Blog - Page 248 of 318 - John H Armstrong

Lutheran Advent Worship

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:32-05:00December 16th, 2007|Categories: The Church|

As noted on this site previously I entered the ordained ministry of the Reformed Church in America earlier this year. This means that I can also can serve the sacraments and minister the Word in several other mainline churches, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). This brought me today to leading the worship through preaching and Eucharist in the local ELCA congregation near my home in Carol Stream. The whole experience was almost surreal in one sense. As I was preparing in the make-shift vestry, by putting on the various colorful vestments for the day, I was thinking about how odd this all would have seemed to me as a young Baptist more than forty years ago. (I was first ordained, as a Southern Baptist minister, in August of 1970.)

Several things stood out to me today. First, the people are not used to sermons of much length. I probably exceeded what they are comfortable with by preaching between 20-25 minutes. At the same time they listened very well and many people expressed profound gratitude for hearing the Word of […]

Appalachian State Is No Fluke and the Season That Was

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:32-05:00December 15th, 2007|Categories: College Football|

When the mighty Michigan Wolverines lost their home opener this fall to Appalachian State most of the college football world was stunned. Though this was an upset the events which followed since that opening weekend have shown that this was not a complete fluke.

Appalachian State won its third straight national title in the Football Championship Subdivision last night, beating Delaware State 49-21. Appalachian State finished 13-2 on the year. Now it is true that Michigan should not have lost this game but Appalachian State should be given its proper due. This is a very fine football program, especially since they win at the level they must play week-in and week-out and also knocked off a Big Ten powerhouse, who admittedly had a down season.

Sports Illustrated listed its top ten football upsets for the season this week. The list is more than interesting for real fans. Here is is:

1. Appalachian State 34 Michigan (No. 5 at the time) 32
2. Stanford 24 USC (No. 2 at the time) 23
3. Pittsburgh 13 West Virginia […]

Chinese Pastors Still Suffer

By John Armstrong|2007-12-15T10:39:11-06:00December 15th, 2007|Categories: The Persecuted Church|

A Chinese religious freedom monitoring group said this week that up to 150 Chinese pastors are now believed to be in police custody, five days after officials raided a Bible study and detained 270 people. These arrests, in eastern Shandong province, have come as part of a growing campaign by human rights groups for international focus on China leading up to next year’s Olympic Games in Beijing. As is almost always the case these pastors arrested are a part of the "house church" movement, congregations that do not belong to state-sanctioned "patriotic" churches. This new case stands out because the number of people is so large. The practice is common outside the major cities of China but goes without outside notice in most cases.

What startles me is how many American tourists I have known who go to China and come back believing that the government does not target certain Christians for persecution. The simple fact is Chinese authorities do not recognize religious freedom at all, except in a limited way among those who are affiliated with the Three Self-Patriotic Movement (TSP). […]

Open Range

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:32-05:00December 15th, 2007|Categories: Film|

I wrote several months ago about my not enjoying Westerns, as a class of movies, for many years. This has changed recently as I have grown to appreciate many types of film more and more. (I still do not like most all horror films, as one example.) But I can get into the story form of the Western medium more and more. (Perhaps the reason is most of these films have a story-line.) A few recent films have changed my mind about Westerns in particular and thus have given me a new taste for truly good Westerns. This week I discovered the film Open Range, which I had missed when it came out in 2003. This has to be one of the best modern Westerns I have seen. It has all the elements of the post-Civil War West: a small town, cattle drives, good and evil people, justice and injustice, love and hate. It is simply a great movie that enthralls the viewer almost from the beginning.

The star power here is enough to make the film worthwhile. The film features Kevin […]

Remember What Christmas Is All About

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:32-05:00December 14th, 2007|Categories: Christ/Christology|

A friend forwarded me one of those kinds of emails that you see now and then, especially at this time of the year, and I thought it would be worth sharing on this blog spot since it has so much correspondence with my earlier blog on Christmas.

My Dear Children,

It has come to my attention that many you are upset that folks are taking my name out of the season. Maybe you’ve forgotten that I wasn’t actually born during this time of the year and that it was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate my birthday on what was actually a time of pagan festival, although I do appreciate being remembered anytime.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don’t care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate my birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let me go on. If it bothers you that the […]

Who is Jesus the Christ?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:32-05:00December 14th, 2007|Categories: Christ/Christology|

You would think that the primary question before people during this season of the year would be: "Who is Jesus of Nazareth?" Not so. For many Christians the battle right now is all about saving the culture from giving up the Christmas greetings once used in all our stores. This business of keeping Jesus linked with commerce is big news the past few Christmas seasons.

I almost never watch Bill O’Reilly but I caught a segment last night on the "Christmas Culture Wars." What a total waste of time this debate is in the end. I was bothering my wife throughout by yelling at the television more than a few times. "What difference does it make if Dick’s Sporting Goods features a Christmas theme on their Web site?" Give me a break. And since Nordstrom’s has given in to the "Christian" pressure to restore "Merry Christmas" to their ads should we now shop there? Come on folks. The culture has moved away from putting Christmas into all their ads and promotions. Get over it. I think we should be glad if truth […]

How the Mitchell Report Failed Baseball

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:33-05:00December 14th, 2007|Categories: Baseball|

After reading the morning news I am increasingly impressed that the Mitchell Report struck out! The total number of players listed is 85. Only 29 are active players. In 2003 5-7% of active MLB players tested positive in anonymous drug testing. Several players on the list released yesterday have strongly denied that they took drugs but the conclusion many will draw is that they are guilty. Let me give you one example.

Brian Roberts, a player currently seeking a new team as a free agent, is on this list. Roberts denies the charges. The evidence against him? Larry Bigbie, an admitted steroids user, said that in 2004 Roberts injected himself once or twice during the 2003 season. That’s the proof, period. Should such evidence be used to destroy a man’s career? Then there is Matt Franco. He is on the list because two witnesses who cited him were facing prison time and said they sold him steroids on one occasion in 2000. Franco agree to an interview with Mitchell and denied ever buying or using drugs. He cooperated with Mitchell, only to get […]

The Mitchell Report: A Black Day for Baseball?

By John Armstrong|2007-12-13T20:26:14-06:00December 13th, 2007|Categories: Baseball|

Some seem to think that the Mitchell Report, detailing the names of a number of former, and a few current, major league baseball players who used human growth hormone (HGH) steroids is a black eye on the game itself. It is nothing of the kind. This report just made the obvious a little more obvious and empowered Commissioner Bud Selig to really take charge, to push down the player’s union a bit further, and then to give the impression that the game is now clean. I admit that I am not a Bud Selig fan nor do I think anyone who truly loves this great game should be surprised at this report or at most of the names on this list. But the leaders of baseball had to know Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire were "on the juice" during their epic home run year. The truth is the money and attention they brought back to the game helped it recover from the 1994 strike season.

If truth be told most of the players cited today no longer play the game and the […]

ACT 3 News: Baptism, the Lord's Supper and Our Forum Events

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:33-05:00December 12th, 2007|Categories: The Church|

Some of you know that I edited two volumes in the Zondervan Counterpoints series this past year: Understanding Four Views on Baptism and Understanding Four Views on the Lord’s Supper. The first book came out in March and the latter one in October. I was informed today, by my editor at Zondervan, that at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) in San Diego (November) these two books were number 3 and 4 on the Zondervan table. That was heartening news since this may mean a number of these academic readers will use these two books in classroom settings, one very good audience for both of these books.

An even better use for these books is in adult church classes, home study groups and sundry small groups. These volumes are not so academic that people would not profit from them in such contexts.

On March 30, 2008, we will have an ACT 3 Forum in the Chicago west suburban area on the subject of the Lord’s Supper. My friend Father Thomas Baima, who writes the chapter on […]

The Tragic Story of the Colorado Killer Matthew Murray

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:33-05:00December 11th, 2007|Categories: Religion|

The young killer, Matthew Murray, was clearly a disturbed individual as we have discovered from today’s reports. His pleas for help were noticed by some. These people sought to counsel him. He also posted serious threats on the Internet between his two killing sprees this past Sunday. His warnings were anguished, despair-filled cries from a man who used the screen name: “nghtmrchld26.” Murray was a home-schooled youth who had once applied to work with Youth With a Mission, an organization known for strong training techniques and very Pentecostal theology. (I am not saying this in a pejorative way, it is a simple fact.)

On Sunday Murray posted this comment: "God, I can’t wait till I can kill you people. Feel no remorse, no sense of shame, I don’t care if I live or die in the shoot-out. All I want to do is kill and injure as many of you . . . as I can especially Christians who are to blame for most of the problems in the world."

The Associated Press reported this evening that at least eleven posts, between […]