Billy Graham, God’s Ambassador or Not: Have the Ears of Southern Baptists Been Tickled?

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By Mark Christy, PhD Recently, I ran across a book entitled Billy Graham, God’s Ambassador by Russ Busby as it was being donated to a ministry (owned by an SBC church) for the purpose of reselling. Given that Graham was ordained by an SBC church, this donation at first glance seemed entirely in order. As I reflected on its title, I checked Lifeway.com (owned by SBC) and noted that many books by and about Billy Graham are available. Then, I suddenly remembered that the Southern Baptist Theolo...
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Being Thankful is a State of Being and Not a Product of Effort

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Over the last several weeks, I have come across three separate pastors (all in the SBC like me) who have, in one way or another, given a message on the need for Christians to develop an attitude of gratitude. One of them said it in exactly that way. Another argued that a Christian’s intimacy with God is broken when they start complaining, and this leads to doubt. To allay this process from the start, he urged believers to practice being thankful. The third pastor, believing he was giving a bibl...
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Loving One Another Biblically Requires Some Confrontation

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Have you ever heard someone give the following advice when some sort of relational conflict has arisen and tempers begin to flare: ‘Why can’t we just love everybody’ or ‘Let’s just love everybody.’ On the surface, this advice seems biblical because “love never fails” (1 Cor 13:8 NASB), and it “covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pet 4:8 NASB). While affirming the aspects of love mentioned in the previous verses, biblical love has to also be understood in how it is to be displayed within relationship...
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Filling of the Spirit Coincides with Ongoing Instruction in and Submission to the Word of God

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(Note: All true believers have been indwelled and sealed by the Holy Spirit. Both of these divine actions remain permanent and set apart those who are believers who have been called in Christ heavenward. This article will focus on what it means for believers to filled by the Spirit during their earthly lives.) In Ephesians 5:19, Paul, who is writing to his Christian audience (i.e., those who have been indwelled by the Spirit) tells believers that they are to be filled with the Holy Spirit. A...
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The Great Commission Does Not End with Evangelism

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Matthew 28:19-20 NASB – “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” As careful reading of v.20 will show, the Great Commission does not end with evangelism. Unfortunately, many seem to focus exclusively on this part of it. Sure, it is awesome to see people coming to Christ and seeing the Church of G...
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Steven Furtick’s Hermeneutic of Vision: A Review of Sun Stand Still

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By Mark Christy, PhD A review of Steven Furtick, Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible (Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah, 2010). Furtick’s work, Sun Stand Still, is praised by Craig Groeschel, Andy Stanley, and Ed Young among others. In this book, Furtick hopes to teach all believers to manifest an “audacious faith” that trusts God for the impossible. From the prologue, the author demonstrates that his understanding of seeking God for the impossible aris...
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A Biblical Response to Accusations of Being Too Direct, Lacking Polish, and Hurting Feelings When Communicating Biblical Truth

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By Mark W. Christy, PhD In a culture where self is king and every conversation is gauged by how it serves one’s emotions, many who choose to boldly declare truth will face a plethora of accusations concerning their directness and insensitivity. In response to these concerns, the one declaring truth should most certainly manifest a humble and loving spirit in their relations to others. That being said, the possession of such a spirit may be somewhat difficult to perceive by those receiving a ...
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Some Reasons Why Churchgoers Disdain Expositional Preaching

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The seeker sensitive (driven) movement has reprogrammed many to reconsider church based on how it meets their needs. While I do think that the best of the seeker sensitive movement helped us realize some of the changes in culture, I also think the worst of it has done far more damage. For years, popular culture has been on a headlong march toward emotional, experiential, and self-affirming arguments becoming the foundation of one's learning and assessment of the world.For the most part, factual...
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The Theology of Steven Furtick: A Review of Crash the Chatterbox

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By Mark Christy Steven Furtick’s work is praised by Craig Groeschel, Andy Stanley, Brian Houston, T.D. Jakes, Jack Graham, and Ed Young. His goal is to help his readers silence “the lies resounding inside [their] minds that keep [them] from hearing the voice of God” (213). These lies, according to him, include feelings of insecurity, fear, condemnation, and discouragement. To combat these lies, Furtick offers some Scripture, some advice and applications that are loosely derived from Scriptur...
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Sanctification

Posted on by markwchristy
The following is an excerpt from my paper The Role of the Holy Spirit in Mission (available on Amazon Kindle): The sanctification process, which follows the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, is the work of the Holy Spirit.[1] In 1 Corinthians 6:9-20, Paul is contrasting the difference between the believer’s old life with all of its sinfulness with his or her new life whereby the body of the believer becomes “a temple of the Holy Spirit.” Commenting on Titus 3:5, Philip H. Towner observes an “un...
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