Blog - Page 20 of 318 - John H Armstrong

Debating Doctrine and Preserving Unity: What Conservative Christians Can Do (2)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:42-05:00February 13th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, American Evangelicalism, Biblical Theology, Love, Missional-Ecumenism, Orthodoxy, Personal, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

In the story that I related yesterday I ended with a friend who was teaching an adult class in his church and a couple that had quit attending because my friend did not embrace a six-day, twenty-four hour, recent creation of the earth. My friend asked me to pray as he responded to this relational breakup.

After two weeks this friend reached out to the husband in this story. he writes that this man has been his friend for decades. They met for breakfast together. My friend writes, and I know this to be true from first-hand knowledge, “John, this is a subject that I have studied deeply for several decades.” After the breakfast meeting he wrote to me saying, “Ironically I found that the relational side of things was, to some degree, restored through our time together. However, the cognitive side seemed blocked. This brother was not open to ideas that contradicted his view. His presumption seems to be that his view is Scriptural (hence others could not measure up). I chose to only share enough to help him see that there are […]

Debating Doctrine and Preserving Unity: What Conservative Christians Can Do (1)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:42-05:00February 12th, 2015|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Biblical Theology, Love, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, The Church, Unity of the Church|

A very good friend, who is mature and wise from solid life experience, recently taught what he describes to me as “a somewhat ecumenical message in my adult Sunday School class (while unpacking the Greatest Commandment).” He told his class that when true believers disagree on peripheral matters we are to remember that we are in the family of God and that our Lord prescribes a loving way to humbly engage with one another. If we engage with each other in the way our Lord taught us then we are able to both teach and learn.

One of the examples my friend used in his adult class was the subject of differing views of creation that are held by Christians. (The discussion was much wider but this issue was the one that troubled a few.) At the end of this class someone with whom my friend has ministered in their local church context for well over thirty years (he adds he felt this relationship had been at a fairly deep level) came forward to ask a question. He wanted […]

The Way of Jesus (2)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:42-05:00February 11th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Biblical Theology, Church History, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

We welcome once again Rev. Dr. George Byron Koch as our guest blogger.

As the Church moved out from Israel into the surrounding cultures, and the leadership of the Church became more and more Gentile, this understanding of following the Way, which was very Jewish and rabbinic, changed into a process of analysis and proposition construction—the development of theology, doctrine and Christian tradition. That is, the focus moved from how one behaved to what one believed—from following the way of a person and His teachings, to believing in a set of logical propositions: From acting to asserting.

This began innocently enough: Paul in his speech on Mars Hill (Acts 17) to contextualize the Gospel for Gentile listeners (who were, incidentally, Greek philosophers). Or when Origen wrote Contra Celsum (“Against Celsus,” ) a defense of the Way put into philosophical categories and syllogisms, because the Way had been ridiculed by the Greek philosopher Celsus as silly and lacking the philosophical foundations and rigor of the Greek schools.

The creeds are key examples of this focus on propositions. Whether the […]

The Way of Jesus (1)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:42-05:00February 10th, 2015|Categories: Biblical Theology, Church Tradition, Missional-Ecumenism, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

We welcome Rev. Dr. George Byron Koch as our guest blogger for today and tomorrow.

I remember the first time I learned that the early believers, long before they were called “Christians,” referred to themselves as followers of “the Way” of Jesus. I heard it as an apt and beautiful poetic metaphor—which I assumed they had invented for themselves.

I have since learned that the expression actually has deep Jewish and rabbinic roots, and this has opened my eyes to something truly fundamental in following Him—something we have often forgotten, or didn’t fully realize we knew. It is a rich treasure. Let me open it up.

First, the great rabbis over the centuries, as well as at the time of Jesus, had passionate and dedicated disciples. When disciples agree to abide by the teachings of a rabbi, they are said to “put his yoke” upon them. When Jesus says, “Put my yoke upon you,” He is literally offering to become your rabbi, your teacher and model. That was and is the expression used by the rabbis to define […]

Chris Castaldo on Christian Unity

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:43-05:00February 9th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, American Evangelicalism, Love, Missional-Ecumenism, My Christian Unity Story, Personal, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

Today I post a great video clip on unity by my friend, Dr. Chris Castaldo. Chris formerly served at the Billy Graham Center and recently became the lead pastor of New Covenant Church in Naperville, Illinois. Chris shares my vision very deeply yet he comes at the particular issues from a very different background and context. What makes our partnership work is a deep relationship between us that is rooted in love. This love goes all the way back to Chris’s seminary days at Gordon-Conwell in Massachusetts. Chris lives just two blocks from my house in Carol Stream. Our friendship is the kind where we can “drop by” and chat any time. Pray for Chris, Angela and their children as they adjust to a new pastorate.

I also post this video today because tonight Dr. Castaldo will moderate our ACT3 Dialogue on Christian Unity tonight with Fr. Robert Barron. This event will be in Lisle (IL) at St. Procopius Abbey. You are welcome to attend at 7:00 p.m. There is no registration required and no charge to attend. A video of the entire evening is being made. We […]

Matt Maher on Christian Unity

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:43-05:00February 5th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, Music, My Christian Unity Story, Personal, Roman Catholicism, The Church, Unity of the Church|

Matt Maher is a twice Grammy-nominated Christian musician. He was a finalist for both an album and a single in 2014 and is once again a finalist in 2015. He is one of the most talented original artists that I have had the privilege of knowing as a Christian friend.

Matt is a life-long devout Catholic and a deep friend of Christian unity. He sings to audiences of young Catholics and evangelicals all over America. Both are drawn to the man and his music for good reason. His songs honor Christ and the faith of serious Christians. He is not a divider but uniter. I am honored to be Matt’s friend and hope that you too will enjoy his comments today on the power and importance of Christian unity.

A Response to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity from a Friend

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:43-05:00February 4th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Current Affairs, Missional-Ecumenism, My Christian Unity Story, Personal, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

Father John Crossin is a Consultor to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and Director of the USCCB’s Office for Ecumenical Dialogue. He speaks with EWTN News Nightly on the significance of ecumenical outreach. Fr. Crossin is a man that I also call “friend.” He has honored me, prayed with and for me, and also worked with me in recent years. He is the leading Catholic officer for ecumenism in the U.S. Here you can see his heart and vision very clearly. The “humility” of the church is an idea that we all need to acknowledge and work toward together. Notice his strong word regarding Christian Churches Together the U.S. I make mention of CCTUS in the penultimate chapter in my book, Your Church Is Too Small. Fr. Crossin has read the book and commended it to friends. Pray for our brother as he impacts Catholics across America.

The Way of Jesus Beyond Doctrinal Propositions: Living the Love and Unity of Christ

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:43-05:00February 3rd, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Church History, Church Tradition, Jesus, Love, Missional-Ecumenism, Philosophy, Renewal, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service that I wrote about yesterday included a warm and deeply thoughtful sermon by Fr. George Byron Koch, pastor of Resurrection Church (Anglican), West Chicago, IL. Fr. Koch is the new chairman of the ACT3 Network board and a very dear friend. He is also a great writer and preacher. His sermon in the Christian Unity service was one of the best calls to our unity in Christ I have heard in a long time.

https://soundcloud.com/act3network/the-way-of-jesus-beyond-doctrinal-propositions-to-living-the-love-and-unity-of-christ

George Byron Koch is the author of What We Believe and Why (Byron Arts, Northwoods, IL, 2012), a magnificently readable and insightful study of Christian faith and practice. Two particular insights undergird this book: (1) The Christian faith has been torn from its Jewish roots, and; (2) The influence of philosophy on the church has divided it again and again, creating extremely deleterious consequences for Christ’s mission. I not only share George Koch’s view I believe you will hear both aspects of it clearly in this […]

A Service of Prayer for Christian Unity

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:43-05:00February 2nd, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

The global Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is held annually in January. It has taken place for well over one hundred years. Many countries have such gatherings. This year the liturgy was created by the ecumenical movement in Brazil. One of the major Chicago area gatherings for unity was hosted by my home congregation in Carol Stream, Lutheran Church of the Master, and co-sponsored by the Focolare Movement in Chicago and ACT3 Network. The evening of Saturday, January 24, was one of the more spiritually moving ecumenical gatherings that I have participated in personally. We drew Christians from many churches and traditions. And we were international and multi-ethnic as well. The leaders were both Catholic and Protestant. The stories shared, the sermon given, the Scriptures read and the hymns sung were all done so well by so many people. And after the service people lingered for more than an hour to get to know one another. One of the great outcomes of such a gathering is deep friendship.

We made the decision to not record […]

A Special Season in the Desert – A Journey into Deeper Ecumenism (4)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:43-05:00February 1st, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Current Affairs, Missional Church, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Renewal, Roman Catholicism, The Christian Minister/Ministry, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

While I was composing my first three blogs about my “season” in the desert (Phoenix) I mentioned my encounters with the movements of the Holy Spirit through some of the more miraculous gifting that are rejected by some Protestant conservatives. Ironically I came across this amazing quotation from St. Thomas Aquinas, universally recognized as one of the greatest minds and theologians of the Christian Church. Said Aquinas, in Book 1:

This wonderful conversion of the world to the Christian faith is the clearest witness of the signs given in the past; so that it is not necessary that they should be further repeated, since they appear most clearly in their effect. For it would be truly more wonderful than all signs if the world had been led by simple and humble men to believe such lofty truths, to accomplish such difficult actions, and to have such high hopes. Yet it is also a fact that, even in our own time, God does not cease to work miracles through His saints for the confirmation of the faith.

It […]