Blog - Page 154 of 318 - John H Armstrong

The Birth of Christian Liberalism

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:59-05:00May 13th, 2010|Categories: Church History, Religion, The Church|

As I noted yesterday the term liberal and liberalism became particularly connected with Christian theology and practice in the late eighteenth-century. The philosophy of the Enlightenment began to influence how Christians thought about the faith and the Scriptures. Old assumptions were challenged and new ideas were entertained like never before. The world was changing and the church would change with it. For some this picture is all dark. For others it is all light and good. For many of us we just wish the faith could be considered with less passion and heat, thus with more love and openness to people and their ideas. But most of us could name some pretty important doctrinal issues that are at stake where Christian liberalism has worked its influence deeply into the life and thought of the church. This is why we cannot embrace its orientation so easily. The problem here is that we are not “revisionists” or “minimalists” when it comes to orthodoxy and the core of the faith. We want to be sure that the foundations are not destroyed while we still truly engage […]

Am I a Conservative or a Liberal?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:59-05:00May 12th, 2010|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Church History, The Church|

Of all the labels that we commonly use none are more frequently invoked, it seems to me, than conservative and liberal. Most of us want to know, “Is he a conservative?” Or, perhaps, “Is he (really) that liberal?” Whether the debate is about politics or theology the same phenomenon is common. Before I even tackle this question, with regard to myself, I need to provide a few definitions and some background.

The word conservative, used in a broadly understood way, refers to someone who preserves or conserves. A conservative, notes Webster’s New World College Dictionary (1997), “tends to preserve established traditions or institutions and to resist or oppose changes in these (e.g. conservative politics, conservative art).” I believe the same definition works for the way the term is broadly used in our religious debates. A conservative is moderate, generally cautious and desires to preserve belief and ritual with, at most, very modest adaptations.

The word liberal, in some ways, if a far more difficult word to define. Coming from the Latin liberalis and liber, which simply […]

Letters to God: How and Why Evangelical Movies Often Fail

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:59-05:00May 11th, 2010|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Death, Film|

I am absolutely certain that many who read these blogs will like the new movie Letters to God. It is directed by David Nixon, the producer of the two highly successful films Facing the Giants and Fireproof. I am just as certain that others, who appreciate good film as art, and understand the medium in much the way I do, will find this new film a mixed-bag. Let me explain.

First, the story is quite good. It is actually rooted in a true story, with liberty taken to write the script. The film’s co-director, Patrick Doughtie lost his real-life son Tyler to cancer in 2005. He wrote the original screen play based upon this experience. I think that this explains why Letters works in a deeply personal way. The material is moving and the viewer, especially a sincere Christian viewer, will be easily drawn into this story. Further, this film is technically […]

The Servant Church and the Kingdom of God

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:59-05:00May 10th, 2010|Categories: Evangelism, Missional Church, Missional-Ecumenism, The Church, Unity of the Church|

Why does your congregation exist? Is your church in your local community to attract people so that it can grow larger and larger? Is it there to “meet (felt) needs” or to serve families who want to be a part of your church? Or is it there to minister to various age groups who need a demographic that fits with their preferences? Or what about this one: Is your church there to advance your denomination or tribe? Maybe you think it is there to hold forth the truth. (Paul does call it “the pillar and foundation of the truth.”)There is some truth in all of these, and much more truth in some than in others. But I believe they all fail to answer this question in a proper way.

Your local church is there to serve the kingdom of God, to be the kingdom in local circumscription to use another phrase I learned many years ago. The church is the serving community that exists for the reign of Christ (kingdom) and thus it is for others. In fact, the […]

Reflections on a First Communion Service

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:59-05:00May 9th, 2010|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Church Tradition, Sacraments|

A few weeks ago my wife and I witnessed a very moving first communion service at our local Lutheran congregation. I am not a Lutheran by denomination but my Reformed Church congregation is quite far away from home. As an ordained minister in the Reformed Church in America (RCA) I am a minister of Word and Sacrament and can serve in an (ELCA) Lutheran Church like the one I attend near my home. We visited this church five years ago this July and then became associate members shortly after getting involved. We have come to love the people of this church and feel very much at home there. When Anita’s mom died a few weeks ago we were so completely supported by this church that it deeply moved us. On the three previous occasions of the passing of one of our parents no church ever responded to us with such support and love as Lutheran Church of the Master. Both the pastoral team and the people were wonderfully Christ-like and gave us such help and love.

Two years ago, […]

N. T. Wright on the Gospel and Our Culture

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:59-05:00May 8th, 2010|Categories: Evangelism, Missional Church, Missional-Ecumenism, Renewal, Spirituality, Unity of the Church|

Several weeks ago I mentioned the Wheaton College Theology Conference (April 16-17) which featured the theology and teaching of Bishop N. T. Wright. I directed you to the Wheaton College Web site where you could hear the entire conference on audio or even watch it on video. One of the gifts given to participants at this conference was a written copy of a commencement address that Bishop Wright gave at Nashotah House in Wisconsin in 2006. This powerful and enriching address is also available on video online. It provides a superb opportunity to see and hear how Tom Wright deals with gospel and culture issues in a powerful and effective way. I share it because I think this resource is so valuable for all who share my vision of missional-ecumenism.

The Judge Who Ruled Against the National Day of Prayer

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:19:00-05:00May 7th, 2010|Categories: America and Americanism, Politics, Prayer, Religion, Renewal, Separation of Church & State|

Thursday, May 6, was the National Day of Prayer, an event that has been celebrated in America since 1988. Earlier versions of the same idea of national prayer go back to the early history of the nation and eventually gained momentum during the Civil War when President Abraham Lincoln signed a Congressional resolution on March 3, 1863, which called for a day of fasting and prayer during the Civil War.

On April 17, 1952, a bill proclaiming an annual National Day of Prayer (NDP) was unanimously passed by both houses of congress. President Truman signed this bill into law. It required the President to select a day for national prayer each year. In 1972 The National Prayer Committee was created, an evangelical Christian organization. The National Day of Prayer Task Force, which now has a major role in the NDP, has become a major project of that committee. In 1988 a bill was introduced in Congress which […]

The Great Theologians

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:19:00-05:00May 6th, 2010|Categories: Missional-Ecumenism, The Church|

One of the finest and most accessible books for the study of theology and great theologians that I have read has just been released by InterVarsity Press. The Great Theologians, authored by professor of religion and philosophy Gerald R. McDermott of Roanoke College (VA), is superb in every way. I gladly endorsed this book by writing: “First-rate scholar Gerald McDermott employs effective prose without becoming prosaic and so provides us a wonderfully catholic and evangelical book that gives Christian theology its proper place in renewal for the health of the church.”

I am asked to endorse a lot of books, which I generally do quite gladly if I have both the time an the interest. In this case I gladly agreed to read this book when InterVarsity wrote to me because I know the author well and count him a personal friend. But I do not now promote this book simply because […]

The Civility Covenant

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:19:00-05:00May 5th, 2010|Categories: Current Affairs, Personal, Politics|

I do not always agree with the editorial stance of Sojourners, a magazine dedicated to faith, politics and culture. In fact I have subscribed to Sojourners on again and off again for some years. Right now I am not a subscriber. During the last national election cycle I felt like Sojourners became the evangelical voice of the left as much as some other publications were, and still are, the voice of the right. I do not begrudge this reality but I choose to limit my political reading more and more as I get older.

I have a read a good bit of the published work of Sojourners founder Jim Wallis. I have often found his economic and social stance too closely aligned with governmental solutions and social policies that I simple find objectionable. Having said this I respect Wallis as a voice that needs to be heard and one that often says something we all need to hear. This is why I gladly signed a recent appeal, sent to me by Sojourners, called a covenant […]

Another Reason Why I Think the Attempt to Control Health Care Services Will Fail

By John Armstrong|2010-05-04T04:00:00-05:00May 4th, 2010|Categories: Current Affairs, Economy/Economics, Personal, Politics|

I am of the persuasion that government does have a responsibility to help our communities care for the neediest among us. I do not argue that this is an entirely private matter in a society that has the means to really help those in real need. I am grateful for public health programs, human services and the ways we can service those with disabilities better than most societies. At the same time I believe that the transition to a more deliberate top-down system of health care is not good for the very people that it is meant to help. Let me explain by means of a letter I recently received from a friend. This brother lives in Michigan, a state with more than a few economic problems. This man is not looking for special favors, just the services that have been promised and delivered to him for some time. We have been led to believe that changes in our health care system will make life easier for so many needy people but this is simply not the case. Here is my friend’s recent […]