Blog - Page 143 of 318 - John H Armstrong

The Apostles' Creed

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:26-05:00September 2nd, 2010|Categories: Missional-Ecumenism, Theology|

The Apostles' Creed is a living link that takes us back over some eighteen centuries to the early church. It has the power to bond and unite believers from diverse cultures and traditions and yet it remains a powerfully concise summary of the core of biblical faith. It was used, for these very reasons, to instruct new Christians prior to their being baptized in the early centuries of the Christian church. It can still be used for the same purpose. And it can be used to ground all believers in the faith, young and old.

A powerful resource to teach the Apostles’ Creed is now available to Christian teachers and pastors who want to introduce the creed for the first time or teach its meaning to those who already know it and recite it in liturgical settings. The Apostles’ Creed: A Look At Its Origin and Its Relevance To Our Lives Today, is a video series which includes over nine hours of instruction from some of the […]

Random Reflections on Life from Donald G. Bloesch

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:26-05:00September 1st, 2010|Categories: ACT 3, Ethics, Ideology, Personal, Spirituality, Theology|

Yesterday I told you the story of my friendship with the late theologian Donald G. Bloesch and his widow Brenda. Donald is best known for his major works in theology, ethics and spirituality. He was a master at processing a ton of information and putting his conclusions into a context that kept the gospel central to everything.

Recently I went back to Donald Bloesch’s book, Freedom for Obedience (Harper & Row: New York 1987). Bloesch writes: “The Christian ethic is an ethic . . . that cannot be assimilated into the moral consensus of the wider community. . . . The way of the cross cannot be reconciled with the way of the world, just as the gospel cannot be conjoined with the laws that give stability to social order.” How I wish an entire generation of men like Falwell, Robertson and Dobson (to name only a few) would have understood that simple, but profound point. You cannot paste Christian ethics into the culture […]

Donald G. Bloesch: On the Death of My Friend

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:26-05:00August 31st, 2010|Categories: ACT 3, Death, Personal, Theology|

Donald G. Bloesch, a prominent evangelical theologian who was an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, passed away last Tuesday, August 24. This news deeply moved me since Dr. Bloesch was one of my most trusted and beloved mentors. This was true even though I never formally studied under Don as a professor. My relationship was far more interesting in its own way.

Back in the 1970s I first heard the name of Donald Bloesch but at first I didn’t think much about him since I was fairly shut off in my own sectarian world of thought and practice. One summer, in the late 1970s I believe, I attended a small gathering associated with the ministry of a popular magazine of the time called Present Truth. The magazine actually opened my eyes to the need for recovering gospel truths in an age that was fast losing its grasp on the grace of God. Two teachers were leading this small gathering […]

Do You Know Who Is and Is Not a Real Christian?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:26-05:00August 30th, 2010|Categories: ACT 3, Missional Church, Missional-Ecumenism, Unity of the Church|

One of the most common responses I have run into about my thesis regarding missional-ecumenism comes down to this question: “I cannot cooperate with churches and people who are not Christian!”

If it were only this simple. You know who is and is not a follower of Christ and thus you can clearly judge the matter and not cooperate with false professors of the faith. Again, this problem arises in very conservative contexts where we believe we can judge the fruit of others and if they do not confess all the faith, or the part we think to be vital to living faith, we judge them to be false. This does not generally happen in real life situations, face-to-face, so much as it feeds an attitude that is ubiquitous in many churches. We say that we are just “fruit inspectors.”

Look, if someone is born again we can know they are, right? No, we cannot. God alone judges the heart. And only called and equipped leaders (elders) are charged with determining false teaching inside a church. Making this command the calling of every Christian, in […]

Digital Books, the Internet and the Future

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:27-05:00August 29th, 2010|Categories: Books, Personal|

I am both a reader and a writer. I once had an immense library but I have sold about 60% of it in the last four years. I sold some of my best books earlier this year, removing about 35-40% of my theology section. I confess that this was not easy to do but it became increasingly obvious that it was the right thing to do.

I routinely bump into someone who says, “I just bought a book on the Internet and your name was in it. Are you selling all your books for some reason?” The answer is a qualified yes. I still have a larger than average library but it is shrinking. Why?

The first reason is driven by the market and the space limitations in my home. My dear wife does not want books in our living space so I am limited to a very large basement and a nice study, which is more than enough room. But even with this space […]

The Uncertainty Principle

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:27-05:00August 28th, 2010|Categories: Economy/Economics, Wealth|

There is a theory, or model, in economics called “the uncertainty principle.” Such a cycle comes about when companies and small businesses are not convinced that it is a good time to invest and grow a business. Now I am not an economist. I read some economics and I know just enough to be aware but not overly anxious. I do know what I feel sure that you know quite well. The last 26 months have been difficult for millions of people. This recession has hit me personally in several ways creating income loss and a fairly significant lifestyle change with it. This is not all bad as this change has taught me new faith and has proven to be very good if the truth is known.

This uncertainty principle says that so long as people are unsure about the future they will put off investment and hiring. This means that the unemployment rate is connected to the confidence investors and leaders have about […]

Reforming the Home Church

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:27-05:00August 27th, 2010|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Missional Church, The Church|

Yesterday I reported on the growing home church movement and gave some reasons why this development is happening. I have to say that I see this movement in a more positive light than some I know but I believe the impulse of true reformation is needed here as everywhere else. Toward this end I ask some questions about the home church movement.

1. Can such a movement genuinely thrive if there is not more emphasis on teaching and preaching the Word?

I think the answer is a qualified no. Regardless of how teachers are chosen and equipped they will always be needed in the church. A church without gifted teachers proclaiming “the whole counsel of God” will not be healthy if the New Testament is really our model. This does not mean we need "clergy" or a hierarchical arrangement, simply that we need gifted teachers. It also doesn't mean that such teachers must be in a special class of "ministers" in order to be genuinely […]

A Parody That Rocks

By John Armstrong|2010-08-26T09:58:57-05:00August 26th, 2010|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Emergent Church, Humor|

North Point Church in Atlanta is one of the better known mega-churches in America. Led by Andy Stanley the church is known for taking the gospel seriously. It is also a church that is not afraid to look at a lot that is being done today with a biblically critical eye. This video will make you laugh and it just might make you cry too. It is not a blanket condemnation of modern music but rather a biting critique that should make you pause and ask important questions, especially if you are leading such a congregation.

The Home Church Movement

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:27-05:00August 26th, 2010|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Missional Church, The Church|

There seems to be little doubt that the “home church,” or the informal church that meets in the houses of participants, is growing across America. The Barna Group estimates that between 6 and 12 million people now attend a home church in America. The reliable Pew Forum discovered that 9 percent of American Protestants attend home church exclusively. Any movement that attracts 10 percent of the total of Protestant worshipers is likely to have a growing and considerable impact on the church at-large. While I do not think traditional churches will just go away anytime soon I expect the home church movement will grow in the years ahead. Why?

1. The home church is simple. Ed Stetzer, the president of Lifeway Research and a specialist in missiology, notes that the appeal here is to a “simpler expression of the church.” He adds, “For many, church has become too much (like a) business while they just want to live like the Bible.”

2. People […]

How Does Changing the Law Impact Marriage?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:18:27-05:00August 25th, 2010|Categories: Homosexuality, Marriage & Family|

Does changing the law about marriage, to include gay marriage as a legal norm, have any bearing on the culture in general, and one man/one woman marriage in particular? I argued yesterday that it does and I believe many of the advocates of gay marriage admit the same if we bother to listen to them. I gave evidence of these opinions yesterday. Today I want to explore this question with an actual historical illustration that provides clear evidence that changing how the law deals with marriage will have a decided consequence on the strength and longevity of both marriage and the well-being of families.

Consider the changes in divorce laws that allowed for what we call “no fault divorce.” This change did not begin to gather support and then become law until the 1970s. This time period gives us one generation to study what has actually happened. This change not only made it easier, and less costly, to get a divorce but it changed […]