BTA In Action
Archive Calendar
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Sit down with me as we think through some tough topics in a reflective way and examine some of the difficult issues that can trouble followers of Christ. My hope is that you’ll always come away with more to think about… RBC Ministries
- The Value of a Person |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Aug 11 2010
What did Jesus mean when he said that “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27)? Could people be more important than the laws of God? The question is similar to the business-related question we’ve been discussing the last couple of days: Are people and relationships more important than [...]
- The Pharisee in Me |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Jun 17 2010
Over the years I have occasionally noticed the similarity between my own values and those held by the enemies of Jesus. According to the New Testament and the first century Jewish historian, Josephus, the Pharisees were: People of the Book—Devoted to the memorization and study of the Law. Lovers of God—Deeply committed to the God [...]
- Killing One Another |
Posted by Mart De Haan on May 13 2009
Many of us are trying to understand why an army sergeant turned his weapon on five fellow soldiers at a stress clinic in the outskirts of Baghdad. What was going through the mind of a man who already had his gun taken away before coming up with another? (See article here) The soldier had three [...]
- Didn't Paul Say, All Things Are Lawful? |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Nov 10 2008
When Paul acknowledges in his 1st letter to the Corinthians that “All things are lawful” (1Cor 6:12), he uses a word that occurs about 40 times in the New Testament regarding whether a behavior is legally permissible. Since Paul adds in another letter that we are under grace, not law (Rom 6:14-15), how do we [...]
- What Do Evangelicals Really Want? |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Nov 08 2008
What if followers of Jesus won every election for leadership and public policy? What if, in the process, we collectively earned a reputation for being a decent and honest people? What if we were universally regarded, not as self-righteous, money-loving, hypocrites, but as faithful, sincere advocates of personal and social morality? What if all of [...]
- Messianics, Law, and Grace |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Nov 07 2008
There are a number of reasons to have issues with the Apostle Paul. Even Peter acknowledged that Paul had written things hard to understand (2Peter 3:14-18). But in addition to the fact that, in this text, Peter acknowledged Paul’s God-given wisdom and grouped his letters with “other Scripture,” here are some things I think we [...]
- Hate Crimes (2nd of 2) |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Mar 04 2008
Hate crimes have a long history. Followers of Christ living under the Caesars were victims of torture and death. So were Jews under the Third Reich, Native Americans in the land of their birth, and Africans who were kidnapped, sold into slavery, used, bred, and traded like domestic animals. By nature, hate crimes are contrary [...]
- Hate Crimes (1st of 2) |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Feb 29 2008
I’ve been noticing the way some followers of Christ are resisting and speaking out against hate crime laws. One religious trade group reasons that, “‘Hate Crimes’ legislation would have a harmful ‘chilling effect’ on the religious freedoms of … Christian ministries to communicate the whole counsel of God on such subjects as false religious doctrines [...]
- Marital Abuse |
Posted by Mart De Haan on Oct 01 2007
Do we have a high enough view of marriage to respond adequately to marital abuse? Before answering, let’s consider one woman who represents many. To personalize her, let’s imagine her as our daughter or friend. She doesn’t know where to turn and blames herself for ending up in a bad marriage. We know she isn’t [...]
