Blog - Page 215 of 318 - John H Armstrong

A Lesson from Samuel M. Zwemer

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:27-05:00October 2nd, 2008|Categories: Spirituality|

The apostle Paul had some amazing encounters with the Lord, encounters that are beyond our imagination. He met Jesus directly on the road to Damascus and heard his voice. He also says that he was "caught up to the third heaven" (2 Cor. 12:2). I can't even imagine the glories this man knew this side of his departure from life on this side of eternity. This is why Paul writes of his having learned to live with weakness (2 Corinthians) after he pled with God three times to remove his (physical) trial.

But Paul also knew what it was to suffer and to be opposed by others, especially through the attacks of Christians. I reflected on this with a long-time friend over lunch last week as we shared about Brother Yun's time with me and my blogs about him.

My friend shared a story with me that I did not previously know. It was about the great missionary to the Middle East, Samuel M. […]

Cubs and Sox in the Same Year: What's Going On?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:27-05:00October 1st, 2008|Categories: Baseball|

This has been a magical year in baseball but no magic is greater than the
Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox
both being in the post-season in the same year. The last time this happened was 1906 when they met in the World Series. And this is the first time the modern Cubs have made the post-season two years in a row. It is a season of many firsts in Chicago. If the two teams met in the World Series I am not sure how the city would deal with it. A crosstown series would be the epitome of Chicago sports.

The White Sox dramatic collapse, and then their even more dramatic recovery, was pretty exciting. They had to win three games in a row against three different teams just to get in. Winning 1-0 last night against Minnesota, in a game where […]

Is the Pendulum Swinging Away from the Markets?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:28-05:00October 1st, 2008|Categories: Economy/Economics|

One of our most respected American political writers, at least in my opinion, is U. S. News & World Report's columnist Michael Barone. He is a keen observer of the both history and political developments of our nation. Last week Barone asked if there was a pendulum swing going on in America? He put it his way: "You can sum up much of the 20th century by saying that in the 1930s Americans decided that markets didn't work and government did, and that in the 1970s Americans decided that government didn't work and markets did." I think that is a tad simplistic but sometimes a simple picture is worth a thousand words. And the picture gets it about right in my estimation.

Both the decades of the 1930s and the 1970s produced protracted changes in public attitudes. The bread lines of the 1930s produced a public that was willing to give government huge powers to intervene in the economy to fix problems while […]

Brother Yun: A Final Word

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:28-05:00September 30th, 2008|Categories: ACT 3|

It should be evident by now that I was profoundly moved by the visit of Brother Yun to Chicago. I was even more profoundly moved by his ministry to me and by the friendship that we established by spending time together. When he assured me on September 21st that he was praying for me, and would pray for me, I believe him.

I have addressed the various attacks upon Brother Yun's ministry and character. I have also provided a link to Paul Hattaway's excellent article. There is one last attack on him that I want to address, since I personally observed this for myself.

It has been rumored widely that Brother Yun is a millionaire and lives an opulent lifestyle in the West. Along with this it is rumored that he raises large sums of money and uses it for himself. What do I make of this charge?

Absolutely nothing. While it is true that I have not been […]

More Reflections On Brother Yun: Checking Out the Facts on the Personal Attacks

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:28-05:00September 29th, 2008|Categories: ACT 3|

I am grateful for all of the comments posted regarding my recent posts about Brother Yun. I hope that these posts have encouraged you to be more like Christ, not simply to support Brother Yun. His expressed intention is not that you support him but the underground church in China and the "Back to Jerusalem" movement.

Not only have Americans attacked Brother Yun, but attacks have come from other lands and church leaders as well. A number of Korean leaders have denounced him as a heretic and a con man. And this sort of attack comes without Brother Yun having ever visited Korea. Paul Hattaway writes that this kind of response comes, as always, from people who have never met Brother Yun or spoken to him. The good news is that many other churches and leaders from various nations outside the West have also invited Brother Yun to speak. For every closed door he meets, God is opening a new one and his ministry keeps growing. To God be the glory!

[…]

Christianity East & West

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:28-05:00September 28th, 2008|Categories: ACT 3|

Tonight ACT 3 hosts another in its series of ecumenical dialogues that are aimed at giving Christians the opportunity to meet believers from traditions and churches other than their own. We have done several of these events with Roman Catholic and evangelical Protestant discussions over the past twelve months. A major ecumenical dialogue was held in September of 2007 at North Central College, Naperville, Illinois. Then on March 30th of this year I shared the platform with my good friend Fr. Thomas Baima, the provost of Mundelein Seminary at St. Mary of the Lake. This event was focused on our agreements and differences regarding the Eucharist, as seen in my book: Understanding Four Views of the Lord's Supper (Zondervan, 2007).

Tonight I will moderate a discussion between two Protestant evangelical scholars, Dr. George Kalantzis and Dr. Grant Osborne, and two Orthodox scholars, Dr. Bradley Nassif and Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon. The site […]

Smoke and Fire Theology: Lessons I Learned from Brother Yun

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:28-05:00September 27th, 2008|Categories: ACT 3|

Paul Hattaway, co-author and editor of Brother Yun’s two books (The Heavenly Man and Living Water) is also committed to defending the character of Brother Yun. You can read his entire “Open Letter” at Asia Harvest. I have read this response to the critics twice, once about 18 months ago and then again just after Brother Yun was here this last weekend. I waited to read Hattaway's letter for the second time in order to form my own views based upon what I actually saw and experienced myself.

Paul Hattaway says that when he worked on the first Yun book he knew two things would surely follow. First, many people would be blessed simply because Yun’s testimony is so remarkable. We all hunger to know people who demonstrate the power of kingdom life like Brother Yun. When we are touched by their lives we are better for it. Second, he knew that a sleeping Western church would attack the messengers of change that God sent to it. To not attack would be to accept the verdict of the prophet, and thus […]

News About Brother Yun's Time in Denver

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:29-05:00September 26th, 2008|Categories: ACT 3|

When I was working on Brother Yun’s schedule for his Chicago visit, about six weeks before this last weekend, a good friend and solid missions leader, Rev. Ray Prigodich, became involved in my efforts. Ray is an elder at Village Bible Church (Sugar Grove, IL). Ray wanted to know more about Brother Yun before the church invited him to speak on September 21st, and thus did some serious, open-minded, research. (Thank God for men like Ray who ask and remain open to the truth.) In his reading Ray came across an online blog comment by a professor at Denver Seminary that was very favorable toward Brother Yun. This discerning and favorable word came from the well-known author Douglas Groothuis. As a result of this comment by Douglas Groothuis I passed this blog along to the Zondervan publicist and suggested that she contact the seminary. The publicist did this and thus Brother Yun was invited to speak at Denver Seminary on Tuesday, September 23.

The following report is from a Denver Seminary news source. I share this information so that you might see […]

USC: Overrated!

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:29-05:00September 25th, 2008|Categories: College Football|

The college football polls rated USC a near unanimous number one team in the land the last two weeks. The experts, after they blew out Ohio State a week ago Saturday, said this team could only lose to USC and to no one else. Well, I suppose USC lost then to USC tonight. Truth be told USC lost to Oregon State University in Corvalis. Yes, Oregon State.

Oregon State came into the game unranked and 1-2. They had already lost to Stanford 36-28 and Penn State 45-14. (Their only previous win was over a decimated Hawaii team, 45-7.) To say the least USC was overrated big time. They may not lose another game and they may finish the season as the National Champion but the old adage was proven true tonight: "You are only as good as the game you played this week." This is why every game counts in college, every game.

This is really what makes college football so […]

Brother Yun: Do Not Let Good Be Spoken of As Evil

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:29-05:00September 25th, 2008|Categories: ACT 3|

In this my third blog on the visit of Brother Yun to the Chicago area, I am following the admonition of Paul in Romans 14:16: "Therefore do not let what you know to be good to be spoken of as evil."

My purpose here is to show you how this man’s good has been spoken of as evil and then how this has caused incredible harm to the body of Christ. I write this post not only because I believe in the ministry of Brother Yun (and Brother Ren, his translator seen in the photo here) but even more so because I believe in the church and believe that this needs to be addressed with deep repentance if we are to see God’s Kingdom power in our land.

Slander involves speaking untruthfully about another person. The common definition of the word also carries with it the idea that the reputation and character of the party spoken against is directly harmed […]