Blog - Page 47 of 318 - John H Armstrong

A Beautiful Testimony to Missional-Ecumenism

By John Armstrong|2015-01-23T16:24:00-06:00December 10th, 2013|Categories: ACT 3, Current Affairs, Evangelism, Friendship, Missional-Ecumenism, The Church, The Future|

During 2013 ACT3 conducted five area-wide Unity Factor Forums. You can learn more about these events on our site. (I hope we can do 5-6 more in 2014 so please consider inviting us to do one in your area.) The last one that we did in 2013 was in Aurora, Illinois. I asked Fr. David Engbarth, a local Catholic priest, to share something of his own journey into missional-ecumenism. He surprised me when he invited a non-Catholic friend to stand with him in order to talk about their deep and growing friendship. There is a popular saying that says “a picture is worth a thousand words.” If this is true then this video says more about what ACT3 is seeking to do than anything I can write. In the light of my post on December 2, about Pope Francis’ letter Evangelii Gaudium, this is a wonderful follow-up that reveals the human reality of love between two brothers from different ecclesial traditions.

Philip Schaff and the Unity of Christendom – Part Two

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:15:00-05:00December 9th, 2013|Categories: ACT 3, American Evangelicalism, Church History, Church Tradition, Creeds, Current Affairs, Missional-Ecumenism, Orthodoxy, Reformed Christianity, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

Last week I wrote about the unity of the church in light of my visit to Moody Bible Institute on December 3 and the dialogue that took place between Fr. Robert Barron and me before Moody students in Chicago. I then cited the work of the famous theologian Philip Schaff. I ended my final blog of the week last Thursday by promising to reflect on Schaff’s “means” for the pursuit of visible unity.

Think of this very carefully – one hundred and twenty years ago this great Reformed theologian referred to what he called the “moral means” by which a similar affiliation and consolidation of the different churches may be hastened in the future. His points are as fresh now as when he wrote them in 1893. These are:

The cultivation of an irenic and evangelical-catholic spirit in the personal intercourse with our fellow-Christians of other denominations. We should meet these other Christians “on common rather than disputed ground, and assume that they are as honest and earnest as we in the pursuit of truth.” he says we should […]

Philip Schaff and The Unity of Christendom – Part One

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:15:00-05:00December 5th, 2013|Categories: ACT 3, American Evangelicalism, Church History, Church Tradition, Current Affairs, History, Kingdom of God, Missional Church, Missional-Ecumenism, Orthodoxy, Personal, Reformed Christianity, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future|

In the year in which he died (1893), Philip Schaff wrote what I take to be an extremely important piece on ecumenism with the title “The Reunion of Christendom.” It begins by quoting John 17:20–21 and then states the difficulty of the ecumenical problem by saying that the answer to the question the disciples asked Jesus, when they said – “Who then can be saved?” – may well be applied to the question, “How shall the many sections of the Christian world be united?” Schaff answers this query by quoting Matthew 19:25-26, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Make no mistake regarding Philip Schaff’s view of the subject of Christian unity. He believed that “in a manner far better than we can devise or hope, he [God] will, by the power of his Spirit, unite all his children into one flock under one Shepherd.” Schaff said that this reunion “presupposes an original union” which was marred and obstructed.

I concur with Schaff in this belief and passion. I also agree with him that […]

The Mercersburg Movement: How Reformed Theology Helped Me Become a Missional-Ecumenist

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:15:00-05:00December 4th, 2013|Categories: ACT 3, American Evangelicalism, Church History, History, Missional-Ecumenism, Reformed Christianity, Roman Catholicism, The Church, Theology|

Yesterday. I quoted nineteenth century theologian-historian Philip Schaff (1819–1893), a Swiss-born, German-educated Reformed Protestant minister who became a widely regarded church historian at the end of his life. Schaff spent most of his adult life living and teaching in the United States. His works are still read though his history is now dated by the simple fact that he died in 1893.

Philip Schaff, along with John Williamson Nevin, were the highly regarded leaders of what became known as Mercersburg Theology. This Mercersburg Movement began in the mid-nineteenth century in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, the home of Marshall College from 1836 until its merger with Franklin College (Lancaster, PA), in 1853. It was the home for the seminary of the Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS) from 1837 until its relocation to Lancaster in 1871. This seminary was connected to what was known as the German Reformed Church, a church family that eventually merged into a union that became the Evangelical and Reformed Church. In 1957 the Evangelical and Reformed Church merged with the Congregational Christian Church, a decision […]

A Catholic-Evangelical Dialogue at Moody Bible Institute

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:15:00-05:00December 3rd, 2013|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, Patristics, Personal, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

Today, at 3:00 p.m. (CST), I will speak before a student-sponsored gathering at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. I was asked, several months ago, if I could arrange an ecumenical dialogue and discussion that would feature me alongside of a prominent Catholic theologian and author. My first thought was to invite my friend, Fr. Robert Barron, to join me for this event. When he agreed to the invitation, and we found a suitable time for us both to be on campus with these students, we accepted their gracious invitation.

Our dialogue tomorrow will begin with a welcome by a Moody student leader which will be followed by an introduction given by our moderator, Dr. Bryan Litfin (Ph.D. in the field of ancient church history at the University of Virginia). Dr. Litfin is a professor of theology at Moody Bible Institute. Bryan is also a first-rate patristics scholar and has often encouraged Christian dialogue as a part of his teaching. He is the author of Getting to Know the Church […]

The Pope’s Powerful Call to Missional-Ecumenism

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:15:00-05:00December 2nd, 2013|Categories: ACT 3, Current Affairs, Discipleship, Evangelism, Missional Church, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Renewal, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

Pope Francis issued an encyclical, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), last week that caught the attention of people all around the world. I cannot recall, to be perfectly honest, a papal document that has generated so much widespread interest in years. I think a great deal of this is driven by the deep fascination that people have with this man and his mission.

The Catholic News Service reported:

Pope Francis’ voice is unmistakable in the 50,000-word document’s relatively relaxed style—he writes that an “evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral!”—and its emphasis on some of his signature themes, including the dangers of economic globalization and “spiritual worldliness.” Inspired by Jesus’ poverty and concern for the dispossessed during his earthly ministry, Pope Francis calls for a “church which is poor and for the poor.”

Non-Catholics, especially evangelical Protestants, should read this document. There is a great deal that they will love and a great deal they need to wrestle with to deepen their faith journey and walk with Jesus […]

The Influence of Identity on Unity, Part Two

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:15:00-05:00November 29th, 2013|Categories: ACT 3, Missional Church, Missional-Ecumenism, The Church, Unity of the Church|

Guest Blog

Rev. Bill Berry served as the pastor for 31 years of a congregation in Marin County, California. He transitioned to part-time staff at the same congregation and has served there for another 4 1/2 years assisting the church through the transition to a young pastor and positioning the congregation to reach the younger generations. Over the past 16 years Bill has lead a group of pastors in Marin County to walk together seeking to foster a visible expression of the unity of the body of Christ. In addition to this he has been to India each of the last ten years seeking to help foster the unity of the church in various cities. Bill is married to Connie for 40 years. They have three grown children, all married and eight grandchildren. Bill is also a vital part of the present ACT3 Cohort group which meets during 2013-14.

If you are a pastor I ask you: “Are you pursuing security to establish your own identity in a way that is hindering your willingness to walk with other […]

A Meditation on Thanksgiving

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:15:01-05:00November 28th, 2013|Categories: Church History, Church Tradition, Culture, Current Affairs, Prayer, The Church|

Thanksgiving Day is traditionally a time of giving thanks for the blessings of the harvest and the preceding year. Several other places around the world observe similar celebrations. In America it is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, which is today. (As you’ve no doubt noticed it is quite late this year.) The day is celebrated on the second Monday of October by our Canadian neighbors. Thanksgiving has its historical roots in both religious and cultural traditions, and has long been celebrated in a secular manner as well. Christians, in particular, should enjoy the day, a day which has generally been unencumbered by the monetary trappings of other holidays. I personally lament that for the first time, at least in a noticeable way, this day is becoming more and more about commerce with more retails stories having pre-black Friday sales today!

This is a day when many of us will gather with family and enjoy a special time for remembrance and gratitude. With this before me my mind is drawn to the words of Deuteronomy 8. These […]

The Influence of Identity on Unity, Part One

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:15:01-05:00November 27th, 2013|Categories: Uncategorized|

Guest Blog (Part One)

Rev. Bill Berry served as the pastor for 31 years of a congregation in Marin County, California. He transitioned to part-time staff at the same congregation and has served there for another 4 1/2 years assisting the church through the transition to a young pastor and positioning the congregation to reach the younger generations. Over the past 16 years Bill has lead a group of pastors in Marin County to walk together seeking to foster a visible expression of the unity of the body of Christ. In addition to this he has been to India each of the last ten years seeking to help foster the unity of the church in various cities. Bill is married to Connie for 40 years. They have three grown children, all married and eight grandchildren. Bill is also a vital part of the ACT3 Cohort group that meets in 2013-14.

There is something amazing and encouraging happening in our day. Throughout the world the Lord is drawing pastors and congregations together to form a visible expression of unity […]

“Crips and Bloods: Made in America” – A Disturbing Film That Needs to Be Seen

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:15:01-05:00November 26th, 2013|Categories: Culture, Current Affairs, Death, Marriage & Family, Poverty, Race and Racism|

The first image that you see, in the opening scenes of Stacy Peralta’s powerful documentary, “Crips and Bloods: Made in America,” is the central Los Angeles skyline turned upside down. I was enraptured with this image and thus was immediately taken into this urban scene in a unique visual way. It is both striking and unnerving. With this image of Los Angeles, Peralta telegraphs a theme that will resonate in chilling ways throughout this film–geography matters. Through the medium of this film you are entering a world that’s been truly turned upside down over the last five decades, the world we know as south central LA.

This geography has been more violent than any place of geography in the United States for the past twenty-five years. Into a social and cultural vacuum created by numerous social and familial problems arose the famous gangs that we know as the Crips (Blue) and the Bloods (Red) gangs. But where did this story begin? How could more people die in these few square miles than have died in most war zones […]