Monthly Archives: March 2009

The New Calvinism

Posted on March 31, 2009 by John Armstrong

A recent TIME (March 21, 2009) magazine cover story caught a lot of attention, especially among evangelical Christians. Right alongside of ideas like "Ecological Intelligence," "Africa: Open for Business" and "Reinventing the Highway" was "The New Calvinism." This short article, … Continue reading →

Posted in American Evangelicalism | 22 Comments

Why Politics Matters Deeply and Why Politics Is Sometimes Dirty Rotten Business

Posted on March 30, 2009 by John Armstrong

Last week I watched two very interesting DVD accounts of political lives. I was struck by how important politics is, on the one hand, and why the whole business stinks on the other. The first DVD I watched was a … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 1 Comment

Your Church Is Too Small

Posted on March 29, 2009 by John Armstrong

Many of you have prayed for me as I wrote a book telling my own story and explaining what I mean by missional-ecumenism. That book was completed last November, at least the draft was finished. I then gave it to … Continue reading →

Posted in ACT 3 | 6 Comments

A Lunch With Visionary Pastors

Posted on March 28, 2009 by John Armstrong

One part of my ministry is the privilege of meeting with pastors, both one-on-one, and in small groups. On Thursday, March 19, I had a lovely luncheon with six pastors in Rockford, Illinois. Rockford is a city of 150,000 people … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | 2 Comments

The Emerging Church: Can We Talk?

Posted on March 27, 2009 by John Armstrong

Since the late 1990s a conversation has been going on about the emergent church. Opinions and reactions range from one end of a broad spectrum to another. Personally, I have longed to see someone deal with these issues fairly from … Continue reading →

Posted in Emergent Church | 2 Comments

Mere Christianity and the Reality of Hell

Posted on March 26, 2009 by John Armstrong

Not long after his rather dramatic conversion to Christ, in 1929, the late C. S. Lewis wrote to a friend: “When all is said (and truly said) about the divisions of Christendom, there remains, by God’s mercy, an enormous common … Continue reading →

Posted in Church Tradition | 1 Comment

How Can We Enter the Reality Which Is the Church?

Posted on March 25, 2009 by John Armstrong

The late Indian theologian-evangelist, D.T. Niles, relates the story of sitting in the 1954 Assembly of the World Council of Churches and listening to a great sermon by Archbishop Michael of the Orthodox Church. He said that for half an … Continue reading →

Posted in Unity of the Church | 5 Comments

For God So Loved the World

Posted on March 24, 2009 by John Armstrong

No text may be better known than John 3:16. We see it at ballgames and we hear it from Christians regularly. Most of us who have any background in the Christian faith learned it before we heard almost any other … Continue reading →

Posted in Christ/Christology | 1 Comment

A Dallas Retreat on Spiritual Awakening

Posted on March 23, 2009 by John Armstrong

This Saturday, March 28, I will teach a unique seminar from 9:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at Bent Tree Bible Fellowship (The Treehouse), in Carrollton, Texas. Men and women from the north Dallas-Fort area have formed a group of intercessors … Continue reading →

Posted in ACT 3 | Leave a comment

Christianity Is Christ

Posted on March 22, 2009 by John Armstrong

Christianity is many things. It is a religion, in the best sense of the word, and it is a relationship with God. It is an ethical and doctrinal system that teaches us how to live and what we must believe … Continue reading →

Posted in Christ/Christology | Leave a comment