Blog - Page 137 of 318 - John H Armstrong

Letters to a Young Calvinist

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:16-05:00October 26th, 2010|Categories: Books, Reformed Christianity, Spirituality, Unity of the Church|

James K. A. Smith (known by friends as “Jamie”) is a professor of philosophy at Calvin College. In his new book, Letters to a Young Calvinist: An Invitation to the Reformed Tradition, he has given us a much-needed, easily read response to the rise of much neo-Calvinism in our time. I wish I had read something like this book when I was in my twenties. I think I would have been spared a number of mistakes if I had read it.

I expect that many will read Letters to a Young Calvinist and conclude the same if they are in my generation and have followed the rise of the “young, restless, and Reformed” generation. Before reading Smith’s little book I imagined a book of my own (only in my mind for sure) that would be titled: Older, No Longer Restless and Still (Properly Understood) Reformed. (I do not, much like Smith, prefer the words “Calvinist/Calvinism” for identifying my biblical views of soteriology with a simple (quite simplistic) formula […]

How Does Unity Invite Cooperation?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:16-05:00October 25th, 2010|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, Unity of the Church|

There are three common mistakes Christians make about Christian unity. In today’s video I discuss these three, which I develop in my book, Your Church Is Too Small. I believe that Christ’s love compels us to seek out one another and to work in various ways in unity which leads us to actual forms of expressed cooperation. There is not a simple, easy answer to all the questions people ask me about when or where we should, or should not, cooperate but I am persuaded that the very truth of unity itself requires us to at least ask this question with new eyes and new ears in a new century.

“Homeless” Spiritual Seekers

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:16-05:00October 24th, 2010|Categories: ACT 3, Evangelism, Missional Church|

We live in an age in which many people view the church as irrelevant, completely out-of-touch. It is not suited to address the real spiritual questions and complex needs people have in 2010. Most Christians do not understand why this is so and seem not to care to find out.

The popular word today is not religion, or church, but spirituality. People have great need for spirituality, for becoming whole spiritual beings. But Christian congregations have little to offer such people since they are viewed as formalized places of religion rather than places where spiritually hungry people can make deep connection with other God-seekers. As a result of this problem I meet more and more people who are “homeless” spiritual seekers, wandering here and there listening to all kinds of “answers” that they sincerely hope will meet their deepest needs. They can be found in book stores in the self-help section or in the new age or religion sections. They buy a great deal of pop psychology as […]

Cell Phones and the Brave New World of Hyper-Information

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:16-05:00October 23rd, 2010|Categories: Web/Tech|

Make no mistake about this, the world is moving from an Industrial Age to an Information Age. The ramifications of this are still to be seen over the course of the decades ahead of us. Many think this is the worst thing that has ever happened. Education will be unduly ruined they tell us. (It will surely be changed and how people learn will be radically altered I believe.) “The sky is falling” is pretty close to their approach. Others think this will be a new golden age. Everything from cell phones to social networking will bring us all much closer to each other and to real community. I am of neither opinion. Just as in other great shifts in culture and life these will bring about much good. There will be some new possibilities for improving life and we can already see a few taking shape around us each day. But there will also be some distinct problems that will further erode the human condition socially.

I […]

The Party Movement and Christian Social Teaching

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:16-05:00October 22nd, 2010|Categories: America and Americanism, American Evangelicalism, Culture, Current Affairs, Ethics|

The tea party movement has grabbed a great deal of attention over the last twelve months. With an election looming a number of tea party candidates will face the choice of the electorate in the first major election since this popular movement arose.

The questions I have about this movement have more to do with Christian social theology than politics, which I do not much care about.

One must understand that this is a movement, not a centralized party or the part of a political party. It is, if you read these blogs, a “starfish” organization. In fact, leaders have used this book to frame the tea party in its development. The movement focuses primarily on limited government and reduced taxation. It combines elements of political libertarianism and populism. While populist movements have grown out of a number of social factors in America’s past one thing makes the tea party movement different—it is not anti-Catholic. In fact, it is big enough to be religiously inclusive since a leading Mormon, […]

The Self-Esteem Gospel and the Faith of Christian Parents

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:16-05:00October 21st, 2010|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Current Affairs, Emergent Church|

Three out of four American teenagers, in a recent survey, say that they are Christians. But fewer than half of these who claim to be Christians practice their faith. And among those who say they practice their Christian faith most cannot talk coherently about it.

What's more, many American teens who do say they are Christians have actually embraced what is being termed for good reason “a watered-down ‘mutant’ form of Christianity, one that portrays God as a ‘divine therapist’ whose primary aim is to boost people's self-esteem.”

What is very clear is that neither churches nor parents are adequately helping teens to see, or comprehend, what true Christianity is. Thus the faith of “Christian” parents has now been passed along to their children.

These observations come from the conclusions of minister and author Kenda Creasy Dean, Professor of Youth, Church and Culture at Princeton Theological Seminary. She formed them after helping conduct research for the National Study of Youth and Religion. Dean says the season she spent interviewing teens about […]

A Different Way to Understand Our Political Differences

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:16-05:00October 20th, 2010|Categories: Ideology, Missional-Ecumenism, Politics, Poverty|

I have mentioned columnist Kathleen Parker more than a few times over the years. Her Washington Post syndicated column appears in my local suburban paper and I always read it. Kathleen is a political/social conservative who offends the far right routinely. I guess this is one reason I am attracted to her writing.

Kathleen recently moved from Washington, D.C. to New York City. She left her solo, freelance writing work to join CNN, an international organization with what she calls “layers upon layers of human management.”

Here is the point she makes about her recent move to New York City and CNN. Living in a city of 8.4 million people brings with it some distinct differences from living in a small town in South Carolina, where she lived for years, and a quiet neighborhood in D.C. here she previously lived and worked on her own. In New York City 8.4 million people live in 303 square miles of space. Parker writes that you can’t appreciate the […]

Faith Like Potatoes

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:17-05:00October 19th, 2010|Categories: Evangelism, Film, Prayer|

Faith Like Potatoes is an inspirational film based upon the true story of a South African farmer named Angus Buchan. Angus, a Scotsman born in Africa, moved his family to South Africa after conditions in Zambia became dangerous and intolerable. He started from scratch and faced a series of huge losses in the process. What he never planned on was his encounter with the living Christ in a small Methodist Church. After giving his life to Christ Angus became more than a typical convert. He devoured Scripture, praying and reading the Word even in his farm fields on a daily basis. Soon he became known for his faith and stories about divine power being displayed through his life.

The title comes from a central part of Angus' story. During a drought he planted potatoes. When the harvest came, and the fields were dry and dusty, he harvested a huge potato crop of potatoes that astounded everyone around him. The film […]

Your Church Is Too Small Lecture Series

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:17-05:00October 18th, 2010|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism|

Today I am giving the annual Ritz Lectures at Winebrenner Theological Seminary in Findlay, Ohio. Winebrenner is not household name among seminaries but it has been around for a long time. It is denominationally affiliated with the Church of God General Conference, a small denomination that is generally found in Pennsylvania and the Midwest. Winebrenner Seminary serves students from many denominations, including many from mainline Protestant churches. Several people associated with the school are personal friends, including Dr. Brandon Withrow (photo left above), the church history professor at Winebrenner. A local pastor in Findlay, Rev. Tom Lyberg (photo at right below), also had a part in helping to introduce me to the Winebrenner community. Tom serves as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church (ELCA) where I preached three times this weekend. Tom also served on the ACT 3 board for a season. I had a delightful time […]

How Otherworldly Should I Be?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:17-05:00October 17th, 2010|Categories: Spirituality|

It seems to me that much of the emphasis of evangelicals on piety and Christian living is rooted in a false dichotomy, or dualism. Spirituality, at least the way I learned about it, meant to withdraw from the world. And devotional life, or quiet time as we call it, means to get my battery charged so I can function in the world without being overwhelmed by it. The image is much like that of a modern battery-powered car. You plug it in overnight and then it runs for so many miles during the day. If you want to go the distance you need to charge the batteries all the more, thus spend more time away from the world. There is almost an equation here: the more time you spend alone the further your car runs in the real world. I can’t remember how many times I’ve heard the quote from Luther that he had a busy day before him so he would spend “three hours in prayer” that morning. Honestly, that has created more than a fair share of guilt for me for a […]