Blog - Page 19 of 318 - John H Armstrong

What Conservatives Do with Government

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:41-05:00March 13th, 2015|Categories: Ideology, Politics|

Liberals and conservatives are waging, it seems to me to the bitter end, a constant debate about the role of government. Conservatives generally do not trust government and want to see it decreased. Such conservatives often call the other side a bunch of socialists while Liberals say the conservatives are heartless and greedy business owners. “Conservatives do not care about the poor or the well-being of society,” they tell us.

Last year I heard a noteworthy conservative say that the problem with most conservatives is they end up turning modern government into a “private sector bidding war.” The result, he added, was that they gave us: “Government by entrepreneurship.” That was one of the most honest reflections on the dangers of conservative views of modern government that I’ve heard. One can hope that both sides would learn to see their own weaknesses and then learn how to work for the common good. So far I’ve not seen much of this since the 1970s. I’m not holding my breath but I am hoping for better leadership, eventually.

Jeff Gokee on Christian Unity and Why It Matters

By John Armstrong|2015-03-07T10:12:28-06:00March 12th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, My Christian Unity Story, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

One of my very best friends is Rev. Jeff Gokee, who serves PhoenixONE and is a recent addition to the ACT3 Network board of directors. Today Jeff speaks about the power and importance of Christian Unity.

A Liberal Confession that Conservatives Can Affirm

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:41-05:00March 11th, 2015|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Discipleship, Evangelism, Faith, Gospel/Good News, Missional Church, Personal, The Church|

Today’s Guest Blogger: Dr. David Lescalleet

There was an interesting recent editorial on dailybeast.com entitled: Why I’m coming out as a Christian. Columnist Ana Marie Cox who has written for a number of periodicals and has quite the following on twitter (1.3 million and counting) wrote the article. I heard about it today when Ms. Cox appeared on the cable morning show Morning Joe on MSNBC and talked about the reasons she chose to ‘come out’ of the religious closet. A week ago the news cycle had picked up on a comment made by Governor Scott Walker who was questioning President Obama’s Christian faith. Ms. Cox, a liberal commentator and obvious supporter of President Obama, opined if the President wasn’t a Christian than what did that make her? In her television interview this morning she did a decent enough job in trying to explain her own Christianity (enough for me to hunt her article down anyway and read it for myself), and what I found was a testimonial mixture of both good and bad. I don’t mean […]

Two Modern Films That Define Us as Americans, Part Two

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:41-05:00March 10th, 2015|Categories: America and Americanism, American Evangelicalism, Culture, Current Affairs, Immigration, Personal, Politics, Poverty, Race and Racism, The Church, The Future, The War on Terrorism|

In complete contrast with American Sniper the new film McFarland USA is a Disney movie. It is also based on a true story. It is an against-all-odds story of the 1987 McFarland high school cross country team in an economically challenged community in the central valley of California. Some reviewers think the film is “corny” and hopelessly romanticized. I found it pure, unadulterated inspiration. Kevin Costner plays the lead role as a high school teacher and coach who is stuck in a small town with a largely Hispanic population of poor immigrant farm workers. (The issue of documented or undocumented people never arises in the movie but reality says both kinds of immigrants are in the story!) The story revolves around a family of four moving to this small California farm town of McFarland, which really is the name of the town. (McFarland is about ten miles from where one of my best friends lives, Rev. David Moorhead. David a Reformed Church in America church-planting pastor in Shafter.) Costner’s character takes a job as a science and physical […]

Two Modern Films That Define Us as Americans, Part One

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:41-05:00March 9th, 2015|Categories: America and Americanism, American Evangelicalism, Film, Immigration, The Church, The War on Terrorism|

I have not reviewed a movie here for many months, maybe for a year or more. I am not sure why this is true. I simply lost interest in film reviews I suppose. I’ve also seen some fairly bad movies in the last year. I think the Academy nominees for this year included some of the weakest films and performances in years. But I have not lost my interest in film.

In the first few months of 2015 I have seen several films that I enjoyed. Today I’d like to compare and contrast two films that capture something of the spirit of America. One is being deeply debated, American Sniper. The other film, McFarland USA, is not so well known but should be. (I will give the compare and contrast part of my blog in tomorrow’s post.)

American Sniper is a critically acclaimed movie that is debated left and right. It features Clint Eastwood’s sure-handed direction and has a gripping central performance from Bradley Cooper, who plays the lead role as a sniper in Iraq. It is tense, violent, […]

What’s to Celebrate in the Ecumenical Movement?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:41-05:00March 6th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, Unity of the Church|

Several years ago the late Brother Jeffrey Gros, FSC, the keynote speaker at National Workshop on Christian Unity in Arlington, Virginia, lifted up five things for which to be grateful in the church unity movement today.

At the top of the list, Gros, who was then professor of Church history at Memphis Theological Seminary (Tennessee), put the Methodist Statement of Association with the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ). The JDDJ, signed on October 31, 1999, in Augsburg, Germany, represents a formal agreement between the Catholic Church and Lutheran World Federation on the historically divisive issue of justification or how we are saved.

At World Methodist Conference in Seoul, Korea, delegates voted acceptance of the JDDJ as their statement, too, in a Common Affirmation. The result is a unique theological agreement in which a third partner has joined with two partners already in agreement.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, former President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, called it “a historic day”, and Dr. […]

Sanctuary: An ABC Chicago Television Program on ACT3

By John Armstrong|2015-03-04T20:24:37-06:00March 5th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Current Affairs, Missional-Ecumenism, The Church, Unity of the Church|

A few weeks ago I learned that ABC Chicago wanted to air a thirty-minute program on Sunday, March 22, at 11:30 a.m. on Channel 7. The really cool thing is that this will not cost us a penny and it will help us spread the flame of missional-ecumenism widely in the region and beyond. After the show airs we should be able to show the program on the Internet. For now, if you live in Chicago plan to watch the program when it airs or set your DVR to Channel 7 (ABC) on March 22 at 11:30 a.m. and watch it later. Tell your friends as well. Please pray that this message will spread like a great virus throughout the hearts of God’s people in Chicago and beyond. This is truly a remarkable providence.

Sameness vs. Individuality

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:41-05:00March 4th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Culture, Current Affairs, Discipleship, Leadership, The Church|

It is a healthy development to see growing concern for community and life together in the West. At the same time the hunger for life together can, and does, create some deep problems that are rarely talked about in the right way. My friend Monte Wilson recently captured my concern in a post that I believe is very important for Christians who have experienced deep brokenness and desire to be enfolded into a deeply Christian family or small group/church.

Ultimately everything depends on the quality of the individual, but our fatally short-sighted age thinks only in terms of large numbers and mass organizations…
― C.G. Jung, The Undiscovered Self

Sameness – Where every one looks alike, talks alike, believes the same (what they are told to believe), goes along to get along; is brought about by the belief that the judgment of others is more important and more valuable then his or her own evaluations; lives based on fear and self-distrust. Synonyms – Cookie-cutter, boring, mindless, asleep at the wheel, dishonest, robots

Individuality – The product of a relentless pursuit of truth; the result […]

A Short Documentary: The ACT3 Conversation on Christian Unity

By John Armstrong|2015-03-01T18:40:59-06:00March 2nd, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, American Evangelicalism, Current Affairs, Evangelism, Missional Church, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

Last Monday (February 23) I reported to you about the ACT3 Network Conversation on Christian Unity that I conducted with Fr. Robert Barron on Monday, February 9, at St. Procopius Abbey in Lisle, Illinois.

One of the very best ways to see and feel such an event is to watch a documentary-style report. Our ACT3 videographer, Tim Frakes, once again made an extremely good (short) video about this gathering. The entire dialogue will be available very soon on YouTube broadcast. For now please share this documentary video with your friends and encourage them to help ACT3 reach the church and her leaders with this vital message of missional-ecumenism.

Ft. Thomas Baima on the Power of Christian Unity

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:13:41-05:00February 25th, 2015|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, My Christian Unity Story, Personal, Roman Catholicism, Unity of the Church|

The Very Reverend Dr. Thomas A. Baima is a full professor of systematic theology and Vice Rector for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein Seminary. In 2012 Tom was elevated to Vicar of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the Archdiocese while retaining his duties at the seminary. He is one of my dearest and most treasured Catholic friends. When I did my first public dialogue on Catholicism and evangelicalism, more than a decade ago, Tom was my first partner in this new venture for ACT3. I learned so much from him that evening in Naperville as we faced a large crowd and answered many questions. After that evening our friendship quickly flourished.

For Tom both ecumenical and interreligious work is rooted in ecclesiology and soteriology. Jesus the unique Savior, united with his Body, the Church carries out the Father’s mission to the world. This mission is universal. Tom’s particular focus is to establish relationships through which misunderstandings and divisions might be lessened and room created for the movement of the Holy Spirit to call Christians to […]