The Eternal Security of Those Who Die Young

Posted on May 1, 2021May 1, 2021 by markwchristy

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...

Did Jesus Descend into Hell?

Posted on April 24, 2021April 24, 2021 by markwchristy

Mark W. Christy, PhD The notion that Jesus descended into hell may have been popularized by the Apostle’s Creed which, though not approved by a single church or ecumenical council at one specific time, “gradually took shape from about A.D. 200 to 750.[i] The phrase, “descended into hell,” first appeared in the Arian version in A.D. 360.[ii] Tyrannius Rufinus (A.D. 345 to 411) observes that the phrase did not appear in the Roman version of the Apostle’s Creed, but does say it appeared in anot...

A Theology of Tongues

Posted on April 18, 2021February 28, 2023 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD Much debate within the Evangelical community exists over the viability of tongues in the Post-Apostolic Church. In Mark 16:17-18, Jesus offers a list of miraculous events that will accompany saving belief, and one of those included was the gift of “new tongues.”[i] Within this passage however, Jesus offers basically no detail to describe the exact nature of this gift. Were these “new tongues” some sort of new language or utterance that surpasses the ability of humans ...

The Cancellation of God’s Word by the Exaltation of Vision in the Megachurch Era

Posted on April 14, 2021April 14, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD In the Church Growth era, which started gathering steam in the 80s and early 90s, much ado was made about the importance of a vision statement and vision casting. To add weight to supposed biblical importance of visioneering, the church growth material from that period until now has frequently looked to the first part of Proverbs 29:18 KJV which reads, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” This article will demonstrate the use of this verse in a few more prom...

Interpreting the Pauline Directive That Women Should Be Silent in Church

Posted on April 7, 2021April 7, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD In 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, Paul delivers some instructions to women that have caused many feminists to look for ways to mitigate his words if not outright reject the Christian faith altogether. In his teaching on proper Christian corporate worship, he states, “The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak,” and then adds, “for it is improper for a woman to speak in church.”[i] While on the surface, Paul’s comments are direct and in ...

The Biblical Characteristics of Love

Posted on April 3, 2021April 3, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD In the hyper-emotionalism which pervades much of what is labelled American Christianity, many have failed to realize that love, as the Bible defines it, is never to be divorced from truth. Nevertheless, this rise in sentimentalism has led many professing believers to set aside Scripture as their sole guide for right action in favor of their own emotional barometer. By lowering the value of God’s Word in this way, they have made themselves guilty of elevating themselve...

The Vital Necessity of Biblical Church Discipline

Posted on March 31, 2021March 31, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD In much of the contemporary Church, Christian love is often thought to be a loving toleration of others irrespective of whether their actions line up with Scripture. In these churches, the cardinal sin is typically the sin of confrontation whereby someone dares to rock the boat by uttering an unpopular truth or, even worse, directly confronting a fellow member who is clearly engaging in blatantly obvious sinful behavior. While many wish to uphold their own righteousne...

Defining the Narrow Way

Posted on March 24, 2021March 24, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD Many evangelical churches are plagued by wayward Christians, haphazard attendance, and lackadaisical service. While the Church has always struggled against false Christianity, especially in those times when persecution was at a minimum, the modern church often seems to be courting false believers and even comforting them as they continue in their delusion. Many churches have elevated the man-centered components of their worship services by placing a premium on the wor...

Reconciling Jesus Prohibition of Oath-Taking with Paul’s Practice of Taking Oaths

Posted on March 18, 2021March 18, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD In His famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus appeared to prohibit the practice of oath-taking when He said rather emphatically, “make no oath at all” (Matt 5:34).[i] Likewise, James offers similar instructions: “But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment” (5:12). Many Christians, upon reading this, begin to avoid the practice. This articl...