Blog - Page 106 of 318 - John H Armstrong

Humble Dependence Crucial to Mission

By John Armstrong|2011-08-20T04:00:00-05:00August 20th, 2011|Categories: Evangelism, Missional Church|

There is no short cut for humble dependence if mission is to remain vital and fresh. We have to be willing to listen, to follow and to change. So much of my life has involved change that at times it frightens me. It especially frightens donors and friends. But I know no other way to be involved in mentoring and mission but to seek for complete dependence upon God.

This wonderfully transparent video clip by Steve Sellers explains what I mean much better than I can explain it in a few paragraphs.It is about seven minutes but I believe you will find it extremely useful in modeling a humble, listening heart that follows Jesus.

The Help

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:20-05:00August 19th, 2011|Categories: Film, Race and Racism|

Rarely do my wife and I enjoy the same movie and see it in the theater. This, in itself, says a lot about what we both thought about the hot new movie, The Help. In fact, Anita is reading the novel now that we saw the movie.

The Help looks at three very different, extraordinary women in Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s, who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk. From their improbable alliance a remarkable sisterhood emerges, a bond between black and white where it was not permitted, instilling in all three women the courage to transcend the lines that define them, and the realization that sometimes those lines are made to be crossed – even if it means bringing everyone in town face-to-face with the changing times.

What typically drives a story’s narrative is conflict. In a visual medium like film, conflict is generally external, often even excessive. Film critic Burl Burlingame […]

Where Are the Missional Evangelicals?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:20-05:00August 18th, 2011|Categories: Missional Church|

A friendship I’ve especially enjoyed, for some years now, is with Dr. David G. Dunbar, the president of Biblical Theological Seminary (BTS) in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. I first met David more than three decades ago when he was professor of systematic theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) in Deerfield, Illinois. He spoke for one of our local ministerial fellowships in the days that led up to the founding of my present mission: ACT 3.

David (his photo is below in the text of his guest blog) has reshaped a seminary around the core idea of preparing leaders for the missional church. Now BTS says it is a seminary seeking to “follow Jesus into the world.” I had the privilege of serving on the board of BTS during the transition and continue to support the school. I also teach at BTS, now and then, as a guest.

One of my most valuable emails is David’s Missional Journal. It will be sent to you for free and back issues are […]

The Case Against Planned Parenthood

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:20-05:00August 17th, 2011|Categories: Abortion|

I am radically, or so I believe, pro-life. I oppose the use of the death penalty (at least in our present unjust context) and I oppose our consistent unethical waging of warfare internationally. I also oppose the pro-death stance of the controversial organization Planned Parenthood. No matter how you frame it Planned Parenthood can no longer deny its massive involvement in abortion. Nor can it continue to deny, I believe, its financial irregularities and violations of both state and federal law.

Americans United for Life (AUL), a national pro-life organization, released a July 7 statement that opened up the strongest case against Planned Parenthood I’ve seen to this point in time. The statement is called: “The Case for Investigating Planned Parenthood.” I encourage you to read this report whether you are pro-life or not. And even if Planned Parenthood does help many poor and needy people, which I think it clearly does do well in many instances, this case must not be swept under the […]

An Inevitable Clash of Human Rights?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:20-05:00August 16th, 2011|Categories: Homosexuality, Religion, Separation of Church & State|

The most basic of all human rights, hammered out for millennia, is the right of religious freedom. I have often said that this is America’s greatest single contribution to civilization. Here what you believe is permitted and you can practice your personal faith without state interference, so long as no one else’s rights are harmed by your practice.

There is a fierce debate going on now about civil unions and same-sex marriage. Personally I have no doubt that same-sex marriage will eventually become the norm. It already is the norm in some states and over time I believe that it will be law in the majority of states. It will then become the law of the nation. On one side people argue that their right to free expression is hindered by our present laws while on the other people believe a fundamental building block of a moral and decent society is at stake.

My deepest concern in this debate has been growing for some time and it is not […]

Why Much of What You Know About Effective Leadership Is Wrong

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:20-05:00August 15th, 2011|Categories: Leadership|

Catholic mystic Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) continues to influence Christians across a wide spectrum. His books that have most influenced me include The Wounded Healer, In the Name of Jesus, Clowning in Rome, The Life of the Beloved and The Way of the Heart. I am pleasantly surprised at how often evangelicals quote him. I do, however, wonder if they understand him. His textured biblical reflections challenge a number of our presuppositions, especially about leadership. Since ACT 3 exists to “equip leaders for unity in Christ’s mission” I find Nouwen to be one of my most important resources because he was both deeply spiritual man and a real, practicing ecumenist.

In the book, In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership, which is one of my favorite Nouwen works, he wrote the following about effective ministry:

My movement from Harvard to L’Arche [a ministry to the mentally challenged] made me aware in a new way how much my own thinking about Christian leadership had been affected by the desire to be […]

God’s Hands

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:21-05:00August 14th, 2011|Categories: Jesus, Personal, Prayer|

I have heard, for as long as I can recall, the idea that God’s hands in this world are those that he has given to us. Put very simply, God has no hands but ours, no arms but ours, no legs but ours.

I once mocked this idea because I felt it directly attacked the notion of divine sovereignty. I even said that if this was true then God was a poor and broken cripple who could do nothing in this world at all but wait on us to act.

When I understood where this idea came from, and what it really meant, I changed my mind. Let me explain.

One popular story says that following Word War II some German students volunteered to help rebuild a cathedral in England damaged by Luftwaffe bombings. As the work progressed the workers were not sure how to best restore the statue of Jesus with his arms outstretched and bearing the inscription: “Come unto Me.”

The workers repaired all the damage but could not […]

Steve Alford Clamps Down on Social Media

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:21-05:00August 13th, 2011|Categories: Social Networking, Sports|

Steve Alford learned to play and coach collegiate basketball from the legendary Bobby Knight. Alford was a star in the heyday of Indiana University basketball at a time when Knight was at the top of his game. Alford learned a great deal from Knight. A recent Alford decision shows this influence in a profound way.

I actually saw Steve Alford coach at the NCAA Division III level in his first gig. He coached a small school in Indiana that knocked Wheaton College out of the tournament on our home court in a season (in the early-1990s) when Wheaton made the NCAA tournament for the first time in many years. My nephew was a star on that team. (Wheaton has since been to many NCAA tournaments and several years ago lost a heart-breaker to Washington University, St. Louis, on the Wheaton court. Washington U. won the tournament. That Wheaton team, led by the best Wheaton player ever, Kent Raymond, could have been the best team in the nation! It […]

Inside Look with Greg Wheatley

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:21-05:00August 12th, 2011|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, Unity of the Church|

I recently did an in-studio visit with Greg Wheatley of Moody Radio Network. Greg is best known as the former host of Prime Time on the Moody Network. We have known one another for some years but only had a few opportunities to visit face-to-face. He invited me to be a guest on his program, Inside Look, a few weeks ago. The show airs this Saturday, August 13. In Chicago, it can be heard at 1:00 pm on WMBI (90.1 FM). It also airs on the Moody Radio Network at 6:00 pm CT. Some Moody Radio Network stations may shift the air time so it would be prudent to check this out if you have a station in your area. Beginning on Saturday, August 13, the program can be heard online at www.insidelook.org. I enjoyed this time very much and feel Greg is one of the best interviewers in the business. You would also enjoy other (past) programs which are also posted on his […]

Of Gods and Men

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:21-05:00August 11th, 2011|Categories: Discipleship, Faith, Film|

The recently released DVD of the highly praised 2010 French film, Of Gods and Men, affords a unique opportunity for people to see and experience what it was like for Cistercian Trappist monks in Algeria to live and die for their faith.

Of Gods and Men is a drama film directed by Xavier Beauvois, starring Lambert Wilson and Michael Lonsdale. Its original French title is Des hommes et des dieux, which means "Of Men and of Gods" and refers to a motto from the Bible shown at the beginning of the film. It centers on the monastery of Tibhirine, where nine monks lived in harmony with the largely Muslim population of Algeria, until seven of them were kidnapped and assassinated in 1996 during the Algerian Civil War.

The film tells a story that is primarily about a peaceful situation between local Christians and Muslims before it became lethal due to external forces. The screenplay focuses on the preceding chain of events in the decay of the government, the expansion […]