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Voices
John W. Martens is a professor of theology and director of the Centre for Christian Engagement at St. Mark’s College at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C.
The Good Word
John W. Martens
Earlier this Fall we decided it was time to sell some of the toys the boys now 23 and 15 had accumulated over their childhoods There were too many trucks action figures and games which were no longer needed or useful this does not include Lego wooden train sets wooden castle blocks from Germa
The Good Word
John W. Martens
The contradictory nature of Christ rsquo s kingship a sign of contradiction for the world and his followers is not seen in the power that properly belongs to his kingship but the manner in which he lays it down for the nbsp world and for the Church This contradiction reveals not only the heart o
The Good Word
John W. Martens
This passage from Paul rsquo s first letter to the Thessalonians 5 1-6 falls squarely into the realm of Jewish apocalyptic thought as does much of Jesus rsquo own teaching found in the Gospels with one profound difference the Christians were not Jews awaiting the coming of the Messiah The follo
The Good Word
John W. Martens
People often talk about absent men fathers who are not there male role models lacking in boys rsquo lives but what about when the men are everywhere and nowhere to be seen nbsp In the case of the allegations of sexual abuse in the Penn State football program the men were not and are not ther
The Good Word
John W. Martens
There are times when teaching moves beyond facts and data and reveals the depth of human longing These are times when students connect the material they are studying to their own lives and the questions they ask are unencumbered by shyness fear of embarrassment worry or concern about lack of know
The Good Word
John W. Martens
This is not a post about sexual abuse in the Catholic Church I have written here before about child sexual abuse perpretrated by clergy in the Catholic Church and covered up by others within the Church Some have claimed it s not that bad and blown out of proportion others claim such things do not
The Good Word
John W. Martens
In August I raised the question of whether Catholic theology understands Adam and Eve as real historical persons especially in light of new scientific evidence reagrding the origin of human beings evidence which was now being considered by evangelical scholars Albert Mohler warned against this m
The Good Word
John W. Martens
I battle between notions of sainthood which I find in the Bible and notions of sainthood which have developed organically in the Church over the centuries We might fairly call these the Protestant and Catholic concepts of sainthood though ultimately this is too limiting for either idea As a boy
The Good Word
John W. Martens
The Apostle Paul had arrived in Thessalonica only months before his first letter to the Church there was written nbsp Paul along with Barnabas and Timothy went to Thessalonica in what scholars sometimes call ldquo the 2nd Missionary journey rdquo departing from Philippi where they had begun t
The Good Word
John W. Martens
When early Church documents are unearthed it is usually a cause for celebration and excitement but this partially restored document which contains only the words of one known as the Consultant Early Church Public Relations Feast Division has remained remarkably unknown The ancient language in