John H Armstrong

How to Get to My Blog

Some of you have been experiencing problems in getting to my new blog site. You need to type into your browser the address and make absolutely sure your browser is NOT bringing up the old address with the "typepad" link in it. Simply type: www.johnharmstrong.com and then check to see if your memory is putting typepad into the link. If so remove it and this should take you to the all new site. Then you computer will "remember" this address and the problem should be solved. 

"Take Me Out to the Ball Game"

My passion for baseball is almost legendary. I enjoy a relaxing day at the ballpark about as much as anything I can do for pure fun. I miss baseball after the World Series in October every year, just like clockwork. I long for Spring and the crack of the bat around March 1. Sometimes we even plan a five-day Florida trip just to see Spring Training. 

Since 1957 I have been a Braves fan, first in Milwaukee and now in Atlanta. I live and die with my Boys of Summer and thus I love the Braves! I have seen them win two World Series Championships in my lifetime (1957 and 2005). They should have won two more, in 1958 and 2006 but both times the Yankees rallied to beat them in seven games. I stuck with them when they were perennial losers and since I came to Chicago in 1969 I have tried to see them play each summer, usually at Wrigley Field and once and awhile, because of modern interleague play, at U. S. Cellular Field (White Sox). Last week was the Braves one and only visit to the Windy City. I saw two games. One on Tuesday evening, May 8, and another on Wednesday afternoon, May 9. The Braves won the first game 3-1 and lost the second 1-0. I saw Chipper Jones in his last Wrigley Field at bat. (He is retiring at season's end and a sure fire Hall of Famer!) It was a great moment. As he trotted back to the visitor's dugout some Cubs fans rose and cheered knowing the significance of the moment, saying good-bye to a great star. I was moved and thrilled. Of course there were several thousand Braves fans who really cheered. (In contrast, the fans in St. Louis last weekend gave him a standing ovation over-and-over but I will not go off about Cubs fans here!)

All in all you really can't beat fun at the ball park, even at Wrigley Field as a fan who roots for the visiting Braves!

But my baseball passion was just beginning to get warmed up. On Saturday I flew to Phoenix and saw the Diamondbacks play Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon, losing twice to the San Francisco Giants. I had great seats, courtesy of a Christian brother who directs sales for the team, thus I saw the game from a vantage point that I could never afford. I even got to enjoy food in a private club under the stadium (behind home plate) with a small group of friends. The whole experience was immensely fun. 

On Sunday I shared the afternoon with three young single men who are devoted Christians. We shared about life, marriage, faith and baseball. We stayed until long after the game was over and then I walked two blocks back to where I have stayed in a lovely private urban condo this week in Phoenix. 

Tuesday evening I spoke to PhoenixONE, a gathering of 20s and 30s from scores of churches scattered across the valley. I shared about the new ACT 3 Cohort group that we will begin in Phoenix this fall. Hey, I'm not totally dumb. If I plan this right I can do what I enjoy, namely teach young leaders, and also see more baseball. I admit this to be true so let the naysayers do their worst. I love making disciples and when I can do it around sharing fun at the ball park it is so cool. 

Why I Am Persuaded the ACT 3 Cohort Groups Will Help in the Making of Unique Leaders

The ACT 3 Missional-Ecumenical Cohort groups are designed to provide a small group environment where learning is genuinely linked with community. There are numerous ways to teach and each way has its own merit. But not all forms of teaching produce the same fruitfulness. I have taken thousands of classroom hours over the course of my lifetime. I have heard thousands of sermons. I have taught, as a graduate level instructor, at least several hundred students. I have also preached several thousand sermons. I believe that what I remember best is from the material I taught that involved me the most directly in the learning and teaching experience itself. 

In forming the ACT 3 M-E Cohort groups I gave a great deal of thought to educational research about learning. We know, for example, that we remember about 10% of what we hear. This percentage rises to 30% when we hear and see. This is why educators utilize various graphics and visuals to improve the teaching of their students. But when something is spoken, seen and then practiced, especially in a context where the learner is deeply involved, even to the point of sharing in the teaching and practice of the content directly, then the number rises to as high as 80%. 

I learned this directly by teaching in the classroom over the last fifteen years or so. I prepared well and taught with all my heart and soul. Last summer I looked back over the  number of church leaders that I had taught in seminary and graduate school over the course of these recent years and asked, “What percentage of my students were genuinely transformed, so much so that the vision I invested in them really stuck and transformed them and their leadership?" My answer was 10-15%. I came to the conclusion that I could no longer teach the content of my vision–content rooted in the three core principles that I wrote about last week–unless I could see something like 80-90% of my students becoming serious practitioners of the missional-ecumenical vision. 

Some advisers suggested that I should teach this vision by exclusively using the vast resources of the social network and webcasting/webinars. Their arguments employed two key points: (1) My time and health would be stretched too thin by going to various places and investing so much time (an average of 32-36 hours in face-to-face meetings) in small groups, and; (2) A larger number of people could be taught more quickly by using the Internet alone. These are both good points. I carefully weighed them as I asked the Lord to guide me into the last phase of my mission.

While I believe these Internet-based tools should be used, thus they will be a major supplemental means for teaching and advancing the M-E Cohorts, I also believe deeply in the principle of incarnation. People must interface with those who teach them and with those who learn with them. This means discipleship training is best when it is rooted in the experience of life and community. I believe this community learning experience can never be replaced by these supplemental means. The Internet can bring people into a Cohort group and it can be used to help students while they are learning and after they have moved on to advanced stages of development but it can never replace face-to-face encounter that takes discipleship seriously. 

After completing my first M-E Cohort group April 17 I am more convinced than ever that this is true. A new group will begin in a few weeks, with 20-25 members. A group will begin in Philadelphia on September 20. And another group will begin in Wheaton on September 17. It is likely that I will have dates for a group in Phoenix within two weeks. 

I will travel to Dallas at the end of this month to explore the opportunity to begin a group there in the fall. 

Last Thursday (May 3) I met with leaders in the St. Louis area, both in Illinois and Missouri. It is possible a group will form there in the fall but if not then perhaps in early 2013. I really did not know how this conversation would go until I went to St. Louis and spent time with several people. The interest seems significant enough to pursue this area as a possible region for a group this year. I am also in conversation with some folks in Raleigh-Durham about a group that would begin this fall or early next year. 

I will form an ACT 3 M-E Cohort Group of 15-25 people wherever there is a sufficient minimum of people who will commit to the group. The first step is to meet/talk with several leaders who are willing to be “point” for finding friends who will form such a group. I am not investing money in advertising but rather going from person-to-person, place-to-place. The only requirement for considering a M-E Cohort group is for you to contact me and talk about determining if you have the number of people to invite me to come. 

The freedom of this approach is a great blessing for me. I do not try to force a door open, but listen and see what doors God is pleased to plainly open. If he opens it then it is open and if not then why push harder? 

If you are interested in joining such a group, or in helping me form one in your area, then please contact me directly at: JohnA1949@gmail.com. I will respond as soon as possible. 

 

How St. Benedict's Rule Transforms Daily Life

St. Benedict’s Rule has remained popular for centuries. I believe that this is true for one very simple reason. It answers a question that serious Christians all ask. “If the power and presence of God are real and effective, what does this mean for human experience in day-to-day life?” Put another way, “What does Christ offer to men and women and what does he ask from them in return?” How do we recognize him, know him, respond to him?

People, including most Christians, have various images in their minds about God. Some think of him as entirely and always benevolent while others think of him primarily as wrathful. Some want to know what God will do for them while others wonder what God wants from them. The real question, I believe, is this: “Can all the holy aspects of the divine Being somehow be reconciled in our minds so that our hearts are warmed by the interior reality of Christ in the human soul?” Where is God when I suffer? Is God good, truly good? Can his promises be trusted, especially when life deals us a cruel blow? 

St. Benedict answers these questions in ways that very few classical Christian writers do. He does so by appealing to what is called lectio divina (“divine” or “sacred reading”). He believed, like many after him from the fourth century down to the present, that such careful, sacred reading is essential to a deeply spiritual life. This kind of reading is more than reading a text, or scanning material for useful facts and Bible information. (This is why I despise “Bible trivia” games of all sorts!) 

There has been a magnificent recovery in recent decades when it comes to reading the Bible as narrative, or story. In this reading we are seeking to really hear the Scripture in the context in which it was written. We can even discover a plot line that leads to a climax, as in the decisive act of a drama. (This is one of several reasons we call my own mission ACT 3.) But lectio divina is a meditative approach. The reader seeks to taste and savor the beauty and truth of the passage, even of a phrase within a passage. It is contemplative reading. The reader is deeply moved and shaped by the text, not just informed and taught. This kind of reading also invites the reader into something that is beautiful and true, namely into the Trinity. 

Yesterday I mentioned the four steps of lectio divina that are stressed by St. Benedict, as well as others who have followed him. These are: (1) To read, (2) To meditate, (3) To rest in the sense of God’s nearness and, (4) To increase one’s desire for the holy Trinity wherein all that is truly lovely and unspoiled might be discovered in one’s real interior experience, not simply in the mind or by concept. This kind of reading, if you follow what I’ve said, is really prayer itself. Indeed, it is in this kind of prayer that God manifests his presence to us. 

Fifteen hundred years ago a young man studying in Rome became so totally disgusted with paganism that he decided, like others in his time, to seek a cave some distance from the city where he could live in solitude and seek God. Thomas Moore says, “In that decision Benedict enacted a fantasy that has inflamed the hearts of men and women before and since–the idea of making a life apart from the crowd, in a style at odds with the norm.” 

In some ways it is in spite of this story that Benedict came to pursue God and the development of his interior life in a way that has touched millions over the centuries. Most people will never practice Benedict’s Rule in a monastic setting. But multitudes practice it nonetheless. Why? Behind the Rule is the imagination of a pilgrim learning how to seek after God’s own Being. 

I have often been confused by various approaches to spiritual life but the Rule of St. Benedict allowed me to see that genuine spirituality can never be separated from local, real (incarnate and human) community. (This is why we read Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together in the ACT 3 Cohort groups.) If a deeper interior life is shaped by a constant struggle between obedience and freedom, between listening and speaking, between possessing and letting go, between clinging to stability and embracing change, then we need community in our lives. We dare not do this alone. 

The simple truth is that virtually none of the church communities that we belong to in our time foster these struggles in a healthy way. It is uncommon to find such a place where life is free but ordered. We are extremists today and we are so far out of balance that rare is the place where you find harmony. 

The spirit of St Benedict's Rule is summed up in the motto of what is called The Benedictine Confederation: pax ("peace") and the traditional ora et labora ("pray and work"). Compared to other precepts, the Rule provides a moderate path between individual zeal and formulaic institutionalism. This is why it appeals to me so deeply. It carves out a middle ground. 

It is this reality that prompted me to create the ACT 3 Missional-Ecumenical Cohort training course. I want to create a safe place where freedom and discipline are developed. I want to find ways to help hungry souls find what they desire. 

Personally, I am weary of books about theology that do not lead me to God alone as my living hope. Abstractions do not feed me, they merely give me arguments. I need a sensible, sane and practical way of becoming more like Christ. St. Benedict’s Rule has helped me. This is why we will work it into the new ACT 3 Cohort groups that are forming this year. 

 

Keeping Spiritual Formation at the Center of Missional-Ecumenism

When the first ACT 3 Cohort group finished its intensive phase on April 17 the 13 members who graduated did a discernment process so that the group could give me feedback about what could be improved. The Cohort includes 36 hours of time in the group that is spread out over eight months and concentrated in four days of meetings with me. There are three core commitments that are the backbone of the process. These are:

1. You must desire to develop your interior life in a rich texture of spiritual formation that draws from the whole Christian tradition so that you can learn how to intentionally seek after God with your whole heart, mind, soul and strength (Matthew 22:37). 

2. You must enter into the unity prayer of our Lord Jesus (John 17:20-23), a prayer for our relational oneness, and strive with all your heart to truly and faithfully love all your brothers and sisters as modeled by Jesus (John 13:34-35). 

3. You must seek to grasp what is meant by missional theology and grow into a clear understanding of why it is vitally important in order that you will practice the spiritual art of missional leadership in your local church or mission context (John 20:21).

In the critique that my first class gave to me the graduates universally said that I needed to put more emphasis on point number one. I had quietly come to the same conclusion so their feedback confirmed my sense of things in this regard. Most of us can talk about spiritual life but few of us have found patterns for deep growth that work well for us personally. We have tried "quiet times" and devotional books and Bible reading but we need much, much more. We often read the Bible with little or no deep impact and we know it. What can we do about this problem?

In the ACT 3 Missional-Ecumenical Cohort group we read two books on the interior life. The first is the little classic, Practicing the Presence of God, by Brother Lawrence. These books give us a simple and highly motivating overview of how to live simply and faithfully day-to-day. Then we read Life Together, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. But we all felt that this was not enough. We needed a good, strong guide to take us beyond these two works into a more practical way of understanding and applying the disciplines of spiritual formation to our own souls. Enter the third book in the revised syllabus: Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict (The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota, 1984). 

The Rule of St. Benedict has been a trusted spiritual guide for souls for over 1,500 years. His rules of obedience, humility and contemplation are not just prerequisites for formal religious societies but an invaluable model for anyone who desires to live more deeply and simply. While St. Benedict presupposes a certain detachment from the world he gives guidance and inspiration for anyone who is seeking peace and fulfillment in their interior life. It is no accident that serious Christians have always found him a reliable guide. 

The Rule of St. Benedict has attracted me for some time but Esther de Waal helps me understand and apply it as well as any short book I know. It is only 163-pages. Her writing style is clear and she draws out of the Rule each of the crucial elements of St. Benedict's teaching, especially his use of Scripture in the practice of the lectio divina, a practice set forth in its four stages. She further develops the three vows of Benedict in terms of their importance for (ordinary) daily life. 

Kathleen Norris says that de Waal beautifully reminds us that spirituality is grounded in remembering that the material and spiritual realms are not distinct. Even the most ordinary manual work "is a constant reminder of the reality of the Incarnation." 

This emphasis is at the very heart of the ACT 3 Missional-Ecumenical Cohort training process. We have to be deeply interior people in order to externally lead others into the unity of the Trinity and the shared missional life. These three core commitments will keep this equipping program on track even as we make changes along the way. 

If you would like to explore joining an ACT 3 Missional-Ecumenical Cohort group check out the information on our web site. 

 

Who Should Become an ACT 3 Cohort Member?

The most important question you should ask, if you have any interest in our new ACT 3 Missional-Ecumenical Cohort program, is this: "Who should invest the time and money in this process and apply to join an ACT 3 Cohort group?"

Alcoholics Anonymous operates on a rather simple philosophy with a bare bones amount of structure. To join an AA Group you must have a problem, namely the abuse of alcohol. Second, you must be willing to pay the price to change your behavior by investing your time, and thus to some extent your money, in a group process where there is real learning, accountability and life-long change. Finally, you must be willing to use the famous Twelve Steps to grow toward sobriety and then to maintain that sobriety. 

The ACT 3 Missional-Ecumenical Cohort groups operate in much the same way. To join a group you must have a recognized need. You must know that you need to grow deeper in your interior spiritual life. If you have this need then you must desire to join a group that will seek to help you improve your practice of spiritual life in the Trinity. Second, you must desire to enter into the prayer of Jesus in John 17 in order to become an answer, not a barrier, to his expressed intention for unity. Third, you must desire to understand missional theology (our "sentness" which comes from God the Father) and want to learn how to live this theology out very practically in your personal and corporate lifestyle. 

The Cohort model is thus built on these three core principles. We call these our "Three Steps." 

1. You must desire to develop your interior life in a rich texture of spiritual formation that draws from the whole Christian tradition so that you can learn how to intentionally seek after God with your whole heart, mind, soul and strength (Matthew 22:37). 

2. You must enter into the unity prayer of our Lord Jesus (John 17:20-23), a prayer for our relational oneness, and strive with all your heart to truly and faithfully love all your brothers and sisters as modeled by Jesus (John 13:34-35). 

3. You must seek to grasp what is meant by missional theology and grow into a clear understanding of why it is vitally important in order that you will practice the spiritual art of missional leadership in your local church or mission context (John 20:21).

Each ACT 3 Cohort meets around these three core principles and the curriculum is built upon it. Those who are mentored in an ACT 3 Missional-Ecumenical Cohort group will continue to learn after their eight month training process is completed. Some will be called and trained to become mentors who can facilitate new ACT 3 Cohort groups as the Lord raises them up in the coming years. The mentors will be coached and then paid to lead a group(s) and thus they will become a part of the extended mission of ACT 3. 

You can learn more about these newly forming ACT 3 Cohort groups on our home page.

 

Could an ACT 3 Cohort Group Come to a City Near You?

One of the most frequently asked questions I receive about our new ACT 3 Missional-Ecumenical Cohort Groups is how we determine where to convene a group? The answer is relatively simple.

I will begin a Cohort group where 15-25 people are seriously interested in being gathered together to form such a group. To know this I first need to determine initial interest. This is usually done by one or two people asking if they could host/help with a group in their area. If they have a network of friends who are interested, and if they are situated in an area reachable by a drive of less than three hours from others we know to be interested in the group, then we consider it. The size of the actual city is NOT a determining factor though I do need to be able to get there by plane (and perhaps a short drive after my flight). Location will play a definite part, at least in these early years. Once we have hundreds of graduates, and a dozen or more mentors that have been trained, we can then go to almost any location, even to more remote places. 

Let me explain further. A friend in Raleigh-Durham (NC) spoke with me this past Sunday. He is very interested in ACT 3 and the Cohort groups. He will speak with his network of friends in his area. Several other friends in the North Carolina area, who can reach Raleigh-Durham by car in a few hours, have also expressed interest. We began a thirty day prayer experiment this week. During this time we ask you (if you are close enough to Raleigh-Durham), and anyone else who knows about this idea for this area, to reply to me or one of the local contacts. If my friends in North Carolina, and anyone else who contacts me, express serious interest then we will then go to step two. Here we will ask people to "sign up" and make a down payment by signing a student/mentor contract. I would then interview the prospective student and if we both agree they are accepted. This monetary contribution does not begin until formally accepted. The cost for a Chicago group is $1,000. The cost for a group outside of Chicago, because of travel and additional expenses, is $1,200 per student. There are creative ways to do this but the groups cannot be free. Why? We need to determine interest, commitment and seriousness. In addition, we need to reinvest this money into growing the program so we can train others and reach a very large number of people over time. 

The dates for a particular group will be determined by what works for me and the host city. Most ACT 3 Cohort groups meet four times, for eight hours each time (thus all day meetings from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. local time). These four meetings are spread over eight months to allow for reading, dialogue, small groups and the experience of how we best learn together. You can see the curriculum and watch videos on the program at the home page for ACT 3. Click the icon marked The Unity Factor. 

Right now we have an ACT 3 Cohort group planned for Wheaton (Chicago) to begin on Monday, September 17. We also have a group planned for Philadelphia (Biblical Seminary in Hatfield) to begin on Thursday, September 20. Another group will be formed in Phoenix in May that will begin in the fall (sometime in September/October). The next most likely city for this fall is Dallas/Ft. Worth (TX). Then we are "looking" with prayerful waiting at these cities to see if they come together now or, perhaps, later: St. Louis, Raleigh-Durham and Findlay, Ohio. Findlay is within two hours (all Interstate Highway) from Toledo, Detroit, Columbus and Dayton. 

Down the road we are talking seriously about Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, New York and Boston. Nashville also came on the screen of "possible" sites just this week. All of these are in the stage of "maybe"(now or later). The actual direction for where groups will spring up depends on you (plural) expressing desire to work with me/us in developing our network for such a group in your area. Again, if you're interested let me know. You can respond to this blog, via Facebook or by email. I will then work with you to determine what we can do and when we can do it. 

We have 13 graduates from our first class, as I noted last week. We will have another local group beginning in six weeks that will have at least 20 in it. Then in the fall we will have at least three, maybe even six, new groups. By this time next year I hope to have over 100 graduates. Then I begin to identify mentors who will become my associates and lead groups around the country under the sponsorship of ACT 3. The simple idea here is one of discipleship training reproduction. We are equipping leadership for the future. The graduates will thus enter into a "lifelong learning" phase where they will be socially networked with one another and be invited to attend a large group meeting each summer. A web site is being created with a password from graduates to access a host of ongoing resources for free. Graduates can return to any group or session any time they desire without further charge. In this context we will continue to develop each graduate in three areas: (1) Interior life and spiritual discernment, (2) Ecumenism, or unity in a Christ experienced corporate life and lived out with other Christians, and (3) Missional theology and practice in local groups and churches.

You are welcome to prayerfully consider a Cohort group whether you are an elected or recognized leader or not. You have to be older than 18 years of age. The group is open to people from any Christian church, male or female and persons of all ethnic and national origins. It is, of course, ecumenical, which means this is a core value of the mission and of these groups. 

Transitions: The ACT 3 Cohort Groups and Our New Web Presence

I am presently working on developing a new blog site as well as a new ACT 3 web site. I am also working on developing a separate site for the ACT 3 Missional-Ecumenical Cohort Groups. This site will provide information about this new training program but it will also provide an opportunity for students and graduates to enter private subsections of the site for updates and important on-going interaction. Graduates will become part of a life-long learning process through this site, and learn about future gatherings, which we will provide to those who finish this course. 

Our first ACT 3 Cohort class graduated this last Tuesday, April 17. Thirteen adults completed the first Cohort that we've done. We began last October in a classroom on the Wheaton College campus. I am praying for hundreds more to follow these thirteen in the next five years. I am also working to find and equip a group of very gifted leaders who can facilitate these groups across the country as this ministry grows. The goal is to find and teach lay and pastoral leaders in three core areas of faith and practice. These are:

1. The growing development of the interior life.

This can be called spiritual formation but the term is becoming overused these days. The central idea is that no one can influence (spiritually and eternally) anyone else unless their own soul is deeply formed by the Trinity.

2. The importance and practice of deep, relational and biblical ecumenism.

This is not simply an intellectual idea or a set of doctrinal beliefs. It is a learned behavior and practice that we believe can be taught and practiced only in community and real partnerships.

3. The purpose of helping churches and missions understand and practice what is called missional theology. 

We do not believe that the missional church movement, or missional theology, is a passing fad. It is a deep, fresh discovery (the last twenty years or so) that has immense implications for the life of all Christians in the new millennium. 

Each ACT 3 Missional-Ecumenical Cohort Group exists to fulfill the purpose of this mission: "to equip leaders for unity in Christ's mission." There are several ways that we do this but the ACT 3 Cohort Groups have become the primary way that we will do this in the coming years. I will teach/facilitate in a number of cities, discipling leaders who can live and pass on these great truths, and then teach others to do the same by becoming ACT 3 facilitator/teachers. ACT 3 will become a central catalyst for this process of training. We will not control this process but we will brand it and protect it. Each group will be unique since no single group is like another and each facilitator will lead the group differently. We welcome diversity in unity. These groups will thus consist of men and women, lay and clerical, Protestant and Catholic (and Orthodox), young and old, formally educated and non-formally educated. There is no requirement for being in a group but a deep desire to be equipped in these three areas, or core commitments. If a person believes this group can help them become the spiritual leader that God desires them to become then this group just might be right.

Next week I will write more. For now I am buried in planning and creating at least five more groups over the next few weeks. (There will be two in Chicago, as well as one in Philadelphia, Dallas, Phoenix and maybe St. Louis.) Please pray. Your support, interest and gifts will help us reach this goal of training a significant number of missional leaders.  

As we rebuild our web presence and develop these new Cohort Groups would you please pray for me and those who work with me at ACT 3? We are small but we have a big idea that we believe God gave to us. We believe that we can pour money into people and training, not buildings and programs. We believe the church desperately needs such leaders right now and we are committed to doing our part in finding and training these leaders. 

You can learn more about the Missional-Ecumenical Cohort Groups, at least for now, on the home page (enter through the icon of The Unity Factor) of ACT 3. 

One Person's Report on the Conversation on Unity

One of my Missional-Ecumenical Cohort members, in the class of April 2012, is Kevin Jesmer. Kevin is a lay-missionary with UBF serving in DeKalb, Illinois. I am impressed with how well Kevin listened to the conversation last Monday (March 26). On his personal blog he wrote an account of what he heard. I share it here so that my readers can hear about the event through the eyes and ears of someone else. Interestingly Kevin grew up in the Catholic Church but came to personal faith through a UBF Bible Study group. He is learning how to love and respect Catholics and the Catholic Church with new eyes and ears. This is one of my many goals in having such an event. 

Before you read Kevin's report let me remind you that the entire event is now available for viewing on our ACT 3 home page. 

Here is Kevin's blog about the March 26 event:

On Monday, March 26, 2012, ACT 3 ministry hosted an event at Wheaton College, in the Edman Chapel. It was a called, “A Conversation On Unity In Christ’s Mission.” It entailed a discussion between Francis Cardinal George O.M.I., the Archbishop of Chicago and Dr. John Armstrong, President of ACT 3. The invitation card stated, “An evening of dialogue exploring the common ground and current challenges that face Catholics and evangelical Protestants in Christian faith and mission.” We were all, “cordially invited to share in a Christ centered conversation on unity in the mission of our Lord Jesus Christ in our generation.” In the body of Christ, Catholics and Evangelicals have one Father in heaven and one Savior Jesus. We share common creeds and a common history. We share the Bible and the gospel. We are like siblings in the family of God. But can we serve Jesus together? Yes, we can serve society together, but can we preach the gospel together? Yes we can preach the gospel, but it will take greater efforts at dialoguing. We can unofficially work together to be salt and light. The Holy Spirit is helping us to do this even now. We must also be careful in our dialoguing, that we don’t become so strong headed, that we talk past each other and come to loggerheads. But we must not become so open minded that our brains fall out of your heads and we don’t think any more. We need to find ways to continue the conversation based on the gospel, coupled with mutual respect, love and honor.

Many people say that they love the church. But what they are saying is that they love their particular church and their own people whom they live out their Christian lives with. But their church experience is only a “postage stamp” piece of the Body of Christ. The question that we should be asking ourselves is, “Do we love the entire body of Christ?” There are children of God in other denominations, in other countries, even living down my street, who are children of God. If these folks are His people then they should be my people too. I should have a greater sense of ecumenism and an increased frequency of conversation and dialogue on these matters. There is so much that we don’t agree on, but there is so much that we do agree on. The bottom line is, Jesus Christ is Lord and all of his people make up the body of Christ.

Concerning the greater body, Cardinal George stated that we must set out to repair the wounds that we have inflicted on the body of Christ. We must enter into dialogue and not simply impose our views. We must build friendships and partnerships in dialogue. When we do we can then be the people that the Lord can use to bring peace to the world.

Dr. Armstrong brought up the fact that there are many similarities between us. He defined evangelicalism by the four core markers used by historian David Bebbington. 1. There is a commitment to conversion; 2. There is a commitment to activism; 3. There is a commitment to Bible centeredness; and, 4. There is a commitment to cruc-i-centeredness (The death and resurrection of Jesus). The two groups are not nearly as dissimilar as we might think. Even today we are seeing both evangelicals and Catholics attending joint Bible studies.

I found the Cardinal’s statement, that in the evangelical world, it is hard to find one person to officially talk with about “faith matters” quite compelling. This, he noted, is a structural matter. I believe it also has to do with our mindset about leadership. We don’t submit to the leaders of other churches and sometimes even to our own leadership. But in the Catholic Church leaders are (generally) more respected and listened to by Catholics. Almost all the Catholics at the Conversation on Unity were subjecting their hearts and their minds to what the Cardinal was saying. I think Billy Graham got close to becoming that person for the Evangelical world. Who will it be now? I don’t know, but I thank God for the dialogue that occurred at this conversation. It seems like a small event, but it was the Cardinal’s prayer that God may use it for a greater purpose. (Editor's Note: About 1,200 people attended the event.)

The question is, “What will be the form of unity that Christ wants?” One time, while flying on an airplane, a Pentecostal believer asked the Cardinal if he was saved. He thought this over and said, “Objectively…yes. Subjectively…I am saved but within the community of the church.”

I realized, during this answer, that Catholics equate faith and living out the Christian life with, not only faith in Jesus, but also life in the church. I saw this as a real difference between Catholics and Protestants. Catholics love Jesus and the gospel and the Church. Protestants love Jesus and the gospel, but not necessarily the church. There is a growing trend among Christian young people to bypass the church. A must read on this subject is “You Lost Me.” I am amazed that even those who go to church seem to get in and out as soon as possible. A friend of mine was disillusioned by the fact that people don’t want to stay and talk about the message after the worship service. They just want to leave. If that is the case, why even have a church building? Rent a hall for Saturday and Sunday.

Concerning evangelization, the Cardinal stated that evangelization is done at the individual level and also at the societal level. Catholics think about evangelizing the culture itself. The problem is that we speak of a pre-modern faith in a post-modern culture. How can Catholics now proclaim that Jesus is Lord in this post-modern, post-Christian society? In a secularized world, the church can be a club to motivate people to do good but never mention Jesus to others. The Cardinal conceded that Evangelicals have done a good job at slowing the secularization of America. They kept proclaiming the gospel fervently and kept the voice of the gospel “strong.” He stated that this has a lot to do with the history of Catholics in America. Due to social and political pressures they kept their heads down. For the longest time they thought that they could not freely practice their faith in America. But now things are changing.

I really admired the Q & A section on societal transformation. The church is where we can gather in Christ’s name. But the church must be involved in evangelizing culture. The culture is a normative system. It dictates what to think, how to perceive things and what to prioritize. It even governs certain matters of faith. There are two kingdoms…the kingdom of this world and the Kingdom of God. The two can never blend into each other. But they can approach each other so that communication can occur. One purpose of the implementation of the church is a part of that. Today cultures are secularizing. They are dialoguing less with the Church. But still the Church stands as a source of hope and life in trying circumstances within every culture.

I realize that we must go beyond just seeking to convert the individual. Catholics have it right. We need to transform societies and cultures. It was the Catholics that changed holidays from Roman/pagan celebrations to Christian celebrations. (i.e. Christmas, Valentine’s Day, etc.) They changed society so that the Gospel may interface with the secular world and communicate. Have Protestants given up on the idea of changing culture itself? I think most have, if they ever had that vision in the first place. We must lift up our eyes and have a greater vision.

There was a discussion on faith alone, “Sola Fide.” This is a topic that most people don’t really understand. This issue of faith is linked to our common Augustinian heritage. Cardinal George led the discussion by stating the faith is the beginning of our salvation. (Council of Trent). Faith must go beyond knowledge. Even the devil has knowledge about God, but is he saved? No! Faith must include actions, like trusting God and loving God and loving others. Faith is also a gift of God.

Dr Armstrong confirmed this idea using a reference from the book of James. James 2:17 (and verse 24) reads, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” Instead of stopping at the word, “faith” (alone) we should talk about true and living faith. Then when we frame faith in this way we can continue in meaingful dialogue.

Next, there was a discussion concerning sharing our faith. The Cardinal stated that faith is a gift. If you don’t share the faith, then you will loose it. We can’t rest easy receiving the gift. We must share it. His statement on mission seems to be more based on the morality nestled within human relationships. Dr. Armstrong stated that the sharing of our faith is mission. Just as fire is for burning so the church is for mission. The sharing of our faith is based more on truth and how we are created. It is not as “warm” a definition as the Cardinal’s.

The next topic of discussion had to do with our response to God’s impulses and are we active agents or not in his impulses. I confess that I was lost on this discussion. I don’t know the differences on this issue between the two branches of Christianity. I hope this gets clarified.

I was sold on the idea of liturgy. Liturgy is important. Dr Armstrong grew weary with his 35 years of devotionals. He needed more that a few minutes of quiet time in the mornings. His response appeared to be delving deeper into the books of many Christian authors. I also know that he is part of church with liturgy. Coming from a Catholic background, I remembered the peace I felt as a boy going through the liturgy, smelling the incense, hearing the bell ringing of the altar boys, listening to the ancient songs, listening to the simple homilies and looking at the stations of the cross on the walls and imaging the stories in my mind. It was peaceful and edifying and I didn’t have to always engage my mind. I was resting in the things of God. The years spent experiencing the liturgy left me with some basics about faith, like; 1. Jesus is God 2. The Bible is God’s word, 3. I should go to church, 4. Jesus is the way to go to heaven. These basics helped me to accept Bible study. The Protestants should grow in a greater appreciation of liturgy. This could help them to not always focus and concentrate on Bible study as an intellectual exercise. We need to get back to the mystery of the gospel with the whole church.

What would full unity look like? Dr Armstrong stated that today, the idea of unity is not first about the union or reunion of the church. We will see complete union when Jesus comes again. We should strive for it now. But we must take steps right now that move us to what God might be pleased with in the future. The Cardinal stated that unity is a gift. Christ will bring it about. We must think about the opportunities that our present state of disunity can bring about, as a gift from God. If we think of this in positive terms (rather than as the work of the devil), then we can be excited about what God is going to bring about. The Cardinal believes that the Church contains all the gifts from God. The gifts that are present in the Church may not be visible to all, but they will be revealed and shared through continued conversation. Jesus will make all gifts visible. If there is enough love then all things will work out. We can see this principle at work in marriages between Protestant and Catholic spouses. We must realize that the truths of the two faiths don’t completely mesh. But with continued dialogue we can continue to navigate the complexities of our differences with respect, love and honor. Then Jesus prayer in John 17:23 can be further realized among us, “I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (NIV 1984)

 

A Conversation on Unity in Christ's Mission

As most readers of this blog know tonight is the long anticipated public ACT 3 conversation with Francis Cardinal George and myself. The time is 7 p.m. (CDT) and the place is Edman Chapel at Wheaton College. If you live in the Chicago area I hope you will come. If you cannot come, or live outside this region, you can watch the event live on video stream on your computer. If you go to www.act3online.com you will find an icon that takes you into the event when it begins at 7 p.m. If you go to the Wheaton College site at www.wheaton.edu (WETN radio) you will find a link that takes you to the broadcast as well. If all goes as planned sometime next week we will have the event on our web site for you to view if you miss it in real time. 

To say the least preparing for this event has been a huge ordeal. The ACT 3 staff consists of me and my daughter at the moment. Between us, with the help of some volunteers, we did all the work for this event. This included getting publicity designed, printed and distributed. It included me writing hundreds of emails to schools, leaders and friends. It included a host of Internet efforts and making a video. Beside these efforts I have also done interviews on Moody Radio as well as Relevant Radio (Catholic) in Chicago. The media has been very kind to me. 

Then I've met with various students, and small groups, as well. I met with high school students a week ago and with Wheaton College and Franciscan University students last night at Wheaton. The Franciscan students are on campus for an annual visit that both schools share with each other. They will be present tonight for our event. 

This event is entirely sponsored by ACT 3. Wheaton College has been gracious about working with us but the event is entirely an ACT 3 one. This means that we incur all expenses related to this evening. Our budget is somewhere between $2,500 and $3,000 for tonight. About $1,000 has been designated to help with the event. We will ask people to give at the doors as they leave tonight but we still need gifts to cover our costs. If you can help out please go to www.act3online.com and make a donation today or tomorrow. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

Finally, pray for Cardinal George and me. We want to exalt Jesus Christ in this event. And pray for ACT 3 as we seek to build bridges for unity among all Christians everywhere. I believe the Lord Jesus is pleased when his people converse with one another in love.