Blog - Page 113 of 318 - John H Armstrong

Encouragement: The Key to Freedom and Hope

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:33-05:00June 7th, 2011|Categories: Leadership, Personal, Sports|

I believe you cannot encourage a person too much. You might mislead them by false words of so-called encouragement but you cannot over encourage a person with honest and loving words. I thought about this last week when my 13-year old granddaughter was playing in a soccer tournament that included three games on a windy, cold Saturday (May 28). Her team has been pretty successful over the years but recently has met with some discouragement and a few defeats.

As I watched these 13-14 year old girls play hard I also watched them fail to move the ball down the field and get shots on their opponent’s goal. Finally, late in the second half trailing 2-0, a hard, strong, straight kick was made on the opponent’s goal but it sailed quite high. The coach gave what we call a “Bronx Cheer.” It was insincere and even cynical. She was frustrated and took it out on her team. I was embarrassed and annoyed. I knew right there and then that this was not a good coach and thus I understood why this talented team was underperforming.

I played several […]

The Gospel Is Completely Antithetical to Our Way of Thinking

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:33-05:00June 6th, 2011|Categories: Biblical Theology, Christ/Christology, Jesus, Mysticism|

For some years I have believed the gospel is good news about Jesus and his reign in this world and in the world to come. Thus we pray as our Lord taught us to pray: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” The gospel of the kingdom is not about grasping facts, repeating words or saying some version of the “Roman Road” with proof texts that invite a closing prayer. Do not misunderstand me — the death, burial and resurrection of the man Jesus are historical realities, not pious myths. This man from Nazareth was more than a mortal man, which we forget he really was in some churches. He was, and is, divine. I hold to an orthodox Christology. But the gospel is much more than Christology, especially when Christology is understood simply as “right beliefs” about the person of Jesus Christ.

The living truth of the gospel is something that we access through a faith journey, a journey that is antithetical to human certainty. This journey may/will bring us to make clear doctrinal statements but these […]

No Greater Love

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:33-05:00June 5th, 2011|Categories: Christ/Christology, Love|

Jesus says, in the Upper Room Discourse, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). When the deadly tornado hit Joplin, Missouri, a few weeks ago Dean Wells proved what Christian friendship looks like by laying down his life. As 200 mph winds bore down on the Home Deport store people fled to the back of the store to be safe. Others in the parking lot were trying to find a way into the store. About a dozen people were tapping on the door at which point Dean Wells let them into the store. Wells was near the front door, having just let in a father and two young children, when the storm hit. Those who made it to the rear of the store survived but six did not. Among them was Christian saint Dean Wells.

When the funeral for Wells took place some days later his daughter said, “Today, we gather for the absolute No. 1 quality my father had. He served others before he served himself. The store manager said, “Wells put himself in a very dangerous […]

The Missional Church and Gay Trends in the Culture

By John Armstrong|2011-06-04T04:00:00-05:00June 4th, 2011|Categories: Homosexuality, Missional Church, The Future|

A recent Pew Research Center study reveals how deeply divided we are over same-sex marriage. A majority of Americans (58%) now say that homosexuality should be accepted, rather than discouraged, by society. From reading this data I gather that what is meant here is that 58% believe we should accept homosexual practice, not just homosexual inclination or identity.

The context this creates for the missional church is both challenging and dangerous. Let me explain.

The more the culture moves toward an open acceptance of homosexual practice the harder it will be for conservative Christians to adapt and incarnationally share the good news of Jesus. So long as homosexuals believe they have been singled out for special disdain as unique sinners the more they, and larger numbers of non-homosexuals with them, will resist the gospel. Why? They will see the gospel as a political/moral message that condemns them for something they cannot change.

But the more the church rushes to adjust everything to this new reality the more we run the serious risk of making no moral distinctions at all regarding sexual practice. If anything is clear in Christian tradition […]

The Barnabas Group

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:33-05:00June 3rd, 2011|Categories: ACT 3, Acton Institute, Business, Personal|

I recently had a unique opportunity to speak about unity in Christ’s mission. I was asked to present an address to The Barnabas Group (TBG) in San Diego (May 9) and Costa Mesa (May 10). The Costa Mesa site is in Orange County for those who do not know Southern California. My title for both meetings was: “The Unity Factor: One Lord, One Church, One Mission.”

The Barnabas Group is one of the more unique missions and ministries I’ve encountered. It combines a high view of business as divine vocation with a big vision of Christ’s kingdom and personal responsibility to his mission. The members of the Barnabas Group are thoughtful, serious and successful people. (I am using the word success here in a business sense thus I do not mean by it that success equals Christian faithfulness per se.)

The Barnabas Group (TBG) has existed since 2000. Their purpose is to make a powerful impact on ministries around the corner and around the globe. In contrast to many great individuals and organizations who support ministries primarily with the checkbook, TBG believes ministry-minded people can provide so […]

Isn’t It Time to Turn Off Harold Camping?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:33-05:00June 2nd, 2011|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Current Affairs, The Future|

Christian broadcaster Harold Camping got far more attention than he deserved about his May 21 prophecy regarding the return of Jesus. Everywhere we turned, even on ESPN’s Sports Center last Friday night and Saturday, his prediction about the rapture on Saturday May 21 got huge attention. I wonder how much money was spent on ads, billboards and announcements? I wonder what this money could have done if it had been invested wisely in the kingdom of God? I wonder when Christians will honestly stop listening to this stuff? I wonder why we talked so much about these foolish prophecies?

Camping now offers a simple explanation for his failed prediction — he miscalculated the real date. We’ve been here before with this man and will be again if people keep talking about him and listening to him.

Instead of the world physically coming to an end on May 21 — with a great, cataclysmic earthquake – the 89 year-old Harold Camping said his forecast is now playing out "spiritually." The […]

Steve Brown Etc. "Religion: Sickness or Cure?"

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:34-05:00June 1st, 2011|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Current Affairs, Humor, Islam, Missional-Ecumenism, Roman Catholicism, The Church, Theology, Unity of the Church|

One of my favorite persons is Steve Brown. He also does one of my favorite radio programs called Steve Brown Etc. Brown also teaches on Key Life, a fifteen-minute syndicated radio show heard around the country on around 300 radio stations and on the Internet, on which Brown teaches about grace and the Christian life. The show often ends with Brown's tag line, "You think about that. Amen." Key Life also distributes audio recordings and writings by Brown and is based in Maitland, Florida. Steve formerly taught at Reformed Theological Seminary and is the author of numerous books. The first time I heard Steve, many years ago, I was deeply disturbed. He preached grace so wonderfully that I dared not believe this could be true. His happy and affecting style disarmed me but I had my doubts about him. Later I met him and saw the man for what he is – a Christ follower who is free and filled with grace.

Love him or hate him, Steve […]

The Resignation That Rocked College Football

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:34-05:00May 31st, 2011|Categories: College Football|

The resignation yesterday of head coach Jim Tressel at Ohio State was “the sports news” of Memorial Day. Rarely do I watch 35-40 minutes of video clips on a sports news story but this story so captivated my interest that I spent a good deal of time last night trying to absorb it. I am truly saddened by the actions of Jim Tressel and pray for him and those who love him.

I wrote about the problems Jim Tressel faced just a few weeks ago. I suggested then that he should resign. I can only guess that it took time to work out the details of his contract for this to finally happen. I have no idea why the announcement came on a holiday. Cynics have made several suggestions.

This is what we know. Coach Tressel made a decision to cover up the actions of five players, perhaps because he cared about the players deeply. He further chose to withhold information from the NCAA and his superiors at Ohio […]

Did America Lose Focus in the War on Terror?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:34-05:00May 30th, 2011|Categories: America and Americanism, The War on Terrorism|

On this Memorial Day, 2011, I am thanking God for those who gave their life for the freedom that you and I enjoy. I am also thinking about the debate over America’s policy on terrorism now that Osama bin Laden is gone. How should we have prosecuted the war on terror? How do we go forward in the coming years? Is the terminology of a “War on Terror” even the correct way to understand what our response should have been post-9-11? Everyone has a view. I admit that mine is based on political, moral and practical opinion. And it is mine and very subject to how I see things.

First, I believe we were right to go into Afghanistan, and after the Taliban, for harboring al Qaeda terrorists who directed and staged 9-11. Our focus was clear, strong and right. The world, in general, agreed with us. We quickly pursued the leaders of the attack and removed many of them. We narrowly missed bin Laden but finally succeeded […]

The Scripture Must Always Have a Context

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:34-05:00May 29th, 2011|Categories: America and Americanism, Hermeneutics|

A reader forwarded a video to me that was meant to celebrate the life of the late Peter Marshall, Jr. and his idea of Christian America. Marshall died on September 9, 2010. Marshall, as some readers will know, was the less-famous son of the pastor Peter Marshall. The son became involved in teaching the idea that America was a distinctively Christian nation. He co-wrote several books that attempted to show why this was historically true, such as The Light and the Glory. I read this book, part of the second in this series, and then finally stopped reading his work many years ago. He was so unbalanced in his understanding of history that his message was deeply distorted and very problematic.

In a tribute given to Marshall after his death this misunderstanding of Scripture is advanced to the point of incredulity. The text cited is found in the Fourth Gospel.

John 14:1-3, ¹ “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In […]