Blog - Page 230 of 318 - John H Armstrong

Indiana Jones Again

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:51-05:00May 26th, 2008|Categories: Film|

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Director: Steven Spielberg
PG-13
124 minutes

The previous Indiana Jones movies provided great fun and pure entertainment, if nothing else. Some people try to get all kinds of philosophical insights from such movies. I would much prefer to simply enjoy them and relax. When we last saw Dr. Jones it was 1938 and the world was on the brink of war with the Nazis. Indy chased down the evil doers in pursuit of the Holy Grail.

The new movie certainly fits the category of action/adventure. It is filled with improbable conflicts and near-death experiences. Jones (Harrison Ford) always finds a way to escape in the most amazing ways. Even many years older he remains the amazing professor. This time his nemesis is no longer Nazis but Communists. His arch enemy is a woman (Cate Blanchett). And Indiana finds a son he never knew he had and gets married at the end […]

Dear First Reformed Family

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:51-05:00May 25th, 2008|Categories: The Church|

Many of you know, and some of you have thus interceded for me accordingly, that I have been preaching regularly for some months at First Reformed Church in South Holland, Illinois. This very old church dates back to the pre-Civil War era and the Dutch settlement of a town that became associated with the Dutch culture and tradition in the greater Chicago area.

This church, at the center of the town, has had a marvelous ministry over the years, producing some excellent leaders, missionaries and ministers. The present building, built in 1950 only one year after I was born, is both majestic and functional at the same time. But since the 1970s the church has been in slow decline. The community began to change in the 1970s and 80s and is now nearly 50% African-American in its ethnic makeup. First Reformed decided, some years ago, not to relocate but to stay and minister in historic downtown South Holland. I am not sure if the church knew what this meant at the time but I am increasingly […]

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:51-05:00May 24th, 2008|Categories: Film|

Songcatcher

(2001) PG-13
Running Time: 1:52
Trimark Pictures

Songcatcher is a surprisingly lyrical and deeply moving independent film that I discovered last week. It is well cast and brings the viewer into a great story with powerful effect. I loved it.

Dr. Lily Penleric (Janet McTeer) is a professor of music around 1907. The film is rooted in facts but takes liberties in telling the story for sake of the screen. The story opens with Lily becoming disillusioned with the “good old boys” club at the university that prevents her from academic advancement. She decides to make a break and heads for the tiny mountain village of Clover, North Carolina,
to visit her schoolmaster sister Elna (Jane Adams). Here she discovers the sheer magic of the mountain music of Appalachia. The music in the film actually comes from the 1882 compilation by […]

The Purpose and Mission of ACT 3

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:51-05:00May 23rd, 2008|Categories: ACT 3|

As some of you know we recently held our annual three-day ACT 3 Board of Directors meeting. One of the items that we addressed was the need to revise our out-dated Constitution. We drafted the original constitution for this ministry in 1991. Then four people sat in my living room with a dream. We named the ministry Reformation & Revival Ministries. In 2005 we changed it to the present brand and name, ACT 3.

In our revised constitution we state our purpose as a mission in these words:

PURPOSE

1. The corporation is a not-for-profit Christian teaching organization; its purposes are to advance the Christian tradition by encouraging obedience to the missional mandate of the Lord Jesus Christ, through the witness of Scripture and the wisdom of the Christian tradition. This is done through (a) teaching and preaching in local congregations, schools, conferences; (b) writing and distributing Christian teaching; (c) advocating an ecumenical vision of the Christian Church through […]

Barack Obama Begins the Fall Campaign

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:54-05:00May 22nd, 2008|Categories: Politics|

After all the back and forth of the primaries it now appears that Barack Obama will secure the Democratic Party’s nomination for the presidency. His supporters and campaign staff surely think so as they have now begun the first stages of their active campaign against John McCain. To say the least this will be an election that offers some unusual candidates. Neither fits perfectly the standard party positions.

I think Obama is right to begin his campaign against McCain now. If he waits he loses precious time. Obama has been speaking about McCain far more than Hillary Clinton the past few days. I expect this to continue. Obama is even campaigning in states he has already carried in the primaries or in states he lost. He is working to sign up millions of potential Democrats to vote in November. All of this is important to his strategy.

[…]

A Koran Centered Mosque?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:54-05:00May 22nd, 2008|Categories: The Church|

On May 8 I wrote a blog titled: "What is a ‘Bible-Centered’ Church?" I reflected on this term as it was used on the sign of an independent non-denominational church in my area. I suggested that this saying was neither necessary nor helpful to Christians. My detractors suggest, in effect, that this phrase is a short-hand way of saying that this church affirms sola Scriptura as a core belief. I agree with that point and believe that I said so in the previous blog. I have no problem with speaking in short hand. We all do it. The problem I have with the term "Bible-believing" is that it is both unnecessary and unhelpful in the long run. It is unhelpful because it does not tell me what this church actually believes the Bible teaches. It is unhelpful because the important thing is not to believe the Bible but to preach Christ and the message of the gospel which is found in the Holy Scriptures.
[…]

Senator Kennedy's Tumor

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:54-05:00May 20th, 2008|Categories: Politics|

The news of Senator Ted Kennedy’s brain tumor just became known a few hours ago. Ted Kennedy has never been my favorite politician. But I found that my first reaction to the news this afternoon was one of sadness that led me to intercessory prayer. I have stood within a few feet of Kennedy at a press interview on Capitol Hill on one occasion. I watched him answer questions during this taped television interview. I do not even remember the subject he was addressing, quite frankly.
I do recall that on that same say I met John McCain and spoke to him for about thirty seconds in the stairwell of the Senate. He was quite cordial to me. We spoke about his book, Faith of My Fathers, which I had just read at that time and appreciated quite profoundly.

I think the media […]

Prince Caspian: A Wonderful Film

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:55-05:00May 20th, 2008|Categories: Film|

The second Chronicles of Narnia film, based upon the second of C. S. Lewis’ famous Chronicles of Narnia children’s books in the series, opened this weekend in theaters across America. It opened as the number one attraction, replacing Iron Man, a fabulous action film that I much enjoyed. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is a truly wonderful film. I loved it from start to finish. The actors are good, though the story is not nearly as faithful to Lewis’ original as was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In taking liberties with Lewis’ book director Andrew Ferguson is making the story into an epic fantasy battle. I agree with Christianity Today’s Peter T. Chattaway that this makes this film “more consistent, and consistently entertaining” than Wardrobe was. Films are never consistently true to novels but in this case some of the book’s most basic spiritual themes are missing. The storyline remains in tact but re-arranged. And the battles and action scenes are […]

Will Iran Legislate the Death of Thousands of Christians?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:55-05:00May 20th, 2008|Categories: Islam|

The state religion of Iran, as everyone I suppose knows, is Islam. In fact 98% of the nation’s 66 million people are Muslim. The problem this presents for people of any other faith, especially Christians, is a major human rights issue but few world leaders pay attention.

Satellite television is having some impact within Iran
and there is evidence of Christian conversions taking place. When this happens believers remain underground and are often directed to other believers where they can find encouragement and a Bible. But publicly these new Christians remain Muslims, going through the motions of prayers and practices that keep the government at a distance.

Leaving Islam has always invited serious consequences from the Iranian government. If a person is born into a Christian home it is acceptable to be a Christian. What is not acceptable is any […]

Can We Develop a Truly Christian Psychology?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:21:55-05:00May 19th, 2008|Categories: Counseling|

No subject is more divisive, at least in many conservative churches in America, than Christian psychology, or better stated, Christian counseling.
One reason for this problem is that Christians who engage the social science of psychology often do a very poor job of submitting their reflections to biblical authority. The result is that there are many Christians doing psychology and counseling who are not actively submitting their practices to the types of biblical patterns and principles that offer real solutions.

Because of this confusion a virtual “war” has broken out, over the past ten years in particular, between the various types of counseling done by Christians. One side we have what has been called “biblical counseling” while on the other we have what is often referred to as “integrationist counseling,” or, to some who are very critical, non-Christian counseling.

A recent reader of this blog, who is himself a Christian counselor (Rev. Rick Sholette of Norman, Oklahoma), recently sent me […]