Blog - Page 119 of 318 - John H Armstrong

Too Much Comfort Can Kill You

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:44-05:00April 10th, 2011|Categories: Discipleship, Leadership|

Well-known author John Ortberg is a skillful and clear writer. He also knows how to help people see the big and important things clearly. Some years ago an editor at Zondervan encouraged John and me to meet in person. We had a wonderful lunch near Willow Creek, where John was on staff at the time. At that time I had no idea that John was moving to California in a matter of two months or so. He now serves at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Palo Alto.

Anita has been reading Ortberg’s book, If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat. She routinely shares insights with me. This one she wrote out and emailed to me two weeks ago. It is too good not to share. In chapter two, titled “Boat Potatoes,” Ortberg writes:

Too much comfort is dangerous. Literally. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley did an experiment sometime ago that involved introducing an amoeba into a perfectly stress-free […]

Is Rick Warren a Liar?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:44-05:00April 9th, 2011|Categories: Love, Web/Tech|

A few days ago someone posted on my Facebook page information warning people of my evil for sharing in the sins of Roman Catholics. There was only one thing I could do, besides pray for them. I de-friended them immediately! If there was ever a social-network term that was misused it is the word “friend" given how some use Facebook to address their “friends.”

Check out how many Christians, including some pastors among them, respond to Rick Warren. The comments on this site are enough to warrant an R label for many of these people.

I never cease to be amazed at how Christians treat one another. A nephew, who attends Saddleback Church where Rick Warren is the pastor, recently sought to encourage me with regard to the lies and attacks that are routinely used against me on the Internet. He knows these hurt even though I seek to ignore them as much as possible. Perhaps the darkest and cruelest of all blows is to be called a liar. On the whole I’ve made progress about how to respond to such criticism over the course of time, […]

Rome: Reflections on My Missional-Ecumenical Journey, Part Two

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:44-05:00April 8th, 2011|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Roman Catholicism, Unity of the Church|

Yesterday I shared four personal reflections upon my recent trip to Rome. Today I conclude this extended series on missional-ecumenism with four more reflections, thus my numbering of 5 to 8 below.

5. Unity is variously understood by different ecumenists but all agree we must make every effort for the peace and unity of all of Christ’s church. This is a bottom line concern for those who are committed to such a process. We know we cannot create unity but we believe we are not entering into the fullness of what Christ intended for his people (John 17). Like the ancient church in homes and buildings that were simple and lacked artistic glory we know that what makes Christ’s bride glorious is her living in unity in the fullness of Jesus.

Nate Bacon again summarized a great deal of what we felt about our time in Rome when he wrote the following to our team:

We then held a de-brief together over a bite of lunch [on Monday, March 14]. […]

Rome: Reflections On My Missional-Ecumenical Journey, Part One

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:44-05:00April 7th, 2011|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Roman Catholicism, Unity of the Church|

I’ve been home for several weeks now and had the time to think a great deal about my eight days in Rome. When I returned on March 15 the journey of faith was not over. I sat next to a young businessman from South India who was coming to Chicago to consider a possible career move to the U.S. His wife and three children were at home thinking about him and their future. This man saw me reading the Bible and asked, “Are you a Christian?” When I was done answering he told me that he and his wife had prayed that God would put someone in his life to help him as he came to America to make this life-changing decision. He thought I was that man. God knows but it seemed like more than a coincidence. We had an extremely fruitful conversation for many hours, sandwiched around some time to sleep. (He had been traveling all night before this day portion of his long journey.)

Now that I am home, and back into the routines of my life and ministry, I have been asked, “What […]

Rome: Day Eight — The Paleo-Churches

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:44-05:00April 6th, 2011|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Roman Catholicism, Unity of the Church|

One of the often hidden joys of ancient Rome can be found in the paleo-churches, those places where Christians worshipped before the time of Constantine. In some places the church dates back to the first and second centuries. Most of these paleo-churches are under an existing newer structure. In several cases these more modern buildings are basilicas.

When I found out that the catacombs were closed on Monday, and my attempts to get into the catacombs under St. Peter’s Basilica failed, I decided this was the best I could do to see remains of very early Christianity in Rome. I chose two churches based on the recommendation of the ministers I had lunch with on Monday, my eighth day in Rome. I started off on a long walk back to the area around the Coliseum. Just beyond I found the Basilica of San Clemente. The Basilica of San Clemente is not just another church in Rome, it is genuinely unique! It has magnificent frescoes and its […]

Rome: Day Eight — One Last Day of Ecumenical Conversations

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:44-05:00April 5th, 2011|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Roman Catholicism, Unity of the Church|

Monday, March 14, was my last day with two of the members of our team in Rome. We met at 9:30 a.m. for a two-hour dialog with Dr. Mary Tanner. The place was the Anglican Center where we had met the previous week. John Green and Nate Bacon made this last meeting of our group. After we spoke to Mary Tanner we had a little time to “debrief” about our journey before we said our good-byes.

Mary Tanner is the European President of the World Council of Churches. She lives in Stamford (England) and travels widely in Europe (and beyond) on behalf of ecumenism. She has been a member of the WCC Faith and Order Commission since 1974, serving as its moderator from 1991 to 1998. Mary Tanner has also been involved in various ecumenical conversations on behalf of her church, including the Anglican-Roman conversation. From 1982 to 1998 she was active within the Church of England body which ultimately became the Council for Christian Unity. She became a […]

Rome: Day Seven

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:44-05:00April 4th, 2011|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Roman Catholicism, Unity of the Church|

On Sunday, March 13, I had a complete “free” day because our team had scheduled nothing for the group. I took the opportunity to get some needed rest. I rose a bit later than usual, used some morning time to pray and think, and then went to the main service at St. Peter’s at 10:30 a.m. I had many different opportunities for Sunday service but thought, “How many opportunities will I get to go to St. Peter’s Basilica for worship on a Sunday?” So with a light mist in the air, and the first non-sunny day of my journey, I was off for a fifteen minute walk.

I arrived at St. Peter’s in time for the service but the lines were huge. I thought, “This is promising. So many people coming to church on this day. I am thrilled.” I was glad to finally get into the basilica only to find that these hordes of people were not going to the Mass. These were “tourists” going […]

Let the Love of Christ Prevail

By John Armstrong|2011-04-03T04:00:00-05:00April 3rd, 2011|Categories: Unity of the Church|

People give a myriad of reasons for dividing churches and church bodies. This may be the most obvious sin of most Protestants if we are really honest. Since the sixteenth century we have defended almost every church schism we’ve been involved in as Christians and churches. At times our actions and words are so sad that they almost make one laugh if they were not already crying.

My friend John Frame, professor of theology at Reformed Seminary in Orlando, once preached with me in a conference on unity. He said that almost every denomination he knew held celebrations to remember their historical beginnings. He suggested most of them should mourn each year the very day they were born since in most cases this birth was precipitated directly by the sin of schism. I laughed, paused for a moment or two and pondered. I’ve been pondering ever since. I think he is right. I know John makes a lot of very conservative folks unhappy when he says this but the facts speak for themselves.

A friend recently sent me a rather simple, but quite provocative, editorial from The […]

Spring Is Back: Forget the Weather Reports

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:45-05:00April 2nd, 2011|Categories: Baseball|

Spring is here. I know I am right. It has nothing to do with March 21st or any other calendar date. Why you ask am I so sure? Spring is back because baseball is back!

I usually enjoy one out-of-town vacation each winter, a spring trip to see pre-season baseball in Orlando, Florida. This year I could not afford the trip and I had my big trip to Rome. I mean, a guy has to have his priorities, right? But I still missed the games, the atmosphere, the overpriced food and the smells of baseball. And my T-shirt collection now is missing a 2011 Spring Training edition. But I digress.

Baseball began in earnest on Thursday and now the games really count. The Giants will attempt to do what few teams in the modern era have done — win two World Series Championships in a row. Except for the Yankees, in the last several decades it has not been done. I do not […]

Rome: Day Six — Meeting Ralph Martin and Touring the Vatican Museums

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:45-05:00April 1st, 2011|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Roman Catholicism, Unity of the Church|

Saturday in Rome was a gorgeous spring day. I had the joy of meeting Ralph Martin at 10 a.m. in Vatican Square. We shared a cup of coffee and Ralph had to run. He was kind to give me a short visit so we could actually meet in person.

Ralph Martin has been a leader in renewal movements for many years and he is the author of many books, articles, and audio albums on contemporary issues in the life of the Church and the teachings of the saints. He is currently Director of Graduate Programs in the New Evangelization at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in the Archdiocese of Detroit and Assistant Professor of Theology. He continues to lead the work of Renewal Ministries, an organization devoted to Catholic Renewal and Evangelization and hosts the weekly television program “The Choices We Face.”

I first met Ralph, but only through a brief handshake, about 25 years ago. He was leading an ecumenical conference that was held in […]