Text Size:Zoom InZoom Out   RSS Feed
  • Symphony | Posted by Mart De Haan on Aug 30 2009

    Over time, we all come across ideas that change the way we think about ourselves. For me, one of those thoughts is that a well-lived life is more like a symphony than a solo.
    The point takes nothing away from a solo. I love hearing Willie Nelson sing “September Song,” or LeAnn Rimes do her version [...]

  • The Meaning of a Head and Body | Posted by Mart De Haan on Aug 21 2009

    Some of the most gruesome events of the Iraq war involved the beheading of enemies by terrorist cells. Yet long ago,
    David did it to the Philistine giant, Goliath (1Samuel 17). The Philistines later beheaded King Saul and hung his headless body on the city wall of Beth Shan (1Sam 31:9). John the Baptist suffered the [...]

  • Pastoral or Elder Rule? | Posted by Mart De Haan on Mar 18 2009

    I’m convinced that there are few callings more honorable or difficult than that of a pastor-shepherd.
    If we think the relationship between husband and wife is problematic, imagine the complexity involved in the relationship between church congregations and their spiritual leaders.
    Interestingly, the New Testament likens both church and marriage to a body and discusses at length what [...]

  • What About Women Elders? | Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 04 2008

    Seems to me that if appointing anyone to the church office of elder or deacon– man or woman– would significantly divide the church over whether such an appointment was forbidden by the Bible, the better part of wisdom is to avoid such action until the church can act with unity. The New [...]

  • Men, Women and the Bible | Posted by Mart De Haan on Dec 02 2008

    The conversation we began yesterday about women and the Bible shows how many of us are trying to understand the intent of God for gender-based roles in the home and church.
    Together we have seen how followers of Christ divide over the interpretation and application of statements made by the Apostles Paul and Peter in some [...]

  • Singapore Update | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jul 09 2008

    Here’s a picture, looking from the ground up, at the condominium complex where I’m staying for the week. A couple of retired business people, who have been volunteering their counsel for our international efforts, have graciously opened up their home to me.
    The striking architecture of the building reflects the progressive style of this whole community. [...]

  • The Voting Booth | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jun 03 2008

    As the last two US Democratic primaries are held today in South Dakota and Montana, I’ve been thinking again about the different ways followers of Christ enter a voting booth.
    During the course of this lengthy election process, with far more to come, it’s been clear that some of us believe we have an obligation [...]

  • 12 Steps and the Church | Posted by Mart De Haan on Apr 04 2008

    After reading the responses to my last post, it’s clear that a lot of us agree about the need to be realistic about the predictable downsides and disappointments of church life. But at the same time we don’t think that lowering our expectations of one another is the way to go. We share a vision [...]

  • Why I Don't Go To Church | Posted by Mart De Haan on Apr 03 2008

    What happens if we lower our expectations for the church?
    A few weeks ago I expressed a hunch that disillusionment is a problem for many of us who have been around the church for awhile. Since then a number of friends have taken the occasion to tell their own story. Some have struggled with disappointment and [...]