Is Saving Faith a Gift from God?

Posted on February 2, 2021February 2, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD In Ephesians 2:8, Paul writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”[i] Surprisingly, this seemingly simple and straightforward verse is the subject of much debate in part because its interpretation greatly affects the ongoing theological dissension between Calvinists and Arminians. In this short article, Eph 2:8 will be examined so as to determine whether or not it truly means that faith is indeed a gift....

Paul, the Skilled or Unskilled Proclaimer

Posted on February 2, 2021February 2, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD At times in Paul’s writings, he seems to suggest that he lacked any real skill in oral delivery. At one point, he says, “And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God” (1 Cor 2:1).[i] In this text, Paul is clearly denigrating the form of his speech. Given the prevailing culture which all but worshiped those considered to be masters in rhetoric, Paul certainly wanted to distance himself...

When Should the Pastor Play the Fool?

Posted on February 2, 2021February 2, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD In this contemporary setting, many pastors have clearly sold-out in favor of the world’s trappings of success. As they abandon sound doctrine and focus more on a people pleasing and people exalting style of exposition, real men of God are left in the wake and often find themselves judged by the presumably faithful who choose to remain in a biblically faithful ministry. Even so, many of their parishioners struggle as they see examples everywhere where these compromisin...

Unlimited Atonement and the Charge of Double Payment

Posted on January 31, 2021January 31, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD Among Calvinistic and Arminian Southern Baptists, the debate over the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement continues unabated. Stoking this fire, some from the Arminian side opted to publish “A Statement of the Traditional Southern Baptist Understanding of God’s Plan of Salvation” in 2012.[i] One of the signatories of this doctrinal statement, David Allen, submitted a detailed defense of the Article 3 on Christ’s atoning work in a work entitled Anyone Can be Saved.[ii] I...

Was Hitler Evil?

Posted on January 31, 2021January 31, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy Across the world, most people regard Hitler as synonymous with evil. Not only is this true for Westerners, it also seems to be the prevailing view among those in the East, though I cannot confirm this. Nevertheless, I can attest it is true for many Chinese people after having many conversations on this topic while serving in China. During these conversations, I found it strange that many Chinese felt comfortable labelling Hitler as evil since most of them maintain an athei...

The Beggar and Matthew 5:42

Posted on January 31, 2021January 31, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy In Matthew 5:42, Jesus says, “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.”[i] From this, many rightly question whether or not the Christian has any recourse for dealing with beggars, the addicted, homeless people, and other such persons. This article will attempt to offer wisdom on when a Christian can say no. In the time of Christ, the nature of communities was such that everyone except an occasional wayfarer would have been...

A Call to Personal, Persistent, and Powerful Prayer for the Lost (Col 4:2-3)

Posted on January 31, 2021January 31, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD In Colossians 3:5-4:1, Paul addresses the qualities of a born-again, Spirit-filled believer followed by a discussion of his/her relationships. In Colossians 4:2-6, Paul gives instructions on how believers are to pray for and converse with non-believers. First, Paul discusses the need for persevering in prayer (v.2). In his many epistles, Paul constantly advocates dedicated, steadfast, and persistent praying. He tells believers to be “devoted to pray” (Rom 12:12), “...

Free Will and The Path to Universalism

Posted on January 29, 2021January 29, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD Among many Southern Baptists, a sort of popular theology has taken root which persists in affirming a salvific role for what is known as an autonomous/libertarian free will. Whereas classical Arminianism affirms the bondage of the will due to sin and the role of prevenient (coming before) grace in a person’s heart (their inner person including mind, will, desires, and emotions), this view supports a more semi-Pelagian view of will whereby a person can, in their own po...

A Biblical Argument for a Female Deacon

Posted on January 29, 2021March 8, 2022 by markwchristy

Traditionally, many Baptist churches have spurned the idea of female deacons. Their position on this subject is due, at least in part, to their ecclesiology. In a typical Baptist congregation, the pastor serves as sole elder and the deacons share spiritual authority with him.[i] When this is the case, the deacons must be only men because the Bible clearly teaches that women are not to have spiritual authority over men: “I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man” (1 Tim 2:...

Critical Response to The Traditionalist Statement: Part 11 (Article 10)

Posted on January 29, 2021January 29, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD This article is the eleventh in a series designed to carefully consider the theological position against Calvinism taken by those who have signed what is called A Statement of the Traditional Southern Baptist Understanding of God’s Plan of Salvation (released in 2012). In short form, this document is commonly known as the Traditionalist Statement (TS) among Southern Baptists. Presently, comments will be made in response to Article 10 of the TS: Article Ten: The Gre...