Blog - Page 265 of 318 - John H Armstrong

"What is Man?" Why the Answer Profoundly Matters

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:15-05:00June 13th, 2007|Categories: Culture|

The Acton Institute (www.acton.org) was begun through the vision of two men in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1990. It exists for the study of democracy and liberty in order to promote a free society characterized by individual liberty and sustained by religious principles. Acton’s major contribution is in training young professionals such as ministers, lawyers and business leaders, often while they are engaged in their graduate studies. The goal is to help such young leaders learn how to think clearly about the virtues of a free and faith-based society. This includes demonstrating why the “good life” requires both liberty and virtue.

I am attending my second Acton University, this time as an active Acton blogger. This means that I will be writing about various subjects related to this event over the course of the next several days. I will seek to report in a first-person manner on the overall event as well as provide you with some reflections upon the workshops that I attend and the people that I encounter.

Issues such as globalization, environmental […]

The Great Home Run Chase and Popular Culture

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:15-05:00June 12th, 2007|Categories: Baseball|

Baseball is presently facing a major public relations crisis as Barry Bonds pursues the all-time home run record of Hank Aaron. Bonds is very likely to break Aaron’s home run record of 755 in July or early August. At least as things are presently unfolding. But Major League Baseball (MLB) is not sure how to respond to this amazing accomplishment.

Normally such an event would be the stuff of daily reports and deep fan interest. The problem is that only 8% of fans believe Barry Bonds is the greatest home-run hitter ever. Why? His alleged use of illegal steroids to enhance his performance has convinced people he cheated. It must be said that Bonds has not been convicted of a crime, nor has he admitted one. He has admitted that he “unknowingly” used drugs and the company that supplied them to him has five people connected with it who have been convicted of the illegal distribution of steroids. Several sports writers have all but proven that Bonds knew what he was doing and most fans plainly believe them. On top of all […]

The True North American Mission Context

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:16-05:00June 11th, 2007|Categories: Missional Church|

Few American Christians understand what is really happening in our lifetime, either spiritually or politically. The following information ought to stab us wide awake but most of us will more than likely continue to sleep through one of the most important religious and social transitions in Western history.

In America spirituality continues to rise while religion does not. Gallup explained in a 2002 poll that 50% of Americans describe themselves as “religious” while another 33%, a figure that is rising each year, say they are “spiritual but not religious.”

The fastest growing religious group in American is those who describe their religion as “none.” Every two years this group increases by 1%. We are worried about Islam in America while the overwhelming majority of the next generation will have no religion at all.

The face of North America is also changing rapidly. From 1970 to 2005 the foreign born population in the United States rose from 4.7% to 12%. By 2050 it is expected that 50% of the U. S. population will be of a different ethnicity than […]

Biblical Seminary & the Missional Church

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:16-05:00June 9th, 2007|Categories: Missional Church|

I noted yesterday that I am attending a two-day board meeting of Biblical Theological Seminary (BTS) in Pennsylvania. Biblical Seminary is, to my mind, a well-kept secret. Begun in 1971 as a fundamentalist break-off seminary from the orbit of the late fundamentalist minister Carl MacIntyre Biblical has come a long way from those days, now engaging the world as a faithful, evangelical and orthodox interdenominational seminary with a misisonal philosophy. Our mission statement is:

To prepare missional leaders who incarnate the story of Jesus with humility and authenticity and who comunicate the story with fidelity to Scripture, appreciation of the Christian tradition, and sensivity to the needs and aspirations of postmodern culture.

If I were to personally write a mission statement for a modern seminary that was consistent with the mission statement of ACT 3 this would be the statement I would write, which is one of several reasons why I am on the BTS board. (I had nothing to do with the writing of this excellent statement since it was already in place and helped to encourage me to […]

Doing Big Things About Unimportant Sutff

By John Armstrong|2007-06-08T07:21:37-05:00June 8th, 2007|Categories: Personal|

I am in Philadelphia for a board meeting. I have had the opportunity to visit with a number of friends the last few days. Such visits are always encouraging and remind me of things that I need to hear much more often. An impression that has formed in me, with growing depth over recent years, is this: We are so busy doing big things about very little and unimportant stuff.

I try to ask myself each day, “How important is this?” Does it fit with what God has really called me to be doing? Why or why not? My “to-do” list too often drives me rather than my calling and vision list. I am praying, past mid-life as the world uses the expression, “Lord, teach me to know the difference between the important and the really important.” I do not aspire to importance or greatness, as the world defines them, but I do deeply aspire to make a real difference for the kingdom. The kingdom defines the word "difference" for me so my values are not like those of many who aspire […]

How Baseball Reflects the Culture Debates

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:16-05:00June 7th, 2007|Categories: Baseball|

This entry is not as much about baseball as about culture and how baseball mirrors problems within the culture. I once had a friend who played in the Major Leagues for five seasons tell me that baseball, with its various social and personal problems, is no better and no worse than culture in general. It tends to present a large stage upon which we can see a reflection of our popular culture in general. I agree with this analysis.

A famous and talented baseball player named Gary Sheffield, who plays for the Detroit Tigers, recently did an interview for GQ Magazine. Gary has a long history of making outrageous statements and attracting lots of attention. He seems, off and on, to simmer with anger below the surface. A few years ago Gary openly declared himself to be a Christian, along with his wife who is a gospel singer. He has played for four or five teams over his career, including the Atlanta Braves. When Sheff was a young player he admits to fielding a ball at third base and throwing it into the […]

The Chicago Cubs and Their Somewhat Lovable Losing Ways

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:16-05:00June 6th, 2007|Categories: Baseball|

Anyone living in Chicago, baseball fan or not, is forced to hear a great deal about the Chicago Cubs, like it or not. Love them or hate them, they dominate the sports scene here for six months every year. They are the darlings of many, many fans and most of the media. Their appeal in this great city far exceeds that of their cross-town rivals, the Chicago White Sox, who always come in second in polls and total fan base. The White Sox won a World Series Championship in 2005 but the Cubs will celebrate 100 years without a World Series Championship next year yet their place is sold-out for every game. Go figure.

As most of my readers know I am a big lifetime baseball fan. I love this game with a passion. But I am not a Cubs fan! I find many Cubs fans insufferably mercurial, even passive-aggressive. (I number some very good friends, and a few donors to ACT 3, among my friends who are Cubs fans. None of them fit this category so I am being broad in my […]

Thomas Merton on the Road Ahead

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:16-05:00June 5th, 2007|Categories: Spirituality|

Thomas Louis Merton (1915-1968) was an American monk and writer who was born in Prades, France, the son of artists. In his teen years he was orphaned and then lived a very unsettled life until he moved to the United States in 1935. (His mother was an American.) After studying literature at Columbia University he became familiar with Catholicism and after study and prayer entered the Catholic Church in 1938. (Not your typical spiritual journey, via literature at Columbia University, to the church.)

Merton then taught at both Columbia and St. Bonaventure, writing poetry and fiction on the side. In 1941 he entered a Trappist Abbey in Gethsemani, Kentucky. His monastic name was Brother Louis. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1949. It was his spiritual autobiography, The Seven Story Mountain (1948), that brought him the first international fame that he received. It became a huge best-seller and continues to sell to this day. From 1949, until his untimely death from electrocution in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1968, Thomas Merton published prolifically and maintained extensive personal correspondence with numerous people, famous and […]

Death: Our Enemy

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:16-05:00June 4th, 2007|Categories: Death|

I have been shaken over the weekend by two deaths. One was closer to me personally. A man, who showed very few signs of being that close to taking his own life, decided last Wednesday night that it was time to end it. He was loved by those who really knew him. He was also a humble servant who was known in his small community as a deeply caring individual. My personal dealings with him, here and there over the course of nearly forty years, were always pleasant. He was kind, gentle and always loved children. He had reached a point of deep financial stress and thus came to believe that he had nothing else to live for in the coming years. Simply put, he lost all hope. He said that he did not fear death. So life had no more appeal and death was preferable. When the news came on Friday morning I was shocked. Various people whom I deeply love are now touched profoundly by this tragedy. My words to them are very few. My thoughts are filled with compassion, thus I […]

Trinity Sunday: The Doctrine By Which the Church Stands or Falls

By John Armstrong|2007-06-03T11:11:36-05:00June 3rd, 2007|Categories: The Trinity|

Today is Trinity Sunday in the church liturgical calendar. Growing up in a non-liturgical church I had never even heard of Trinity Sunday until I was an adult. In fact, I hardly ever heard of the doctrine of the Trinity during most of my childhood. I can still remember the first sermon I heard that was devoted to the doctrine. I was a young adult in my early twenties. I have since then preached on the Trinity quite often. I have even taught several adult classes on the doctrine. But I do not recall, at least from my background, a single sermon specifically on the Trinity. This is one of the real weaknesses of not following some kind of liturgical form that requires the whole church to deal with the central mysteries of our great common faith week-to-week.

In the New Testament what is to be "confessed," as well as "believed," is Jesus Christ (cf. Romans 10:9-10 and Philippians 2:10-11). But very early the Christian Church understood that "confessing" and "believing" in Jesus involved more than human emotions and an a-historical faith […]