Blog - Page 270 of 318 - John H Armstrong

The Anglican Mission

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:23-05:00April 25th, 2007|Categories: Renewal|

I am spresently speaking to the Anglican Mission and Ministry Conference, April 25-27, in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, held on the campus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Church planters, pastors, lay leaders and seminarians are spending three days together for fellowship, teaching and corporate prayer. This evening I began a series of three messages on Acts 3:19-21 regarding "times of refreshing sent from the Lord." What are these seasons, these special times given by God throughout redemptive history to spread the fame and glory of Christ to the nations? They have been called revivals, awakenings or renewals. It matters not what you call them but I do like the term "seasons of refreshing" since this expression best describes the work of the Holy Spirit in conjunction with the sufferings and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. (Read all of Acts 3. By the way, this ministry of ACT 3 is sometimes called Acts 3 and this mistake is a happy one to me in light of this text and how important it has been to my ministry over the course of thirty-five plus years.)

These […]

Dissatisfaction and Church Switching

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:23-05:00April 24th, 2007|Categories: American Evangelicalism|

A new study, conducted by Lifeway Research (SBC) looked at how and why people change churches in America. My own informal and anecdotal observations tell me that lots and lots of people are "switching churches" more and more often so this survey deeply interested me.

I left the pastorate in 1992 and have been in three churches in fifteen years without leaving my community. (We all have reasons and I am certainly not condemning church switching here at all. "Let the writer without the sin cast the first stone," or something like that.) My interest is not in condemning persons, for reasons vary and are sometimes complicated, but in observing the trend.

Most of those who switched said their old church failed to engage their faith (58%). But 42% said their old church failed to offer them more appealing doctrines and the preacher or church members expression of faith did not seem "authentic." Scot McConnell, associate director of LifeWay, believes the rise of "consumerism and narcissism" is evident in the survey and seen throughout people’s reasons. I have to agree, […]

Once Again, Being Born Again Means So Little

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:23-05:00April 23rd, 2007|Categories: American Evangelicalism|

It seems that every poll we read these days just reveals even more clearly how totally shallow the spiritual formation of American evangelicalism really is. A new Barna Research Group poll asks for a favorability response for several well-known public figures. On the list are people like George Clooney, Katie Couric, Faith Hill, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey and Bono. What is striking to me is how consistent the favorability and unfavorability rankings were of these personalities among all adults and among those who are "born again." There is virtually no difference at all.

Clooney, Spears and Hilton, for example, were equally favorable with all adults and the "born agains." Katie Couric and Donald Trump were slightly more favored by the "born again" crowd than the general population, but by something like 2%. What stunned me was this: Bono was less favored by the "born again" group (4%) than the general population! What on earth is going on here? Are people of (supposed) faith that ridiculously undiscerning in how they view public people and their importance? Bono is the […]

The Long Process of Becoming a Missional Church

By John Armstrong|2007-04-22T15:03:56-05:00April 22nd, 2007|Categories: Missional Church|

Trinity Presbyterian Church (PCA) is located in suburban Dallas. Begun some twenty years ago it is not a large church (about 300 attenders) but it has had an effective ministry in several important areas for two decades. John McCracken, a graduate of Westminster Theological Seminary (PA) ’99, is the senior pastor. John is a Texan, who graduated from Baylor University, and is a man profoundly committed to leading this congregation toward becoming a vital missional church. For this reason I spoke today on: "Christ’s Kingdom and the Missio Dei" and will speak this evening on: "The Church: Not Sending But Sent."

ACT 3 is committed to advancing the missional mandate of Christ into the third millennium. I simply cannot let this theme go. I see this emphasis as directly linked with my theology of revival and reformation, by Word and Spirit. This is also why I have such longings and hopes for what is called the "emergent church." To reject the emergent church outright is a serious mistake I believe. Any new movement will have ups and downs, both excesses and major […]

A 24 Addiction?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:23-05:00April 21st, 2007|Categories: Film|

I reported several weeks ago that friends convinced me that I needed to watch the popular television series 24, starring Keifer Sutherland as agent Jack Bauer. I think they figured I was much too serious for my own good and that this venture would add a little pop-cultural advancement to my life. Well, it worked. I am not addicted, or so I think, but I have now completed Season Five. (Season Six is presently showing on Fox on Monday evenings at 8:00 p.m. CDT.)

24 is based on the idea that an agency called CTU (Counter Terrorism Unit) is charged with defending the nation against terror threats that are very real. At times the show gets so close to reality that you wonder if they are laying out a vision of the future or just doing some highly creative and exciting fiction. I am told the writers, who are immensely clever to the point of brilliant, represent the two ends of the political spectrum, which makes sense. The show reflects the actual struggles of a left and right approach to balancing both […]

Why Are We Silent About Zimbabwe?

By John Armstrong|2007-04-20T08:56:08-05:00April 20th, 2007|Categories: American Evangelicalism|

Every single day courageous and faithful Christians in Zimbabwe are suffering and dying through their resistance of the brutal reign of president Robert Mugabe. You would never know this is true from the lack of interest or response of conservative Christians in America. Of all the causes that are taken up by the Christian Right I have not heard a single voice lifted on behalf of the church in Zimbabwe and their struggle to resist the reign of terror led by President Mugabe.

In January eight high-profile Christian leaders were arrested by security forces as they, and hundreds of supporters, opened a new office of the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance, an international agency that promotes non-violent resistance to Mugabe’s rule. But Mugabe’s government continues to crack down on this resistance as the nation faces total economic and social collapse. Zimbabweans struggle to survive with an inflationary rate of 1,700% as well as widespread unemployment and profound poverty. More than 3/4ths of the people live in poverty, unemployment is at 80%, and hordes of people are escaping to South Africa as refugees. Mugabe has led […]

Freedom Writers

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:23-05:00April 19th, 2007|Categories: Film|

The feature film "Freedom Writers" appeared on DVD this week. It stars two-time Oscar winner Hillary Swank as a very young Long Beach (CA) high school teacher assigned to a freshman English class made up of students all destined to fail. The kids are African-American, Asian and Latino inner-city kids raised on drive-by shootings in a hard-core death-based culture. The story is true and the film is genuinely beautiful.

Erin Gruwell, the teacher in the story, gave her students a voice of their own, a sense of place and a future. She empowered her kids by getting them to read, write and think. She accomplished this by getting them to read The Diary of Anne Frank and then by having them write their responses in a personal journal. The experience slowly transformed how these kids understood life and coped with their own past. Gruwell continually battled an uncaring school system that was set up to fail, like most school systems in the cities of America. She was hated by some of her peers for rocking their boats and she lost her husband’s […]

A Tragic Day in Blacksburg: Making Sense of People's Actions and the Words of Jesus

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:24-05:00April 18th, 2007|Categories: Current Affairs|

Americans are now forming impressions, based upon the unfolding news accounts, of the deadliest school shooting rampage in our history, a carnage that left 33 people dead on the Virginia Tech campus Monday. The questions that we generally raise are almost always the same: Why didn’t the school stop this sooner? How did the police, the counselors, the teachers, the dorm directors, all fail? How did the shooter’s parents fail? How can we stop this random violence in the future? And where can you go, or allow your children to go, and be truly safe? And, as with other tragedies, even non-believers often ask, “How could a good God allow such an act of senseless violence?”

Two questions interest me this morning. These are both questions that require you to dig a little deeper into the news cycle to get any resemblance of an answer. First, who was Cho Seung-Hui, the shooter? What do we know about the life of this 23-year old that might reveal to us why he began these random shootings, ending his life with suicide? And, second, how […]

Sometimes I Just Don't Recognize Myself

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:25-05:00April 17th, 2007|Categories: Personal|

When I first began writing blogs in 2005 I was not really sure about the value of this enterprise. At times I am still not fully convinced, though I still write blogs almost every day. In one sense, I write for myself just because I love to write. I think best when I put my ideas in writing. It is who I am and how I function. I understand blogs to be, at their best, a combination of philosophical insights, less than polished (as in polished for more formal publication) essays on sundry matters and personal autobiographical reflections. I try to do all of these in various ways, always in a way that I hope ministers to others in some small way.

But who reads these blogs? (I read some blogs and profit from these myself, though my time devoted to them is limited by personal time demands and health issues.) Do these blogs really make any difference, the kind of difference that brings about godliness and better Christian thought? Do they result in richer and better living under God? I do often […]

An Interview with My Friend Steve Brown

By John Armstrong|2007-04-16T11:09:21-05:00April 16th, 2007|Categories: Personal|

For some years Steve Brown, the radio voice of Key Life, has proven to be a really cool buddy who likes me just the way I really am. He is one of the most gracious, energetic and effective communicators I have ever met. More important than gifts is the reality of Steve Brown himself. He is what you hear and read and is as authentic as they get.

Steve serves on my Advisory Team for ACT 3 precisely because I desire, and need, the kind of counsel that he can and does provide for me. (I also need his prayers which he freely offers for me faithfully.) I am never with Steve that I do not walk away and say, "What a hoot. I love this man. He is so good for me to be with. He helps me to be a better Christian who truly lives grace." I have know lots of Christian leaders over my lifetime but few are as down-to-earth and real as Steve Brown. I mean it. I would not lie about such a matter if my life […]