Blog - Page 65 of 318 - John H Armstrong

The Crystal Clear Ecumenical Vision of Pope Francis

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:15:49-05:00March 21st, 2013|Categories: Missional-Ecumenism, Roman Catholicism, Unity of the Church|

Today’s blog is a translation of an address given on Wednesday, March 20, by Pope Francis. He received the fraternal delegates of churches, ecclesial communities and international ecumenical bodies, representatives of the Jewish people and of non-Christian religions, all gathered in Rome for the celebration of the official start of his ministry as Bishop of Rome. Do not stumble over the words spoken to non-Christians. Each paragraph has a particular context that some hyper-conservative Catholics and evangelicals will miss if they read this too hastily. Note also the reference to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. This is the same office that I met with in March, 2011. In recent years this council has been marginalized, at least to some extent, so the clear mention of its importance at such a gathering gives me immense joy.

I do not think I have ever posted a blog based upon a sermon or address reprinted in its entirety but this is too historic an address to pass considering my vocation and call to the vision that is so plainly represented in this message. Please, as I’ve already written, […]

Habemus Papam Franciscum: What Has Lausanne to Do with the Pope? (4)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:15:49-05:00March 21st, 2013|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Church History, Church Tradition, Culture, Current Affairs, Evangelism, Friendship, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

The Lausanne Movement

Evangelicals in general, and evangelical leaders in particular, know far too little about the Lausanne Movement. This movement for global evangelization begin in the 1960s through the vision of Dr. Billy Graham. As Graham began to preach internationally, he developed a passion to “unite all evangelicals in the common task of the total evangelization of the world.”

In 1966 the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, in partnership with America’s Christianity Today magazine, sponsored the World Congress on Evangelism in Berlin. I still possess and use the two large blue-bound books that contain the papers and counsel from this congress. This gathering drew 1,200 delegates from over 100 countries, and inspired further conferences in Singapore (1968), Minneapolis and Bogotá (1969), and Australia (1971). Shortly afterwards, Billy Graham perceived the need for a larger, more diverse congress to re-frame Christian mission in a world of social, political, economic, and religious upheaval. The Church, he believed, had to apply the gospel to the contemporary world. To do this would require work to understand the ideas and values behind rapid changes in society. He shared his thinking with 100 Christian […]

Habemus Papam Franciscum: "We Have a Pope" (3)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:15:49-05:00March 19th, 2013|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Church History, Church Tradition, Culture, Current Affairs, Evangelism, Kingdom of God, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

My Prayers for the Selection of the New Pope

What does all of this news about the new pope mean for non-Catholics? And what, especially, does this mean for evangelicals like me who long to see the whole church pursuing Christ’s mission in greater unity and relational oneness?

I prayed for several things as the conclave chose a new pope:

That he would be a man who loves Jesus Christ above all else and that this personal love would be self-evident for all to see.
That he would be a man with proven humility and a deeply developed unity and commitment with, and to, the poor.
That he would be a man who is courageously committed to reform inside the Curia who could lead the moral reform needed in the face of the numerous sex-scandals and the actions of bishops who compounded the problem while the world stood in horror rightly judging the church for her failures.
That he would be a man with a deep commitment to pursuing ecumenical goals, those laid out at Vatican II and developed in relationships between many of us, formally and informally, since the 1960s.
That he […]

Habemus Papam Franciscum: "We Have a Pope" (2)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:15:49-05:00March 19th, 2013|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Church History, Church Tradition, Culture, Current Affairs, Kingdom of God, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

The First Jesuit Pope

Some have noted that Pope Francis is the first Jesuit pope but few understand what this actually means.

Who are the Jesuits?

The Society of Jesus is a male order of the Catholic Church, with 19,000 members worldwide.
The society was birthed through the work and mission of Ignatius Loyola.
The order was established in sixteenth century Europe as a missionary order and Jesuits promise to keep vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
The order became so powerful by the eighteenth century that it was suppressed at the end of the century but then later restored.
The Jesuits are often highly educated and have a reputation as expert communicators, which is why many Jesuits in America are college professors, teachers, writers and journalists.

Modern, especially American, Jesuits are often on the more “progressive” side of Catholic debates about theological and moral reforms. Pope Francis has clearly been a more conservative Jesuit. Under Pope John Paul II Jesuits lost some of their influence as the pope encouraged the rising star of Opus Dei, […]

Habemus Papam Franciscum: "We Have a Pope" (1)

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:15:50-05:00March 18th, 2013|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Church History, Church Tradition, Current Affairs, Kingdom of God, Missional-Ecumenism, Personal, Roman Catholicism, The Church, The Future, Unity of the Church|

Introduction

Some moments in history seem very significant while we are passing through them. Time will really tell. 9/11 was such a moment for Americans. We who were alive that day will never forget. Last week, at least to me, felt like such a moment, but in a much less shocking and jarring way. I believe significant history was made in Rome by the choice of a new pope who took the name Francis.

Critics will have their day. History will tell the real story, at least long after we are all gone. Such critics have already surfaced from the left and the right. These critics are Catholics, and of course, some are Protestants. (One evangelical critic appears to be theologian Roger Olson who asked “Who Cares” if we have a pope? I posted a response on his site over the weekend if you’d like to see my comment.) The largest majority of these critics have been secularists who do not like much anything that reminds them of the Christian church in the modern world.

I write […]

A Pastor Who Learned How to Serve the Homeless On the Streets

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:15:50-05:00March 15th, 2013|Categories: Counseling, Culture, Poverty, Race and Racism, The Church, Women in the Church|

For twenty-seven years Deb Richardson-Moore was a journalist in South Carolina. Then, after being a writer, mother and wife, she entered a Presbyterian seminary (Erskine) to become a Baptist minister. After graduating with her M.Div. she accepted a post at a run-down inner-city church, oddly named Triune. It was a place where the homeless routinely gathered for food and clothing in Charleston, South Carolina. She was, to put it quite mildly, shocked. She thought she knew what she was getting into but within a few weeks reality hit her like the proverbial freight train. Seminary, and life as a mother and professional writer, had not prepared her for this unique calling.

Deb tells her brutally honest and compelling story in a new book with a lovely title: The Weight of Mercy: A Novice Pastor on the City Streets (Monarch, 2012). Her story is told as a personal memoir, a form that has become increasingly popular with modern writers. This allows Deb to relate the story from her perspective, as she recalls it and as she lived it. […]

Thank You Pope Benedict XVI

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:15:50-05:00March 14th, 2013|Categories: Current Affairs, Roman Catholicism, The Church|

Catholics, and many other Christians with them, have been talking about the choice of Francis I as the new Catholic pope. Opinions will be all over the map in coming weeks. We should not be surprised at this chatter in the modern era. When the announcement was made I was in my local Catholic store among friends. One, a Latin American, was astounded and so profoundly and obviously pleased. Immediately the talk was about the name, Francis. I believe this choice sends a wonderful signal about the global nature of the church. I have not had time to form serious views on the man himself but my first impressions are very positive.

Before we forget we should be thankful for the humble actions of Pope Benedict XVI. I was asked to express my response to his resignation last week by a major ecumenical news source. They wanted me to comment about what he had done. By design this was to be a short, simple statement. Here is my profoundly simple appreciation for the former pope, now living out […]

FDR's Holocaust Legacy – A Lesson in the Failure of Moral Courage

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:15:50-05:00March 13th, 2013|Categories: America and Americanism, Culture, Ethics, History, Immigration, Israel, Politics|

President Franklin D. Roosevelt was, and still is, one of most admired and esteemed presidents in American history. I grew up hearing a lot of good things about FDR. I also heard some bad things from those who felt the “New Deal” created the modern welfare system with all its contested problems. One thing is certain, FDR’s name was esteemed by most scholars and ordinary Americans who lived through the Depression and the Second World War. Rarely could you get a serious taker for a critical debate on FDR’s accomplishments, at least not among those who loved and adored him as a president.

When FDR died on April 12, 1945, Americans grieved deeply as a nation. His picture hung in millions of homes. He was lionized by multitudes and is still considered by a large number of people to be one of our five best presidents. Amazingly, he is the only president to have served three full terms in office. He had just been elected to a fourth term less than six months before he died. (Constitutionally no […]

"One Hit From Home" – A Film I Enjoyed Sharing a Role in as an Actor

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:15:50-05:00March 12th, 2013|Categories: ACT 3, Baseball, Culture, Faith, Film, Personal|

Some of you know that a few years ago I worked with several friends on a feature film. These two friends–Johnny Meier and David Stone–came to personal faith in Christ as young filmmakers and were powerfully nudged by the Spirit to change their lifestyle. This leading of the Spirit led them to make some faithful choices about what they would do and why. They were introduced to me through my nephew and soon became good friends. They both came to Chicago a few years ago to make a film about my life and the work of ACT3. You can see that film on our website, in a three-minute version or the longer thirty-minute version.

Johnny and David were working on their first inspirational film at the time we met, or at least they were working on the script and the early stages of anticipated production. As they scripted their film they had the need for an actor who would be a minister. This led them to cast me in a role in their film. Over the last two […]

Being Accountable?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:15:50-05:00March 11th, 2013|Categories: Discipleship, Freedom, Leadership, Personal, The Christian Minister/Ministry, The Church|

Today’s blog is written by guest writer Dr. Stephen R. Crosby. Stephen is the president of a ministry called “Sword of the Kingdom.” You can see his various blogs and learn about him at Sword of the Kingdom. I post this blog for several reasons. First, Stephen is an insightful writer from the background of charismatic and Pentecostal experience who “sees” some things more clearly than other writers I’ve “met” online. Second, this article speaks powerfully to a concern I have as I coach and mentor various independent evangelical movements, leaders and churches. This issue of “accountability” is not limited to one type of church form. Third, there are times that you think about writing something yourself and then you read someone who has said it far better than you could have and you just say, “My friends need to read this article, not something I would write at this point.” This is the case with today’s extremely important blog.

I hope that many of you will respond to this blog and comment on it here. I also hope many of you will bookmark Stephen Crosby’s […]