Recently, I was asked about whether a minister should be willing to attend a gathering of other local ministers including those associated with the Roman Catholic Church. At this meeting, the gathered ministers take turns when in comes to who teaches the Bible lesson each time they meet. Before responding, I obviously recognized the culturally appropriate answer. In the American culture, it would be arrogant, unkind, unloving, and judgmental to refuse to join such a gathering. Despite this, the...

By Mark W. Christy, PhD In this technologically advanced era, anyone who is perusing the internet and seeking some sort of guidance from a Christian pastor will undoubtedly find a deluge of resources even while they may be left all but helpless when trying to determine to whom they should lend their ear. Though humanity has not always had the pastoral world at their fingertips, they have always had a multitude of voices declaring supposed truths that are mutually exclusive. In the Bible, one...

By Mark W. Christy, PhD Anyone who has spent significant time studying the Scripture will affirm that its message is written to those who have matured to the point where they understand right from wrong. Its message is never directed to those who for whatever reason lack the capacity to understand its basic tenets. Given this, it would seem that God has a special mercy for anyone who dies before they reach an age where they can rightly be held accountable for their choices. This article will...

By Mark W. Christy As any reputable church with a gospel-centered ministry would affirm, salvation can only be had by those who come to throne of God’s mercy by repentance of sin and placing faith in Christ alone. This, however, offers little security for the unborn, babies, and young children who lack any awareness of their sin or any knowledge of their need for a redeemer. For such as these, the Bible does offer some hope through various passages. In this article, these hopeful passages wi...

By Mark W. Christy, PhD Many churches, especially among Baptists, have traditionally operated under a sole elder. Under this system, the sole minister often finds himself isolated and alone in the all-to-frequent, not to mention unfortunate and un-Christlike, struggles for power that occur between himself and the congregation and/or himself and the deacons. While it is uncommon, about seven percent of Baptist churches seek to resolve this ongoing power struggle by maintaining a permanent cla...