Blog - Page 113 of 318 - John H Armstrong

We Are All Part of the One Loaf

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:32-05:00June 12th, 2011|Categories: Sacraments, Unity of the Church|

I am particularly interested in the metaphors and images the New Testament uses to show us exactly how the church is one. I confess I have previously paid too little attention to 1 Corinthians 10:17. “Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.” The church is not only one body but it is one loaf. Just as there is one body so there must be only one loaf.

Remember the context of these words – the Eucharist. The loaf is a reference to the bread, which is the body of Christ. When we share the bread we share as one people because there are not two kinds of bread, one one for this group and one for the other. We all consume the same bread which is the one body of Christ. Andrew Murray wrote: “He who partakes of the body and blood of Jesus is incorporated with His body, the church, and stands thenceforth in close relationship with all its members.” In the New Covenant, thus in the meal of the covenant, there is such […]

What is the One Issue That Most Motivates the Christian Right?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:32-05:00June 11th, 2011|Categories: Politics|

When you think about the Christian Right, and a host of politically charged issues, which one of these issues most motivates evangelical conservatives in terms of their actual voting behavior? I admit I could not have guessed this until Governor Mitt Romney announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination on June 2nd.

What causes the Christian Right to specifically oppose Mitt Romney? Take a guess? You think it is his Mormonism? Try again. What about his previously moderate position on both gay rights and abortion, a position which he changed when he last ran for the nomination of his party? Guess again. Or what about his experience in running a business or a government agency? Guess again. What about foreign affairs, wars overseas that continue to increase national debt and remain morally questionable? Guess again.

The issue that truly motivates socially conservative voters, which is of course the largest share of so-called evangelicals, is Obamacare! Social conservatives cast 2 of every 5 Republican votes. They consistently place the […]

Following Jesus and St. Francis in Rural Nebraska

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:32-05:00June 10th, 2011|Categories: Evangelism, Missional-Ecumenism, Unity of the Church|

A friend who I met here in the suburbs of Chicago moved to Nebraska several years ago. We recently met again to have coffee during a visit he made to Wheaton. This friend has become a really dedicated missional-ecumenist who believes in spiritual renewal, evangelism and the catholic church. Along with others he has planned a men's ecumenical mission into the countryside of rural Nebraska to follow in the footsteps of the seventy-two (Luke 10 ) that Jesus sent out two-by-two. For some evangelicals this sounds a bit too mystical and it is not based on a clear command rooted in the text cited. Yet many others down thru the ages have adopted a “simple” approach to evangelism that has captured the idea of Luke 10 and applied it in faith, hope and love. My friend writes, “I am extremely excited to have such a great group of men from a wide variety of churches signed up. This year we even have one Catholic joining us which should be a blessing.”

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Why Do We Wait When Danger is So Near?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:33-05:00June 9th, 2011|Categories: Personal, Psychology, The Future|

Yesterday I wrote about the recent storms in the southeastern portion of the United States. The violent storm that hit Joplin, Missouri, killed an estimated 142 people. What we know about this storm and this city is that twenty-minute sirens went off warning people to flee to cover. Many did flee but some waited. Why did these people wait?

William Donner, an environmental sociologist at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, says, “Research generally shows that folks are in denial that a tornado is going to harm them.” I have to confess I know this to be true personally. Why? When the sirens have gone off in my neighborhood, and my wife heads for the basement, I have stayed on the upper level watching a baseball game or working away. I have said, more than once, “I don’t think this is the big one. I’ll be safe.” When I told her I was going to write this she said, “Will you listen to me next time?” My answer was a humble, simple one: “Yes, I will dear.”

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The Science of Tornadoes

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:33-05:00June 8th, 2011|Categories: Religion, Science|

The recent wave of storms that have hit portions of the United States have been unusually deadly. In the two states in which I lived in my first nineteen years, Tennessee and Alabama, 276 people have died. In Joplin, Missouri, one town is estimated to have lost 142 people in one May storm. This got me to thinking about the science of storms. And it also made me wonder if the frequency and strength of these storms could have any relationship to global warming?

Before I proceed we need a simple definition of science. Science (from Latin: scientia meaning "knowledge") is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the world. Science observes facts, organizes them and offers a response to what we see and know in the world. Good science never conflicts with religious faith and vice versa.

Researchers have been to places like Tuscaloosa, where I lived in 1967-69, to study the storm's impact. Now they've been to […]

Encouragement: The Key to Freedom and Hope

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:33-05:00June 7th, 2011|Categories: Leadership, Personal, Sports|

I believe you cannot encourage a person too much. You might mislead them by false words of so-called encouragement but you cannot over encourage a person with honest and loving words. I thought about this last week when my 13-year old granddaughter was playing in a soccer tournament that included three games on a windy, cold Saturday (May 28). Her team has been pretty successful over the years but recently has met with some discouragement and a few defeats.

As I watched these 13-14 year old girls play hard I also watched them fail to move the ball down the field and get shots on their opponent’s goal. Finally, late in the second half trailing 2-0, a hard, strong, straight kick was made on the opponent’s goal but it sailed quite high. The coach gave what we call a “Bronx Cheer.” It was insincere and even cynical. She was frustrated and took it out on her team. I was embarrassed and annoyed. I knew right there and then that this was not a good coach and thus I understood why this talented team was underperforming.

I played several […]

The Gospel Is Completely Antithetical to Our Way of Thinking

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:33-05:00June 6th, 2011|Categories: Biblical Theology, Christ/Christology, Jesus, Mysticism|

For some years I have believed the gospel is good news about Jesus and his reign in this world and in the world to come. Thus we pray as our Lord taught us to pray: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” The gospel of the kingdom is not about grasping facts, repeating words or saying some version of the “Roman Road” with proof texts that invite a closing prayer. Do not misunderstand me — the death, burial and resurrection of the man Jesus are historical realities, not pious myths. This man from Nazareth was more than a mortal man, which we forget he really was in some churches. He was, and is, divine. I hold to an orthodox Christology. But the gospel is much more than Christology, especially when Christology is understood simply as “right beliefs” about the person of Jesus Christ.

The living truth of the gospel is something that we access through a faith journey, a journey that is antithetical to human certainty. This journey may/will bring us to make clear doctrinal statements but these […]

No Greater Love

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:33-05:00June 5th, 2011|Categories: Christ/Christology, Love|

Jesus says, in the Upper Room Discourse, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). When the deadly tornado hit Joplin, Missouri, a few weeks ago Dean Wells proved what Christian friendship looks like by laying down his life. As 200 mph winds bore down on the Home Deport store people fled to the back of the store to be safe. Others in the parking lot were trying to find a way into the store. About a dozen people were tapping on the door at which point Dean Wells let them into the store. Wells was near the front door, having just let in a father and two young children, when the storm hit. Those who made it to the rear of the store survived but six did not. Among them was Christian saint Dean Wells.

When the funeral for Wells took place some days later his daughter said, “Today, we gather for the absolute No. 1 quality my father had. He served others before he served himself. The store manager said, “Wells put himself in a very dangerous […]

The Missional Church and Gay Trends in the Culture

By John Armstrong|2011-06-04T04:00:00-05:00June 4th, 2011|Categories: Homosexuality, Missional Church, The Future|

A recent Pew Research Center study reveals how deeply divided we are over same-sex marriage. A majority of Americans (58%) now say that homosexuality should be accepted, rather than discouraged, by society. From reading this data I gather that what is meant here is that 58% believe we should accept homosexual practice, not just homosexual inclination or identity.

The context this creates for the missional church is both challenging and dangerous. Let me explain.

The more the culture moves toward an open acceptance of homosexual practice the harder it will be for conservative Christians to adapt and incarnationally share the good news of Jesus. So long as homosexuals believe they have been singled out for special disdain as unique sinners the more they, and larger numbers of non-homosexuals with them, will resist the gospel. Why? They will see the gospel as a political/moral message that condemns them for something they cannot change.

But the more the church rushes to adjust everything to this new reality the more we run the serious risk of making no moral distinctions at all regarding sexual practice. If anything is clear in Christian tradition […]

The Barnabas Group

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:33-05:00June 3rd, 2011|Categories: ACT 3, Acton Institute, Business, Personal|

I recently had a unique opportunity to speak about unity in Christ’s mission. I was asked to present an address to The Barnabas Group (TBG) in San Diego (May 9) and Costa Mesa (May 10). The Costa Mesa site is in Orange County for those who do not know Southern California. My title for both meetings was: “The Unity Factor: One Lord, One Church, One Mission.”

The Barnabas Group is one of the more unique missions and ministries I’ve encountered. It combines a high view of business as divine vocation with a big vision of Christ’s kingdom and personal responsibility to his mission. The members of the Barnabas Group are thoughtful, serious and successful people. (I am using the word success here in a business sense thus I do not mean by it that success equals Christian faithfulness per se.)

The Barnabas Group (TBG) has existed since 2000. Their purpose is to make a powerful impact on ministries around the corner and around the globe. In contrast to many great individuals and organizations who support ministries primarily with the checkbook, TBG believes ministry-minded people can provide so […]