Blog - Page 24 of 318 - John H Armstrong

An ACT3 Interview with Dr. Norberto Saracco

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:46-05:00December 9th, 2014|Categories: ACT 3, Current Affairs, Evangelism, Gospel/Good News, Missional-Ecumenism, My Christian Unity Story, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

Dr. Norberto Saracco is the senior pastor of a very large church in Buenos Aires. He is also the president of a seminary with 8,000 students. Norberto has also been actively involved in the Lausanne Movement for many years. Norberto and I met through the Lausanne Catholic-Evangelical Conversation, which I have led for several years now. He has attended both of our gatherings in Mundelein, both in 2013 and 2014.

We recently put the video of this year’s public meeting of this gathering on our ACT3 page. It is over 100 minutes long and is worth watching. Besides Norberto you will see and hear Fr. Robert Barron, Fr. Thomas Baima and me. Dialogue from each of us, and the audience, follows.

When Norberto was in Mundelein in September ACT3 sat down with him for a personal interview. Today I share this interview for the first time. Since Norberto is a close, personal friend of Pope Francis, having worked with him in evangelism and prayer in Argentina for a decade, you will find his comments most interesting. You will also see why I am so thrilled with this […]

Lausanne Catholic Evangelical Conversation (Sep 11, 2014)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:46-05:00December 8th, 2014|Categories: ACT 3, Current Affairs, Evangelism, Missional-Ecumenism, My Christian Unity Story, Personal, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

Today’s post includes the only public Lausanne Catholic-Evangelical Conversation meeting that we had in September. Twenty-six people, thirteen Catholics and thirteen Evangelicals, prayed, shared, discussed and debated (in the very best sense of a charitable debate). We learned from one another and some of the brightest moments were late at night in informal times. We agree we will meet again and we will add a day so we can continue to pursue love and build trust. We believe the kairos moment for our concerns is right now.

After an opening private dialogue on Thursday, September 11, we shared a meal together. Then we invited seminarians and local friends to come to the campus for a presentation. The dialogue that follows our presentation includes responses from people who, as you will quickly see, were not screened. Some questions were asked and some “sermons” were preached. The questions are quite good. The sermons, well you can respond as you watch these folks speak.

The two major presenters in the event were Fr. Robert Barron and Rev. Dr. Norberto Saracco. Fr. Thomas Baima and I introduced the speakers, responded to their […]

Stay Awake for Advent (A Sermon)

By John Armstrong|2014-12-19T13:38:21-06:00December 5th, 2014|Categories: ACT 3, Incarnation, Jesus, Kingdom of God, Personal|

Advent began last Sunday, November 30. I had the joy of preaching, and leading the divine liturgy, at Lutheran Church of the Master in Carol Stream, Illinois. This is the audio of my sermon based upon the lectionary Gospel text in Mark 13:24-37. I pray that this sermon will encourage you in your worship, edification and spiritual transformation during this wonderful new beginning to the church year.

https://soundcloud.com/act3network/stay-awake-for-advent-mark-13

Peter Kreeft on Biblical Ecumenism

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:46-05:00December 4th, 2014|Categories: Uncategorized|

Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., is a professor of philosophy at Boston College and at the King’s College (Empire State Building), in New York City. This means that Kreeft, a Catholic, teaches at both a Catholic and an evangelical college, making him very unique in so many ways. He is a regular contributor to several Christian publications, is in wide demand as a speaker at conferences, and is the author of over 67 books.

I have never personally met Dr. Kreeft but value his writing and teaching as highly as that of almost any contemporary Christian philosopher and thinker. I require students of mine to read his work because he is among the very best when it comes to popular Christian thought that is serious and practical at the same time. Once a Reformed Protestant Kreeft is today a devout Catholic. But he has never lost his love for the catholic church. He has some of the most insightful things to say about missional-ecumenism of any writer I know today. A friend sent me a two-minute audio clip that underscores […]

The Bible and Science Debate: How Shall We Interpret Genesis?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:46-05:00December 3rd, 2014|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Biblical Theology, Church Tradition, Hermeneutics, Personal, Science, Scripture, Unity of the Church|

If I were to pick three highly skilled biblical scholars/exegetes, who also profoundly understand science (two of them – McGrath and Polkinghorne – have a PhD degree in hard science), to speak clearly about the way to properly read the Book of Genesis then I would pick these three theologians. I have met two of them and have read all three for decades now. Perhaps no debate has more unnecessarily divided the church than the raging debate over science and Bible. In particular, it comes down to this: “How do we understand Genesis?” My own thinking has changed about this question, in fact several times over the course of my lifetime. I would now line up well with what these three orthodox and confessional Christian ministers/teachers say in this outstanding video.

In some ways this is one of the most helpful and important videos that I have ever shared on my blog. I hope you will take the twelve minutes needed to watch it carefully. This video should not only disabuse you of the many numerous bad ideas about reading Genesis but it will also help you […]

Ted Talk: “Am I Dying?”

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:46-05:00December 2nd, 2014|Categories: Death, Personal, The Future|

Some of you who read this blog will die in the next twelve months. All of you, including of course me as well, will surely die. (Unless of course the Lord returns at the end of this age first!) But so few of us talk about our own demise. We talk about sex as if there were no other important topic in our culture. But we rarely talk about dying unless it is about assisted-suicide or the death of someone already departed. Facing death honestly is the Christian’s responsibility and deep joy. We say, “I am going to meet Christ face-to-face.” But few of us act like we believe this to be true. In this TED talk Matthew O’Reilly is not dealing with the questions of faith. But what he says does make a great deal of good sense. I share it in order to help you pray, think and plan for your own demise. “It is appointed to mortals to die once, and after that the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27, NRSV). Are you ready? What have you done today to prepare to “die once” and then face […]

ACT3 Network Video Story

By John Armstrong|2015-01-23T16:25:33-06:00December 1st, 2014|Categories: ACT 3, My Christian Unity Story|

A few weeks ago I posted the “new” version of the ACT3 Network story on video. I am delighted to once again encourage everyone to see this well-done presentation (special thanks to Tim Frakes who did the work). Please share this with your friends. Encourage them to support us in prayer and with financial help if the Lord leads them to do so. We need friends to grow the network into the new places where God is opening doors wide to us.

Why Unity In Christ’s Mission? Video

By John Armstrong|2015-01-23T16:25:33-06:00November 28th, 2014|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, My Christian Unity Story, Personal, Unity of the Church|

The best video that ACT3 Network has ever made is now available on our homepage. It is the way to “see” and “hear” our vision very clearly. Several months ago I made a shorter, simpler presentation about the WHY of ACT3. I am seated in my lovely gazebo where I pray and write each day that I am at home. I hope that today this video will give you fresh insight into the power of Christian unity.

The Great Degeneration

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:47-05:00November 27th, 2014|Categories: Books, Current Affairs, Economy/Economics, Personal|

What causes rich countries to lose their way? Obvious symptoms of decline, in the West in general and America in particular, abound: slowing growth, crushing debts, increasing inequality, aging populations, antisocial behavior. A significant number of social critics will agree that these are the general symptoms of cultural shifts in the West but few will agree on what has actually gone wrong and what really caused it. The answer, says author Niall Ferguson argues in The Great Degeneration, is that our institutions—the intricate frameworks within which a society can flourish or fail—are degenerating.

The Great Degeneration is based on four lectures that Ferguson gave in 2012 and then revised and edited for this book. Niall Ferguson (b. 1964) is a professor of history at Harvard as well as a research fellow at Jesus College, University of Oxford. Ferguson is also a controversial critic who has engaged in serious research as well as partisan political action. He is known for his provocative views in both history and economics.

Ferguson argues that representative government, the free market, the rule of law, […]

The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:47-05:00November 26th, 2014|Categories: ACT 3, Biblical Theology, Jesus, Kingdom of God, Personal|

Several weeks ago I preached at the Saturday Vespers service at the Lutheran Church of the Master (LCM) in Carol Stream. The lectionary text was Matthew 25:1-14. This text is the parable of the wedding banquet. This text is also often misunderstood by Bible readers. This particular sermon is quite short. It may help some of you grasp the essential elements of what this account is really about in light of the kingdom of God and the gospel of good news.

I will be leading and preaching at LCM this weekend at the Saturday Vespers at 5 p.m. (November 29). I will also lead and preach at the two Sunday services (November 30) at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Friends in the area are welcome to attend. Lutheran Church of the Master is located at 580 Kuhn Road, Carol Stream, Illinois, 60188. You are welcome to take part in one of these services of worship this weekend. I’d love to see old friends and meet new friends as well.

You can listen to the sermon on Matthew 22 below:

https://soundcloud.com/act3network/the-parable-of-the-bridesmaids-are-you-ready