Blog - Page 297 of 318 - John H Armstrong

The Grace and Honesty of Mark Driscoll

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:24:16-05:00June 21st, 2006|Categories: Emergent Church|

I am privileged this week to be a part of the Acts 29 Network pastor’s retreat in Boulder, Colorado. Today we heard Mark Driscoll speak very honestly about the subject of “Death by Ministry.” Mark candidly admitted that stress and the related physical and emotional symptoms that it brings to pastors is presently doing a number on him personally. He pulled no punches, spoke from the heart, and warned us to take care of ourselves spiritually, emotionally and physically. I felt the room full of mostly under-35 year old pastors was given a unique opportunity to face some of the greatest dangers of modern pastoral ministry. I wish a leader had given me the same counsel when I was in my 30’s.

Some of Mark’s solutions included practical suggestions such as:

1. Do not overfill your plate. Know what your unique plate can hold and only put something new on it when you take something off it.
2. Exercise physically.
3. Do not allow technology to become your Lord.
4. Sabbath rest is critical to good health.
5. Pick […]

Is TR the Right Designation?

By John Armstrong|2006-06-19T00:03:34-05:00June 19th, 2006|Categories: Reformed Christianity|

Several days ago (June 2) I wrote ten questions about conservative Reformed movements that I think beg for careful thought and discussion by serious Christians within these various movements.

While I’m at it, there is one more question that makes me wonder even more:

Would it be more accurate to refer to some conservative Reformed spokesmen, not as TR (Truly Reformed), but rather as VR (Viciously Reformed), or perhaps as AR (Angrily Reformed)?

There is very often more psychology involved in these debates than theology, at least in one fairly observable sense. Time and again I have watched as fear, insecurity and the need for approval and control all drive such debaters and their agendas. For folks who confess the sovereignty of God it does make you wonder a great deal.

The ACT 3 Review: An Encouraging Endorsement

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:24:16-05:00June 17th, 2006|Categories: Personal|

I rarely promote my own written work or the resources I edit and produce, since I feel completely uncomfortable praising things I am so directly associated with as an author. After all the Scripture does say, “Let another praise you, not your own mouth” (Proverbs 27:2). However, a friend will sometimes say things that encourage me wonderfully. Such was the case with P. Andrew Sandlin’s recent blog about our newly designed quarterly journal, ACT 3 Review. Andrew’s blog spot, which I encourage you to visit regularly, had this to say about the new journal: http://www.andrewsandlin.net/?p=264. He may be over the top in his praise but I do encourage you to try the journal. If you do not like it we will refund your money. You can subscribe for half-price right now ($16.00 for four issues) at our Web site: www.act3online.com.

A Great Evening at the CSO

By John Armstrong|2006-06-16T17:53:51-05:00June 16th, 2006|Categories: Music|

Conductor Daniel Barenboim is doing three farewell concerts this week with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO). After about fifteen years of leading this great orchestra he will be moving on to other musical challenges in Europe. Barenboim chose three great pieces for his last three evenings with the CSO: Mahler’s Ninth Symphony, Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. I was privileged to hear the CSO’s masterful performance of Mahler’s Ninth last evening. I was given this special evening of music as a birthday gift (my birthday was actually more than three months ago) by my dear friend, our ACT 3 board chairman and my own pastor, Dr. Wilbur Ellsworth. Wilbur is himself a highly trained musician thus his insights and commentary helped to make the evening even more memorable.

What can I say about Mahler’s Ninth? It is a very moving composition that reflects Mahler’s obsession with death. In various ways Mahler reveals musically how deeply shaken he was about his own demise. There is both majestic beauty and haunting silence in his music. Mahler died very young, May 18, 1911, […]

The SBC on Alcohol

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:24:16-05:00June 16th, 2006|Categories: Southern Baptists|

The Southern Baptist Convention, which continues to discover new ways to promote the agenda of conservative populist groups within their circles, approved a resolution this week on the consumption of alcohol. The messengers to the annual convention dealt with fifteen resolutions this past week, including one on immigration and another on the environment, demonstrating that “hot buttons” often dominate conservative Baptist life. But it was the resolution on alcohol, and the debate surrounding it, that caught my attention.

The alcohol resolution was the most debated of all at the 2006 convention. This is most definitely not the first time this subject has taken center stage for Southern Baptists. It really serves to remind us that Baptists and abstinence have a deep historical, and contemporary, connection. I grew up in this setting and was thus taught from earliest remembrance that alcohol was a great evil and we must oppose it to be good Christians.

It is important to understand that the resolutions of the SBC are not binding on member churches. But they do have an effect, often an adverse one. An amendment added to this resolution […]

Witnessing to an AA Member

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:24:16-05:00June 15th, 2006|Categories: Evangelism|

I often have opportunities to share my hope of salvation in Christ with new people. There are several resources that I have found very useful for giving to people that I have met and talked with along the road of life. One is John R. Stott’s excellent book, Why I Am a Christian (InterVarsity Press, 2003). Stott, who admits that he took this title from Bertrand Russell’s famous book, Why I Am Not a Christian, shows in a clear and readable style why he has found faith in Christ both compelling and persuasive.

Today I am sending another copy of Stott’s excellent book to a man that I met last Saturday on my flight from Philadelphia to Chicago. This man has been successful in admitting his addiction to alcohol and drugs, and then breaking that addiction, for well over thirteen years. He openly admitted his need to better know “his higher power.” My words were carefully chosen in order to say to him, “The higher power that I have found to have the real answers, joined with the gracious saving power to […]

Relationships and Governance

By John Armstrong|2006-06-13T07:59:55-05:00June 13th, 2006|Categories: Personal|

I have always believed that the governance of Christian ministry, humanly speaking, was really about relationships and how people envision God’s mission through them as they learn to live and work together. Bonhoeffer’s classic Life Together has been the most important shaper of my thought beyond the Pauline letters. Ministry boards function best when there are truly good relationships among those who serve the particular ministry and govern it as a board of directors.

This is the case with the board of ACT 3, my own ministry. We have eight men and women on our board who love Christ and one another. We are presently meeting in Elburn, Illinois, spending two days and nights in fellowship as we plan and direct the work we share together. I could not imagine doing the work I do without these friends. If you think of it today pray for us by name: Wilbur Ellsworth, Mateen Elass, Richard Johnson, Susan Taylor, Kirsten Tjernlund, Don Broesamle, Kurt Klippert and Shawn Moran. We come from the Midwest and from both coasts. We are earnestly seeking God during these […]

Becoming a New Kind of Seminary

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:24:16-05:00June 10th, 2006|Categories: Education|

I spent all day on Friday in a board meeting for Biblical Theological Seminary (BTS) in Pennsylvania. Biblical provides a unique story that is not nearly as well-known as it should be. Begun thirty-five years ago as a conservative, independent Reformed seminary, in suburban Philadelphia, BTS began a new journey several years ago. The purpose statement now says the school exists: “To prepare missional leaders who incarnate the story of Jesus with humility and authenticity and who communicate the story with fidelity to Scripture, appreciation of the Christian tradition, and sensitivity to the needs and aspirations of postmodern culture.”

Our degree programs include the traditional M. Div., as well as a specially designed LEAD M. Div. designed for men and women already in ministry, or those in different careers who want to pursue the ministry as a career change. This program is built around cohort groups and includes a number of special features that are not common to typical seminary education. We also offer an M. A. in biblical studies, in ministry and in counseling, as well as a missional D. Min. All […]

A Surprising Conversation with Richard John Neuhaus

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:24:16-05:00June 8th, 2006|Categories: Roman Catholicism|

Life is often filled with surprises. One such surprise is to meet a person in a public setting very serendipitously. That is precisely what happened to me Thursday evening when I went to eat dinner alone in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. I was in Bryn Mawr because I serve on the board of Biblical Theological Seminary and was there for a board retreat on Friday-Saturday. I arrived early to be at a committee meting on Friday morning, thus I had a free evening to relax.

As I sat down to eat I looked to my right, not three feet away, and realized the man I was looking at was Father Richard John Neuhaus, editor of First Things (FT). Not only am I a devoted subscriber to FT but I have read a good bit of Father Neuhaus’ writing for many years. I once thought of him as a dangerous man, after all he was a convert to Rome from Lutheranism, but that was before I dropped my virulent sectarianism about eight years ago. Of course I disagree with Neuhaus, on both a number […]

The Da Vinci Code Uproar

By John Armstrong|2006-06-08T08:50:40-05:00June 8th, 2006|Categories: Culture|

The release of the movie The Da Vinci Code, starring Tom Hanks, was supposed to be the greatest challenge to Christian faith in America in decades, so say some conservatives. It was nothing of the kind. What the book and movie reveals, notes pollster George Barna, is that people’s religious views are not really being changed at all. They are simply being confirmed, Barna suggests.

I saw the movie about ten days ago. My first response was a non-response. Believe me, it is not a very good movie. The critics are almost unanimous in their dislike and the movie is proving to be a real dud for very good reason. The plot was hard to follow, the story line quite boring and within a half hour you begin to feel like you’re watching a high-priced fairytale that takes itself way too seriously. Hanks looks very old (I guess he is old by now) and turns in a very poor performance. After Forest Gump and Philadelphia I expected much more.

Look, Dan Brown’s book is pure unadulterated fiction. Yes, I know, […]