About Rod D. Martin
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by Rod D. Martin
November 22, 2022
Cody Libolt asked, “What about Facebook are you thankful to God for?” Some people answer “nothing at all”, which is predictable. But I strongly disagree.
I am extremely thankful for Facebook and for social media generally. Though it has its flaws, it is run by flawed people, and it is entirely populated by sinners, this is true of every other community and technological advance because the world is fallen. Criticisms rooted in that are broadly applicable and by no means condemn the new more than the old.
I am grateful for the vastly increased community. I am grateful for the ability to reconnect — and remain connected — with old friends I’d lost track of. I am grateful to share moments in friends’ and family’s lives instantly in real time, moments that would previously have gone unshared. I am grateful to meet countless new and wonderful people and forge relationships otherwise impossible or at least improbable. I am grateful for a decentralized news platform that allows us to get around the centralized hostile media of my youth. I am grateful for the ability to organize for constructive action at a fraction of the former cost, for any purpose whatsoever. I could go on for hours.
Technology always disrupts. We always think disruption is bad, because we are used to our old ways. But technology is merely thinking God’s thoughts after Him: it is His glory to hide a matter, and our glory to search them out. What we do with what we find will always be tainted by sin, but it is not what proceedeth into a man which defiles him: it is what proceeds from him that defiles him. Every advance is good: whether we use every advance for good is up to us.
Facebook, and social media generally, have facilitated a lot of harm. But they have brought absolutely immeasurable good into the world. And God is to be praised for that, as He is for all things.
— What About Facebook are You Thankful to God For? originally appeared as a Facebook post by Rod D. Martin
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin and [former Howard Dean campaign manager] Joe Trippi are America’s two foremost experts on online politics.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.
