730s), Calvinism was deeply entrenched in theological commitments of both the churches and many of the revival leaders including George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, Jonathan Dickinson, Gilbert Tennent, and Samuel Davies. After this movement, most churches held firmly to their historic Calvini...