Blog - Page 285 of 318 - John H Armstrong

A Crisis of Faith

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:54-05:00November 24th, 2006|Categories: Spirituality|

My friend Monte Wilson is one of the most insightful writers that I know. He often understands important things and writes with passion and clarity. He sends occasional thoughts to his friends. The one that follows came to me earlier this week. I share it with his permission. (I urge you to check out Monte’s mission and support it. Information is at the end of this blog.)

I talked to N. today. O my, is he going through a crisis of faith. I hadn’t talked with him in a very long time and had no idea he was struggling so.

I think doubt is a normal and natural part of the Christian journey. When you reflect on the demands of Christ for a changed heart, mind and life-style, and how much these changes are at odds with those aspects of our psyche that are still drawn by the false-gold, “fun,” and flattery the (fallen) world has to offer, and the fact that spiritual change does not occur at the push of a button or a nod of the head, but only […]

Good Church Humor

By John Armstrong|2006-11-24T07:53:50-06:00November 24th, 2006|Categories: Humor|

Sometimes you just need to laugh. Readers Digest often provides the material for some good ones, like these:

"He must not be very good at his job" was the first thing that came to mind as I left church. The reason? This notice on the bulletin board: "There will be no healing service this Sunday due to the pastor’s illness."

If you drive a lot, you’re used to seeing those "My Child Is an Honor Student at . . . " bumper stickers. At this point, I ignore them. But one stuck out, mostly becuase of its somewhat conflicted message: "My Son Is an Honor Student at Our Lady of Humility School."

Lincoln, Tom Brokaw and Radical Islam

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:54-05:00November 23rd, 2006|Categories: Islam|

Tom Brokaw gave the Remembrance Day address at the Gettysburg Cemetery last Sunday, November 19. I was pleased to hear him in person. He is truly a master speaker and quite frankly a very real presence. He is a tall man, handsome still, and genuinely gracious to all who approached him personally, offering thanks much like a minister at the rear door after a service. Of all the network news anchors in my lifetime Brokaw is still my favorite.

Mr. Brokaw spoke about Lincoln’s time and ours since the occasion called for this comparison on the day that President Lincoln delivered The Gettysburg Address in 1863. He spoke of our “ideological zealots” who are willing to advance their narrow interests at the expense of the larger good of a just and good society. He referred to some politicians, in Lincoln’s time and our own, who are really “money changers in the Capital.” He then argued that it was “the common will to advance our common interests” that had always sustained America in dark times such as the Civil War. Consistent with his […]

Giving Thanks

By John Armstrong|2006-11-22T22:14:03-06:00November 22nd, 2006|Categories: Personal|

I am incredibly self-conscious about writing this but my wife asked me to consider it. I try to listen to her wise advice so here goes.

What she said to me was, “Ask your readers at Thanksgiving to share one thing they are thankful for with regard to the ministry of ACT 3.” It sounds way too self-serving, as if I am fishing for positive comments. I also admit it feels good to know that someone believes that we are doing something valuable, something that has brought some small blessing into their corner of the world through teaching, preaching, writing or encouragement.

I will begin with this comment:

“I am thankful that ACT 3 allows me to meet so many incredibly interesting and courageous people who are so willing to follow Christ with radical faith and love.”

And further:

“I am grateful for the 25-30 local churches that I ministered in during 2006. Most all of these congregations opened their heart to me and allowed great blessing to flow both ways while I was […]

Some Questions About My Openness to Postmodernity

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:54-05:00November 22nd, 2006|Categories: Postmodernity|

In a comment placed on my blog of November 15 on "How Postmodernity Serves Faith" a respondent (Martin Downes) asked me three specific questions that I wish to answer in the form of a new blog. I do this because the answer, I sincerely hope, is worthy of others reading it and responding to it as they wish. You can find the three questions on the comments section posted on the November 15 entry. Here are my answers:

1. My understanding of the deadliness and seriousness of heresy has actually deepened over the last ten years. What has changed even more profoundly is my unwillingness to apply the term to anyone who holds a view that differs from the conservative Reformed tradition, which is only four plus centuries old confessionally. (By the way I remain a Reformed thinker and I am comfortable with the tradition, being a Reformed minister. At the same time I am willing to question the system since it is human. I have challenged it at several points and come to new views about how to embrace the whole Christian […]

Radical Islamic Violence Erupts in Lebanon

By John Armstrong|2006-11-22T20:43:29-06:00November 22nd, 2006|Categories: Islam|

Pope Benedict XVI, in his general audience today, condemned the assassination of Lebanon’s industry minister, Pierre Gemayel, a Maronite Christian and member of the Phalange party. (Pierre Gemayel’s father, Amine, was president of Lebanon from 1982-1988.) Benedict warned citizens of Lebanon that there were "dark forces who are trying to destroy the country."

The pope firmly condemned "this brutal attack" and assured people of his prayers and "spiritual closeness to the family in mourning and to the beloved Lebanese people." He added: "In the face of the dark forces that seek to destroy the country, I invite all Lebanese not to allow themselves to be overcome by hatred, but to reinforce national unity, justice and reconciliation, and to work together to build a future of peace.” Benedict XVI also urged "leaders of the nations that have the fate of this region at heart to contribute to finding a global negotiated solution to the various situations of injustice that have existed for too many years."

Do we realize that Christians are being driven out of this great land of Lebanon every single […]

Proclaiming Good News to Mal-Mart?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:54-05:00November 22nd, 2006|Categories: Homosexuality|

Wal-Mart has been the favorite target of the left for some years. Most of the time the fire has been rooted in criticism for how it treats it workers. Now the retail giant is under fire for the right for its corporate response to homosexuals. The protest comes from the American Family Association, which asks its supporters to boycott Wal-Mart stores during one of the busiest shopping weekends of the entire year, this Friday-Saturday. A second group, Operation Save America, plans prayer-and-preaching rallies outside Wal-Mart stores.

What triggered this response? Wal-Mart paid $25,000 this summer to become a member of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and donated $60,000 to Out and Equal, which promotes gay-rights in the workplace. Some conservative Christian groups see these actions as a betrayal of the family-friendly stance of Wal-Mart. One minister accused homosexual groups of “extorting” stores with their radical agenda. Maybe, and maybe not, is my response. My guess is that there is much more to this than people on either side understand.

Wal-Mart’s spokesman said the company’s outreach to the gay-rights […]

The ELCA and Church Renewal

By John Armstrong|2006-11-21T20:10:31-06:00November 21st, 2006|Categories: Renewal|

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is fairly typical of the many older churches in America these days. I recently looked at some ELCA "quick facts" about membership and clergy and discovered that the ELCA has 4.9 million baptized members, making it the eighth largest church grouping in America. (Catholics are number one, with 67.2 million members, while Southern Baptists are second with 16.4 million members.) But only 2.3 million of the ELCA members, i.e., less than half, are communing and contributing members, a far more important category it seems to me. What is even more telling in these numbers is that the average weekly attendance in ELCA churches: 1.5 million, or only 30% of the total membership. There are 10,585 congregations in the ELCA thus the average ELCA congregation on Sunday morning has 142 people present. There are 17,696 clergy in the ELCA, which comes out to about 1.65 clergy per church, still a fairly significant number it seems to me. Only 54,000 of the ELCA members are African-Americans, while 38,000 are Hispanics and 22,000 are Asians. So, very simply put, the […]

Signs of Reform in Islam?

By John Armstrong|2006-11-21T11:26:22-06:00November 21st, 2006|Categories: Islam|

Can Islam reform itself? One has to believe that it is possible, or at least hope that it is possible. Whether it is likely or not is an entirely different question. I think history bears out the fact that reform has happened within Islam and could happen again.

Even USA Today admitted in yesterday’s edition (November 20) that efforts to change and modernize Islamic societies "haven’t borne much fruit" since 9/11. USA Today’s editorial team adds: "[The] basic truth is that if Islamic societies are going to reform, change has to come from within. Over the weekend, there were two hopeful signs."

The first sign of reform, noted USA Today, was in Egypt. There the growing popularity of the veil was openly challenged last Thursday by the culture minister, Farouk Hosni. This kind of response encourages dissent against the powerful clerics who are presently hijacking the modernization of Islam and seeking to turn back positive changes made in the late twentieth century. The second sign of reform USA Today noted came in New York where Muslim feminists from around the […]

Why We Need One Another

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:23:54-05:00November 21st, 2006|Categories: Race and Racism|

The race issue continues to plague American Christianity, as I noted in passing in my recent post regarding emancipation and Abraham Lincoln. Rather than offering real solutions to the race issue the church has all too often perpetuated this problem. I do not suggest that we emotionally flog ourselves over the past but it would be a good place to start by honestly recognizing the problems. Ask the question: "What have our respective churches done, or not done, to cause or solve these problems?"

Understanding our racial and ethnic differences is vital to understanding how we can learn to serve and help one another. The simple fact is that we still worship in racially and ethnically separated churches. I know all the reasons that we offer for why this is the case but I still can’t shake the sense that in most instances this happens because we do not care enough that Christ has broken down the walls between us. (I also realize that many of us live in communities where only people like us live!) We ought to live within our Christian […]