Blog - Page 207 of 318 - John H Armstrong

Do We Have to Offend Unbelievers to Share the Good News?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:10-05:00December 27th, 2008|Categories: Evangelism|

I often make the point on this blog that evangelism can be seriously carried out, albeit in personal and very direct ways, without making non-Christians angry or hostile because of the way we share our faith. There is a an offense to the gospel, I am well aware. But often the offense is more in our approach than in our message. A recent You Tube post by cable television's Penn Jillette demonstrates this point very well. Watch this five minute video and you will see how Penn Jillette describes his encounter with a “good” Christian who personally gave him a New Testament as a point of direct witness. You will also see how much this unbeliever actually respects Christians who sincerely want to convert him.

Penn Jillette (b. 1955) is an illusionist, comedian, writer and juggler. He has appeared in several movies, often makes wild allusions to sexual pleasure a part of his programming, and has had a feature on NBC-TV at one point […]

Our 38th Anniversary

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:11-05:00December 26th, 2008|Categories: Personal|

Today Anita and I celebrate our 38th anniversary. I have no great secrets to share about how to have a great marriage. I am sure that God blessed me with a great wife. I am also sure that I have made my share of mistakes in this marriage. Perhaps my greatest regret is that I have not been nearly as patient as I wish I had been much of the time. "Why," I very often ask, "do I allow my greatest weakness to show the most often to the one I love the most?" With almost everyone else I am very patient but the "little" day-to-day things that pressure a couple will sometimes prompt me to be less than patient with my bride. I am reminded that love, by definition, "is patient." I have more work to do I assure you.

When Anita and I met, in May of 1970, we fell in love almost immediately. I was the interim youth pastor […]

The Incarnation

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:11-05:00December 25th, 2008|Categories: Christ/Christology|

The incarnation is as mysterious to believers as any doctrine of the faith. I have often wondered why we do not admit this more often. My guess is that we are too comfortable with this truth because of the trappings of Christmas and the culture in which we live.

People often talk about the mystery of good and evil, or divine sovereignty and human freedom. Admittedly these are difficult truths and even divide Christians among themselves. But no truth is more mysterious, so far as I am concerned, than this: The second person of the Godhead, the eternal logos, took upon himself human flesh (a human nature in every sense of the word) and thus God became man. Now I know that without the death and resurrection of Jesus there is no salvation but there could be no death and resurrection unless there were first an incarnation. Further, the Scripture clearly treats the incarnation as a much more central to our redemption than […]

Australia

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:11-05:00December 24th, 2008|Categories: Film|

Baz Luhrmann's Australia has received both positive and negative reviews from the professionals, and almost in equal measure. I have to confess that I enjoyed both the story and the cinematography of this very big production.

Brett McCracken, a Christianity Today film reviewer, says this film is one "of great ambition and artistic audacity." The title itself reveals his point. The intentions of Luhrmann were never to make a definitive film about the county/continent, but rather to provide an big, grand extravaganza of a movie that takes you back to the big films that Hollywood produced twenty or thirty years ago. This, I would guess, may be the reason why so many modern reviewers simply do not like the film.

The story is set in the late 1930 and early 1940s as World War II begins to touch the northern coast of Australia. The viewer is taken into a part of the Japanese war effort […]

The Joy of Giving

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:11-05:00December 23rd, 2008|Categories: Personal|

Christmas reminds us that the giving of gifts is always appropriate given the truth that God is the greatest giver of gifts, including the greatest gift of all, his one and only (unique, or only begotten) Son. But we are reminded each year that much of the gift giving that we do is about ourselves and those that we feel an obligation to bless at this time of the year. This all has a serious down side to it I am sure. But I do not intend to protest the whole season because it has been abused. There is too much moaning and protesting about this, at least for my tastes. (I have not been led to take a vow of poverty but I do believe in living within my means and in giving to the poor, both based on clear biblical principles.) I do give Christmas gifts to my loved ones, with moderation, and I thoroughly enjoy it. My family also gives to me and I enjoy receiving their gifts. But there is more to the season than this "exchange" of […]

What Was Auburn Thinking When They Hired a Football Coach?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:11-05:00December 22nd, 2008|Categories: College Football|

I am just not sure what a number of these BCS college football athletic directors were thinking since the regular season ended only a few weeks ago. Seven major programs have fired their head coach and chosen a replacement. The seven schools are Mississippi State, Auburn, Tennessee, Clemson, Washington, Kansas State and Syracuse.

Do you see any pattern here? Three of the seven are from the SEC. When Alabama hired Nick Saban, right after New Year’s Day (2007), I made three predictions to my buddies. One, Phil Fulmer would be gone from Tennessee in two years. I got that one right on the button. The second prediction was that Tommy Tuberville (photo at right)
would be gone at Auburn inside of four years. I missed it. He was gone in only two. The third was that Alabama would play in the BCS national championship game within five years. I almost got that in two years as well, with Alabama ranked No. 1 and leading […]

Visit us on Facebook

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:12-05:00December 21st, 2008|Categories: ACT 3|

Check out our newly added ACT 3 page on Facebook. I think you'll be a fan. Don't forget to visit our ACT 3 ministry site as well, where you can subscribe to ACT 3 Weekly by email and register for events and activities.

Barack Obama and Rick Warren's Prayer at the Inauguration

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:12-05:00December 20th, 2008|Categories: America and Americanism|

President-elect Barack Obama, as many of you no doubt know by today, chose the popular evangelical minister Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his January 20 inauguration, strongly rejecting the criticism that it slights gays. Gay rights advocates were strong supporters of Obama during the election campaign, even though he did not endorse “gay marriage” in his promises or commitments. What angers these gay rights advocates about Rick Warren is his backing of Proposition 8, the California ballot initiative banning gay marriage. That measure was approved by the voters last month, millions of whom also voted for Barack Obama. This was especially the case among black and Hispanic voters who voted heavily against gay marriage and generally do elsewhere.

Anyone who has bothered to study the words and actions of Barack Obama should not be surprised at his choice of Rick Warren, as well as noted Civil Rights leader Rev. Joseph Lowery, to pray at his inauguration. Obama’s […]

A Life Well Lived: On the Death of Erwin Lutzer's Father

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:12-05:00December 19th, 2008|Categories: Death|

Since I was a young pastor in my early twenties Erwin Lutzer and I have shared a deep friendship. This has led to many wonderful times of conversation, ministry and prayer. Erwin's dad and mom are both over 100 years of age. This in itself is a remarkable fact but then his dad and mom are two rather amazing people. Erwin's dad finally passed away this week at the ripe old age of 106! Since I have heard so much about Erwin's dad for most of my adult life I thought it only right to share Erwin's account of his dad and his passing with all my readers. (If course, I have Erwin's permission to share this story with you. I also ask you to pray for him in light of this loss.)

Here is Erwin's brief account of his dad's amazing life and his death this week.

My father, age 106, laid his burdens down and entered the presence […]

The Visitor

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:12-05:00December 19th, 2008|Categories: Film|

Director Tom McCarthy’s new film, The Visitor, is what Peter Travers in Rolling Stone, calls “a heartfelt human drama that sneaks up and floors you.” I could not agree more. This is a sensational movie and a true sleeper that people who love a great film and a truly good story will likely miss.

The premise is rather simple—in a world of six billion people it only takes one to change your life. An “intriguing drama” The Visitor truly allows the viewer to see and feel the story of an illegal immigration scenario in a way that puts a human face on the issue. Starring Richard Jenkins (from the HBO series, Six Feet Under) the story line involves Dr. Walter Vale, a sixty-two year old Connecticut College economics professor who is still adjusting to the absence of his late wife.

Passion is gone from his life and […]