Blog - Page 243 of 318 - John H Armstrong

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Dream

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:20-05:00January 21st, 2008|Categories: Race and Racism|

Today is Martin Luther King day in the United States. Though this celebration was met with much opposition in its origins some years ago I am persuaded that it reminds us, sometimes most uncomfortably, of our very long struggle regarding race. It also reminds us of the need to remain ever vigilant to address the injustices and racism that still remain.
I personally believe Dr. King was an American icon for social change and that his legacy, though not perfect, is properly honored by us all today. I thank God he helped us to truly pursue the day when his children, and all other children, would "not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

The sad truth is that such a day has still not yet come. Maybe it never will fully come in America but people of good will and true faith must not stop trying to bring this about.

I […]

Roe vs. Wade: 35 Years After the Worst Court Decision in Our History

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:21-05:00January 20th, 2008|Categories: Abortion|

Today marks the 35th anniversary of the worst court decision in
U. S. history. I know there were some truly horrible decisions made regarding slavery and racism before and after the Civil War. I can think of several more very bad court rulings by the Supreme Court in our history as a nation. But none was more poorly grounded in the reasons given for the actual decision, and none has had a higher cost in human life, than Roe v. Wade.

Since 1973 we have aborted 49 million unborn children in America. Think about this. One third of an entire generation was wiped out by this decision. One third.

Today a friend and I reflected upon the implications of all this. We were talking about the complexity of the immigration issue. We both agreed that the borders need securing. We both […]

The State of the Church

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:21-05:00January 20th, 2008|Categories: American Evangelicalism|

I make it my concern to continually observe the Church in America. I read the polls, visit different churches to speak week-by-week, and still talk to leaders continually. I try to read the various signs of life and change as best I know how. This is a part of my calling and thus my public ministry.

This weekend my wife and I visited a Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). The LCMS is much more conservative than the mainline Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA), indeed it is rightly thought of as a faithful confessing church body. (There are several smaller Lutheran churches that are much more conservative than the LCMS by the way.)
One of the problems that I always run into in an LCMS setting, when I do visit, is the practice of "closed communion." Some LCMS congregations try to get around this but it is the correct practice according to their official denominational stance. In the bulletin of the church we visited last […]

Spirit Song

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:21-05:00January 19th, 2008|Categories: Music|

Last Lord’s Day (January 13) we sang a medley of hymns and praise choruses in the morning worship service of the First Reformed Church in South Holland. I preached from the Lectionary text for the day, following
Matthew 2:13-23, as I shared in a blog I wrote earlier this week.

Sometimes a familiar song or chorus strikes a new note in your heart that is deep and moving. I try to pay attention to what the Spirit is saying to me, and to the church, in worship. Some of my most moving and assuring moments have come, and still come, through the music used in worship. My emphasis, as a minister, is rightly on Word and Sacrament but congregational singing is so powerfully important.
It allows us to respond to God and Paul says we clearly respond to one another in singing too. Thus there are powerful ways that music encourages us and others around us. Music can and does have a great […]

A Quick Peak at the New CBD Catalog

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:21-05:00January 18th, 2008|Categories: American Evangelicalism|

Many of you get a book catalog in the mail now and then from Christianbook.com, or Christian Book Distributors. This company is now the largest discount distributor of Christian books and materials in the mail, or it seems to be to me. Such a catalog will sometimes give you a general feeling for what is hot among evangelicals. What are American evangelicals reading and thinking about, at least based upon what is featured in this catalog?

A quick glance through this one reveals that the "hot" items are Max Lucado’s 3:16 project, which includes a book called 3:16, a study guide called 3:16—a DVD Study for Small Groups, a 3:16 NCV New Testament and The 3:16 Promise. Thomas Nelson, the oldest Bible publisher in America, is the firm behind all of this marketing push of 3:16.

Then there is a whole page of Max Lucado books that follows this opening salvo. Then comes Joyce Meyer and Beth Moore, two of […]

More of Bud Selig? You Have to Be Kidding

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:21-05:00January 18th, 2008|Categories: Baseball|

Baseball owners have again rewarded commissioner Bud Selig, who was installed as their guy temporarily, with a longer contract, now running through 2012. What are these guys thinking? In 132 years of history the sport has never had such a scandal as the one we now have with drugs but the czar of the sport is rewarded. Something is wrong with this picture.
Selig has never taken serious responsibility for what happened and now he gets a pay raise and contract extension. This is how much the wonders care about the Mitchell Report and baseball as the great American game. It is appalling if it were not so sad.

Selig refuses to adopt independent testing that would remove all hints of cover-ups. Representative Cliff Stearns, a Florida Republican, has called on Bud Selig to resign. I join him in that call but I doubt it will ever happen. And Congresswoman Betty McCollum, a Minnesota Democrat, rightly said on Tuesday that baseball is "rooted […]

The State of the How We Feel About the Candidates is Amazing

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:21-05:00January 18th, 2008|Categories: Politics|

I saw a new poll today, in the Investor’s Business Daily, that took an entirely different approach. This poll asked if people found a particular candidate "appealing." Since we know likability is huge in elections this is a new way, to my mind, of asking an important question. Look at this poll. I think you will find it about what you expect if you are following this race at all.

What is quite surprising to me is that even the most popular person, Barack Obama, is not nearly as popular as you would have thought. And only Rudy Giuliani got 25% among the Republicans. I personally do not doubt that Obama can win this election. I would bet on the Democrats to win today, and even if Clinton is the nominee and she has high negatives, but there are more than nine months until election day. Even "junkies" like me are growing more weary by the day. This is another reason why talk radio, and all-news television, bores me to tears at times. I never paid much attention to these media forms and […]

Why Does Conservative Talk Radio Hate John McCain?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:21-05:00January 17th, 2008|Categories: Politics|

I have been asking myself, since the primaries began in earnest with the Iowa caucus, and especially since John McCain won in New Hampshire, "Why does the conservative talk show contingent despise John McCain so profoundly?" Except for Michael Medved, who I think has openly endorsed McCain, the loathing for him as a presidential candidate is almost as pronounced as the conservative media’s loathing of Hillary Clinton. Why?

I have to say I was puzzled until I looked into this more deeply. (Understand, I am not formally endorsing a candidate, though some will insist that I am, but asking a serious question that I think thoughtful people should ponder.)

For the record John McCain’s well-deserved career title is that of a "maverick." But he is a very conservative maverick no less. I went to the Web site of the American Conservative Union, a lobby organization that ranks congressional members each year with a percentage of how consistently conservative they are in their voting record. John McCain got an 82% rating in 2006. […]

Teaching Apologetics and Reaching Students with the Gospel

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:21-05:00January 16th, 2008|Categories: Apologetics|

Sometimes a blogger runs the very real risk of sounding self-promoting, or even actually becoming self-promoting. I am acutely aware of these dangers. Blogs are understood by many as personal journals. Others see them as a place to put their essays on favorite subjects. Still others see them as a way to promote a cause. And some use them to sell, whether it is a candidate, a product or a religious special interest. I see this blog as a "think spot" where I can share what I am thinking about the Church, the culture and the way we live as moderns. This is why my blogs run all the way from issues of Christian faith, the renewal of the church and issues inside the Church to politics, music, art and film. Even college football and baseball gets blogged here since I love them both personally. (Sorry for you who do not love these items. You have my permission to skip them!) In some way I do all of this writing just because I just love to think and then write. It has become a […]

A Bumper Sticker Worth Remembering

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:22-05:00January 15th, 2008|Categories: Culture|

Bumper stickers are pop-culture icons.
I sometimes save them and then put them on the wall in my garage. Anita will not allow them in the house but the garage wall is mine! I have gotten more than a few interesting bumper stickers from street vendors in Berkley. I have also found a few interesting ones in Seattle and Santa Cruz. But I saw one yesterday that takes the cake. It said: Keep Portland Weird.
If you live in Portland forgive me for laughing but that one does say a lot about the Pacific Northwest.

The other one that I saw recently, and this one did make me laugh out loud, is in the picture to the side.
This is the way some […]