Blog - Page 12 of 318 - John H Armstrong

A Common Struggle – An Uncommonly Fine Book

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:16-05:00November 24th, 2015|Categories: Books, Current Affairs, Personal, Psychology, Spirituality|

Patrick J. Kennedy, the former congressman and youngest child of Senator Ted Kennedy, recently appeared in an interview on the award-winning news broadcast, “CBS 60 Minutes.” The interview that Kennedy gave so intrigued me that I decided to read his new best-selling book, A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Illness and Addiction (New York: Blue Rider Press: Penguin, 423 pages).

A Common Struggle, co-authored with Stephen Fried, details Kennedy’s personal and political battle with mental illness and addiction, exploring mental health history in the U.S. alongside his own private struggle. Kennedy, a former Rhode Island congressman, publicly disclosed his addiction to prescription painkillers in 2006 after he crashed his car into a Capitol barrier in the middle of the night. The true extent of his struggle with bipolar disorder was not known at the time thus his plan to openly seek help caught many off-guard. Given the way public life works in Washington this could have been the end of Kennedy’s public career but instead of the end it proved to be […]

René Girard: The Passing of an Amazing and Iconic Thinker

By John Armstrong|2015-11-11T19:25:57-06:00November 11th, 2015|Categories: Biblical Theology, Culture, Hermeneutics, Philosophy, Religion, Roman Catholicism|

I think it is quite unlikely that many readers of this post know the life and thought of René Girard. I discovered him late in life, only about fifteen years ago. I found his work on human desire both insightful and brilliant. Agree or disagree with Girard’s thought he helped us rethink human desire, anthropology and sin. If you reject the idea of evolution please do not let that issue keep you from learning from this great Christian thinker. This presentation by Fr. James Alison is a great, short summary.

You may need to see this several times to actually process Girard’s central thought but this is as good as any short presentation of the man and his thinking I’ve seen.

Catholic-Evangelical Redux 2015

By John Armstrong|2015-11-01T20:39:07-06:00November 2nd, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, Unity of the Church|

Greg Moser: A Lutheran Pastor Speaks on Christian Unity (Part 2)

By John Armstrong|2015-10-06T18:24:09-05:00October 9th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, My Christian Unity Story, Unity of the Church|

Greg Moser: A Lutheran Pastor Speaks on Christian Unity

By John Armstrong|2015-10-06T18:22:22-05:00October 8th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, My Christian Unity Story, Unity of the Church|

Rev. Greg Moser is the pastor of Lutheran Church of the Master in Carol Stream, Illinois. He is my pastor, my friend and a member of the ACT3 Network board. Here he speaks on the power and importance of Christian unity.

Pope Francis and the Faith of Non-Christians

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:16-05:00October 7th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Current Affairs, Evangelism, Interfaith Relations and Dialogue, Islam, Jesus, Personal, Pope Francis, Religion, Roman Catholicism|

On Friday, September 25, Pope Francis visited Ground Zero in New York City to pay respect for life and to pray for healing and peace. Many Christians have expressed dismay that the pope did not mention the name of Jesus at this occasion. Some have specifically stated that he actually proved that he was a religious pluralist who does not believe that Jesus Christ is the true Savior of the world. This entire debate is often absent both the context and the content of his actual words and actions. The pope’s entire address can be read here: http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015/september/documents/papa-francesco_20150925_usa-ground-zero.html

Pope Francis said:

I feel many different emotions standing here at Ground Zero, where thousands of lives were taken in a senseless act of destruction. Here grief is palpable. The water we see flowing towards that empty pit reminds us of all those lives which fell prey to those who think that destruction, tearing down, is the only way to settle conflicts. It is the silent cry of those who were victims of a mindset which knows only […]

Jimmy Carter: A Full Life

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:17-05:00October 5th, 2015|Categories: America and Americanism, Books, Civil Rights, Current Affairs, Ethics, History, Leadership, Personal, Spirituality, The Church|

Like so many I have had a mixture of feelings and responses to President Jimmy Carter over the years. It seems to me that most critics, left and right, have freely attributed to him the label of “poor president” or “political failure.” I wonder what history, long after his death, will actually say. Many thought that Harry Truman was a failure until after his death. Maybe Carter’s legacy will meet a similar fate but I have my doubts. If a president is known for his legislative accomplishments then Carter will always be seen as mediocre at best. Among conservatives he is loathed and even seen as the definition of failure and disappointment. (This was true at least until we elected President Barack Obama, who is now classed as lower than Jimmy Carter ever was by the same critics.)

It is ironic, perhaps, that Jimmy Carter is the only U.S. president I actually met in person. (It was brief and not memorable.) I have been to most of the presidential libraries and museums and read a great […]

Reading Maya Angelou

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:17-05:00October 1st, 2015|Categories: Books, Civil Rights, Culture, Current Affairs, Freedom, History, Marriage & Family, Personal, Race and Racism|

I owe a debt of profound gratitude to my friend Vill Harmon (second from left in this photo with my good friends and two ACT3 board members). Vill is the secretary in the office of Ecumenical and Interreligious for the Archdiocese of Chicago. In July (2015) Vill and I shared a conversation about our background, especially in terms of race and the South. Vill is African-American, and a great friend. I have come to cherish her advice and joyful spirit. When Vill encourages me to think about my past, and the present issue of race in America, I try to listen. In July she told me I should read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), written by the famous Maya Angelou (born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014). (Maya’s first name came from her brother Bailey when she was a child.)

Maya Angelou was an author, poet, dancer, actress, and singer. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and several books of […]

Fr. René Constanza on Christian Unity, Part 2

By John Armstrong|2015-09-27T22:22:56-05:00September 30th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Current Affairs, Missional-Ecumenism, My Christian Unity Story, Personal, Roman Catholicism, The Church, Unity of the Church|

Fr. René Constanza on Christian Unity, Part 1

By John Armstrong|2015-09-27T22:23:12-05:00September 29th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, My Christian Unity Story, Roman Catholicism, The Church, Unity of the Church|

Fr. René Constanza is a Paulist priest serving in Austin, Texas. He is also a good friend. Fr. René has participated in all three of our Catholic-Evangelical Conversations in Chicago over the last three years. This young man is a dedicated minister and true servant of Christ who prays for the unity and works with me for this purpose.