Martin Elfert

The Rev. Martin Elfert is an immigrant to the Christian faith. After the birth of his first child, he began to wonder about the ways in which the Divine was at work in the world. Shortly thereafter, he joined Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver, BC, where he and his new son were baptized at the Easter Vigil in 2005 and where the community encouraged him to seek ordination.

All Stories by Martin Elfert

Father Knows Best: I’m afraid of marriage

By Martin Elfert — March 25, 2014
It’s time for you and your girlfriend to book a few meetings with an impartial professional and talk these (and still other) questions out.

Father Knows Best: My thoughts tell me I’m not good enough

By Martin Elfert — March 19, 2014
Name your sense of being not good enough in front of your friends and in front of God. Shine a light on it.

Father Knows Best: Are there new ways to think about sin?

By Martin Elfert — March 12, 2014
I’d like to suggest that we could answer that question using another “s” word: Selfishness.

Father Knows Best: How should I handle verbal abuse?

By Martin Elfert — March 4, 2014
Out of love for your spouse, out of love for God, out of love for yourself, it is time to demand that change begin now.

Father Knows Best: What’s your advice for new writers?

By Martin Elfert — February 19, 2014
Write with the goal of giving a gift to your reader, write with the goal of giving a gift to yourself, write with the goal of giving a gift to God.

Father Knows Best: “Stop assuming someone didn’t intend to conceive”

By Martin Elfert — February 12, 2014
The most charitable explanation that I can come up with is that we are well-intentioned but thoroughly clueless.

Father Knows Best: Why do people disregard what can help them?

By Martin Elfert — February 5, 2014
It can take a lot of time and a lot of effort to get to the place where we are able to name out loud the thing with which we are struggling.

Father Knows Best: Why Christianity has so many denominations

By Martin Elfert — January 28, 2014
While acknowledging the sadness of our divisions, I would also like to acknowledge and even to celebrate the ways in which our diverse traditions make the Body of Christ manifest across the globe.

Father Knows Best: Will a man pay lobola for a woman after they spent years staying together?

By Martin Elfert — January 21, 2014
My educated guess is that the symbols, traditions, and ritual actions around marriage which will survive are those that, in some way, nurture relationships.

Father Knows Best: Do you believe in ghosts?

By Martin Elfert — January 14, 2014
I find it plausible enough that there might be some souls who take longer to leave this world than others.

Father Knows Best: Finding the Holy Spirit

By Martin Elfert — January 8, 2014
I’m worried that you may not be allowing room for the possibility of finding the Spirit in the everydayness of neighbor and of neighborhood.

Father Knows Best: Can my husband divide our assets without my approval?

By Martin Elfert — December 31, 2013
The last handful of times that I have been to a wedding, one word in the service has particularly caught my attention. That word is “mutual.”

Father Knows Best: How can I say I believe in God and in the decision I’ve made?

By Martin Elfert — December 17, 2013
The absence of biblical teaching on abortion is one of the big reasons that the Christian movement has historically kept room for a broad range of opinions on this subject.

Father Knows Best: Goin’ to the Chapel?

By Martin Elfert — December 10, 2013
The absence of communication between your boyfriend and the mother of his child is a major red flag.

Father Knows Best: How do I find a church and faith to bring strength to my soul?

By Martin Elfert — December 4, 2013
If you are hearing a call to find a church and a vigorous faith, Searching, then go find the Christians who surprise you with their love, their patience, and their willingness to take holy risks.
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