Blog - Page 183 of 318 - John H Armstrong

Why I Keep Blogging

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:07-05:00August 14th, 2009|Categories: Personal|

I ask myself, now and then, “Why do you still blog?” The work behind this writing is time consuming and sometimes I would just as soon quit. I can tell that after some years of doing this"the dew is off the rose." The real answer lies in my experience of this growing medium of communication. Let me explain.

I am positively not a controversialist. I much prefer to study and teach people who want to learn and grow, not engage in debates with fellow Christians. I listen to others teach and seek to better grasp the truth as it is found in Jesus Christ through what I hear and learn. Since truth is not an abstract system to be discovered but a person to be known and loved I learn freely and simply. The person who is the truth is Jesus, the eternal Word. Because his truth is discovered in Christians, and through deep Christian teaching and reflection upon the Holy Scripture, I listen attentively to the whole catholic church. By this approach I learn […]

I Stand Corrected About the Southern Baptist Convention

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:07-05:00August 13th, 2009|Categories: Southern Baptists|

My post yesterday, about Mark Driscoll and the Southern Baptist convention, had several inaccurate statements in it. I acknowledged one of these by saying that I incorrectly stated that Mark Driscoll preached at the SBC. (See the comments following the blog of yesterday.) This statement came about because I did not read the story in Christianity Today carefully enough. It was not intentional I can assure you. I simply messed up.

The second point, made by two gracious men who commented from their own personal experience, gives them far more credibility than me. It was noted that the SBC did not pass the five resolutions presented on the floor regarding Driscoll. I actually should have known better since such resolutions are made by various messengers in almost every such convention. This is a unique part of Southern Baptist polity, one that I do not like. But it must be understood for what it is and I failed to do that. For this mistake I humbly apologize to those who were misled […]

How Mark Driscoll Became Controversial in the Southern Baptist Convention

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:07-05:00August 12th, 2009|Categories: Southern Baptists|

Christianity Today reported in their August issue that Mark Driscoll, well-known pastor of a mega-church in Seattle, created quite a stir at the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) this year. The flash point was the “Great Commission Resurgence” (GCN), a group of Baptists who believe the convention needs to change if it is reach real non-Christians in the coming generation.

Most outsiders know that the SBC began a battle about the Bible some thirty years ago. That battle energized Baptists in a unique way. I am not impressed that it did them a lot of real good in the end. Conservative commentators say that this first battle was about the Bible. Some now believe that a new battle is growing in the SBC and this one is about the church. GCR says that by 2050 the SBC will lose half its members unless changes are made in the coming years. Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research, says “Southern Baptist decline isn’t a matter of […]

What Is the Aim of the Christian Life?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:07-05:00August 11th, 2009|Categories: Spirituality|

I have frequently mentioned that one of the great benefits of reading both Western and Eastern Christian theology is that the body breathes best when it uses both lungs. Pope John Paul II used this expression when he referred to the Christian East and suggested by it that we truly needed one another. I have made this a part of my own journey for about five years now. Let me illustrate one profound way the East has helped me think more deeply about my life in Christ.

If you ask a Western Christian what is the aim of the Christian life I think most would say something about the glory of God. "The chief end of man is to love him and glorify him forever." I like that and believe there is much in this emphasis to commend itself. I also find it lacking something that is more specific and concrete. When I came across the writings of St. Seraphim of Sarov discussing the purpose of the Christian life I was stunned and then profoundly helped. He says, following […]

The Teaching of Jesus

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:07-05:00August 10th, 2009|Categories: Christ/Christology|

John 1:35-37 tells us that one of the first two followers of Jesus was Andrew. The other is not named though we tend to believe it was the writer himself, John. Andrew then recruited his brother, Simon Peter, saying, "We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ" (John 1:41). This was the straightforward way Jesus gathered his first disciples. Luke gives more background before the calling telling us that Jesus had already begun preaching and becoming widely known in the region, first around Nazareth, and then in the north near the coast of the Sea of Galilee: "And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the Sabbath days. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was power" (Luke 4:31-32).

Note Luke's historical reference: "they were astonished at his doctrine." The word "doctrine" means, very simply, teaching. Jesus' teaching always astonished people. The fact that it does not astonish us tells us […]

Mary's Virginity and Jesus' Siblings

By John Armstrong|2009-08-09T05:27:00-05:00August 9th, 2009|Categories: Church Tradition|

The church claims that it was there from the beginning and that it was not forgetful about many important matters. I agree with this premise.The problem comes when modern churches and Christians claim more than what was there in the beginning. Because certain ideas were present does not mean they were universally embraced by all ancient Christians and teachers. Such is the case regarding Mary and the holy family.

Earliest tradition suggests that Mary remained a virgin because of the prophecy of Ezekiel 44:2. The prophet said, "This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered in by it. Therefore, it shall be shut." Some evangelicals will balk at this reading of the Old Testament but again the early Protestant Reformers read the text in this way.

Joseph has generally been considered as older than Mary. This is suggested by the […]

The Church and Mary the Mother of God

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:07-05:00August 8th, 2009|Categories: Church Tradition|

The Scripture tells us that the shepherds came to adore the infant Jesus in the stable. Luke further tells us that Mary "kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart" This description has formed the church's thought down through the centuries. Mary is loved but in no church is she co-equal with Jesus. Some evangelicals insist Roman Catholicism teaches Mary is a co-redeemer but this is not the case, not if the dogma of the church is read carefully.

Roman Catholic teaching about Mary includes four dogmas, several of which became dogmas of the church in the last few hundred years. These dogmas are: Mary's Immaculate Conception, which kept her from original sin; Mary's sinlessness; Mary's perpetual virginity; and the Assumption (her body went directly to heaven after her death). Only the dogma of perpetual virginity is taught by the Orthodox. Many Orthodox theologians and Christians also believe in the Assumption but they do not consider it necessary to make this a dogma of the church. And the Orthodox have a different understanding of Mary and […]

The Ancestors of God

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:07-05:00August 7th, 2009|Categories: Church Tradition|

The genealogy of Jesus has always fascinated biblical scholars. It has also influenced the church very deeply since the time of the apostles. We have two genealogies in Scripture. Matthew stresses the royal lineage of Jesus whereas Luke stresses his blood relationship with the whole human race.

The divine liturgy of the fourth century (John Chrysostom) refers to the parents of Mary as Joachim and Anna. They are actually called "the ancestors of God." This language creates some deep anxiety for many evangelicals. It should not. Let me explain.

The eternal God has no human forebears. No orthodox church ever taught otherwise. What the church has actually taught is that in the incarnation the human Jesus also has a divine nature. He is "very God of very God." The third ecumenical council (431 A.D.) affirmed this doctrine of the two natures in one person, Jesus of Nazareth. The conclusion of this council was that Mary should be called Theotokos, or "mother of God" (the God-bearer). To describe Mary in this way meant that Christians wanted […]

The Dog Days of Baseball Are Here

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:07-05:00August 6th, 2009|Categories: Baseball|

For the die hard baseball fan the month of August is the "dog days." I am not sure where this term comes from but it suggests the idea of hot, sticky, hard and challenging. These are the days that set baseball apart from all other sports because it comes down to perseverance and a strong mental attitude that can endure great odds. These guys have been playing and traveling and grinding it out since late February. But on August 1st there are still sixty-plus games to be played. That is almost as many games as an NBA team, or an NHL team, will play in a whole season.

Real fans get into the game during the dog days. Their team will either die this month or stay in the chase and make the final days really fun. Some teams will fade away and some will rise, as the Rockies did a few years ago. This is what makes the dog days of August so much fun for the fan. If your team is fading you have only one […]

The Hurt Locker

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:07-05:00August 5th, 2009|Categories: Film|

The Hurt Locker is as full of passionate suspense as any movie I have seen in years. It is an edge-of-your seat portrait of real military courage under fire. No horror film, or apocalyptic thriller, will grip you the way The Hurt Locker does. The heroes in this extraordinary film are the technicians of an Army bomb squad. These men volunteer to challenge the odds, which are clearly life and death, in order to save lives. They just happened to do this in Iraq in 2004, which at the time was one of the world’s most dangerous places.

The story revolves around James, a new sergeant, and two guys named Sanborn and Eldridge, his subordinates. These three men are members of the Army’s elite Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squad. They have been trained to fight insurgents while they seek out and disarm a wave of roadside bombs on the streets of Baghdad. Their mission is clear—protect civilians and […]