Should a Pastor Join a Non-denominational Gathering Where Catholic Ministers Teach Those Attending at Times

Posted on by markwchristy
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...
Read More

Jesus and Compassion

Posted on by markwchristy
In today’s hypersensitive, me-centered, feelings-driven culture, the biblical understanding of compassion has been all but lost such that anyone who dares to declare the truth, call sinners to repentance, and demand obedience from those who do repent is almost sure to be judged as one who lacks compassion. After this judgment is rendered, the one who dared to minister the gospel in this manner can be sure to face what is often felt to be a just sentence for their perceived error, that is a comp...
Read More

Pretribulational vs. Posttribulational Rapture: A Weighing of the Biblical Evidence

Posted on by markwchristy
By Mark W. Christy The two eschatological camps that support a more literal interpretation of end-time prophetic material both support premillennialism. Historic premillennialists believe the Church will endure the final seven years of tribulation before being raptured, while dispensational premillennialists argue that the rapture occurs before the seven-year tribulation begins. To help readers determine which view is best supported by Scripture, this article will weigh the most significant ...
Read More

Is Gambling Wrong?

Posted on by markwchristy
Mark W. Christy, PhD Those who have read the entirety of God’s Word know that it never says, ‘Thou shall not gamble.’ This being the case, it might be tempting to conclude that gambling is not a divinely prohibited activity. This approach to seeking counsel from God’s Word, however, is inherently flawed because the same reasoning could easily allow one to support all manner of substance abuse (other than alcohol). In this article, various teachings and principles will be extracted from Scrip...
Read More