Blog - Page 299 of 318 - John H Armstrong

The Greatest Game in the Greatest Stadium

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:24:29-05:00May 18th, 2006|Categories: Baseball|

I have loved baseball since 1956. I fell in love with the Milwaukee Braves during the summer of 1957, in my eighth year. They were the underdog in the Fall Classic to the much ballyhooed New York Yankees. The Yanks were led by the greatest switch-hitter of all-time, Mickey Mantle; and the greatest post-season pitcher of all-time, Whitey Ford; and also by the ole’ philosopher, catcher Yogi Berra. And their venerable manager was Casey Stengel, who racking up one championship after another during that wonderful era. I still remember running home from school to see the World Series that October and sitting in awe watching the games live from New York’s famous Yankee Stadium. Lou Burdette was lights out in winning the MVP as the Braves won the series in seven games.

Last night, in my fifty-seventh year, I finally saw a game, in person, in venerable Yankee Stadium, built in 1923. The Yanks beat the Rangers 4-3. I sat on row one, in upper deck, right behind home plate. My companion, Jonathan McGuire, is a wonderful young man who is the […]

Mother's Day or Eighth Day?

By John Armstrong|2006-05-15T10:45:34-05:00May 15th, 2006|Categories: The Church|

As our congregation celebrated the fifth day of Easter yesterday (May 14), or as early church fathers called it—the eighth day or the day of new creation—I reflected again on what the difference one’s view of the role of historic theology meant for the church in our day. I am convinced most evangelical churches celebrated Mother’s Day as the central event of the day on May 14. I have no empirical data to tell you what percentage actually made their service into a celebration of Mother’s Day but I do have little doubt that the majority of non-Catholic churches in America turned this day, and the worship of their local church, into an event centered upon mothers.

Over the past fourteen years I have preached widely in churches across North America. I have experienced almost every tradition and form of worship known to evangelicals. On many occasions I have been in the pulpit of churches on Mother’s Day. On several of these occasions I was even urged to preach about Mother’s Day. (One church changed my speaking date to protect the church […]

A Noteworthy Statement on Reformed Ecumenicity

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:24:30-05:00May 11th, 2006|Categories: Reformed Christianity|

A document called "Presbyterians & Presbyterians Together: A Call to Charitable Theological Discourse” has just appeared online today. I have happily endorsed this statement which is now available online at http://presbyterianstogether.org

The drafters and sponsors of "Presbyterians & Presbyterians Together" constitute an inter-denominational grass-roots movement among Reformed pastors and leaders that desires to heal and move beyond the various rifts that seem to perennially surface in our tradition. While each of us acknowledges that important and substantive issues need to be considered and worked-through, we also want to do so in the bonds of peace, not in a context of mistrust, suspicion, and sectarianism (cited from the document).

This effort has been undertaken for the sake of Christ’s Gospel and our Triune God’s mission to a lost and broken world. God calls us in Christ, empowered by his Spirit, and guided by his Word, to proclaim and be a sign of his reign before the eyes of a watching world. Living as people shaped by that calling, the signers remain committed to truth and pursuing […]

The Conflicted Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:24:30-05:00May 10th, 2006|Categories: The Church|

The 217th General Assembly (GA) of the Presbyterian Church (USA) occurs on June 15-22 in Birmingham, Alabama. Contention and schism are not new to this church. Since the 1920s churches have been leaving, arguments have been all too common, and new churches have been formed as a result. What makes this GA any different?

Debate over several (overtures) proposals will occur at this meeting. Many believe that the end results of these actions will shape the future of the PCUSA more than any previous action at any previous GA. Why? In short, the issues all come down to the church finding a way to approve homosexual ordination even though the church has time and again rejected it. On three earlier occasions the GA has sent decisions to the various presbyteries, seeking a positive acceptance of homosexual ordination, and three times the 170 or so presbyteries across the United States have rejected the GA’s proposals. This time the approach taken, and thus the results, will likely be different.

A few years ago a Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity was formed. […]

Recent Megachurch Trends

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:24:30-05:00May 4th, 2006|Categories: The Church|

Recent reports on the megachurch phenomenon reveal some interesting trends. For starters, a megachurch has been defined, for several years now, as a congregation of 2,000 or more attenders in regular Sunday (in some cases also Saturday) worship settings. But during this rise of interest in such churches no one has paid much attention at all to the fact that there are scores of Roman Catholic churches that draw more than 2,000 to mass and never get listed by those who study megachurches. This, in itself, underscores that much of the interest in the so-called megachurch is more about fundamentalist/evangelical marketing (and mission) than about a profound search for what truly makes large churches different, and more or less effective in mission.

Second, evangelical megachurches are led by large personalities, in virtually every case. These churches are pastor-centered and work like corporations led by CEO’s. The campus of a megachurch may include job training, singles groups, classes in auto repair, tennis courts, rock-climbing walls, martial-arts classes, and gourmet coffee bars. Several even have a MacDonald’s restaurant! Critics should note that churches that […]

America's Reading Habits

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:24:30-05:00May 1st, 2006|Categories: Books|

Americans have a strange fascination with “best-seller” status. The endless lists of best-sellers, such as those that appear in the NY Times, grow with every passing day. We now have several books which even give us the history of best-sellers in America. I wonder if all these best-sellers are actually read by all the people who buy them, especially since I buy books I never read and I read lots and lots of books. (My wife has asked me for years, “Will you read that book you just bought?” I have always answered, “Someday I hope to.”

Martin Marty, in his often delightful column Sightings, notes in his comments for today (May 1) the following about books in America:

Don’t believe the celebrators of "the good old days" in American religion, when "everyone was religious and religion was all over the public place." And don’t believe the denigrators of "the good new days" who sulk because government will not do the church’s work by allowing and providing for the worship of God(s?) in public schools and in courts. There is now more […]

United 93

By John Armstrong|2006-04-29T17:49:06-05:00April 29th, 2006|Categories: Film|

I saw United 93 this afternoon. The film is beautifully scripted, faithful to the facts that we know, and believable with regard to the facts that we must assume to know. It is, simply put, a deeply moving film. It should receive many critical awards if unbiased people give the movie the recognition it deserves. One gets a feeling, in seeing it, that is deeply spiritual, if I may be allowed to use that term in its broadest sense.

Parts of the story are known to all of us, at least those of us who read and watched the news over the last five years. Putting it all together in 110 minutes on film, and providing a compelling story line, make these particular events of 9/11 very, very human.

Small children should not see it. It is rated R for intensity and violence, which are both at the center of the story.

The practice of Islam, by the terrorists, is sensitively shown but faithful to what we know about how terrorists use and interpret their religion. The film […]

A Seminary with Missional Vision

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:24:31-05:00April 29th, 2006|Categories: Education|

One of the joys of service that I personally share, as a minister-at-large, is serving on the boards of a few mission organizations and one seminary. One such school is Biblical Theological Seminary in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. In my opinion Biblical has become the leading missional seminary within evangelical Protestantism. It has a clearly defined vision of what it means to consistently develop leaders and pastors for Christ’s mission. You can read a great account of this “experiment” in theological education, aimed at equipping pastors for the church, at:

http://www.thereporteronline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16549394&BRD=2275&PAG=461&dept_id=466404&rfi=6

If you are thinking of a seminary education and want to be uniquely equipped for missional thought, especially to relate to emerging trends and culture, consider Biblical Seminary, a real bargain and a wonderful place to be taught by a great faculty. I know these folks. They are great!!!

A Spoof That is Stranger Than Fiction

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:24:31-05:00April 28th, 2006|Categories: The Church|

Sometimes an Internet spoof gets so close to the truth that it is hard for serious people like me to know the difference. Such was the case with my April 27 blog on “Home Churching.” Several wrote to let me know that I had clearly fallen for a satirical spoof that appeared originally in The Onion.

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/40517

This blog offers my correction regarding my mistaken notion of factuality (quotes, citations, etc.), an admission regarding my humorous personal mistake, and some further thoughts about trends that I do see in the American church.

First, I clearly failed to check out the sources for my citations adequately enough to know that this was intended originally as a spoof. I got this story from a secondhand source and did not even know The Onion existed until last evening. I plan to visit the site and laugh a bit more myself in the days ahead.

Second, special thanks to several kind friends who called this error to my attention. All of us need to be corrected when we get something wrong. Friends […]

A Strange New Trend in Ecclesiology

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:24:31-05:00April 27th, 2006|Categories: The Church|

A new trend has emerged in America in the religious education of children. It is called the “home churching movement.” "Home-churching," has been defined as an individual, family-based worship service. It is steadily gaining in popularity, as more parents seek an alternative to what they consider the overly humanist content of organized worship.

What inspired this revolution in ecclesiology? The woman who may have pioneered the movement says she did it to "escape the damaging cultural influences of urban Mobile.” She adds that she was inspired to home-church when his 10-year-old son returned from Sunday school singing a lighthearted song about Zacchaeus; a tax collector befriended by Christ, and then later recited the parable of the Good Samaritan.

"I couldn’t believe that the liberal elite had infiltrated even the study of our Holy Scriptures," Tucker said. "It was bad enough that my youngsters were being taught evolution in public schools, but when I discovered they were learning to embrace foreigners and Big Government in Sunday school, I drew the line."

Home-churchers follow no liturgical form, creating their own services. Proponents of […]