Blog - Page 98 of 318 - John H Armstrong

Blogging for ACT 3 and My Future Plans

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:07-05:00November 7th, 2011|Categories: ACT 3, Personal|

I have been an active and committed blogger since 2005. I have “quit” scores of times (in my mind). I have once or twice spoken about quitting. The sole reason I haven’t is because I meet people who tell me that reading these posts has made a difference in their spiritual journey. If you have found any reason for deeper faith, hope and love through this blog then I give God the thanks and praise.

Recently I thought again about these blogs and my own life and vision. After some careful consideration I am not quitting the blogs but I am changing what I do, how often I do it and what my more narrowly defined purpose will be. My best friend is my wife Anita. We talk about this stuff and she helped me clarify my direction and I do listen to Anita. (By the way, this new photo really captures something of our friendship if you look at it really carefully!)

Each week I write what is […]

My Love for College Football and the Game of the Season

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:07-05:00November 5th, 2011|Categories: College Football|

It is well-documented that I love college football. I have been accused of choosing to attend the University of Alabama (1967-69) because of this passion. This accusation is not entirely true. But it is a serious partial truth. I went out-of-state in the fall of 1967 (I lived in middle Tennessee) because I wanted to go away to college. I also wanted to follow a friend who was a pastor who had just moved to Tuscaloosa. And I wanted to root for the Crimson Tide, being a big-time Bear Bryant fan. After my growing relationship with Christ manifested itself in a clear call to mission I transferred to Wheaton College to finish my bachelor’s and master’s degrees after January of 1969. But I never lost my passion for all things Crimson Tide. I have more shirts, jackets and hats than most fans. I wear crimson as my color of choice. Hey, I did this even when the Tide was losing and being routinely mocked by ESPN with […]

“Sir, We Would Like to See Jesus”

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:07-05:00November 3rd, 2011|Categories: Jesus|

In the Fourth Gospel we read the following account about Jesus and his disciples:

²⁰ Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. ²¹ They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.”²² Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

This request from some Greeks to “see Jesus” has intrigued me for years. I believe, in a simple but powerful way, it underscores what every human heart hungers for—Jesus! The problem is that most churches, and few Christians, actually help people to see Jesus.

My friend Fr. Joseph F. Girzone recently underscored this again in his October issue of the Joshua Mountain Newsletter.

Lately, many churches and parishes are embarking on evangelization programs to introduce people to the Christian message. Interestingly, when I read the description of how they plan to evangelize, so frequently I never see Jesus mentioned in the whole description of the evangelization […]

A Catholic and Evangelical Conversation

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:07-05:00November 1st, 2011|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Missional-Ecumenism, Roman Catholicism, Unity of the Church|

You are cordially invited by the Chicago area Fuller Seminary Board of Trustees to join fellow alumni and friends in the Chicago area on Monday, November 14, for a conversation between the president of Fuller Seminary and the president of the Catholic Theological Union.

Dr. Richard J. Mouw
President, Fuller Theological Seminary
Professor of Christian Philosophy

Fr. Donald Senior, C.P.
President, Catholic Theological Union
Professor of New Testament Studies

Catholics and Evangelicals: How Much Common Ground?

When:
Monday, November 14, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.

Where:
The Arts Club of Chicago
201 East Ontario Street
Chicago, IL 60611

Space is limited, so RSVP now to reserve your spot!

Questions? Email rsvp@fuller.edu or call 1-800-617-3209

Reformation Day: How Far Does the Fall Go?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:08-05:00October 31st, 2011|Categories: History, Humor|

Today is All Saints Eve. It is also Reformation Day. This made me wonder about sin and the ages old debate about the consequences and depths of human sin. Luther said that sin bound us to spiritual death thus we were in bondage from birth. This was, of course, the same thing St. Augustine had taught. Besides the obvious evidence that the fall of man brought with it death, including death in the physical realm, one wonders at times if animals might experience some human like qualities when it comes to sin and the fall.

For example, do our pets have a tendency to rebel that is inborn? When a child sees a “Do Not Enter” sign the first thing they want to do is to enter that door, right? What about dogs? When they see a “No Dogs Allowed” sign do they react similarly?

The answer might not be conclusive scientifically but this photo made me laugh out loud. It is a picture that is […]

The Unity Factor

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:08-05:00October 30th, 2011|Categories: ACT 3, Books, Missional-Ecumenism, Unity of the Church|

Earlier this year the board of ACT 3 encouraged me to write a new book that would serve as a small primer on missional-ecumenism. We believed that the vision of ACT 3 needed a simple explanation that could be read by anyone and passed along to others. This new book, with the title The Unity Factor: One Lord, One Church, One Mission, will be published later this month by Christian’s Library Press in Grand Rapids. It is 52-pages in length and can be read in about 30-45 minutes, depending of course on your reading speed. It is an entirely new book and not simply excerpts taken from my earlier book, Your Church Is Too Small. This new book has a lovely foreword written by Dr. Timothy F. George. The book will be available from the usual book sources like Amazon and other online sellers and will be available in various e-versions, including a Kindle version. I will say more about the book when it is actually released […]

Can the Cubs Change?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:08-05:00October 29th, 2011|Categories: Baseball|

Now that the baseball season is over and we have enjoyed another World Series we have a moment to reflect on the future of this great sport. Living in Chicago I get a lot of news about the Cubs, those lovable losers on the North Side. Some say the Cubs are actually cursed while others just think they are inept. I believe the latter but sometimes you have to wonder.

The Cubs appear to have made a major hiring coup in taking Theo Epstein from Boston, the same guy who turned the other “big” loser into two-time World Series Champs in the last decade. Time will tell. The Cubs may hire the best but will they win?

First, I have to hand out praise to the new Cub owner, Tom Ricketts. Ricketts not only had the courage and foresight to fire GM Jim Hendry but he cleaned up the ballpark and changed attitudes 110%. I decided to go back to Wrigley Field, after several years away from the place, […]

Attacking Banks Is In

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:08-05:00October 28th, 2011|Categories: Current Affairs, Economy/Economics, Politics|

Attacking banks is in these days. Except for stock holders and employees at banks it is easy to bash them. After all the government bailed out several Wall Street banks with TARP money. (We don’t hear much about the fact that this money was returned.) But what followed the bailouts was a spending spree meant to help the economy. There is no evidence it did anything to truly change our economic mess. For this reason the president and his administration have a love-hate relationship with banks in general. While he has expanded government’s role in monitoring banking he has also approved the money needed to rescue the banks. This makes his friends on the left very nervous.

The government’s bank bailout has made them an easy target for angst. I even found myself complaining as I left my own bank a few weeks ago. Why the new fees? Wasn’t this service free in the past? How soon I forgot that the bank has every right to run its […]

How Evangelicals Misuse the “G” Word

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:08-05:00October 27th, 2011|Categories: American Evangelicalism, Gospel/Good News, Hermeneutics, Unity of the Church|

Nothing fires up some conservative Christians more than a red-meat debate about who is denying, or has denied, the gospel. I know this first-hand because I once engaged in these kinds of debates and contributed to the fires by attributing gospel denial to other Christians. It was painful to do an about-face and even apologize privately and publicly for some of this speaking and writing but I felt I needed to do that given the public nature of my responses.

In the days when I did take this approach it got me a lot of hearty support (from like-minded friends and donors) and brought me great satisfaction that I had vigorously defended the faith. But, I also know about these kinds of controversies, and the incorrect application of the “G” word, because a few evangelicals have accused me of denying the gospel in one form or another. At first it seemed strange to see my name in print as one who had left the faith, or denied the gospel outright. It was genuinely disconcerting, at least initially. But this is not about me, my personal worries or fears. […]

Courageous

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:08-05:00October 26th, 2011|Categories: Film, Southern Baptists|

The recently released motion picture, Courageous, is the fourth film released by Sherwood Pictures, a church-based film production company that is an extension of the mission of Sherwood Baptist Church (SBC) in Albany, Georgia. The first hit-movie from Sherwood was Facing the Giants, a film with a football theme. This film was surprisingly successful, both commercially and among a significant number of Christians and churches. The second film, which was much better, was Fireproof. This is a film about marriage, Christian faith and conversion. The first film that director Alex Kendrick did for Sherwood Pictures was Flywheel, a not so widely-known feature about an unscrupulous used car salesman who resolves to win back his wife, become a better role model for his son, and stop ripping off his unsuspecting customers.

Courageous is, in my judgment, the best of the four films. (I have seen the three films that have appeared in theaters in wide-release.) The producers, writers and directors have all demonstrated noticeable improvement in film-making […]