Blog - Page 123 of 318 - John H Armstrong

Heaven, Hell and Rob Bell

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:48-05:00March 7th, 2011|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Current Affairs, Reformed Christianity|

The evangelical world was rocked a bit last week by a debate created by Rob Bell's forthcoming book, Love Wins (Harper/Collins, 2011). I read the posts attacking the book, written by Reformed writers who speak with deep certitude about everything they seem to talk about in opinion pieces. Some even went so far as to condemn Bell as a heretic. (Where have I heard this before?)

Into the fray came Mark Galli, senior managing editor of Christianity Today. Galli offers a reasoned, well-written critique of the whole debate, a well as a measured response to Rob Bell’s book. Galli actually read an advance copy and expresses some doubts about Bell’s real views on hell. (This leads me to think the critics should have read the book before they began their attacks. I will withhold judgment until I have read the book, something that just seems obvious to any honest expression of agreement or disagreement!) What Galli makes very clear is that believing in […]

A Panoramic View of Rome That is Stunning

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:48-05:00March 6th, 2011|Categories: Personal, Travel|

A friend who recently discovered that I was going to be in Rome sent me this amazing video. Not only does this video expose the fact that brilliance comes in many forms but this video also gives a stunning visual impression of the ancient city.

An ACT 3 Engagement in Rome

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:48-05:00March 5th, 2011|Categories: ACT 3, Acton Institute, Missional-Ecumenism|

Your Church Is Too Small: The Challenge of Ecumenical Witness in Today’s World

In his book Your Church Is Too Small, Dr. John Armstrong presents a vision of the unity possible for Christians across social, cultural, racial, and denominational lines. When Jesus’ followers seek unity through participation in the kingdom of God and the mission of Christ, they demonstrate God’s character to a watching world. Focusing on John 13:34-35, 17:20-23 and 20:31, Armstrong will show how Jesus’ clear command to his disciples led to his prayer that we be “one” in his kingdom. This one allows for Christians to be diverse while clearly requiring service of God in unity. In this talk Armstrong will discuss the idea of “missional-ecumenism,” particularly within the context of Pope Benedict’s initiatives regarding evangelization and ecumenism.

Guest Speaker & Biographical Info:

Dr. John Armstrong

Dr. John Armstrong is a former pastor and church-planter of more than twenty years. He is the author/editor of eleven books and hundreds of magazine, journal, and web-based articles. Dr. Armstrong serves as an […]

Abortion, Social Justice and Young Christians

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:48-05:00March 4th, 2011|Categories: Abortion|

I applaud the rise of social justice Christianity, at least up to a certain point. Some of this movement is a politically left response to the political right. This always causes me to pause and look for the holes in the argument, of which I see a number. When the point becomes the politics of left or right then I have my serious doubts about its value or real effectiveness. We are charged, very clearly, to love justice and mercy. We are also called to live out the faith in the public square. This means we cannot be silent about concerns that are on God’s mind. I believe these include life and freedom at the top of the list.

In my recent work in the Read the Bible in 90 Days program I have been in the prophets of the Old Testament the last week or more. Their message is strong and deeply convicting. My friend Anthony Bradley raises some really good questions about the pro-life issue […]

The Supreme Court Got It Right

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:48-05:00March 3rd, 2011|Categories: America and Americanism, Culture, Current Affairs, Politics|

The Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that the First Amendment protects the right of members of Westboro Baptist Church (Topeka, Kansas) to stage attention-getting, anti-gay protests outside military funerals.

The court voted 8-1 in favor of Westboro’s right to publicly protest at military funerals. The decision upheld an appeals court ruling that threw out a $5 million judgment to the father of a Marine killed in Iraq who sued church members after they picketed his son's funeral last year.

This contentious issue is painful and clearly creates immense emotional harm to grieving families. I saw the video documentary on Westboro Baptist Church last year. Their militant pastor is a nut case to put it mildly. I loathe who they are and what they do. I wish they would just go away, I really do. But wishing for this and legally ending their right to protest publicly underscores a powerful legal line that the Supreme Court rightly refused to wipe out in their ruling.

This final ruling comes nearly five months […]

Are We a Christian Nation? Does It Matter?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:48-05:00March 2nd, 2011|Categories: America and Americanism, History, Separation of Church & State|

A significant debate exists among historians and popularizing pundits about the religious origins of America and the religious views of her founding fathers. Some assert that America was a "Christian nation" from the beginning. Others point to the broad deism of prominent founders such as Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison to suggest that the philosophical views of the Enlightenment provided the primary basis for the Founders’ convictions. I have always felt the truth was not at the extremes. America was deeply influenced by Christians but the founders clearly never intended to create a Christian nation. Read the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Christ is not mentioned, nor the church of Christ. Most of the states favored one church over another but this was not the real issue either, at least not at that time. The founders were clearly thinking as far forward as possible. I doubt that they had any idea of the various religious competitors with the Christian faith that would arise centuries later; e.g. Muslims, Hindus, Taoists, etc.

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62 Years: The Grace and Mercy of God

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:48-05:00March 1st, 2011|Categories: Personal|

Today I celebrate my 62nd birthday. I suppose that I never thought much about this stage of life until very recently. Like most people I lived each decade knowing that life was short and my days were numbered. But I had few reference points for living into my sixties. My dad was this age when I was only 25 so it seems hard to recall him at that point in life all these years later.

There is one thing I am sure about regarding my self. I have lived life at too fast a pace. I have been too prone to pursue accomplishment and jobs finished. This was built into my in childhood through a number of influences and the generation in which I grew up made it even more a vital part of my personal story. I was taught to value hard work and to get a lot done. I did both fairly well thus I still wrestle with how to balance centering and quietness with restlessness and high-achievement. The rhythms of life have not been easy for me to discover and embrace in a profound […]

My Journey to Rome

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:48-05:00February 28th, 2011|Categories: ACT 3, Missional Church, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Roman Catholicism, Unity of the Church|

In a few days I will have the pleasure of accompanying members of Christian missionary communities, in which evangelicals and Roman Catholics minister side-by-side among the poor and marginalized, on a pilgrimage to Rome. The founders of InnerChange and Emmaus, and their members, have discovered a new ecumenical springtime in forgotten places, among the likes of gang members and men and women caught up in prostitution. In prayer they have felt led to travel together to Rome and meet with key figures in the ecumenical world, in order to share this vision, and to learn from the ongoing quest for Christian unity as it actually exists in practice around the globe. The vision of missional-ecumenism that I expressed in my recent book, Your Church Is Too Small, is something these brothers and sisters practice everyday among the despised of this world. We have mutually found a common bond, a shared heart and vision, and together have […]

Governor Bobby Jindal: A Devout Christian and Faithful Catholic with a True Vision of our Greatest Need

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:49-05:00February 27th, 2011|Categories: America and Americanism, Politics, Renewal, Roman Catholicism|

It is fairly well know by now that the governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal (R.), is a Hindu convert to faith in Jesus Christ as his Lord. Jindal told Christianity Today this last week about his conversion, which he says extended over a seven-year period which included reading the Bible as well as works by modern writers like Charles Colson and C. S. Lewis. Jindal has sometimes been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate but he has not shown the kind of charisma many expect in a national candidate. He is widely praised for his initiatives in leading his state and yet remains a fiscal and social conservative with compassion and moral credibility. Whether you agree with the governor on his policy or not you will find him an impressive person if you get to know more about him as both a person and a leader. A devout convert to Jesus as Lord the governor is also a faithful, practicing Roman Catholic.

At the end of his interview […]

A Myth Too Many of Us Believe

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:49-05:00February 26th, 2011|Categories: Leadership, The Church|

I have heard it said over and over, from conservatives and liberals (theological and political): “The system is broken and we must fix it!” Or, “The government is broken so we should fix it.” From pastors and lay leaders I hear: “The church is broken so we surely should fix it.” Or parents and children: “Our family is broken so how do we fix it?” On and on this goes. I recently read this exceptional and insightful quotation from the book The Practice of Adaptive Leadership. It made me wonder about this common complaint and what we really mean when we invoke it as frequently and broadly we do.

There is a myth that drives many change initiatives into the ground: that the organization needs to change because it is broken. The reality is that any social system (including an organization or a country or a family) is the way it is because the people in that system (at least those individuals and […]