Blog - Page 36 of 318 - John H Armstrong

Must the Reformation Wars Continue? (Part Seven)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:14:30-05:00May 22nd, 2014|Categories: ACT 3, American Evangelicalism, Discipleship, Evangelism, Faith, Jesus, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future|

Yesterday I asked an important question at the end of my post: “How do we evangelize church members, both Catholic and Protestant?”

Sherry Weddell, the cofounder of the Catherine of Siena Institute, with Fr. Michael Sweeney, O.P., is a Christ-centered disciple maker who works to equip Catholic parishes to form lay Catholics for mission in the world. Sherry has been responsible for forming over 85,000 lay, religious and ordained Catholics in 105 dioceses in the art of evangelizing postmoderns, in gaining a better understanding of their spiritual gifts and vocational discernment and in understanding the theology and mission of the laity.

Sherry Weddell notes what every Catholic must honestly face in 2014:

1. Only 30% of American Catholics who were reared in the church are still practicing the Catholic faith in any meaningful way.

2. Fully 10% of all adults in America are now ex-Catholics. (I would guess many have left religion completely but many are evangelicals and charismatics!)

3. The number of marriages celebrated in the Church decreased dramatically, by nearly 60%, between 1972 and 2010.

4. Only 60% of Catholics actually believe in a personal God.

She argues that if the Catholic […]

Must the Reformation Wars Continue? (Part Six)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:14:34-05:00May 21st, 2014|Categories: ACT 3, American Evangelicalism, Discipleship, Evangelism, Faith, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

In post yesterday (May 20) – “Must the Reformation Wars Continue?” – I ended by stating that there is a question I now routinely ask in my dialogue and mission with Catholics and Protestants. The question first came to me in a public setting that I’d like to explain.

A decade or so ago I was recruited by an adult Sunday School class in a Nazarene Church to publicly interact with a Catholic theologian. A moderator by the name of Alan Krashesky (photo at left), the ABC television news anchor for Chicago, was chosen to lead this dialogue. At first I believe the adult class wanted us to have a debate but we both refused. I do not see debate formats as truly helpful except for winning points with those who already agree with your position. (Krashesky is a former-Catholic and yet he is profoundly trusted by the archdiocese for his fairness, a fairness that he has shown again and again in my presence.) I told the hosts that I would much rather have a conversation about the […]

Must the Reformation Wars Continue? (Part Five)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:14:35-05:00May 20th, 2014|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Church History, Church Tradition, Discipleship, Faith, Gospel/Good News, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, The Church, Unity of the Church|

The debate Tim Challies generated about Pope Francis comes down to a simple question: Are devoted and faithful Catholics really Christians? I am still amazed at how many evangelicals assume that few (if any) Catholics are truly born of the Spirit of God. This was more common twenty or thirty years ago but it is still the “party line” in many places. The more ex-Catholics influence the thinking the more likely the problem will remain. Catholic converts are very often zealots against their former church. But they are not alone. Ex-evangelicals do not generally condemn their family and friends to perdition but they are quick to make sure that we all know they are the only ones inside the “true church.” Most have never met an ecumenical conversation they wanted to really share in deeply. I have found several kinds of Catholics who love to pursue ecumenical work; e.g. those deeply taught and formed cradle Catholics who love their church, converts who came into the Catholic Church through an adult RCIA program because they married a […]

Is Love Stronger Than an Argument?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:14:35-05:00May 19th, 2014|Categories: ACT 3, Discipleship, Love, Unity of the Church|

In the midst of my short blog series on the recent “Reformation Wars” over the pope’s faith I want to “hit pause” and lead off this new week with a video.

I recently made this video in my gazebo, the place where I write and pray (year-round) on days when I am home. This video underscores one of my deepest passions about this whole debate. Is there a more excellent way than polemics and debates about who is and is not a true Christian? I believe so. I believe that Jesus and the apostles speak clearly about this in John 13:34-35:

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (NRSV).

The Enduring Legacy of Vatican Council II

By Blade Barringer|2014-05-12T11:33:32-05:00May 16th, 2014|Categories: Uncategorized|

In the light of my posts this week on “The Reformation Wars” I decided to feature this video at week’s end. It is an extremely helpful look at Vatican Council II. Both Catholic and Protestants readers will profit from watching this excellent dialogue.

Next week: “Must the Reformation Wars Continue?” (Parts Five – Eight)

Must the Reformation Wars Continue? (Part Four)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:14:35-05:00May 15th, 2014|Categories: ACT 3, American Evangelicalism, Biblical Theology, Church Tradition, Discipleship, Faith, Gospel/Good News, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, The Church|

The recent debate about whether the pope is a true Christian reminded me of the helpful book written by my friend Mark Noll, Is the Reformation Over? An Evangelical Assessment of Contemporary Roman Catholicism (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008). I am honored that he mentions me as one person who believes the “Reformation Wars” are over. Mark did not know my church affiliation at the time he wrote this book but he got my story right. It is a tiny part of the whole narrative that he tells very well. I encourage you to read the book.

Various comments that readers recently posted on Michael Mercer’s original iMonk post – “The War Is Over” – moved from responding to the anti-Catholic rhetoric of Tim Challies to making comments about what they felt prompted this debate. One such comment said:

Can all Neo Cals (neo-Calvinists) please never mention Tolkien or Chesterton ever again? This will clear up lots of confusion. Or maybe those are the only two Catholics in heaven or maybe the Neo Cal doesn’t actually think […]

Must the Reformation Wars Continue? (Part Three)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:14:35-05:00May 14th, 2014|Categories: Uncategorized|

Though there are significant differences between Catholic and Protestant theology I am personally convinced that the gospel is officially believed by the Catholic Church and this gospel is compatible with a solid biblical and evangelical understanding of the good news. This is the real elephant in the room in the debate advanced by blogger Tim Challies in his post about Pope Francis not being a true Christian. I fully realize that there are some modern neo-Calvinists, and more than a few old-school fundamentalists, who disagree with my analysis. I am going to try to show you why I believe they are wrong.

Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920), one of the most prominent Christian leaders of his era, gave the famous Stone Lectures at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1898. These lectures were edited to become one of the most famous modern books ever published on the subject of Calvinism. It bears the simple title: Lectures on Calvinism. In this highly regarded, and genuinely original, book Abraham Kuyper wrote: “I am not ashamed to confess that on many points my views have been clarified through […]

Must the Reformation Wars Continue? (Part Two)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:14:35-05:00May 13th, 2014|Categories: ACT 3, American Evangelicalism, Apologetics, Church History, Church Tradition, Personal, Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, Roman Catholicism, The Church|

In a blog that I published here last week, on May 7, I linked to an article by pastor and blogger Tim Challies. His blog argued that Pope Francis was not a Christian. I debated for days with myself about responding to this sadly uninformed post. To be completely honest I do not like to engage with this kind of Internet “yellow” journalism. I honestly believe that the claim of Tim Challies is so preposterous that it is virtually unworthy of a response, yet after a few days I changed my mind. Why? Simply put, I feel that someone who has a personal history with a mindset like that of Tim Challies should attempt to help non-theologically trained readers grasp a very different evangelical perspective on Catholicism, one that does not promote the “Reformation Wars” of the last five hundred years. My perspective is that Challies’ arguments are so profoundly flawed that any careful reader of the sources, and of the stories that come from real Christians who live in the present, will readily alter genuinely open minds. The kinds of arguments Challies […]

What Is the ACT3 Luncheon Series?

By John Armstrong|2015-01-23T16:23:59-06:00May 12th, 2014|Categories: ACT 3|

At the beginning of 2014 we relaunched a series of mid-day luncheons for clergy and laity on Tuesdays. We have had three of these so far (February – April). We call these meetings the ACT3 Luncheon Series. The final lunch of these four will take place on Tuesday, May 20. If you live in the Chicago area please consider joining us. You can register for this final luncheon event at www.act3network.com.

We have not yet decided how, or even if, we will do these events in the fall. We might do them but have them less frequently. We might even attempt to do them in the evening, especially if more of you tell me that you would attend them if this was an evening event rather than a daytime one. I am inclined to do four to six of them a year. Please let me know your response.

The Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:14:36-05:00May 9th, 2014|Categories: ACT 3, Church History, Church Tradition, Missional Church, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, Spiritual Warfare, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

The Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology is an ecumenical organization that seeks to cultivate faithfulness to the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the churches. The Center nurtures theology that is catholic and evangelical, obedient to Holy Scripture and committed to the dogmatic, liturgical, ethical and institutional continuity of the Church. The Center was founded through the collaborative efforts of Robert W. Jenson and Carl E. Braaten, two outstanding Lutheran scholars. I have had the distinct privilege of meeting with both of them over the years. They are two of the misty gifted theological writers of our time. I know Carl Braaten more personally since he came to Dubuque, Iowa, in 1999 to speak at our first Catholic-Evangelical Theology conference at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. This is the same event that I mentioned in my blog yesterday. We had five plenary speakers at this Conference on Catholic and Evangelical Renewal – Carl Braaten, Donald Bloesch, J. I. Packer, William Abraham and myself. I was clearly out of my league I confess but I enjoyed every […]