Blog - Page 204 of 318 - John H Armstrong

How Christians Can Make a Difference in Politics

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:55-05:00January 24th, 2009|Categories: Politics|

Some readers might think that I believe all Christians should avoid politics. Nothing could be further from the truth. What I do oppose is the way the Christian Right has engaged the subject of politics since 1976. This was the year that began the turn of events that resulted in the last eight years of Republican leadership, which many came to assume represents the views of most white evangelical Christians. While my own political views are more conservative than those of President Obama I think the continual attacks upon him by the Christian Right are quite harmful to the mission of the church in America. We are driving a deeper wedge between "us" and "them" and the result is making mission much more difficult in so many places and contexts that I cannot begin to explain the damage this creates for those of us who believe the church's first, and primary, task is to make disciples of Jesus in the wider culture.In making real disciples we will, […]

Praying for Revival in Our Cities

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:55-05:00January 23rd, 2009|Categories: Renewal|

One of the numerous opportunities that I am afforded for missional impact and input is in prayer movements for revival and city transformation. Most of you already know that the first Thursday of May is the National Day of Prayer. This year a group of my friends are staging an important event in suburban Dallas two days before the National Day of Prayer, on May 5. I have taken a particular interest in this effort as a friend and supporter. God of the City is the project. There are many such events around the country and I urge you to support them in your own area and pray for revival in the churches of our land. The great need of the hour is not going to be met in Washington, D.C., but in your town and mine, in your church and mine, when the Holy Spirit is poured out in mercy and power upon large numbers of our people. Come Lord, refresh us from on high!

[…]

The Missional Church in My Neighborhood

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:55-05:00January 22nd, 2009|Categories: Missional Church|

A former
student of mine, from a class at the Wheaton Graduate School, is a
church-planter in Carol Stream, the town where I live in suburban
Chicago. His work, directly supported by the North American Mission
Board of the SBC, is one of the most thrilling missional church visions
I know firsthand. He recently posted a prayer request on his Facebook
that so thrilled me I asked his permission to blog this so you could
see his vision and understand what is really going on in America. (I am
changing names here to protect the mission and the people involved.) My
friend wrote:

In
the past couple months, our team has been connecting with Nepali
refugees who have recently started moving into Chicagoland. The first
connections were made through some Karen teens who invited some Nepali
young adults to the Karen Bible study.

Our
friendships have developed well through a Karen midweek study, an
international Sunday school and some other special events. Last week
(1/11), things took a new turn as I was able to gather six Nepali’s
together for a time of prayer and conversation. They all agreed […]

Rick Warren's Public Prayer

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:55-05:00January 21st, 2009|Categories: Current Affairs|

Dr. Rick Warren seems to live in the eye of the storm these days. I think this actually is where all faithful ministers must live if they are to make a real impact upon people. On the right Rick Warren is now being attacked for tolerance and civility toward the wrong people, especially toward President Obama. I read one criticism after another the night before the inauguration. I found it disheartening and disappointing. Then after he prayed yesterday at the inauguration I visited the Web again and found the left had gone to work on his prayer with ferocity. Web sites have comments of all sorts of course. Those who post the responses of all continue to savage Warren as an intolerant bigot and a vile intolerant homophobe. For such people the one thing they will not tolerate is a Christian who still believe homosexual practice is a sin. So what we have here is a very public Christian minister, one who clearly loves Jesus […]

The Missional Church in My Neighborhood

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:56-05:00January 20th, 2009|Categories: Missional Church|

A former
student of mine, from a class at the Wheaton Graduate School, is a
church-planter in Carol Stream, the town where I live in suburban
Chicago. His work, directly supported by the North American Mission
Board of the SBC, is one of the most thrilling missional church visions
I know firsthand. He recently posted a prayer request on his Facebook
that so thrilled me I asked his permission to blog this so you could
see his vision and understand what is really going on in America. (I am
changing names here to protect the mission and the people involved.) My
friend wrote:

In
the past couple months, our team has been connecting with Nepali
refugees who have recently started moving into Chicagoland. The first
connections were made through some Karen teens who invited some Nepali
young adults to the Karen Bible study.

Our
friendships have developed well through a Karen midweek study, an
international Sunday school and some other special events. Last week
(1/11), things took a new turn as I was able […]

The Historic Inauguration of Barack Obama as our 44th President: The Triumph of Hope

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:56-05:00January 20th, 2009|Categories: America and Americanism|

This is a day of great celebration for all America, whether we voted for or against our new president. Why, you ask?

1. The color barrier, a great curse on our society for our entire history, has finally been broken at the highest level in the land. No more will race or ethnicity be the same in so many ways. And no more are we white America and the rest. Racism will not magically end for sure but the whole tenor of things will be truly altered.

2. This new leader brings new hope and new courage to face real problems. Whether Obama can accomplish even a half of what he hopes for he offers promise and a new day. People and societies need "new days" now and then. We surely need one right now.

3. This day represents the truth that "great expectations" are alive and well in the land […]

Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Tribute

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:56-05:00January 19th, 2009|Categories: Race and Racism|

The life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., is, and will continue to be, debated in America. (It is far less debated by non-Americans who see him almost entirely in positive terms.) I suppose it will take another forty years for his life to be fully appreciated in the way it really should be. But today is a very unique reminder of his life's message. As we stand on the eve of the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States we see a part of Dr. King's dream alive and well.

Appreciating Dr. King was not always the case, especially among many white Christians in America. When I was a child he was widely hated. Some even said he was a Communist, following the lead of J. Edgar Hoover, a shady and less than decent man if there ever was one. (And he promoted religion as the basis for American life. I can still recall a tract he wrote […]

The Legacy of George W. Bush

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:56-05:00January 18th, 2009|Categories: America and Americanism|

Now that President Bush is about to step off the stage of history, at least as the president, various pundits are weighing in on his legacy. Most seem convinced that he was one of the worst presidents in U. S. history. Anyone who really knows history at all would not make such a statement so soon after the conclusion of two terms in the White House. Historians well know that we have had far worse presidents than George W. Bush. They also know we have had many who were far better. The point here is relatively simple—it is way too premature to judge this man's body of work.

My most profound dismay with this president has been his inability to explain to the American people what he was doing and why. I would argue that few modern presidents were as ineffective in communicating their vision of the world as George W. Bush. And yet few faced the challenges that he faced. This is […]

The Screwtape Letters on Stage

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:56-05:00January 17th, 2009|Categories: Culture|

When I first came to Wheaton College, on a snowy January Sunday in 1969, I was transferring from the University of Alabama, where I had enjoyed a most happy three semesters. I loved Tuscaloosa, the Tide and all things Crimson. But God led me to Wheaton. I have never doubted it.

One of several reasons for my transfer was to get to a place where I could begin to formally study the Bible and Christian theology while still pursuing my B. A. degree in history. The first Bible class that I ever took was a freshman-sophomore New Testament survey course taught by Dr. Walter M. Dunnett, now a retired Episcopal priest who lives nearby and remains a dear friend to this day.
Dr. Dunnett began each class, three mornings a week, with readings from C. S. Lewis’ classic book, The Screwtape Letters, and then with prayer. Lewis (1898-1963), the well-known British writer, professor and Christian apologist, died on the same day as President John F. Kennedy. […]

An Anniversary Celebration for Two Great Men

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:56-05:00January 16th, 2009|Categories: Church History|

It is known by most that I think two of the greatest men who ever lived were
John Calvin (1509-1564) and Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865). In so many ways they are widely different characters but in others they both represent the kind of greatness that defines historical epochs and movements. You will notice, by their birth dates, that we celebrate their 500th and 200th anniversaries of their respective births this New Year. Both lived into their 54th year, Calvin dying from physical infirmity and Lincoln from assassination.

You may be inclined to think that these two giants have almost nothing in common. I would disagree. Calvin was a minister, a theologian and a writer. But his views have shaped human government in the West right down to the present time. Lincoln was never even a church member and had a very bad encounter with a form of hyper-Calvinism as a young […]