Blog - Page 92 of 318 - John H Armstrong

Civil Religion, Prayer & Our Future Mission

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:16:50-05:00February 9th, 2012|Categories: Missional Church, Missional-Ecumenism, Separation of Church & State, The Church|

America has had more than its share of court cases and challenges regarding prayer in our public schools. I can actually mark stages of my developing memory about growing up in America by these various challenges and debates. I remember, very vividly, when the Supreme Court first ruled on separation challenges regarding opening the day with prayer in our schools. I remember how Christians vehemently protested and spoke against the "evil" Warren Court for years. I also remember the hatred so many had for Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the flamboyant atheist who crusaded against "state-sponsored" prayers for years. I remember how Ronald Reagan made this a big emotional issue in his campaign for the White House in 1980. Many said that the day God turned against America was the same day that "we kicked him out of our public schools." This decision took on apocalyptic overtones. I still meet a few folks who believe this story with deep conviction. I also remember that Reagan was unable to do much about changing the court's decision. The truth is that nothing […]

The Rise of the "So Whats"

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:16:50-05:00February 8th, 2012|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Culture, Current Affairs, Missional Church, Missional-Ecumenism, Postmodernity, The Church, The Future|

Several recent surveys reveal that an increasing number of Americans are not atheists or agnostics so much as they are people who simply don't care about religion or faith at all. Here are a few examples.

A 2011 Baylor University survey found that 44% spend no time seeking "eternal wisdom" and 19% said, "It's useless to search for meaning." 46% told a LifeWay Research (SBC) survey that they never wonder whether or not they will go to heaven. (I find what seems to be a majority of people, churched and unchurched, who assume some form of life after death but who have no interest in exploring what this means or why they believe it.) 28% told LifeWay, "It's not a major priority in my life to find my deeper purpose." And 18% scoffed at the idea that God had a purpose or plan for everyone. (Do you see why beginning a conversation with most young people by asserting, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life" will not cut it?) The number of totally […]

Are You Filled with Hope?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:16:50-05:00February 7th, 2012|Categories: Death, Discipleship, Eschatology|

The Bible says hope is one of the three great virtues of grace: faith, hope and love. Faith and hope will disappear someday but love endures forever. Yet in this life we live by faith and without hope our faith will fail. This faith is not blindly following a set of propositions about God but rather a living, vital, intensely personal relationship with the Trinity.

Hope allows us to focus with joy on what is ahead. It is not optimism or pessimism. In fact both optimists and pessimists can and should be filled with hope, provided they are filled with the Holy Spirit. There is a reason to be pessimistic about a great deal if you are honest. But hope is not connected to these "seen" factors. It is connected with what is unseen.

Eternity is only a "hands-breadth off" said J. B. Phillips. "At present we are largely blind and deaf and insensitive to reality. And this is not entirely out fault. But if reality were to break through, then we should […]

Brother Roger on True Discipleship: A Call for Unqualified Commitment

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:16:50-05:00February 6th, 2012|Categories: Discipleship|

Unrelentingly, O Christ,

You interrupt me, and you ask:

"Who am I, for you?"

You are the one who loves me thoroughly,

Into the life that has no end.

You open up the path of risk for me, and

You go before me on the way of holiness,

Where happy is the person who dies in loving,

Where the witness of martyrdom is the ultimate response.

There is a "no!" within me;

You transform it day after day into a "yes!"

You do not ask me for a few bribes,

But for the whole of my existence.

And me? Why have I hesitated for so long,

Pleading to be given time to do my own things?

After having put the hand […]

Charles Dickens: A Genius or a Salesman?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:16:50-05:00February 2nd, 2012|Categories: Books|

On February 7 literary critics and writers alike will remember the 200th birthday of English writer Charles Dickens, born on this date in 1812. The Dickens' Bicentenary is being celebrated worldwide by activities that range from festivals to exhibits. Looking back at the work of this now famous author is revealing with regard to a number of developments that most of us have never thought about.

First, in 1812 there were only 66 novels in Britain. Writers had only been authoring novels for one hundred years. (Many date the genre to Robinson Crusoe, written in 1719. This might well have been the first "Christian fiction" ever.) No serious writer aspired to a professional career as a novelist. Most people thought novels were silly, immoral and toxic. The driving force behind this reaction reached back into the earlier Puritan and Reformed influence upon Britain. (Many modern neo-Calvinists still despise fiction, especially "Christian" fiction!)

Second, the literacy rate […]

A Conversation on Christian Unity with Cardinal George

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:16:51-05:00February 1st, 2012|Categories: ACT 3, Missional-Ecumenism, Roman Catholicism, Unity of the Church|

Many readers of this blog know that I have been engaged in serious ecumenical conversation and mission for more than a decade now. This led me to visit the Vatican in March of last year. (Blogs about that trip can be accessed in the archives of this blog site from March 2011.) Shortly after I returned from Rome, in mid-March, Francis Cardinal George, the archbishop of Chicago, was featured on the front page of the Chicago Tribune. In a unique interview he spoke about various things that had been accomplished, and not accomplished, during his time in Chicago. One of his expresed interests was for a greater conversation between the evangelical Protestant community, with its great passion for Christ's mission, and the Catholic Church in Chicago. A member of the ACT 3 board, who had a wonderful friendship with a priest inside the archbishop's office, got a copy of Your Church Is Too Small: Why Unity in Christ's Mission Is Vital to the Future of the Church, to his friend who then gave it to the Cardinal. Cardinal George read my […]

Living a Whole Life

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:16:51-05:00January 31st, 2012|Categories: Love, Spirituality|

I have greatly profited from the writing and spiritual insights of Fr. Richard Rohr, the well-known Catholic mystic/teacher/writer from New Mexico. His books have helped me grow in areas where my evangelical background left me short in terms of grasping how action (which defines so much of my life) meets solitude and contemplation (which I’ve discovered only in the last few years). Rohr directs the Center for Action and Contemplation. Each day the center emails an excerpt from something that Rohr wrote that is intended for personal reflection. A recent entry from the Center for Action and Contemplation underscored once again just how valuable his insights can be, especially when you are my age and longing to love God with a Christ-centered love that is growing deeper by the day.

The first half of life is invariably about creating identity, finding some boundary markers (traditions, trustworthy authorities and structures), making some money, getting an education, marrying, and raising children—which we then must defend for the rest of our lives. Most of […]

The Church: A Place Where Things Can Be Messy

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:16:51-05:00January 30th, 2012|Categories: The Christian Minister/Ministry, The Church, Unity of the Church|

I am a devoted churchman. I serve the church broadly through ACT 3. I also serve specific churches locally. I am the member of a local church and a minister in the Reformed Church in America. I am committed to the church as the visible expression of Christ's bride and as a sinful people who have found grace in Jesus Christ.

Perhaps the most frequent question that I am asked, from almost every church background that I know, is this: "Why does it seem that so many churches are in a state of personal crisis and conflict these days?" (It was not always this bad. I have lived long enough to see the level of church problems increase rather dramatically over my six decades.)

I could offer many observations and responses to this question based upon my experience as a pastor and a consultant. I can also offer some answers based on my understanding of the church in the New Testament. For starters, we all know that no church is "perfect." No system […]

Is It Necessary to Be Sexually Active to Order to Be a Healthy, Flourishing Person?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:16:51-05:00January 27th, 2012|Categories: Homosexuality, Sexuality|

This is a rather amazing piece of popular television dialogue. You will clearly note that Tim Gunn does not take a moral position about sexual practice in his comments. So, at least for a moment, please leave the moral questions off the table. Watch this short clip for what it says and how the speaker actually says it, as well as the context in which he says it. His words clearly challenge the regnant modern Western idea that sexual experience is as necessary (almost) as food, clothing and shelter. If you are a sexual person, and all of us are created as sexual persons, then the argument generally made by our culture is that you should either be having sex or preparing and planning on having sex sooner than later. Why? Sexual expression is normal and human. It is argued that it is thus a part of who you are and without experiencing it you cannot express yourself in serious relationships. If you choose to remain celebrate then you are abnormal, or so much of the culture seems to say in our […]

What Are Conservative Bona Fides?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:16:51-05:00January 24th, 2012|Categories: Uncategorized|

In the Monday evening political debate in Tampa interviewer Brian Williams asked Governor Mitt Romney what his conservative credentials were? It was a kind of open-ended question and Romney appeared stumped, at least according to many reports and what you can see on the video of the moment. His answer has been criticized by the pundits in the news coverage since last night. Here is Romney's answer "Well, number one, I've raised a family," he said. "And I've — I've — with my wife, we've raised five wonderful sons, and we have 16 wonderful grandkids." A real gaffe right?

Governor Romney went on to reference his private sector background and his gubernatorial experience, but the reference to his family will stick says another morning critic. The reporter adds, "Romney had a chance to brandish his conservative bona fides and instead gave Republicans a somewhat nonsensical response about his number of children. It's not clear how raising a family ties to contributing to […]