Blog - Page 204 of 318 - John H Armstrong

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 […]

A Cultural Earthquake

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:56-05:00January 15th, 2009|Categories: Culture|

Cardinal J. Francis Stafford told an audience at The Catholic University in Washington, D.C. in November that the election of Barack Obama was a "cultural earthquake." The media responded to this comment by calling it a "rant" and a "diatribe." This is the same media that sees the new president as the consummation of all things progressive and as "that rare kind of attuned being who has the ability to lead us not merely to new foreign policies or health care plans or whatnot, but who can actually help usher in a new way of being on the planet . . ."

Which is it? Colin Powell says Obama has the potential to be a "transitional figure." I think this gets a little closer to reality. If you take Obama's record on some issues, especially on abortion, bio-medical ethics and civil unions then he could create a "cultural earthquake." But I tend to think he merely reflects where the country is already going so his election […]

The Tunnel: A Great German Film

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:56-05:00January 14th, 2009|Categories: Film|

The Tunnel is a riveting and stunning German film. It lasts 167 minutes but will keep you on the edge of your seat after the first hour. The director Roland Suso Richter stays on his story and the result is a gripping, tense and powerful movie. The Tunnel is truly a great human story (escape from East Berlin during and just after the construction of the infamous Berlin Wall in August of 1961) that includes love, death, birth, sacrifice, betrayal, hair-breath escapes and much, much more. It is one of the best foreign films I’ve seen in months and I watch quite a few foreign films.

The Tunnel is an escape movie filled with passion and human love. The movie is historical fiction but the storyline is real. More than fifteen tunnels were dug under the Berlin Wall in attempts to get people out of East Berlin after the wall was put up. The viewer is directly confronted with the political […]

Wheaton College Basketball and a Game to Remember

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:57-05:00January 13th, 2009|Categories: Personal|

Each winter I try to see several Wheaton College Thunder basketball games. Wheaton is an NCAA Division III athletic program. This means that no single player ever receives any scholarship aid for playing a sport there. This also means that the players are generally smaller, less highly recruited by Division I and II programs and play purely because they love the sport. The action is never quite as crisp or fast and powerful as the at the big-time schools but it is often very good in its own way.

Wheaton has had some very good basketball teams in recent years, a few advancing quite far in the NCAA tournament in March. This year’s team is clearly as good, or better, than any since the 1950s, when Wheaton won its own national title in men's basketball. Wheaton is presently ranked No. 1 in the nation. The team is undefeated. They have a good mixture of young players and two really, really great All-American seniors who carry the team. I am particularly interested in the team […]

The Gators Really Are No. 1

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:57-05:00January 12th, 2009|Categories: College Football|

The college football season is history and the Florida Gators are, very deservedly, the number one team in the land. Those who want a playoff system will inject their angst into the discussion, making for a fun off-season, but the Gators won out and proved their mettle last Thursday evening in the Fed-Ex BCS Championship Game in Miami.

What a game it was. Tim Tebow was not his best but he proved again that he simply takes over a game and makes things happen. He clearly has to be one of the greatest athletes to ever play the game. He just does what it takes to make his team win. There are better passers, and one was on the other side of the field last Thursday, but there is no better quarterback, no better team leader who makes his team excel. And the game was won, as it usually is won, on defense. Florida stopped the high-powered OU offense in its tracks. A […]

ACT 3 Luncheon Forums : Faith and the Economy: Friends, Enemies, or Uneasy Partners? with P. J. Hill

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:57-05:00January 11th, 2009|Categories: ACT 3|

Richard John Neuhaus, 1936-2009

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:20:57-05:00January 10th, 2009|Categories: Roman Catholicism|

Father Richard John Neuhaus passed away on Thursday, January 8, following a continued struggle related to a long-term battle with cancer. The day following Christmas he was admitted to the hospital and lost consciousness on Tuesday. He departed this life at the age of 72 years, a few days later. Joseph Bottum, the Editor of First Things, the great magazine begun by Father Neuhaus, writes, "My tears are not for him—for he knew, all his life, that his Redeemer lives, and he has now been gathered by the Lord in whom he trusted."

Neuhaus was a Lutheran minister for many years. When I first met him, at a conference near me in Carol Stream, Illinois, he was just developing a national reputation on the subject of faith and pubic policy. He was a seminar speaker for a conference hosted by the Christian Legal Society. I was impressed with his mind and his obvious ability to engage many things profoundly.

Later, Neuhaus […]