Blog - Page 196 of 318 - John H Armstrong

Is the Christian Right Dead?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:33-05:00April 14th, 2009|Categories: American Evangelicalism|

Kathleen Parker asks, in her Washington Post syndicated column of April 5, this question: "Is the Christian right finished as a political entity?" By asking this question Ms. Parker is not asking if Christian involvement in moral issues is dead but rather "Is the Christian right finished as a viable movement and force in politics?" She thinks that it is. I have agreed with this premise since at least 2004, if not sooner.

I personally raised significant opposition to the Christian right, from my pulpit as a 27 year old pastor, on July 4, 1976! I still recall the sermon well and the response that followed. Many were unaware, at that time, what was happening and who was leading this change.

If you know recent history you realize that July 4, 1976, was the 200th anniversary of the American Declaration […]

What About All Those Discernment Ministries?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:33-05:00April 13th, 2009|Categories: American Evangelicalism|

The number of Christian “discernment” ministries seems to abound. No one knows for sure how many there really are but there have to be hundreds, maybe thousands. I have not spent much time tracking these kinds of things down, since I think most of them serve little or no good purpose. The people who post on these sites often oppose “catholic” Christianity. (Some are Protestants, while others are Orthodox or Roman Catholic, who also buy into this kind of stuff.) Almost all have some kind of narrow agenda at stake, what we once called " a dog in the fight." They thrive on looking under theological rocks and then making simplistic charges. They often find unsubstantiated facts about ministries that they target for opposition. The truth does not much matter so long as you can "warn" people about how bad someone else is in their service of Christ.

The word discernment means to […]

Christ Is Risen!

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:33-05:00April 12th, 2009|Categories: Christ/Christology|

The cross of Christ is an abyss of wonders, the center of human desires and the school of true virtue. Here, at a place of supreme sorrow, there is the root of joy and everlasting life. It is a stone of stumbling to some but it is salvation to all of those who believe. Here we see God's wisdom, goodness and power. Indeed, here we see his mercy and anger displayed in the same event. We see man's sin and we see our infinite value. We see a man who loved the whole world and a God dying for mankind. Mystery of mysteries.

But today we celebrate the resurrection. Jesus' resurrection was foreshadowed in the Old Testament and anticipated by those who saw him raise the dead. The resurrection of Jesus demonstrates God's power more than any single event in all of human history. And it is the sole ground of hope for all believers.

I am amazed at the […]

How Seriously Do You Believe "Christ Died for Me?"

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:33-05:00April 11th, 2009|Categories: Christ/Christology|

How seriously to you really believe that "Christ died for me?" For me. How has the consciousness of this revelation, which we should think about this day in particular, formed your life?

Is this thought always before you as the guiding principle of your life? If you are a Christian it should be. Of course we can all claim to believe something that does not truly inform and shape our lives. To lead your daily life with an awareness of this truth, however, is to live "under the shadow of the cross." It is the only truth which I know that gives my life meaning and lasting worth.

I spent some time last week discussing ultimate questions with an atheist. He felt that I was a Christian because of the faith my parents gave to me. After he realized that I did agreed with a number of his objections to many Christians on television and in the public arena […]

What Is That Guy Doing Hanging Up There on the Plus Sign?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:33-05:00April 10th, 2009|Categories: Missional Church|

I believe the recently released date from the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS), and the story told in the March 9 edition of USA Today, tells a story so compelling that missional Christians must not ignore what is really happening to millions of people in the U.S. We have clearly moved from a deeply religious culture, firmly rooted in some expression of historic Catholic and Protestant faith, to a society that is rapidly moving away from any kind of "deep personal commitment." Barry Kosmin, one of the authors of this ARIS report suggests religion is more of a "fashion statement" for many Americans than anything remotely related to everyday spiritual reality. I think this is a correct analysis. We who believe in the Great Commission had best take serious note of all these developments.

Some religion is growing, at least in certain regions in America. There you find religious adherence and practice that is on the increase. In Texas, for instance, Roman Catholicism […]

Is Religion in America a Hobby or a Fashion Statement?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:33-05:00April 9th, 2009|Categories: Missional Church|

The recently published ARIS report, comparing religious data in the United States in 2008 with the same data from 1990, revealed a number of important facts that Christians who care about the health of the church and the nation should be concerned about. Yesterday, I wrote about the growing presence of the "nones," now fastest growing religious preference in America. There is other important data to be noted in this same report.

Roman Catholicism has declined 1.1% since 1990. This is somewhat surprising since their has been a large-scale increase in Catholic immigrants into America during the same period of time. The reasons for this decline are probably numerous. The sex scandals plainly hurt the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. And the liberal trends in Catholic higher education have failed to catechize and strengthen Catholics at the parish level.

Baptists have declined even faster, from 19.3% to 15.8%, a drop of 3.5%. This is a […]

The Rise of the "Nones"

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:34-05:00April 8th, 2009|Categories: Missional Church|

Yesterday I commented on the recent American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS). The simple facts about religion in America are very clear to all who look at the evidence at all. Religion is in decline as an important part of our culture. Co-author of the ARIS Survey, Barry Kosmin, says, "Don't blame secularism for driving up the percentage of Americans who say they have no religion. These people aren't secularized. They're not thinking about religion and rejecting it; they're not thinking about it at all."

A close look at the rising category of the "nones" in this survey tells you about everything you need to know about American spiritual life and its connection to the practice of public faith. 40% of these say they had no childhood religious initiation ceremony (baptism, christening, circumcision or some kind of naming or dedication). 55% of those who are married had no religious ceremony. 66% say they do not expect to have a religious funeral. Says Kosmin, "Your parents […]

Christianity Losing Ground in America?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:34-05:00April 7th, 2009|Categories: Missional Church|

USA Today reported in the March 9 edition that "Almost all denominations [are] losing ground" in America. For those who study these matters, as I do routinely, this was no great surprise. We are, said the article, "a land of freelancers." The percentage of people who call themselves some kind of Christian has dropped 11% in a generation. The Bible Belt is less Baptist and the Rust Belt is less Catholic. This cuts across all lines. People are exploring new spiritual frontiers and searching for new approaches to faith. Many are simply dropping out totally.

These shifts have occurred over an eighteen year period, according to the newest American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS). Despite the growth of immigration, which has added 50 millions new people to the nation, almost all denominations have lost ground since 1990. Barry Kosmin, who is this survey's co-author, says, "More than ever before, people are just making up their own stories of […]

Motel Rooms Become Home

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:34-05:00April 6th, 2009|Categories: Current Affairs|

The current economic recession has had a huge impact on many Americans. Yet whole regions of the country are virtually untouched, leaving some with little sense of the magnitude of the problem. When I was in Dallas, March 25-30, I realized that there was some evidence of the economic downturn yet much of suburban Dallas seems unfazed by what is going on across the nation. Clearly, people are still spending money and I found many Texans to be critical about the problems of other states, and their bad management of economic resources (which is often true). These are not seen, in some cases, as their problems. Besides threatening our sense of national unity this type of response forced me to think even more about the real impact of these times.

The New York Times reported on March 11 that the more jobs vanish in our national economy the more entire families find that the only place they can afford to live is in low-cost motels. This story gnawed at me then and does so even more today. As […]

Is It Wrong to Market the Church?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:34-05:00April 5th, 2009|Categories: The Church|

Sometimes I honestly wonder what I will be required to rethink next. It is well known that I am willing to change my mind. I learned as a child that I resisted being placed in a box, whether it was cultural or social. I just wish I didn't have to keep doing this so much after age 60. Let me explain.

I was asked last year, by my good friend Professor John Frame, to contribute to a forthcoming festschrift to honor his lifetime of work and teaching. I love John and the subject that he appropriately chose for me was the doctrine of the church. This has led me to undertake a reading of everything John has written on this important subject so that I can interact with his work intelligently. John's most important work on the church is his book Evangelical Reunion (Baker, 1991). But he has written much more on the church, including a number of articles that […]