About Rod D. Martin
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Faith & Cultureby Rod D. Martin
May 25, 2015
David Murrow writes this startling and too-true piece, “Why Prominent Christian Men are Abandoning the Local Church,” and I was going to blog about it anyway, because it is a very real problem with significant implications both for the Christian leaders discussed and for the failings of the American church broadly and of the specific churches being abandoned.
But I posted it on Facebook first. And imagine my surprise to have several good and well-intentioned men immediately tell me that the aforementioned leaders have no right to forsake the body.
Well duh.
And of course, they kind of made my point. When you have to resort to “because I said so” or “because I’m the authority” to win an argument, you’ve already lost it. That’s where a lot of men are today with the church.
The church has authority, but it also has a duty to reach the lost and disciple them. To disciple them means to teach them how to live their lives in conformity to God’s will, and if their lives deviate significantly from the norm — for example, by involving greater levels of responsibility than most, or by grappling with more complex questions than today’s average local pastor can answer — the church is supposed to be able to deal with that, somehow. Certainly in previous ages it did so quite successfully: for example, many of the brilliant political philosophers who birthed the American Revolution were pastors. And of course, as I’ve written often before, men as a group don’t want to sit around listening to platitudes and singing Kum Ba Yah: they want to do something, something that matters, and they want to get to it right now. The church is supposed to give leadership there too, and not exclusively regarding the Great Commission.
If our churches are failing in that, perhaps we ought to look less at those we’re failing and more at those who are failing them. But we can’t really ever have that discussion if our first reaction is to cut off debate. If a woman is being terrorized by her wicked abusive husband, we generally should not start with a lecture on her duty to submit.
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
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.
The future of technology is the future of America. Rod Martin sees that future clearly, and also sees how to shape it for the betterment of all. He is firmly rooted in the traditions of faith and patriotism that have made America great. That’s why he has made, and will make, so many outstanding contributions in so many areas.