Promised Trials for God’s People: Eight Reasons for God-ordained Suffering

Posted on May 29, 2021May 29, 2021 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD Kenneth Copeland Ministries asks and answers the following question: “Are you settling for less than God’s best in your life? If you are tolerating any type of physical ailment, anything less than financial abundance, or a struggling relationship, the answer is a resounding yes!”[i] This teaching, commonly propounding by those in the prosperity gospel movement (PGM), finds a ready audience in the self-absorbed, comfort-loving, worldly-focused, and materialistic multit...

How to Recognize False Teachers: A Word from Jeremiah

Posted on May 23, 2021May 29, 2021 by markwchristy

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...

The Rapture: Its Biblical Support, Its Timing, and Its Historical Formation within Premillennialism

Posted on May 9, 2021March 8, 2022 by markwchristy

By Mark W. Christy, PhD A prominent view, especially among American evangelicals, is the eschatological event known as the Rapture which will occur when Christ returns to gather the living saints from the earth to meet Him in the sky. This belief, which is featured most prominently in pretribulational premillennialism, is not without its detractors. With this in view, this article will help readers determine a proper stance on the Rapture by offering biblical support for it and its timing, a...

Is there an Age of Accountability?

Posted on May 2, 2021May 2, 2021 by markwchristy

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...

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...