Blog - Page 145 of 318 - John H Armstrong

Unity Is a Beautiful Word for Christians

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:30-05:00August 9th, 2010|Categories: ACT 3, Missional Church, Missional-Ecumenism, The Church, Unity of the Church|

I am sometimes amazed at how Christians react to the word unity. Many act as if the very word itself is unimportant. As soon as someone begins to talk passionately about pursuing unity and correcting schism they grow suspicious. For them truth seems to mean “disunity is necessary” regardless of how it happened. On the opposite end of a spectrum some people seem to think that unity is all that matters. We should compromise truth to preserve unity. Anything goes and it often does. For the first group the word ecumenism is a nasty idea. For the second it seems to be their only idea. Like so many biblical truths heresy is at the extremes and truth is found in the proper understanding and application of this beautiful word and idea.

Search the Scripture and do a word study of the idea of unity. You will see that God loves it when we live in unity. In fact, he really loves it! And when we live in unity amazing things happen, as John 17:20-23 indicates so plainly.

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Why Do American Christians Give So Little?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:30-05:00August 8th, 2010|Categories: ACT 3, Money & Stewardship|

I referred yesterday to Christian Smith’s co-authored book, Passing the Plate: Why American Christians Don’t Give Away More Money (Oxford, 2009). The book is well worth the time of any serious Christian, especially if you lead a church or mission and need to better understand the lack of generosity by American Christians.

Yesterday, I mentioned that Smith said that the vast majority of Christian organizations exist because a small minority of people were generous. I always thought this was true when I was a pastor but I had no real proof since I did not know who the real givers were in the local church. (I chose not to know.) Since I began ACT 3 in 1991 I have known who my donors were because I need to know in order to cultivate the support of those who give and to thank them properly. I can tell you that Smith is profoundly right. ACT 3 is supported by a handful of people and only […]

Why Christians (Don’t) Give

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:32-05:00August 7th, 2010|Categories: Money & Stewardship|

It was the title that initially captured my interest. One of the authors, Dr. Christian Smith, is a noteworthy teacher at Notre Dame whose previous books have caught my attention. His newest book, Passing the Plate: Why American Christian’s Don’t Give Away More Money, c0-written with Michael O. Emerson and Patricia Snell, is truly worthy of the interest of all church leaders. After the book was released Christian Smith did an interview with Ministry & Leadership (Winter 2009) that I have read several times now. His research and insights are extremely important in my view. (The quotations I use below are taken from this interview he did on this book.)

Smith’s conclusions are stark and unsettling. “If American Christians gave generously, they could generate unbelievable amounts of resources and make a huge influence in the world. But for the most part they don’t.”

Read that again. It is astounding frankly.

I recently saw a July 4th special on Fox News Channel titled: […]

Toward a New Pentecost: Catholic Ecumenism

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:32-05:00August 6th, 2010|Categories: Missional Church, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Roman Catholicism, The Church, Unity of the Church|

A dear Catholic friend sent me a printed copy of an article that appeared a year ago month in the paper, Catholic San Francisco. You can read the full article online in the archives of the paper. The article, written by Catholic deacon Nate Bacon, was titled: Toward a “New Pentecost.” Nate Bacon had just spent a year studying ecumenism at the Angelicum University in Rome and wrote reflections about the subject that is so close to my own heart and vision: missional-ecumenism. As a Catholic he grasps clearly what I think is the right understanding of Catholic advances and positions with regard to other Christians and churches.

Bacon wrote that building the “bridge” was a critical and time-honored vocation. He said, “In our age of instantaneous social networking, however, this role can be obscured, and at times appear obsolete. Nonetheless, those people whose lives connect us to others in deep ways offer us an invaluable gift—they open us […]

Our Immigration Policy Is Broken

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:33-05:00August 5th, 2010|Categories: Current Affairs, Immigration|

I have written a few posts over the last months about immigration. The more I study this issue the more convinced I am that our policy is completely broken. Can anyone seriously doubt this conclusion?

The problem is no one has offered a solution that can gain the bipartisan support needed to solve the problem. The White House and Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona are locked in a court battle over the technical issue of whether a state can pass a law that is in “conflict” with federal law. Attorney General Eric Holder believes that when it comes to immigration policies “federal law trumps state law.” In court the White House may win this debate but the political price could be very steep. Christians, from what I can tell, are on both sides of this issue and everywhere in between. This is clearly one of those very big issues that has come along in our nation’s history that will require people to compromise in order […]

John Calvin at 500 Years Plus

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:33-05:00August 4th, 2010|Categories: Church History, Personal, Reformed Christianity|

Some of you are aware that John Calvin was born 500 years ago last year. Around the world various groups celebrated Calvin’s life and contribution to the church at the 500th anniversary of his birth. One major project, to give you just a worthwhile example, can be seen here. The always useful Meeter Center at Calvin College, also did a big celebration in relationship to the Calvin anniversary and there is a load of great information is here. And news information on Calvin from the World Alliance of Reformed Church can be found here, the site of the World Council of Churches.

As many of you know I am a minister of Word and Sacrament in the Reformed Church in America (RCA) I am quite directly and personally an heir of John Calvin’s 16th century legacy. The RCA still uses the three-forms of unity; e.g. The Heidelberg Catechism, the Canons of the Synod of Dordt and the Belgic Confession, […]

The Congress of the United States: Things Are Not What They Seem

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:33-05:00August 3rd, 2010|Categories: America and Americanism, Politics|

I am a huge fan of every documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has ever made, with perhaps one or two exceptions. His series on Baseball is the best way I know to understand the game, fan or no-fan. In fact, Baseball is one of the best ways I know to understand an important part of American social history. His award-winning eleven-part series on the Civil War is by far the best historical presentation of this era ever put on film. Every American should see it at least once in their lifetime. Other Ken Burns film series are good but these two long ones are his classics. His 90-minute documentary titled America: The Congress is too short but for what it does accomplish it does with incredible insight and real entertainment at the same time. One reviewer has referred to Congress as "the closest thing to a National Temple." Burns’ documentary is a history of that temple, the United States Congress, i.e. […]

The Church: Universal or Local?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:33-05:00August 2nd, 2010|Categories: ACT 3, Missional Church, Missional-Ecumenism, Unity of the Church|

One of the more confusing debates about the church is how we define it in terms of its catholicity, or universality. During the Reformation Protestants wanted to make a distinction about the church as God saw it and the church as we saw it. I think this was both necessary and biblical but the result has been a major misunderstanding about the church, especially among evangelical Protestants who are not rooted deeply enough in incarnation in their ecclesiology.

I once heard a friend say that no one could gather an invisible church so the idea must have very little meaning in terms of how the New Testament speaks about the church. This is true. When New Testament writers talk about the church they are almost always (but not entirely) speaking about a congregation in a locally gathered context; e.g. the church in Ephesus, the church in Rome, etc. Paul wrote letters to these churches, not for a […]

"I Am a Recovering Pharisee"

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:33-05:00August 1st, 2010|Categories: ACT 3, Personal, Renewal, The Christian Minister/Ministry|

One of the seminaries that I have long admired and loved is Trinity School for Ministry in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Ambridge) Trinity was born in the renewal movement of the 60s and 70s. Leaders in that movement saw the need for a place to train its future leaders founded upon the authority of the Bible, trusting the leading of the Spirit, and working to know Christ and make Him known. However, the Episcopal Church was then seriously discussing closing some seminaries – founding another one was clearly a step in faith.

In 1975, a retired Australian missionary bishop answered a call from members of the Fellowship of Witness, came to the Pittsburgh area, and set up an office in his home, using his garage for the library. Alfred Stanway, bishop of Central Tanganyika from 1951 to 1971, had been recommended by John Stott, James I. Packer, and other evangelical leaders for his vision of renewal and his extraordinary ability to translate his vision into a lively Christian body. He called John Rodgers, a professor and chaplain at Virginia Theological Seminary, to be the senior professor. […]

A Wise Email from a Christian Friend on My Recent Posts

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:33-05:00July 31st, 2010|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Personal|

During the last four days several friends have written to me privately about the Ergun Caner controversy and my three posts. One friend, who has been deeply involved in sorting out a major battle revolving around the ministry that he serves, wrote a letter that I think is extremely useful. I have removed all personal references in order to avoid a new fire and spread gossip. This battle, which many would know about if I revealed the content, has also been largely conducted via the Internet. Thus my friend’s insights come from real first hand experience of the very thing I wrote about. Here is his letter (with some highlighting from me for emphasis):

Dear John,

I have followed the Caner mess a little. It does seem that he overstated his resume and perhaps invented some window dressing; not good things. However, the criticism easily gets carried away on the Internet and in other places. You are right about the permanent damage caused by gossip and slander and the fact that the whole matter does little good for anyone involved. I doubt if Caner […]