Blog - Page 15 of 318 - John H Armstrong

Celebrating the Martyrdom of John Hus 600 Years Later

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:18-05:00July 7th, 2015|Categories: Church History, Current Affairs, Missional-Ecumenism, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future|

Monday, July 6, marked the 600th anniversary of the martyrdom of John Hus. Hus, the great Bohemian reformer, prophesied in his death that God would raise up another reformer who would carry on what he began, a reference that fits Martin Luther to the letter. (We celebrate the 500th anniversary of Luther’s “Ninety-five Theses” in 2017!)

John Hus, known as “The Morning Star of the Reformation,” desired that the Czech nation and people know redeeming grace through Jesus Christ more than anything else. He preached a clear and popular message in the language of his people, not in the Latin of the church. He taught the Bible very carefully and encouraged people to pursue the truth in Christ in every area of life. He was willing to die for his faith and this is exactly what happened.

On Monday a most remarkable event took place in the city of Opava in memory of John Hus’ martyrdom. The Catholic Church hosted an ecumenical memorial service to honor John Hus, the biblical reformer, in the main city cathedral. The service was […]

A Global Charismatic Gathering @ the Vatican with Concerted Prayer for Christian Unity

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:18-05:00July 6th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Current Affairs, Missional Church, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Renewal, Roman Catholicism, Spirituality, The Church, The Future|

Pope Francis greeted tens of thousands of members of the charismatic movement last Friday, July 3, who were in Rome for their 38th annual Convocation. They gathered in St Peter’s Square for an evening of prayer, spirituality, and evangelization. Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and Israeli singer Noa were among the singers who performed. The most amazing and moving part of the evening may have been the singing of the world’s best known hymn: “Amazing Grace.”

This global gathering event had a distinctly ecumenical character. The theme was: “Ways of Unity and Peace – Voices of Prayer for the Martyrs of Today and for a Spiritual Ecumenism.” No theme is closer to my own heart so I took notice of this event and rejoiced. When I watched the singing of the great hymn I was melted to tears of joy. I watched Pope Francis and prayed for him with renewed determination to do all I can to support him as my brother in Christ.

Representatives from the churches of many denominations and ecclesial communities were present for this great meeting […]

How Should Christians Respond to the Supreme Court’s Ruling on Marriage?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:19-05:00July 3rd, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Current Affairs, Marriage & Family, Missional-Ecumenism, Sexuality, The Church, The Future|

Readers of this blog range across a wide-spectrum of Christian believers. Some readers favor same-sex marriage and (very likely) most do not. While I do not advocate for same-sex marriage, based upon my understanding of marriage primarily (not sexuality), I believe the church has lost its way in regard to mission and purpose. This is why the Christian response to this court decision reveals the deep divisions within our ranks. My friend Dr. David Lescalleet offers us a balanced perspective from the position held by the vast majority of Christian churches around the world. I offer it as a helpful reflection for all of us to ponder prayerfully.

What Now? A Response to the SCOTUS Ruling on Same-Sex Marriage

The decision by the United States Supreme Court to rule in favor of same-sex marriage is now about a few days old. During that time I have read through different articles, commentaries, op-eds, along with a whole host of Facebook posts and twitter feeds. In response, I initially thought it best to refrain from adding to the noise that is, at […]

A Unique Dialogue on the Eucharist and a Prayer Service for Unity

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:19-05:00June 25th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Eucharist, Missional-Ecumenism, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|Tags: Eucharist|

On Saturday, July 11, the Focolare Movement hosts a special day (within their larger annual event called Midwest Mariapolis) on Christian unity and the role of the eucharist. I am leading a workshop, along with my good friend, Fr. Thomas Baima. There is also a prayer service for unity that evening. You are welcome to register, or just come and sign up on site, as a one-day guest. If you live in Chicago, Indianapolis or West Michigan this is an easy drive. I hope to see some of you share in this event and please say “hello” to me if you come. You are welcome to attend more of this wonderful event but the Saturday activities are the ones I am actively sharing in as a leader.

Mariapolis 2015, “The Eucharist in a Communitarian Spirituality”

The Focolare Movement’s annual meeting, the “Mariapolis,” will include an exploration of the Eucharist and its connection to ecumenical dialogue. The public are invited to two events that will take place at Valparaiso University’s Harre Union on Saturday, July 11, 2015

Workshop: Harre Union University Ballroom, […]

Blogs and My Public Life

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:20-05:00June 24th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Books, Current Affairs, Film, Missional Church, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Renewal, The Church, The Future|

For almost a decade I have blogged on a regular basis. Initially, I found this medium an exciting and developing way to share my thoughts and reflect on biblical theology, culture and current events. Over time I found that writing blogs seven days a week was so demanding that I had to reduce my blogs to five times per week. Then it became four. Finally, some weeks ago, I quit writing for a long season. I have not quit altogether. In fact, I posted two new blogs over the last two days. During this “blog vacation” I have concluded several things about my blogs:

1. Blogs can be of various kinds and styles. My writing personally ranged over a wide field of interests because I enjoy many different aspects of culture and theology. I read widely and thus I wrote very widely. I am first a Bible-reader but I am a man of many books and interests. This impacted what I wrote and how I did it.

2. Blogs can be heavily documented academic articles that serve a great long-term purpose. I did very few of these types […]

James Martin Shows the Importance of the Pope’s Encyclical in Ten Ways

By John Armstrong|2015-06-20T16:42:23-05:00June 23rd, 2015|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Biblical Theology, Culture, Current Affairs, Environmentalism, Ethics, Ideology, Personal, Roman Catholicism, The Future|

Some readers know that I am a big fan of James Martin, the best-selling Jesuit author who is one of our most powerful Christian communicators today. Fr. Martin summarizes, in this short video, why the new papal encyclical is so important for all Christians.

The Pope’s Controversial Encyclical

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:20-05:00June 22nd, 2015|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Culture, Current Affairs, Environmentalism, Ethics, Ideology, Roman Catholicism, The Future|

Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home, the much-discussed encyclical of Pope Francis on human care for the creation, embraces what the pope calls a “very solid scientific consensus” that humans are causing cataclysmic climate change that has been endangering the planet for decades. This conclusion has caused some conservatives, especially talk-show hosts and their followers, to trash the pope’s thought and motives.

One evangelical talk-show host/author called Pope Francis a socialist liberal. He told his audience that the pope has no idea what he is talking about when it comes to the real science of environmentalism. But he has bought an agenda and misled the church and the public. Another suggested that the pope needed to study science more closely, an odd criticism since this pope has seriously studied science and is surrounded by an entire body of serious scientists who served his writing of this encyclical.

Let’s be honest – the devil is always in the details. Most people admit that the environment is changing, mostly for the worse. What is debated is the cause. […]

Pope Francis Speaks to the John 17 Movement at Pentecost Celebration

By John Armstrong|2015-05-27T19:02:35-05:00May 27th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Current Affairs, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

I have mentioned in the past few months that I am deeply supportive of what is called the John 17 Movement. This movement held a wonderful Pentecost event in Phoenix, Arizona, last Saturday, May 23. The event was at the Phoenix Convention Center. I could not attend but spoke by video to this gathering. The same friends who invited me to address this magnificent crowd also invited Pope Francis to speak. Here is his address given from his office at the Vatican. Watch it and then pray for the unity of the church of Jesus Christ globally. His words about the role of theologians are so moving and faithful. Pray for Pope Francis and then pray for the unity of the church.

A Film Series on the Protestant Reformation

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:20-05:00May 26th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, American Evangelicalism, Church History, Church Tradition, Current Affairs, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

Two weeks ago I did a three-and-a-half hour video session in Souderton, Pennsylvania. I sat down with Vision Video, one of the premier Christian video production companies in the world. I had a profoundly enjoyable experience and hope that the time I invested in a forthcoming project will bear much fruit.

Vision Video is making and producing a three-hour series for the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. I believe this series will be available in 2016. It is to be determined how many videos there will be in the series, what kind of resources will be added and how it will be marketed. The entire project anticipates the anniversary year of 2017. It has a number of well-known people in the series. It should make a significant contribution to churches and Christian viewers in general. Vision Video has produced some noteworthy films and won a number of awards for their work over the years.

This particular series was nearing completion when the production and film team decided that the series was missing several things that were needed. […]

Mark Moore on Christian Unity

By John Armstrong|2015-05-23T10:51:26-05:00May 11th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, My Christian Unity Story, Unity of the Church|

My friend Rev. Mark Moore, of Plano, Texas, spoke with ACT3 about Christian Unity during our Lausanne Catholic-Evangelical meeting last September. Mark has just recently become a regional director for International Justice Mission, a ministry that is a fantastic gift to the whole church.