Associate Professor of Historical and Pastoral Theology
M.Div., Covenant Theological Seminary; Ph.D., Saint Louis University
Profile
Rev. T. Chris Crain serves as Associate Professor of Historical and Pastoral Theology and is the Assistant Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program. He is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Most recently, he served as an active-duty chaplain in the United States Army for almost twelve years. Prior to that he served as an Assistant Pastor and headmaster of a Christian school in Columbia, S.C. He loves to teach, coach, and mentor aspiring and current pastors, especially utilizing the riches of Christian history and theology to inform, encourage, and challenge. Chris and his wife Nancy raised three children and live in Greenville, S.C. They enjoy fitness, reading, hiking, and international cuisine.
Publications
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- “The Old Side-New Side Controversy.” byFaith. July 23, 2026. https://byfaithonline.com/the-old-side-new-side-controversy/
- “The ‘Christological Aesthetics’ of John Williamson Nevin.” The New Mercersburg Review 71 (2026): 59-86.
- “Developing Relevant, Relatable and Transformative Training Programs at the Unit Level.”Military Chaplaincy Review. September 22, 2025.
- “Going to the Theatre: Calvin on the Beauty and Glory of God.” Grace and Truth: An Erskine Theological Seminary Publication. Summer (2024): 7-10.
- “Nevin, John Williamson.” Michael J. McClymond, ed., Encyclopedia of Religious Revivals in America (Westport, CT: Greenwood, Press, 2007).
- “Turning the Beast into a Beauty: Towards an Evangelical Theological Aesthetics.” Presbyterion 29 (2003): 27-41
- Review of Matthew Heckel, Through My Side into Luther: Calvin’s Relationship to Luther’s Doctrine of the Will (Gottingen, Germany: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2025) in Intégrité 24:2 (2025): 94-99.
- Review of Robert Littlejohn and Charles T. Evans, Wisdom and Eloquence: A Christian Paradigm for Classical Learning (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2006) in Intégrité 5:2 (2006): 67-69.
- Review of Mark A. Noll, America’s God: From Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001) in Presbyterion 32:1 (2006): 55-57.
- Review of D.G. Hart, John Williamson Nevin: High Church Calvinist (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2005) in Westminster Theological Journal 67:2 (2005): 437-440.
- Review of Frank Lambert, Inventing the “Great Awakening” (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1999) in Calvin Theological Journal 37:1 (2002): 141-2.
- Review of Gerald O’Collins and Edward G. Farrugia, A Concise Dictionary of Theology, Revised and Expanded Edition
(Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2000) in Journal of The Evangelical Theological Society 44:4 (2001): 747-8. - Review of Richard Wentz, John Williamson Nevin: American Theologian (NY: Oxford University Press, 1997) in Presbyterion 25 (1999): 123-5.
Experience & Ministry
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U.S. Army Chaplain (2012-2024)
- Headmaster, Covenant Classical Christian School (2006-2011)
- Assistant Pastor, Covenant Presbyterian Church (2006-2011)
- Candidates and Credentials Committee, Palmetto Presbytery (PCA)
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