Blog - Page 260 of 318 - John H Armstrong

Love & Kindness are Not the Same

By John Armstrong|2007-08-22T11:14:26-05:00August 22nd, 2007|Categories: Love|

C. S. Lewis, in The Problem of Pain, argues that love and kindness are not the same. I think his distinction is immensely helpful and quite important. He says that there is a kindness in love, "but love and kindness are not coterminous. Kindness, when it is separated from the other elements that are present in true love, is indifferent to its object. Kindness (alone) does not truly care if the object becomes good or bad providing it escapes suffering. Many parents, for example, believe that they love their children but what they actually give them is the type of kindness Lewis speaks of, a kindness that is absent real love. Simply put, they spoil them with this type of kindness.

Lewis argued that when we truly love someone we will always show more than this type of kindness. We are even willing to allow those we love to suffer if it will benefit them in the long term. Writes Lewis, "You asked for a loving God; you have one. The great spirit you so lightly invoked, the ‘lord of terrible aspect,’ […]

What Should We Make of the Sanctuary Movement?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:57-05:00August 21st, 2007|Categories: Current Affairs|

Across America a group of Christians have banded together to promote a movement to protect illegal aliens from deportation. This is not a new phenomenon at all. What is a little different, at least about some aspects of this renewal of an older movement, is that it has now focused primarily on protecting Mexicans, who are living illegally in the U. S., from deportation. A celebrated case is unfolding day-by-day here in Chicago so I hear a great deal about this on a regular basis. I am not entirely sure how to think about the movement or this particular case. (As is true with many similar issues there seems to be no simple, single, obvious answer.) I see some things clearly here but then there are some issues that seem less clear to me.

The Chicago story is a pretty straightforward sanctuary case. Elvira Arellano, 32, came to America as an undocumented Mexican alien in 1997 to find work. She was deported shortly thereafter and then returned and worked at several different jobs, including child care. She moved to Illinois in 2000 […]

How You Can Help Me and ACT 3

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:57-05:00August 20th, 2007|Categories: Donors and Funding|

In our May 14-16 annual meeting, the board of ACT 3 adopted a ten-year vision plan that grew out of a deep unity God granted to us. We believe that God gave this overall plan and then confirmed it with a strong case for this ministry. This statement can be found on our Web site home page in “The Case for the Mission of ACT 3.”

I humbly ask you who read this blog to carefully read this Case Statement. I am also asking you to help us in a specific way to carry out this mission. It is our hope that in reading this Case Statement you will be moved to participate. I need all of you who read this blog, and find benefit in this ministry, to become regular donors. The ideal way that you can help is by making monthly or quarterly gifts. Our goal is to build a team who will underwrite the support of this ministry. We seek in this way to avoid special appeals and seasonal pleas, and an unhealthy reliance on seeking large gifts. […]

What Will Fred Thompson Do and How Much Does it Matter?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:57-05:00August 18th, 2007|Categories: Politics|

Will Fred Thompson enter the presidential primary race or not? This has been a major question for political pundits for several months now. I think the answer is very likely to be yes, at least from all we can tell right now. I believe by Labor Day he will be an “official” candidate for the Republican nomination. A lot has been written about Fred Thompson, some favorable and some critical. This is par for the course. One thing Fred Thompson undoubtedly has, and few candidates have it, is the power to speak impressively to people in front of a camera. He is a professional, very convincing and impressive in this medium. This alone will help his candidacy I am sure.

I have no “horse” to ride politically. In fact I will not endorse a candidate since I lead a non-profit mission and believe it is wise to stay away from such endorsements for both personal and legal reasons. My views on social issues are those of a (moderate) conservative bent. I am pro-life, opposed to stem cell research on human embryos and opposed […]

"Propostional" Truth, "Objective" Truth and the Debate About What We Know and How We Know It

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:57-05:00August 17th, 2007|Categories: Postmodernity|

God chose to reveal himself ultimately through Jesus Christ. This does not mean, however, that he did not also use words. Jesus is the ultimate "truth" but this does not mean there is no other truth source. We encounter Christ via revelation but this comes through the Holy Scriptures. This involves both our mind and our heart. I have said the same over and over again but some still think I am saying something that I am not saying thus they regularly challenge my approach to theology and truth. Several comments that have appeared recently on the posts made on this site have chosen to hear me only with an epistemology that is modern and, in my judgment, very flawed. It would take a course in epistemology to sort all this out and this is not the place to teach such a course. I would suggest the following readings with which I have a great degree of sympathy:

1. Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism? James K. A. Smith (Baker)

2. How Postmodernism Serves (My) Faith, Crystal L. Downing (IVP)

3. The Myth […]

Religious Conversion and Christian Conduct in the Modern World

By John Armstrong|2007-08-16T10:45:52-05:00August 16th, 2007|Categories: Evangelism|

The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is an important conversation partner in the larger worldwide ecumenical discussion. (The WEA represents, in a loose network, 420 million Christians worldwide.) The Alliance made news this week by agreeing to give approval to working with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Vatican on a Christian code of conduct regarding religious conversion. This, regardless of the discussion itself, is a historic development in my estimation.

The WEA held a consultation in Toulouse, France, on August 8-12. Some 30 Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Pentecostal and Evangelical theologians and church leaders from Europe, Africa, Asia, and the United States outlined the content of this new statement at Toulouse. Finalization on their work is not expected until 2010.

The archbishop of Toulouse, Mgr. Robert Le Gall, a Benedictine monk who has wide experience in interreligious dialogues, said this document could ensure the “mutual respect of those who are engaged in a religion” while it can also preserve the “right to spread and explain one’s faith.” Dr. Tony Ritchie from the Church of God, a Pentecostal US-based denomination, […]

The Real Hazzards of Being a Pastor

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:57-05:00August 15th, 2007|Categories: Pastoral Renewal|

I am convinced that most pastors have no idea how hard it is to be faithful and effective for another year, much less for an entire lifetime. I am further convinced that virtually no one outside the pastoral ministry understands what is happening to good pastors in our own time. A recent survey by Dr. Richard A. Blackman, in a dissertation written for Fuller Theological Seminary, underscores my point very well.

1. 75% of pastors surveyed reported having at least one significant crisis due to stress.
2. 80% believed that ministry is affecting their families negatively.
3. 90% felt inadequately trained to meet the demands of their job.
4. 50% felt unable to do their jobs.
5. 37% of pastors had experienced inappropriate sexual contact outside of their marriage.
6. 40% of pastors experience a "serious relational conflict at least once a month." [My view: This is mostly with staff and/or church boards or councils.]
7. 50% of all pastors felt unable to meet the demands of their jobs.

Read those results one more time and you will likely get […]

The Global Warming Debate: Yada, Yada, Yada

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:57-05:00August 14th, 2007|Categories: Science|

I am not a prophet, not even a futurist. I do study trends, now and then, and I try to pay careful attention to popular culture. One thing I am quite sure about: global warming will be a central issue in public debates and political campaigns for some time to come. It has become the Apocalypse Now issue of our generation. (Overpopulation, the nuclear threat and global cooling did it only a few decades ago.) The simple premise, virtually unchallenged in many places, is that we are all destroying the planet. If we do not stop it now we are doomed to wreak havoc everywhere and kill millions of animals and people. Only calloused, cold-hearted, paleo-cons would be willing to battle such "hard" scientific facts and not support all moral efforts to save the earth.

Just last week Newsweek, generally a fairly moderate news source, had a cover story that provided a first-class object lesson about this debate. The story reduced the battle to one between the "good guys" and the "bad guys" and you can easily guess who is who without even […]

The Ninth Day: Facing Moral Dilemma Honestly

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:22:58-05:00August 13th, 2007|Categories: Film|

Too often Christians treat real moral dilemma as if decisions are always neat and easy to arrive at in one’s conscience. Such is not the case in real life. This reality is underscored powerfully by The Ninth Day (2004), a gripping true story that takes film-making to the highest and most dramatic moral levels. German director Volker Schlöndorff has taken the diary of Father Henri Kremer (a fictitious pen name) and turned his story into an amazing film account of a priest imprisoned in the infamous Dackau camp during World War II. While the priest clings to life, in all its fragility, his faith fades under real pressure and imminent death. But a Gestapo officer by the name of Gerhardt, a young and ruthless lapsed Catholic seminarian, arranges for a nine-day release in order to persuade Henri to convince his anti-Nazi Bishop to support the Nazi occupation by a more lenient approach. If Henri can succeed both he and his family will be free and united again.

Part of the compelling story-line here is that the Gestapo officer did his thesis on […]

Baseball, Faith and the Devil

By John Armstrong|2007-08-12T11:51:20-05:00August 12th, 2007|Categories: Baseball|

Cincinnati Reds rookie Josh Hamilton is currently on the Disabled List (DL) but he has already enjoyed a good first season, hitting .279, with 14 homers and 30 RBIs. Hamilton, a 26 year-old left handed hitting outfielder, revealed in a recent interview with Tim Keown in ESPN The Magazine, that he found a unique way to deal with his terrible cocaine addiction.

Suspended by Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2004, Josh Hamilton simply could not break his habit. He did stints in rehab but lived in the grip of his serious addiction. As he now relates the story he spent an evening at his grandmother’s home after a crack cocaine binge and had a dream that changed his life. “I was fighting the devil, an awful looking thing. I had a stick or a bat or something, and every time I hit the devil he’d fall back and get up. Over and over I hit him, until I was exhausted and he was still standing.” He awoke, sweating, and then walked into his grandmother’s room and crawled under the covers with her. […]