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A Simple Bibliography on Ecumenism

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:17-05:00September 7th, 2011|Categories: Missional-Ecumenism, Unity of the Church|

Recently a friend asked for a simple, not-too-academic, listing of some primary books on ecumenism that I have found helpful. My answer is below. Forgive me for putting my own books at the top of this list but I do believe they are important for serious interest in this discussion and my name just happened to come first alphabetically. When I was in school I hated being called on first but sometimes it has had its advantages.

I have put an asterisk by the seven books that I recommend most if you are interested in a shorter reading list. By far the Rex Koivisto volume is the best evangelical work on the subject.

Bibliography of Ecumenism

*Armstrong, John H.; Your Church Is Too Small: Why Unity in Christ’s Mission is Vital to the Future of the Church (2010)

*Armstrong, John H.; The Unity Factor: One Lord, One Church, One Mission (2011).

Boardman, George Dana; The Church: The Divine Ideal (reprint, 2008)

*Braaten, Carl E. and Robert W. Jenson; The Catholicity of […]

Why Theological Education Fails the Need of Our Times

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:17-05:00September 6th, 2011|Categories: Education, Pastoral Renewal, The Christian Minister/Ministry|

My title is big and broad, I understand. I believe, simply put, that contemporary theological education is failing to produce true leaders. We teach to our level of competence and the competence of most of our best schools is to teach courses that are helpful but not necessarily centered on the missional reality of the church. Generally speaking our seminaries fail to clearly grasp the gospel of the kingdom. Even where they do grasp the kingdom message (some teachers get it as evidenced by their academic writing) most have not learned how to put this message into practice. The kind of changes that are needed to produce real change at the congregational level is not being unleashed by our schools.

Please do not misunderstand me. I believe in higher education. I do not believe that it is desirable, in most cases, to put men and women in pastoral leadership who are not intellectually and spiritually prepared to serve well. What I reject is the idea that a 200-year old German model of seminary curriculum is the best model to base a good education upon. I also do […]

Words of Wisdom for Labor Day

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:18-05:00September 5th, 2011|Categories: Business, Economy/Economics|

Milton Friedman (1912-2006) was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was a prolific public intellectual, and an American Nobel Laureate economist, something we need a lot more of these days. He made major contributions to both economics and statistics. In 1976 Friedman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for achievements in the fields of consumption analysis, monetary history and theory, and for his demonstration of the complexity of stabilization policy. Simply put, Milton Friedman was the best known advocate of economic freedom in recent American history.

According to The Economist, which is not a pro-Friedman magazine, Milton Friedman "was the most influential economist of the second half of the 20th century . . . possibly of all of it.” Former Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan stated, "There are very few people over the generations who have ideas that are sufficiently original to materially alter the direction of civilization. Milton is one of those very few people." I agree with Alan Greenspan’s analysis. This does not mean […]

Big Picture at World Youth Day: 'It’s the Evangelicals, stupid!'

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:18-05:00September 4th, 2011|Categories: Uncategorized|

This blog by John Allen, a veteran Vatican observer and author, is one that should stir us all to further conversation and prayer about what is going on in the world and the whole church.

Big Picture at World Youth Day: 'It’s the Evangelicals, stupid!'.

Debating Obama: Evangelicalism's Perry/Bachmann Problem

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:18-05:00September 4th, 2011|Categories: Uncategorized|

Another extremely helpful piece on two leading Republican candidates for president and where their Christian roots lie and how they have been influenced by an extremely ideological paradigm. I believe this article is worth your time.

Debating Obama: Evangelicalism’s Perry/Bachmann Problem.

More of the same? | The Christian Century

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:18-05:00September 4th, 2011|Categories: Uncategorized|

My friend Greg Metzger has been carefully watching the New Apostolic Movement and contributed a fine article to The Christian Century last week.

More of the same? | The Christian Century.

We Are One in Mission

By John Armstrong|2011-09-04T04:00:00-05:00September 4th, 2011|Categories: ACT 3, Acton Institute, Missional-Ecumenism|

The core of my vision is unity in Christ’s mission. I call this missional-ecumenism. I live to make Christ known in and through the unity of all his people. I believe he has made it abundantly clear that he has come to reveal the Father and that the world will see this and believe this when it sees our oneness (cf. John 17:20-23). This is so clear that it amazes me how unimportant most of us seem to think this really is to the mission of Jesus.

I have written a new book, The Unity Factor: One Lord, One Church, One Mission (The Christian’s Library Press, 2011), that presents my vision in 44-pages. The purpose of this new book is to get this vision into the hands of as many people as possible in a form that can be read in 30-45 minutes at most. This book should be available by the end of this month. It will be available in an e-book form, print form and a video will eventually be made to correspond with the book. This project came out of an ACT 3 Board […]

College Football Is Back: Roll Tide

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:18-05:00September 3rd, 2011|Categories: College Football|

Though one game has already been played college football kicks off a new season in earnest today. That means ESPN Game Day and the gang with all the hype and fun of a college football Saturday in the fall. I love it. I plan my days around these events and soak it all in with much fun.

To say that I have marked the days until Alabama begins the new season would be a huge understatement. I follow news from Tuscaloosa daily and read practice reports with real interest. In the championship season of 2009 I ended up getting to see three games in person: Arkansas, Kentucky (in Lexington) and Texas in the BCS Championship Game in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl. Nothing can top that year for me. But every Crimson Tide fan knows that every year opens the door for another crack at the top spot and this year is truly no exception.

Pre-season polls have Alabama ranked No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 at worst. Some […]

The Freedom & Virtue Institute: A Grassroots Commitment to Human Dignity and Flourishing

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:18-05:00September 2nd, 2011|Categories: Acton Institute, Ideology, Wealth|

In my role as a Senior Advisor to Acton Institute I enjoy many opportunities to teach, write and network with other Christian leaders. One of those leaders is Ismael Hernandez. I met Ismael at Acton University in Grand Rapids in June of this year. (If you are interested please note that the next AU occurs June 12-15, 2012. I hope some of you will plan to join me.)

At our meeting this June Ismael Hernandez and I exchanged business cards and then began a correspondence. I grew interested in his small but well-focused work. He directs the mission of The Freedom & Virtue Institute in Ft. Meyers, Florida. This work is dedicated to the disseminating idea of a free and virtuous society and thus champions the ideas of freedom and virtue and supports practical strategies to realize and implement these ideas.

Ismael correctly believes that human freedom and private initiative are the best instruments to effect lasting and positive change in society. This is why […]

Governing is Always Difficult

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:18-05:00August 31st, 2011|Categories: Politics|

Yesterday I reviewed the documentary film, Client 9. Today I reflect, albeit much more briefly, on the problem of politics and governance in our nation.

I recently saw a series of historical films on the Roman Empire. I became interested in Rome as a result of my visit to the city in March of this year. From the rise of Julius Casear (d. March 15, 44 B.C.) until approximately the end of the first century AD Rome experienced the height of its power in the world. After assuming control of government, Julius Caesar began extensive reforms of Roman society and government. He centralized the bureaucracy and was eventually proclaimed "dictator in perpetuity.” This was his undoing and led to his murder within the Roman senate. (Things have improved in modern governments!) The empire, from the time of Caesar, was affluent, culturally alive and expansive. Power and pleasure mixed together in profound ways. There are parallels to our present time but I think most of them are quite ludicrous […]