Blog - Page 118 of 318 - John H Armstrong

Social Theology and Christian Service

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:39-05:00April 19th, 2011|Categories: Love, Poverty|

Yesterday I commented on the recent sermon of Fr. Ramon Cantalamessa, preacher to the papal household. Cantalamessa stressed in a Lenten sermon that love must be active and when it is the social relevance of the gospel is made clear. He noted that the earliest Christian communities were known for “sharing” what they had with those in need.

So what does this tradition of charity and service mean to us in the 21st century and a world that is so interconnected?

In 1891 Pope Leo XIII issued one of the most significant of all papal encyclicals: Rerum Novarum. I cite it often and urge all believers to read this remarkable document. On the one hundredth anniversary of this encyclical, in May of 1991, Pope John Paul II issued an anniversary encyclical that had the title Centesimus Annus. This highly important document develops the same Christian social teaching for the modern era. I have this document near my desk at all times. (Both documents are free and […]

The Son of Man Came Not to Be Served, But to Serve

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:39-05:00April 18th, 2011|Categories: Love, Poverty|

In Matthew 20 Jesus speaks of the Son of Man coming into the world as a servant. He teaches his followers to serve as he served. No single Christian principle has produced more good in the world than this: serving others. Here is how Jesus teaches his followers:

You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:25-28).

There are few words in all of human history that come close to these in terms of genuinely turning the world upside down. Jesus says, in effect, that you should have this raging, aggressive ambition that dominates your whole life. You must not be indifferent. You should, as we say in the West, be “driven by this ambition.” You should strive […]

The Greatest Thrill on Ice

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:40-05:00April 17th, 2011|Categories: Friendship, Personal|

I enjoy a very special friendship with a brother in Christ who is one of the owners of the Vancouver Canucks hockey team. As a result of my friendship, and my real love for hockey, I have adopted the Canucks as my favorite team in the NHL. I have even had the privilege of seeing a game at the Rogers Center in Vancouver and sitting with my friend. I saw the inside of the arena and the entire operation. It was an exciting night in late 2009.

My Chicago friends are surprised, once again, that I root against my home town team but so be it. Friends trump towns unless it is the Atlanta Braves and/or the Alabama Crimson Tide, which are just too deeply rooted in my childhood and the impact of my dad on my life.

Tonight offered me one of the true thrills of my post-season hockey experience — seeing the Canucks beat the Blackhawks 3-2 to go up three games to none in […]

A Meditation for the Last Sunday in Lent

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:40-05:00April 17th, 2011|Categories: Personal, Prayer|

The famous 20th century British evangelical preacher F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) left us a model prayer that I have found incredibly useful, especially during Lent.

Forgive me, most gracious Lord and Father, if this day I have done or said anything to increase the pain of this world. Pardon the unkind word, the impatient gesture, the hard and selfish deed, the failure to show sympathy and kindly help where I have had the opportunity, but missed it; and enable me so to live that I may daily do something to lessen the tide of human sorrow, and add to the sum of human happiness.

Too many of my words and gestures have been unkind. And I have too frequently failed to show sympathy, especially to those closest to me. I am very sure that I do not consider often enough how I can daily lessen the tide of human sorrow. May God help me during this season of repentance.

The ACT 3 Story

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:43-05:00April 16th, 2011|Categories: ACT 3, Personal|

Since various readers discover me and the mission of ACT 3 in various ways and in different contexts many have not seen “The ACT 3 Story,” our unique video which explains my life and vision. Eighteen months ago two young filmmakers came to my home and the campus of Wheaton College to tell my story through film. This video still does an excellent job of sharing my story. If you would like to know more, and gain a sense of what I’m all about, then watch the presentation at: http://www.act3online.com/avms.asp. When you get to this site it begins to play a recent podcast of the ACT 3 Weekly. Scroll down the side bar to "Just Video" and then pick "The ACT 3 Story" (not the short version which opens automatically when you go to our home page on the site). It takes about thirty minutes. I would love to hear from some of you if you take the time to see the film.

Should We Condemn the Actions of Pastor Terry Jones?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:43-05:00April 15th, 2011|Categories: Current Affairs, Free Speech, Ideology, Islam|

By now you know the story of Florida pastor Terry Jones. Jones is the pastor of a tiny church called Dove World Outreach Center. (Where do people come up with these names?) By all appearances there is not much “outreach” going on in this church and the idea that a “dove” (as the representative sign of of the the Holy Spirit) is the basis for the mission of this church is ludicrous, at least on the surface.

After Terry Jones finally carried out his threat, first made prior to 9/11 of last year, to judge the Koran and burn it in a church service, violence broke out in Pakistan and Afghanistan. This led to the death of a number of innocent people in both countries. When prayers ended at a mosque some went across a street and began the violent attacks.

There are a number of questions we can and should ask about these events but mine is simple: What should Christians do in the public space, which is now global because of the news […]

Polygamy and Women's Rights

By John Armstrong|2011-04-14T04:00:00-05:00April 14th, 2011|Categories: Feminism & Women, Marriage & Family|

You do not read much about polygamy these days but a recent Wall Street Journal article on religion raised the question in a provocative way. Rose McDermott, a professor of political science at Brown University, noted that polygamy may be a popular punch line in some movies but “plural marriage is as serious an issue as it’s ever been.” And it is on the rise in the modern West.

One example can be seen across the border, in Canada. A 1890 polygamy law is being tested by groups that insist it violates religious freedom. The core of their argument is that consenting adults have the right to form families in any way they please.

Polygamy is, of course, not new. It has been a common practice for most of human history. Many religions promote it. Muslim practice encourages it and in new Muslim immigrant enclaves in Paris, London and New York the law against it is being challenged. A 2006 report says that 180,000 people were living in polygamous households in France. When the government banned it in 1993 it tried to support a wife who wanted to […]

The Baseball Expansion Era

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:44-05:00April 13th, 2011|Categories: Baseball|

Reading an April 8 USA Today feature on the expansion era of baseball got me to thinking about my lifetime and how I’ve enjoyed this great game. When I began to follow the sport closely, in the mid-1950s, there were sixteen teams, eight in each league. It had been that way for more than fifty years. The winner of the regular season played the other league’s winner in the seven-game World Series. The post-season was only the World Series and the team that endured to the end (only 154 games in most of this period of time) won the pennant in each league. Each team played all the other seven teams 22 times during the season. I loved it. You played to the very last day and if you survived you went to the World Series. The only problem was that in some seasons there was no mystery left by mid-September.

Well in 1961, when I was only twelve years old, expansion began. This means 2011 is the fiftieth anniversary of the new era. It seems impossible to conceive, at least to me, but I have lived […]

Medical Fears As Agents of Terrorism

By John Armstrong|2011-04-12T04:00:00-05:00April 12th, 2011|Categories: Current Affairs|

As a people we seem to be fearful of many things. We are the most armed people in the world. We are also terrified of so much that many of us have a problem living normal lives. Perhaps nothings plays on people’s fear more than medical news that links one problem with another.

Last week scientists from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Brown University and the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles developed a new lab technique that helped them observe how herpes simplex virus type-a (HSV1) infections grow inside cells. HSV1 is a common virus that infects mucous membranes and causes cold sores. Most everyone of us has had one or more.

So what’s the big deal about cold sores? Well, the research strongly suggests that the scientists were able to see this virus burst out of the cells of a mucous membrane and enter nerve cells. What does this mean? Well, in theory this virus could travel to the brain and affect dementia plaques. Thus there is a perceived link between cold sores and Alzheimer’s disease. What these scientists were able to see […]

Just War and U.S. Military Action in Libya

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:44-05:00April 11th, 2011|Categories: America and Americanism, Ethics|

It appears that the recent U. S. involvement in Libya ended almost as abruptly as it began. For this I am frankly grateful.

Confusion about our involvement in Libya reigns since it is very hard to know exactly what our strategy really was in this conflict. A March 29 Gallup Poll said 75% of Americans supported some U.S. military involvement in Libya. Frankly, that number surprised me.

What’s a Christian, who believes that there is such a thing as “just war,” to make of this recent engagement? Shouldn’t we at least have a conversation unless we have accepted the premise that our leaders can take us into any war they want and we should never ask hard questions?

One of the traditional requirements for a “just war” is that the war can be legitimately waged only if there is a reasonable hope of success. As an example, a war fought with an overwhelmingly more powerful opponent would have little chance for success and thus would not qualify as a “just […]