Blog - Page 281 of 318 - John H Armstrong

Epiphany

By John Armstrong|2007-01-07T12:04:52-06:00January 7th, 2007|Categories: Church Tradition|

Today is the celebration of Epiphany in many churches. Epiphany is the feast of the "manifestation" of Jesus (epiphaneia) has had various connections in church history with events associated with the divinity of the infant Jesus. It now generally refers to the manifestation of his divinity to the magi in Matthew 2:1-12, which was the text of today’s liturgy and the basis for the sermon in my own local church. This celebration goes back at least to Clement of Alexandria in the third century. All discussions about the proper dating of the feast aside it is a beautiful reminder, at least for me, of why and how liturgical worship helps the church focus upon the great events of Christ’s life and ministry.

The sermon that I heard, by my friend Tom Lyberg, focused on the "good news" that Jesus brought into the world. Tom showed us how we can hear modern news as "bad" much of the time or we can listen for the "good news" as well. There is a lot of good news in today’s world that 24-7 news pays […]

The Gravy Train Rolls On

By John Armstrong|2007-01-06T19:44:28-06:00January 6th, 2007|Categories: Politics|

It is a term that has recently come into the political vocabulary more frequently: "earmarks." Earmarks are provisions in congressional bills that add funding not requested in the original bill. Often these earmarks have little or nothing to do with the bill being passed by Congress. In the past ten years Congress has increased the number of earmarks by fourfold. In 2006 there were 13,012 earmarks passed! Both Democrats and Republicans play this game. The total cost to America is $67.1 billion, more than triple the amount of earmarks ten years ago. And all of this was accomplished under the leadership of people who were supposed to be fiscally conservative. One wonders what such words mean any longer in the political culture of our time.

Today President Bush called upon Congress to stop all these earmarks. I doubt anyone will make a real effort to comply until the public says, "Enough." (And I doubt the president will veto a bill because it has too many earmarks attached to it. We shall see.) I further doubt the public will say "enough" until there […]

Behind Every Man

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:49-05:00January 5th, 2007|Categories: Personal|

The saying is tried, and at times trite, but still true: "Behind every great man is a great woman." It borders on political incorrectness these days since women are perfectly capable of being great without men. The reverse is true as well. But this old truism still has an element of truth about it that every man who succeeds must come to understand.

I pondered this old truism while reading the various news reports this morning about Alabama’s new football coach Nick Saban. While the New York critics, especially at ESPN, continue to take their shots at Saban for leaving Miami prematurely, or for not being straightforward about his motives in mid-December, the real story lies in the relationship of Nick and Terry Saban and their love for one another and for the college game and the opportunity to teach and shape student athletes.

Alabama Athletics Director Mal Moore says of Nick Saban’s wife Terry, "She loves college football and longed to be back in it. So does Coach Saban. But Terry Saban was the one that made me feel […]

What Kind of Stem Cells?

By John Armstrong|2007-01-04T11:43:09-06:00January 4th, 2007|Categories: Bio-Medical Ethics|

The stem cell debate is going to be even bigger in the 110th Congress. Democrats have promised to overturn the president’s opposition to harvesting embryonic stem cells if possible. This whole issue amazes me, at least on one level. As an issue it is, in microcosm, a picture of our culture and its putting incredible hope in all medical and research processes that can be found to cure any and all problems. Promises are made that have little or no basis in facts and few have the ability to discern the differences.

First, we need to know what stem cells are in order to understand the issue. Stem cells are simply human cells that have no specialized function or structure and thus are believed to have incredible potential to develop into other kinds of cells in the human body. The ability of such cells to adapt and/or develop offers great promise medically. Medical researchers are trying to use stem cells to repair specific tissues and/or to grow human organs. Some positive benefits have already been reaped from using human stem cells. There […]

We Have a Coach

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:49-05:00January 3rd, 2007|Categories: Personal|

My best friends know that I am a diehard Alabama Crimson Tide fan. They know to never call me on a fall Saturday afternoon or evenings when Alabama is playing. I have Bama symbols all around me where I work and write every day. I check the online news faithfully. I even play the fight song several times a day. Thus, for the past six plus weeks I have watched the news from Tuscaloosa about the search for a new coach with great interest. Today the answer came. Nick Saban, one of the best college coaches around, left his better paying professional job in Miami and took the Alabama job. I am a happy camper this evening.

I went to the University of Alabama from 1967-69. I was there when the color barrier was broken. I even met Bear Bryant while I was a student. I grew up admiring Coach Bryant, as his guys called him, from the moment my dad took me to my first Alabama game in 1958, the Bear’s first year as Bama’s storied coach. (The Bear and my dad […]

The Gerald R. Ford Funeral

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:49-05:00January 2nd, 2007|Categories: Current Affairs|

I watched most of the funeral of President Gerald Ford today. It was deeply moving to me personally. The service was conducted with dignity and deep respect for the Christian faith and historic and liturgical practice. I felt that both President George H. W. Bush and President George W. Bush were superb in their comments but Tom Brokaw, as he has done for me in the past, moved me deeply. He spoke with unusual eloquence and grace. What happened to national news reporters and anchors like him? He loves his country, appreciates the graces of other people, and speaks with a rare beauty.

I saw Tom Brokaw in person at the Lincoln Day address at the Gettysburg Cemetery a few weeks ago. I carefully watched him greet ordinary people and speak with impressive gravitas in the windy, cold outdoors to a crowd of maybe 1,500. He was very impressive to me that day and my only regret was that his speech was not made available in some form following that November 19th event.

I was particularly moved this morning by […]

Neo-Gnosticism

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:50-05:00January 2nd, 2007|Categories: Spirituality|

If I’ve heard it once I’ve heard it a thousand times: "I’m not very religious but I am a very spiritual person." I would guess this expresses the beliefs of millions of Americans, to varying degrees, especially those who under thirty-five. Real religion requires disciplines and doctrines (cf. James 1:27), congregations and pews/chairs with other people sitting next to us. Real religion means looking after widows and people in dire distress. And it means that we talk to people that we would not normally talk to and that we eat with people, for heaven’s sake, that we would not generally want to eat with either.

Spirituality without religion is the seeking of a special knowledge without commitment. Put simply it is a form of neo-gnosticism, of insight and knowledge without the messy business of having to work at things that are physical by nature. The ultimate gnostic goal is to be free from this vile material world and thus to be released from this fleshly body that inhibits our real spiritual growth. Who needs these politics, for that is what relationships are […]

A Church Home: Some Reflections

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:50-05:00January 1st, 2007|Categories: Reformed Christianity|

In the summer of 2006 my wife and I joined First Reformed Church in South Holland, Illinois. The church is located 46 miles from our home so we can’t attend every week. (We attend a neighborhood Lutheran congregation, as associate members, when I am not speaking elsewhere.) We joined First Reformed Church, so far from our home, for several reasons. First, I wanted to submit my ministerial credentials to a Reformed body of believers and ultimately to other ministers, thus the Illiana Classis. Second, we wanted to unite as a couple with a local congregation that would wholeheartedly support our wholistic vision for ACT 3. (Several friends at First Reformed Church, unbeknown to us, had been praying for us to consider this decision from some years.) Third, my own views of ecclesiology have changed enough over the last fifteen years to lead me to embrace the Three Forms of Unity of the Dutch Reformed tradition with growing conviction. To put this in very simple theological terms, my understanding of the covenant and the church became increasingly Reformed. And fourth, I wanted to be connected, […]

Life is Unpredictable

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:50-05:00December 31st, 2006|Categories: Death|

My local newspaper includes a "Year in Review" section in the December 31 edition that is titled "In Memoriam." Pictured, and listed, are a number of nationally prominent persons who died in 2006. Also listed are a number of local people as well, several of whom were friends of mine. It seems that this kind of looking back on the loss of loved ones, as well as prominent people, is something we do every year at this time. For some years now, when I have read a story like this one, I have always done one thing: I have asked God to grant me the grace to live for his glory in 2007 with the full realization that this might be my last year. Of course, some year, at some point in time, will actually be my last year. I think about this a great deal and do not consider it morose in any true sense of the term.

This particular article began with this sentence: "Life is unpredictable." I pondered that statement most of the day. There is an obvious truism […]

Sin and the Human Genome

By John Armstrong|2006-12-30T08:05:07-06:00December 30th, 2006|Categories: Science|

Francis Collins, who heads the human genome project, is a devout Christian. He actually believes in original sin. He also believes there is evidence for original sin at the most basic genetic level. "There are no perfect human specimens at the DNA level," says Collins. "We are all walking around with a significant number of misspellings [in our DNA]." Most of us have as many as 40 or 50 glitches in our DNA, most of which never cause us serious problems. But some of these glitches are the real causes of ailments like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Collins believes that the genome project may be "a bright light we can shine into the darkness of our ignorance about almost every disease." Most of these diseases, Collins believes, will eventually be addresssed by pharmogenetics, drugs designed to address specific genes or DNA misspellings.

These potential solutions may be nearer than we think but they will be costly. They also have huge downsides since someone must decide who gets them, at least initially, and who does not. This all underscores the incredible potential of […]