Aaron Armstrong

Sound Doctrine: For Life in--and the Life of--the Church, May 17, 2013

While "doctrine" is a dirty word in some circles, there are times when I wonder if it's become a bit of a cliché in some of ours. Many of us in the "new Calvinist/YRR/whatever-you-want-to-call-this" movement love to talk about the importance of sound doctrine and why it matters. We have systematic theologies and commentaries, apologetics books and cultural critiques. But sometimes we forget to talk about what doctrine does in the life of the church, practically.

In Sound Doctrine: How a Church Grows in the Love and Holiness of God, Bobby Jamieson doesn't give us another book on why doctrine is important. Instead, he reminds us how orthodoxy leads to a healthy church--one… Read more

Great art and a sweet story--but "sweet" is all it is, May 5, 2013

If you're a parent, you know how hard it can be to find good books for children.

Kid's books tend to swing too far into the simplistic or go so far over the reader's heads that they lose interest. Balancing isn't easy, especially when you're trying to write a story for little people on a big subject: the love of God.

In The Boy and the Ocean, Max Lucado offers a really sweet story of a mother and father describing the wondrousness of God's love as they play in the ocean and climb mountains. Throughout the book, Lucado repeats this refrain: "God's love is like the ocean... It's always here. It's always deep. It never ends. God's love is special."

My middle… Read more

A good apologetic for city ministry, May 5, 2013

How should Christians approach cities?

Some approach the city as an enemy at worst or something to be exploited at best--its resources have value, but beyond that, it's best left alone. Others give the qualities of a city little thought whatsoever, blending into its surrounding culture, but not really engaging it in a way that confronts its idols.

But is it possible to see the city as an opportunity for furthering the gospel?

Pastors Stephen T. Um and Justin Buzzard believe the answer is an emphatic yes. As the world becomes increasingly urbanized, Christians need to think rightly about the city--to recognize the power cities have to shape culture and spread… Read more