Blog - Page 140 of 318 - John H Armstrong

How the New Ecumenism Differs from the Old

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:19-05:00September 27th, 2010|Categories: Missional Church, Missional-Ecumenism, Unity of the Church|

Most Christians in the West have some kind of impression about the word ecumenism. I grew up in a context that held the word itself in suspicion. As best I can tell we thought the word represented the worst of compromise. To us ecumenism led Christians to give up the gospel at the expense of unity. As a young minister, in this context, one of the most frequent verses I heard was: “Get the truth and never sell it” (NLT, Proverbs 23:23). By this we meant the truth always trumped unity, which shows that we did not understand that unity is one of the most important truths revealed in the New Testament.

But is ecumenism really about giving up the faith in order to get along with everyone? The word itself is actually derived from the Greek word οἰκουμένη (oikoumene), which literally means "the whole inhabited world.” When it was used by the early Christians it had reference to the Roman Empire. The ecumenical vision thus comprises two elements. First, there is a commitment to an earnest search for the visible unity of the […]

The Son of Hamas

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:19-05:00September 26th, 2010|Categories: Books|

One of the most talked-about books I have come across in recent months is: Son of Hamas, written by Mosab Hassan Yousef. Yousef, still a young man in his early thirties, was an insider to the Hamas terrorist organization for more than a decade. Mosab, now called “Joseph,” is the eldest child of Sheikf Hassan Yousef’s, thus the title “son of Hamas.” Yousef’s account is chilling but easy to read in a few hours time. I encourage every Christian to read this book. You might get a little skittish at a few points but you will never be able to think about the Middle East and terrorism in the same way again.

Mosab assisted his father for many years while he was groomed to take over his father’s legacy and political status. The only problem was that God was working to change his heart. First, he saw things that shocked him about the brutality and violence of his own people (not his father […]

People Matter. Things Don’t.

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:20-05:00September 25th, 2010|Categories: Personal, The Christian Minister/Ministry, The Church|

Since I’ve mentioned meeting with several new friends over the last few days I will write about one more such friend today. This is a brother I met many years ago but in God’s providence we did not get “connected” until a few days ago.

The title I have on this post is taken from the web site of the church my friend serves: Resurrection Anglican Church in West Chicago, Illinois. The pastor of Resurrection Church is Rev. Dr. George Koch. The church’s tag line might jar you at first but I believe it is not only catchy but contextually right. If what Jesus says is rightly understood, and applied to our time and place, then I think this catchy slogan makes perfect sense. Here is how Resurrection Anglican Church puts it:

“People matter. Things don’t.” is not so simple-minded as to mean things are all utterly irrelevant. Obviously things can bring great joy – sunsets, music, […]

How Can We Equip Marketplace Leaders for Christ’s Kingdom?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:20-05:00September 24th, 2010|Categories: Leadership, Personal|

I mentioned yesterday my recent trip to southern California and my lunch with Paul Cedar of Mission America Coalition. On this same trip I also had a great lunch with Bob Shank. I had heard of Bob but knew little about him until this trip.

Bob is a native and lifetime resident of Southern California. He spent 14 years as a businessman/entrepreneur in the construction industry. At 31, he transitioned from business to ministry and founded Priority Living, a faith-based organization serving business men and women in the marketplace. In 1997, he launched The Master’s Program, a leadership mentoring program that has helped thousands of leaders across North America to expose and exploit their unique kingdom calling. While the CEO of Priority Living since 1984, Bob was also the Senior Pastor of an Orange County mega-church for four years in the early ‘90’s. He is a frequent speaker for churches, conferences, retreats and leadership training events across the country.

As you will discover […]

Pope Benedict’s Visit to Great Britain

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:20-05:00September 23rd, 2010|Categories: Roman Catholicism, Unity of the Church|

I have followed the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United Kingdom this week with prayerful interest. This is a momentous time for all Christians in the UK. When you consider the history of the Christian church in Britain, the division and bloodshed that followed the reign of Henry VIII and the bitter religious conflict for the centuries that followed, as well as the recent secularization of Great Britain, then you have to pray for the whole church in this island nation. Bitter divisions from the age of Henry VIII simply do not work in the modern context.

A Catholic reader of this blog, Joe Heschmeyer, posted one of the finest responses to the pope’s visit to the U.K. that I have read. I encourage you to check out Joe’s fine response posted on September 22 on his blog site. This is well worth your time, especially if you pray for the catholic church in the world and especially if you care […]

Wanted: Leaders Who Understand the Times & Know What to Do

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:20-05:00September 22nd, 2010|Categories: America and Americanism, Evangelism, Missional Church, The Church|

In 1 Chronicles 12:32 we have a mention of one of the tribes of Israel that was called to be David’s warriors. The text says of these men of Issachar that they were “all men [who] understood the times and prepared for battle.”

Doug Birdsall, the executive chairman of the Lausanne Movement, writes: “These last two decades have been like no others in history. We truly need people like the men of Issachar.” Birdsall writes of this need in his formal invitation to pray and support the Cape Town 2010 gathering for world evangelization, October 16-25. Though specially invited leaders will attend this great gathering it is possible for you and me to participate in a number of ways. There will be Cape Town GlobaLink sites in many countries. Schools and churches can register as official sites and participate. Look for one in your area or check this out.

One of the unique things about the Third Lausanne Congress will be the diversity of participants. A large percentage of those […]

Whose Gospel? An Argument for Progressive Christianity

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:20-05:00September 21st, 2010|Categories: Books, Ethics, Homosexuality, Politics, Race and Racism, Sexuality|

Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr. is the founder and president of the Healing of the Nations Foundation and the senior minister emeritus of the famous Riverside Church in New York City. He was also a professor at Union Theological Seminary and has hosted The Time Is Now on Air America Radio. Forbes is a social and political liberal who preaches faith in Jesus with great passion. I have never heard him speak in person but I have heard CDs of his preaching. I can testify to his incredible story-telling ability. I happen to like Forbes and would happily sit down with him for a cup of coffee or a meal. We would have some interesting disagreements but on much we would find common ground. Newsweek calls Forbes “one of the twelve most effective preachers in the English-speaking world.”

James Forbes has long been a strong voice for civil rights. He even gave a stirring address to the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He served as pastor of the well-known Riverside Church for eighteen years. His insights about pastoral ministry, teaching and mentoring are often brilliant and his […]

How Do You Respond to Disunity?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:20-05:00September 20th, 2010|Categories: Missional-Ecumenism, The Church, Unity of the Church|

It amazes me that we can talk about the divisions within the Christian church without the evidence of a broken heart. If the last thing our Lord prayed for with his disciples before his passion was that all who believe in him would be “one” with each other then how can we not see the scandal of our present state in the church?

Yes, I know there are reasons for divisions. I know that sin has also played a big part, probably the decisive part. But I do not understand how we can be content with things as they are if we truly read our Lord’s prayer with a teachable heart. Forget, for at least a moment, all you know about the reasons for divisions. Forget the reasons for why things happened as they did in the eleventh and sixteenth centuries. Forget all you know that influences how you “hear” the Scripture and ask, “What did Jesus intend in these words and what do they mean to his followers now?”

[…]

Forms of Prayer

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:20-05:00September 19th, 2010|Categories: Liturgy, Prayer|

I have been reading an old book that bears the title The Prayers of the Early Church (1930), written by Dom Fernand Cabrol, a Benedictine. It is a study of how the early church developed prayer within the context of liturgy. There is much to like in this treatment but some things to pursue that will not gain universal acclaim for sure. The flavor is quite Roman Catholic.

In a chapter titled “Forms of Prayer” the author writes: “From the very outset one of the distinguishing features of liturgical prayer is the element of spontaneity or improvisation in its utterance.” He adds, “Thus we learn from Justin, Tertullian, and most of the writers of this period . . . even the most solemn formulas were extemporized.” Variety and free-form were normative but in time more was written down. He rightly concludes: “However, this freedom of improvisation was not anarchy. Prayer was subject to certain rules; in some instances the theme was necessarily used, for instance in […]

What Keeps You Up at Night?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:20-05:00September 18th, 2010|Categories: Books, Leadership, Missional Church, The Christian Minister/Ministry, The Church|

Any leader who desires to facilitate trust and passion in others must learn how to ask this question: “What keeps you up at night?” If you talk about organizations, budgets and strategies people will not get excited. If you talk about how people can invest their lives in what they really believe in they will listen and they will usually follow. Every leader knows this reality. Most pastors know it better than Christians in general.

The problem is rather simple in terms of stating it. Most pastors have become managers of the aquarium. They went down the road they are now on in order to serve Christ and his kingdom. They studied and prepared but they were never taught to be leaders. Now they are asked to lead an organization called the church. Most have never been prepared for this task. Being a pastor and being a leader are not the same. A leader deals in hope. A leader inspires and leads people to imagine what could be. The overwhelming majority of pastors in America admit that they should be better leaders and even confess […]