• The Story and Struggle of Marriage | Posted by Mart De Haan on May 11 2008

    In first century Greek, Roman, and Jewish society, a man was the master of his house. Wives lived under the rule of their husbands and were expected to submit to them. So when the Apostle Paul, in his New Testament letters, encouraged wives to submit to their husbands, those words would not have been unusual.
    Two [...]

  • What's Behind Polygamy? | Posted by Mart De Haan on Apr 18 2008

    In 2004 an article in USA Today raised a question about whether modern polygamy law exposes our hypocrisy. In that article Jonathan Turley writes, “For polygamists, it is simply a matter of unequal treatment under the law. Individuals have a recognized constitutional right to engage in any form of consensual sexual relationship with any [...]

  • The Submission Riddle | Posted by Mart De Haan on Feb 23 2008

    When does the absence of submission double its meaning?
    I learned something this week that has carried with me into the weekend. Let me see if I can put in words a thought that I find compelling.
    In the ongoing debate about the role of husbands and wives, we’ve probably all heard both sides of the argument. [...]

  • 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 perfect. But what [...]