MAN-MAR - PEOPLE-FILES
- Nathaniel Manderson - Ben Mandrell - Jason Mandryk - Clinton Manley - Clinton Manley - Andrew Manis - Botrus Mansour - Cecil Maranville - Angel Marcial - Amanda Marcotte - Keith Markham - Michael Markham - Mike Marlar - Todd Marrah - George Marsden - Chris Martin - Dave Martin - Lerone Martin - Lia Martin - Nicole Massie Martin - Wes Martin - Steven R Martins -
==nathaniel manderson======
Pastor blows up the 'love affair between Donald Trump and American evangelicals'
Evangelical Christians are not going to be convinced by the left to reject Donald Trump, but there's still hope it may happen anyway, according to one former pastor. Nathaniel Manderson, who was educated at a conservative seminary and has been a pastor, a career counselor, and a high school teacher, said in a piece published on Sunday that evangelical Christianity can only be "saved" if it "dumps Trump." "Liberal mockery will never break the spell. My fellow evangelical believers have to look within themselves," Manderson writes in the Salon article. (Raw Story 2/18/24) READ MORE>>>>>
Evangelical Christians are not going to be convinced by the left to reject Donald Trump, but there's still hope it may happen anyway, according to one former pastor. Nathaniel Manderson, who was educated at a conservative seminary and has been a pastor, a career counselor, and a high school teacher, said in a piece published on Sunday that evangelical Christianity can only be "saved" if it "dumps Trump." "Liberal mockery will never break the spell. My fellow evangelical believers have to look within themselves," Manderson writes in the Salon article. (Raw Story 2/18/24) READ MORE>>>>>
==ben mandrell======
Ben Mandrell should take humility lessons from Bart Barber
I thought I had seen arrogance in Southern Baptist Convention agency heads in my 62 years of living, but I had not heard from Ben Mandrell until today. His cold-hearted arrogance speaking before the SBC annual meeting today is in a class all by itself. Honestly, I was stunned hearing him speak from the floor of the convention in Indianapolis where a motion was under consideration to censure him and Bart Barber and Al Mohler for signing an amicus brief in a Kentucky case that had nothing to do with the SBC but pitted them and the SBC against an abuse survivor seeking justice. According to Ecclesiastes, there is a time to be silent and a time to speak. This Kentucky case was, at best, a time to remain silent. Because in filing the controversial brief they did, these three SBC leaders gave the appearance of putting the SBC on record seeking to cut off justice for a known abuse survivor. (Baptist News Global 6/12/24) Read More>>>>>
I thought I had seen arrogance in Southern Baptist Convention agency heads in my 62 years of living, but I had not heard from Ben Mandrell until today. His cold-hearted arrogance speaking before the SBC annual meeting today is in a class all by itself. Honestly, I was stunned hearing him speak from the floor of the convention in Indianapolis where a motion was under consideration to censure him and Bart Barber and Al Mohler for signing an amicus brief in a Kentucky case that had nothing to do with the SBC but pitted them and the SBC against an abuse survivor seeking justice. According to Ecclesiastes, there is a time to be silent and a time to speak. This Kentucky case was, at best, a time to remain silent. Because in filing the controversial brief they did, these three SBC leaders gave the appearance of putting the SBC on record seeking to cut off justice for a known abuse survivor. (Baptist News Global 6/12/24) Read More>>>>>
May 19, 2023: Only Sky: The Southern Baptist Convention had its worst EVER membership drop in 2022
On the plus side, Lifeway’s new president, Ben Mandrell, reports that the organization had “revenue growth” last year (p. 62). After how much Thom Rainer, the previous president, apparently mucked things up, I bet Southern Baptist Convention folks will be glad to hear that news.
On the plus side, Lifeway’s new president, Ben Mandrell, reports that the organization had “revenue growth” last year (p. 62). After how much Thom Rainer, the previous president, apparently mucked things up, I bet Southern Baptist Convention folks will be glad to hear that news.
==Jason Mandryk======
There is no such thing as the evangelical’: Researchers say the movement’s center has shifted to the Global South
The question of who qualifies as an evangelical and how many evangelicals exist worldwide continues to puzzle scholars, church leaders and mission researchers alike. That was the central theme of a Sept. 2 webinar hosted by the World Evangelical Alliance and released publicly Sept. 5, featuring two leading voices in global religious demography. Dr. Gina A. Zurlo, editor of the World Christian Database and a lecturer at Harvard Divinity School, and Jason Mandryk, longtime editor of Operation World, outlined both the difficulties and the necessity of measuring a movement that is increasingly diverse and shifting rapidly toward the Global South. Both experts agreed that unlike Catholicism, Orthodoxy, or even Pentecostalism, evangelicalism has no universally agreed-upon definition. This makes the task of counting adherents unusually complex. Yet, they stressed, reliable figures are crucial for understanding how Christianity is changing worldwide. (Christian Daily 9/6/25) READMORE>>>>>
The question of who qualifies as an evangelical and how many evangelicals exist worldwide continues to puzzle scholars, church leaders and mission researchers alike. That was the central theme of a Sept. 2 webinar hosted by the World Evangelical Alliance and released publicly Sept. 5, featuring two leading voices in global religious demography. Dr. Gina A. Zurlo, editor of the World Christian Database and a lecturer at Harvard Divinity School, and Jason Mandryk, longtime editor of Operation World, outlined both the difficulties and the necessity of measuring a movement that is increasingly diverse and shifting rapidly toward the Global South. Both experts agreed that unlike Catholicism, Orthodoxy, or even Pentecostalism, evangelicalism has no universally agreed-upon definition. This makes the task of counting adherents unusually complex. Yet, they stressed, reliable figures are crucial for understanding how Christianity is changing worldwide. (Christian Daily 9/6/25) READMORE>>>>>
==clinton manley======
Clinton Manley is a contract editor for Desiring God and a student at Bethlehem Seminary. He lives in Minneapolis, where he is a member of Cities Church.
The Disciplined Imagination
Seminary is often good but rarely safe. An ever-present danger stalks the corridors of higher education — the looming threat that you will know much more and be much less. This danger is a kind of insanity — a shriveling of the soul — that finds potentially fertile soil in propositions, paradigms, arguments, and facts. That is not at all to say theological education should be avoided. But if reason consumes a man’s heart, if his imagination atrophies, then he may know more facts about God but enjoy him less. That means God’s glory is at stake in our sanity. But what is sanity? Well, one philosopher defines sanity as “a proportion with reference to purpose” (Ideas Have Consequences, 54). In other words, the sane mind is the balanced mind — what Paul would call the sober mind (2 Timothy 4:5). The sane man is stable — clearheaded, set in soul, poised to act. Insanity, on the other hand, never finds its feet. The insane man fixates on the peripheral and forgets the bull’s-eye. He is unstable. (Desiring God; Clinton Manley) READ MORE>>>>>
Seminary is often good but rarely safe. An ever-present danger stalks the corridors of higher education — the looming threat that you will know much more and be much less. This danger is a kind of insanity — a shriveling of the soul — that finds potentially fertile soil in propositions, paradigms, arguments, and facts. That is not at all to say theological education should be avoided. But if reason consumes a man’s heart, if his imagination atrophies, then he may know more facts about God but enjoy him less. That means God’s glory is at stake in our sanity. But what is sanity? Well, one philosopher defines sanity as “a proportion with reference to purpose” (Ideas Have Consequences, 54). In other words, the sane mind is the balanced mind — what Paul would call the sober mind (2 Timothy 4:5). The sane man is stable — clearheaded, set in soul, poised to act. Insanity, on the other hand, never finds its feet. The insane man fixates on the peripheral and forgets the bull’s-eye. He is unstable. (Desiring God; Clinton Manley) READ MORE>>>>>
==botrus Mansour======
How a Baptist from Nazareth Plans to Unite Global Evangelicals
The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) appointed Botrus Mansour as the global body’s new secretary general and CEO last week. It is the first time an Arab Christian will lead the WEA, a global organization of national and regional alliances representing 600 million evangelicals. The role has been open since former secretary general Thomas Schirrmacher resigned due to medical reasons in March last year. Peirong Lin, deputy secretary of the WEA, told CT in April that the organization was seeking a leader who could unite global evangelicals amid wars and political divisions. Meanwhile, the WEA has also faced critiques about its “theological ambiguities” and its collaboration with mainline Protestants and Catholics. A trained lawyer, Mansour serves as the operational director of Nazareth Baptist School, an elder and cofounder of Local Baptist Church in Nazareth, and CT’s Arabic translator. He has held other leadership positions in churches and parachurch groups, including the Convention of Evangelical Churches in Israel, the Alliance of Evangelical Conventions in Jordan and the Holy Land, Christian Schools in Israel, Advocates International, and the Lausanne Initiative for Reconciliation in Israel-Palestine.
(Christianity Today 8/27/25) READMORE>>>>>
The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) appointed Botrus Mansour as the global body’s new secretary general and CEO last week. It is the first time an Arab Christian will lead the WEA, a global organization of national and regional alliances representing 600 million evangelicals. The role has been open since former secretary general Thomas Schirrmacher resigned due to medical reasons in March last year. Peirong Lin, deputy secretary of the WEA, told CT in April that the organization was seeking a leader who could unite global evangelicals amid wars and political divisions. Meanwhile, the WEA has also faced critiques about its “theological ambiguities” and its collaboration with mainline Protestants and Catholics. A trained lawyer, Mansour serves as the operational director of Nazareth Baptist School, an elder and cofounder of Local Baptist Church in Nazareth, and CT’s Arabic translator. He has held other leadership positions in churches and parachurch groups, including the Convention of Evangelical Churches in Israel, the Alliance of Evangelical Conventions in Jordan and the Holy Land, Christian Schools in Israel, Advocates International, and the Lausanne Initiative for Reconciliation in Israel-Palestine.
(Christianity Today 8/27/25) READMORE>>>>>
==Andrew manis======
Andrew M. Manis is emeritus professor of history at Middle Georgia State University and author of A Fire You Can’t Put Out: The Civil Rights Life of Birmingham’s Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth. He is currently working with Mark V. Puroshotham, producer and director of Mercy Pictures, on a documentary based on the book.
Andrew Manis Files
Numerous conservative pastors and commentators have declared to their flocks that true Christians must vote Republican if they are faithful. Chief among those is Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, who told a conservative political action group this fall that to vote for Democrats makes them “unfaithful to God.”
But what if he’s got it backward? What if voting for today’s iteration of the Republican Party — driven by the business of white supremacy more than actual business interests — makes one “unfaithful to God”? I read a Facebook post from one of my college friends indicating he would vote for Trump because “he was the only one who will protect us Christians.” Republicans must not have heard the news that religious belief, practice and institutions have thrived in the U.S. because they did not enjoy the favor of the government.
Instead, the churches had to work to spread the gospel and strengthen church life in America. Contrast the health of religion in America, where there has been no officially favored religion (even if, historically, most Americans have been Christians), with religion in most European countries where state churches once abounded but are now virtually empty. -Andrew Manis; Baptist News Global; Should ‘real’ Christians really vote Republican today? 11.3.22
But what if he’s got it backward? What if voting for today’s iteration of the Republican Party — driven by the business of white supremacy more than actual business interests — makes one “unfaithful to God”? I read a Facebook post from one of my college friends indicating he would vote for Trump because “he was the only one who will protect us Christians.” Republicans must not have heard the news that religious belief, practice and institutions have thrived in the U.S. because they did not enjoy the favor of the government.
Instead, the churches had to work to spread the gospel and strengthen church life in America. Contrast the health of religion in America, where there has been no officially favored religion (even if, historically, most Americans have been Christians), with religion in most European countries where state churches once abounded but are now virtually empty. -Andrew Manis; Baptist News Global; Should ‘real’ Christians really vote Republican today? 11.3.22
==angel marcial======
Feb 17, 2023: Christianity Today: Latino Evangelicals Ask DeSantis to Spare the Life of a Man on Death Row
Among those who signed the letter are Bishop Angel Marcial, president of the Florida Fellowship of Hispanic Councils and Evangelical Institutions; the Rev. Irene Familia, president of the Pastors Association of Volusia County; and the Rev. Ivan García, president of the Fellowship of Evangelical Ministers of Tampa. Signers also included Black clergy leaders, such as Bishop Derrick L. McRae, president of the African American Council of Christian Clergy, and the Rev. Frank Madison Reid III, with the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Among those who signed the letter are Bishop Angel Marcial, president of the Florida Fellowship of Hispanic Councils and Evangelical Institutions; the Rev. Irene Familia, president of the Pastors Association of Volusia County; and the Rev. Ivan García, president of the Fellowship of Evangelical Ministers of Tampa. Signers also included Black clergy leaders, such as Bishop Derrick L. McRae, president of the African American Council of Christian Clergy, and the Rev. Frank Madison Reid III, with the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
==cecil maranville======
Cecil Maranville was a minister of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association and now retired.
Cecil Maranville
“And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question” (Acts 15:1-2). The “certain men” are not identified. They were likely members of the Church of God—perhaps people of influence, given the impact their opinion had. Their contention that salvation depended upon physical circumcision created great controversy among the gentiles! It also stirred controversy anew among some Jewish members who were reminded of God’s covenant sign to Abraham. In support of male circumcision for all who would come into the Church, some Pharisees who were now members of the Church expressed concern about faithfulness to “the law of Moses” (Acts 15:5). --Cecil Maranville; Life Hope & Truth; Acts 15: How Was the Law Changed?
==amanda marcotte======
MAGA evangelicals’ 'religious freedom' claims are falling apart
In an article published on Monday, January 26 — two days after Pretti's death — Salon's Amanda Marcotte offers a blistering critique of the response that far-right white evangelicals have had to the unrest in Minneapolis.
"The Christian Right will never turn down an opportunity to make false accusations of religious persecution," Marcotte argues. "These days, they're especially eager to play the victim. Doing so allows them to distract from the ugly reality that they, in voting for Donald Trump, have helped to unleash in Minnesota: A woman killed in front of her wife, children ripped from their parents, a baby nearly killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents firing tear gas at a family driving home from a basketball game. On Saturday, there was another unjustifiable shooting. Video appears to show 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an intensive-care unit nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital, helping a woman to her feet when Border Patrol agents swarm and pepper-spray him — and then shoot him in the head." (MSN; 1.26.26) READMORE>>>>>
In an article published on Monday, January 26 — two days after Pretti's death — Salon's Amanda Marcotte offers a blistering critique of the response that far-right white evangelicals have had to the unrest in Minneapolis.
"The Christian Right will never turn down an opportunity to make false accusations of religious persecution," Marcotte argues. "These days, they're especially eager to play the victim. Doing so allows them to distract from the ugly reality that they, in voting for Donald Trump, have helped to unleash in Minnesota: A woman killed in front of her wife, children ripped from their parents, a baby nearly killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents firing tear gas at a family driving home from a basketball game. On Saturday, there was another unjustifiable shooting. Video appears to show 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an intensive-care unit nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital, helping a woman to her feet when Border Patrol agents swarm and pepper-spray him — and then shoot him in the head." (MSN; 1.26.26) READMORE>>>>>
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How Republicans convinced themselves America was meant to be a "Christian nation" As a progressive black sheep who has drifted politically from my lily-white Republican family, I have ample opportunity to witness the damage that the MAGA movement has been doing to people I once considered reasonable-if-conservative. Most of it sadly predictable: People who denounced Bill Clinton's gross-but-consensual affair now make excuses for Donald Trump's sexual assaults. There's the willing participation in conspiracy theories they know full well are nonsense. And, of course, when utterly unable to make any sense of their own political "beliefs," the fallback of dumb "let's go Brandon"-type jokes. What has genuinely surprised me, however, is the way a bunch of folks who were previously not very religious have become all about Jesus. Maybe not enough to go to church, mind you, but enough to start littering their social media posts and other communications with Bible verses and the sentimental religious imagery. Not too long ago, many of these folks used to mock the showy piety of the fundamentalist neighbors. I fully blame the MAGA movement, of course. (Amanda Marcotte/Salon 12/13/23) READ MORE>>>>> |
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==keith markham======
May 29, 1998: Baptist Press: Utah churches face challenges as part of religious minority
At Mountain View Baptist Church in Layton, Utah, those relationships have been built largely through a wide array of support groups and other programs of interest to the broader community. A Christmas “Walk through Bethlehem” presentation that covers the entire grounds, for instance, has been effective in introducing the church to the community and opening the doors for further contact. The church has found a niche that has allowed it to thrive evangelistically in an area where others have struggled.
“We have not felt any rejection, we have not felt any obstacles that we couldn’t overcome,” said Keith Markham, Mountain View’s pastor. “We have not felt anything except that the Lord is working here and he is letting us work with him.”
At Mountain View Baptist Church in Layton, Utah, those relationships have been built largely through a wide array of support groups and other programs of interest to the broader community. A Christmas “Walk through Bethlehem” presentation that covers the entire grounds, for instance, has been effective in introducing the church to the community and opening the doors for further contact. The church has found a niche that has allowed it to thrive evangelistically in an area where others have struggled.
“We have not felt any rejection, we have not felt any obstacles that we couldn’t overcome,” said Keith Markham, Mountain View’s pastor. “We have not felt anything except that the Lord is working here and he is letting us work with him.”
==michael markham======
OU joins a Hall of Shame
The administrators involved are Michael Markham, dean of OU’s Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences since July, and André-Denis Wright, provost since 2021.Having reviewed the situation, these administrators took the side of a whiny student and sullied their university’s reputation in the larger academic community. “Based on an examination of the graduate teaching assistant’s prior grading standards and patterns, as well as the graduate teaching assistant’s own statements related to this matter, it was determined that the graduate teaching assistant was arbitrary in the grading of this specific paper,” they said.
. (Baptist News Global; 12.23.25)READMORE>>>>>>
The administrators involved are Michael Markham, dean of OU’s Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences since July, and André-Denis Wright, provost since 2021.Having reviewed the situation, these administrators took the side of a whiny student and sullied their university’s reputation in the larger academic community. “Based on an examination of the graduate teaching assistant’s prior grading standards and patterns, as well as the graduate teaching assistant’s own statements related to this matter, it was determined that the graduate teaching assistant was arbitrary in the grading of this specific paper,” they said.
. (Baptist News Global; 12.23.25)READMORE>>>>>>
==mike marlar======
Feb 24, 2023: Christian Chronicle: Addressing church decline one child at a time
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Holy Father, we thank thee for this day and all of the blessings of life,” elder Mike Marlar prayed. “We pray for the spiritual growth and development of Miah. As she grows, we pray that you will keep her close to thee, that you will give her the presence and control of your Holy Spirit.”
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Holy Father, we thank thee for this day and all of the blessings of life,” elder Mike Marlar prayed. “We pray for the spiritual growth and development of Miah. As she grows, we pray that you will keep her close to thee, that you will give her the presence and control of your Holy Spirit.”
==todd marrah======
'A broken nation': Columbus church leaders call for unity after Trump rally Shooting
Pastors at several Columbus churches, preaching for the first time since the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump that occurred Saturday evening, reflected on the role of faith in U.S. political life and called for prayers for an ailing nation Sunday. Executive pastor Todd Marrah, preaching at the nondenominational Rock City Church in Hilliard, called for God to unite the nation that was "this far away from civil war," he said, using his fingers to mark "about one inch" of distance.
(Columbus Dispatch 7/14/24) READMORE>>>>>
Pastors at several Columbus churches, preaching for the first time since the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump that occurred Saturday evening, reflected on the role of faith in U.S. political life and called for prayers for an ailing nation Sunday. Executive pastor Todd Marrah, preaching at the nondenominational Rock City Church in Hilliard, called for God to unite the nation that was "this far away from civil war," he said, using his fingers to mark "about one inch" of distance.
(Columbus Dispatch 7/14/24) READMORE>>>>>
==george marsden======
“When I look into my heart, and take a view of my wickedness, it looks like an abyss infinitely deeper than hell.”
― George M. Marsden, Jonathan Edwards
― George M. Marsden, Jonathan Edwards
“Jonathan Edwards is sometimes criticized for having too dim a view of human nature, but it may be helpful to be reminded that his grandmother was an incorrigible profligate, his great-aunt committed infanticide, and his great-uncle was an ax-murderer.”
― George M. Marsden, Jonathan Edwards
― George M. Marsden, Jonathan Edwards
“True saints," Edwards observed with typical God-centeredness, are "inexpressibly pleased and delighted with ... the things of God." Hypocrites, by contrast, revel in themselves. "The hypocrite has his mind pleased and delighted, in the first place, with his own privilege, and the happiness which he supposes he has attained, or shall obtain."58”
― George M. Marsden, Jonathan Edwards
― George M. Marsden, Jonathan Edwards
“Why would a perfect being, such as God, need to create any less perfect beings? The answer, said Edwards, is that God is perfectly loving and so wishes to share that love with creatures capable of love. Edwards's starting point was that a loving God stands at the heart of the universe. So for Edwards the universe is most essentially personal; it is the creative expression of a person. Edwards's emphasis on personality at the center of reality presents a sharp contrast to most modern views. Since the Enlightenment many modern thinkers have built their theories on the premise that the universe is essentially impersonal, controlled by natural laws. Edwards challenged that view with a vital alternative: that at the core of reality is a loving God, and that love is the dynamic behind the creation of the universe and everything in it. Starting with a sense of God's love at the center of reality then shapes the way we think of true virtue. At the core of reality is the beauty of the love of God pouring forth, so that the highest good is to return that love to God.”
― George M. Marsden, A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards
― George M. Marsden, A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards
“I find that a Christian view of history is clarified if one considers reality as more or less like the world portrayed in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. We live in the midst of contests between great and mysterious spiritual forces, which we understand only imperfectly and whose true dimensions we only occasionally glimpse. Yet, frail as we are, we do play a role in this history, on the side either of the powers of light or of the powers of darkness. It is crucially important then, that, by God’s grace, we keep our wits about us and discern the vast difference between the real forces for good and the powers of darkness disguised as angels of light.”
― George M. Marsden, Fundamentalism and American Culture
― George M. Marsden, Fundamentalism and American Culture
“Christians’ trust in God may be mingled or confused with some culturally formed assumptions, ideals, and values. Inevitably it will. The danger is that our culturally defined loves, allegiances, and understandings will overwhelm and take precedence over our faithfulness to God. So the identification of cultural forces, such as those with which this book is concerned, is essentially a constructive enterprise, with the positive purpose of finding the gold among the dross.”
― George M. Marsden, Fundamentalism and American Culture
― George M. Marsden, Fundamentalism and American Culture
“Martin Marty, a young Lutheran scholar, offered further insights into the situation in The New Shape of American Religion, which appeared in 1959. The so-called revival of religion, Marty explained, was largely a revival of “interest in religion.” Unlike earlier American awakenings, this one was not primarily a renewal of Protestantism but “a maturing national religion”
― George M. Marsden, The Twilight of the American Enlightenment: The 1950s and the Crisis of Liberal Belief
― George M. Marsden, The Twilight of the American Enlightenment: The 1950s and the Crisis of Liberal Belief
“Since God works among imperfect human beings in historical settings, “pure” or “perfect” Christianity can seldom if ever exist in this world. God in his grace works through our limitations; for that very reason we should ask for the grace to recognize what those limitations are. So we may—and ought to—carefully identify the cultural forces which affect the current versions of Christianity.”
― George M. Marsden, Fundamentalism and American Culture
― George M. Marsden, Fundamentalism and American Culture
==chris martin======
Mar 9, 2023: Baptist Press: Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention names interim executive-director
In January, Chris Martin announced he would be departing to accept a position, effective immediately, with the International Mission Board. He had served Hawaii Baptists for 18 years – the last nine as executive director.
In January, Chris Martin announced he would be departing to accept a position, effective immediately, with the International Mission Board. He had served Hawaii Baptists for 18 years – the last nine as executive director.
==dave martin======
April 12, 2023: Bharat Times: Trump and Iowa evangelicals: A bond that is hard to break
The Rev. Dave Martin, a Marshalltown pastor, was an outsider in interviews that suggest Trump’s judicial strategy was intended in 2016 to consolidate support within the skeptic group. “Let’s not forget that many years ago he was for legal abortion,” said Martin, who says he will not support Trump in caucus.
Martin also fiercely criticized Trump’s 2016 campaign statement when he dismissed the need to repent.
The Rev. Dave Martin, a Marshalltown pastor, was an outsider in interviews that suggest Trump’s judicial strategy was intended in 2016 to consolidate support within the skeptic group. “Let’s not forget that many years ago he was for legal abortion,” said Martin, who says he will not support Trump in caucus.
Martin also fiercely criticized Trump’s 2016 campaign statement when he dismissed the need to repent.
==lerone martin======
David A Hollinger
We now have a formidable body of scholarship that establishes the depth and extent of these features of the American evangelical tradition, confirming and expanding on Richard Hofstadter’s legendary analysis in his 1964 book, Anti-intellectualism in American Life. This new body of scholarship is the work of a remarkable generation of young historians who have yet to receive the credit they’re due, so I name some of them here: Darren Dochuk, Matthew Sutton, Anthea Butler, Timothy Gloege, Jesse Curtis, Lerone Martin, J. Russell Hawkins, Stephen Young, Daniel Hummel, Daniel Silliman, and—the only one in this cohort to gain wide media recognition--Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of the justly famous and marvelously titled, Jesus and John Wayne. Sadly, while the majority of these scholars have written for Religion Dispatches, the conclusions of these bold and creative scholars have been largely ignored in the discussion of religion and politics found in the pages of The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other media of comparable reach and influence.
--David Hollinger; Religion Dispatches; The Critiques of Evangelical Writers Opposing Christian Nationalism Fail to Recognize Evangelicalism’s Troubling History 6/18/24
--David Hollinger; Religion Dispatches; The Critiques of Evangelical Writers Opposing Christian Nationalism Fail to Recognize Evangelicalism’s Troubling History 6/18/24
==lia martin======
Lia Martin loves to inspire others to lean into the Lord daily. She's a writer, editor, marketer, former Crosswalk.com Faith Editor, and author of Wisdom at Wit's End: Abandoning Supermom Myths in Search of Supernatural Peace. When she's not cultivating words, she loves walking in nature, reading, exploring the latest health trends, and laughing with her two wonderful kids. She blogs at liamartinwriting.com.
Rise up and activate your whole being: “...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us...” (Hebrews 12:1).
The Book of Hebrews confirms that the authority of Jesus supersedes all other voices, idols, or temptations. The writer is encouraging us, even today, to persevere.
It’s saying that even when we’re down, we are still surrounded by a supernatural cloud of witnesses to God’s majesty that will make the enemy his footstool.
When Satan is messing with your mind, you might find it helps to activate your body. Get up, change your surroundings, go for a walk — or even better — run. Cleanse whatever is clogging up your thoughts with the oxygen of God’s creation.
We are whole beings, and when our minds threaten to paralyze our bodies, it may be time to get fresh air.
--Lia Martin; Christianity.com; How Do We Take Our Thoughts Captive? 2.22.21
The Book of Hebrews confirms that the authority of Jesus supersedes all other voices, idols, or temptations. The writer is encouraging us, even today, to persevere.
It’s saying that even when we’re down, we are still surrounded by a supernatural cloud of witnesses to God’s majesty that will make the enemy his footstool.
When Satan is messing with your mind, you might find it helps to activate your body. Get up, change your surroundings, go for a walk — or even better — run. Cleanse whatever is clogging up your thoughts with the oxygen of God’s creation.
We are whole beings, and when our minds threaten to paralyze our bodies, it may be time to get fresh air.
--Lia Martin; Christianity.com; How Do We Take Our Thoughts Captive? 2.22.21
==nicole massie martin======
Christianity Today Appoints Dr. Nicole Martin as President & CEO
The Christianity Today Board of Directors has unanimously elected Dr. Nicole Massie Martin as its next President and CEO during its annual fall meeting. Dr. Martin has more than 25 years of nonprofit, academic, ministry leadership, and church engagement experience. She has served at CT since 2023 as Chief Impact Officer and most recently Chief Operating Officer. With the help of the firm Carter Baldwin Executive Search, the CT Board of Directors chose Dr. Martin after an extensive five-month search that included a global pool of 130 candidates. The search committee unanimously recommended Dr. Martin to the full board, which affirmed her appointment to replace the previous President and CEO Timothy Dalrymple. Thomas Addington, who served as Interim President since May, will remain at CT as Chief Operating Officer. Dr. Martin graduated magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University and worked as a business analyst for Deloitte. She earned a Master of Divinity degree at Princeton Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where she was also an Adjunct Professor of Ministry and Leadership Development.
(Christianity Today; 11/19/25) READMORE>>>>
The Christianity Today Board of Directors has unanimously elected Dr. Nicole Massie Martin as its next President and CEO during its annual fall meeting. Dr. Martin has more than 25 years of nonprofit, academic, ministry leadership, and church engagement experience. She has served at CT since 2023 as Chief Impact Officer and most recently Chief Operating Officer. With the help of the firm Carter Baldwin Executive Search, the CT Board of Directors chose Dr. Martin after an extensive five-month search that included a global pool of 130 candidates. The search committee unanimously recommended Dr. Martin to the full board, which affirmed her appointment to replace the previous President and CEO Timothy Dalrymple. Thomas Addington, who served as Interim President since May, will remain at CT as Chief Operating Officer. Dr. Martin graduated magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University and worked as a business analyst for Deloitte. She earned a Master of Divinity degree at Princeton Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where she was also an Adjunct Professor of Ministry and Leadership Development.
(Christianity Today; 11/19/25) READMORE>>>>
==wes martin======
After Charlie Kirk’s killing, conservative evangelical leaders hail him as a martyrAt Grace Church in St. Louis, lead pastor Wes Martin characterized Kirk as “one of the most humble, kind, generous and respectful young men that I had ever interacted with at the time.” He described how the pair built a friendship in 2022 and said Kirk would text him Bible verses during hard times. Justin Sparks, the men’s ministry director at Grace Church, said of Kirk, “When he was assassinated, I felt like I lost a member of my own family.” “He wasn’t just a man that was struck down and died, which is tragic, of course,” Sparks said. “What you saw was a righteous man martyred, and Americans haven’t seen that before. He was martyred because he had an explicit worldview of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and he shared it everywhere he went.”
(CNN 9/12/25) READMORE>>>>>
(CNN 9/12/25) READMORE>>>>>
==steven r martins======
Steven R. Martins is the founding pastor of Sevilla Chapel and founding director of the Cántaro Institute in St. Catharines, Ontario. A second-generation Canadian, Steven is of Ibero-American parentage and has worked in the fields of missional apologetics and church leadership for ten years. He has spoken at numerous conferences, churches, and University student events, from York University, Toronto, to the University of West Indies in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and the national Universities of Costa Rica (UNCR and UNC) and the Evangelical University of El Salvador. He is the chief editor of the Celebration of Faith Series, author of Studies in Biblical Apologetics for a Christian Worldview, and has published several other books and monographs. He has also contributed articles to The Gospel Coalition in Spanish and the Siglo XXI journal of the reformed publishing house Editorial CLIR.
Steven holds a Master’s degree summa cum laude in Theological Studies with a focus on Christian apologetics from Veritas International University (Santa Ana, CA., USA) and a Bachelor of Human Resource Management from York University (Toronto, ON., Canada). Steven has served in the past with the Ezra Institute for Contemporary Christianity (EICC) in the roles of staff apologist, writer and director of ministry development and advancement (DMDA) over the course of four years. Steven presently serves on the executive board for Answers in Genesis Canada, and serves pastorally at Harbour Fellowship Church in St. Catharines.
Steven holds a Master’s degree summa cum laude in Theological Studies with a focus on Christian apologetics from Veritas International University (Santa Ana, CA., USA) and a Bachelor of Human Resource Management from York University (Toronto, ON., Canada). Steven has served in the past with the Ezra Institute for Contemporary Christianity (EICC) in the roles of staff apologist, writer and director of ministry development and advancement (DMDA) over the course of four years. Steven presently serves on the executive board for Answers in Genesis Canada, and serves pastorally at Harbour Fellowship Church in St. Catharines.
Steven R Martins Files
He says “let the waters under the heavens be gathered into one place,” referring to the fact that God had indeed covered the entire earth with water since the beginning. We find this to be an affirmation, not a contradiction, with the creation account. The waters are no different than what we know of today, as the Hebrew “mayim” refers to the basic element of water; they are the oceans of the Pacific and the Atlantic, but not divided, rather initially created as one. It should also be noted, considering the previous commentaries, that the waters being gathered were the waters beneath the heavens. In the previous passage, waters were separated from waters, and the breathable atmosphere was created as a result of God’s creative handiwork. This led many theologians and apologists to derive a protective layering theory. God is being incredibly precise and exact in that the waters He is gathering are not the waters above the expanse, or above the firmament, but the waters below the earthly heavens.
--Steven R Martins: Bible Commentary – Genesis 1:9
--Steven R Martins: Bible Commentary – Genesis 1:9
